Kit Library
Staying warm, safe, and fed when the heat goes off. Covers heating options, carbon monoxide safety, pipe protection, and three days without the grid.
01 · The scenario
An ice storm coats the power lines. A transformer blows in a windstorm. A deep freeze overloads the grid and your utility starts rolling blackouts that last days instead of hours. In any version, the furnace stops, the lights go dark, and the house starts cooling.
A modern insulated house loses roughly 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit per hour in freezing weather once the furnace stops running. Within 12 hours, interior temperatures can drop into the 40s. Within 24 hours, your pipes are at risk. Within 48 hours, the house is dangerous for children, elderly family members, and anyone on medications that require refrigeration.
This kit exists so that when the power goes out in winter, you already have safe heat, safe light, a way to keep your phone charged, and enough food and water to ride it out for three days without making a single decision that puts your household at risk of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning.
Every safety claim on this page is sourced from CPSC, NFPA, or the American Red Cross. The product recommendations are real items at real prices, chosen because they are widely available, well-reviewed, and built for exactly this scenario.
02 · What to buy
Everything here serves one scenario: multi-day power loss in freezing weather. Nothing in this kit requires electricity to operate. The carbon monoxide alarm comes first because it is the item that keeps every other item in this kit from killing you.
Item 1 · Safety first
A Kidde or First Alert CO alarm with a sealed 10-year lithium battery. Not a plug-in model, which stops working the moment you lose power, which is exactly when you start burning fuel indoors. CPSC recommends CO alarms on every level of the home and outside each sleeping area, battery-operated or with battery backup. One alarm per floor is the minimum. Two (one near the heater, one near the bedrooms) is better. Test monthly. Replace at end of life, not when it starts chirping.
Item 2 · Heat
An indoor-rated radiant propane heater with an Oxygen Depletion Sensor (ODS), tip-over shutoff, and thermal safety system. Heats up to 225 square feet on a 1-lb propane cylinder for up to 5.4 hours on low. Connects directly to disposable cylinders or to a 20-lb tank with a hose and filter adapter (sold separately). Keep all sides at least three feet from beds, curtains, clothes, and anything that can catch fire. Never leave it running while sleeping. Never refuel while hot.
Item 3 · Sleep warm
A sleeping bag rated to 0°F or lower handles the overnight problem without running a heater while anyone sleeps. The TETON Sports Celsius series (0°F or -18°C) is a solid, affordable option with a flannel lining. One per person. Store them uncompressed in a large cotton storage sack, not in stuff sacks, to keep the insulation loft intact. A sleeping pad or thick blanket underneath matters almost as much as the bag itself: the floor pulls heat downward.
Item 4 · Power for essentials
A LiFePO4 battery station for phones, LED lights, a CPAP, and brief refrigerator runs. The Anker SOLIX C1000 (1,056 Wh, ~$400) and Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 (1,070 Wh, ~$400) are both well-tested options with fast AC recharging. A power station will NOT run a space heater (drains in under an hour). Use it for communication, medical devices, and keeping the refrigerator cold in rotation. Charge it fully before storm season and top it off monthly.
Item 5 · Light and information
Two battery-powered LED lanterns for safe room lighting. Not candles. CPSC and fire departments consistently advise flashlights or battery-powered lights over candles during outages because of the fire risk, especially with children and pets. A hand-crank or battery-powered NOAA weather radio (the Midland ER310 is a good option) gives you storm updates, warming shelter locations, and utility restoration timelines when your phone battery is precious.
Item 6 · Fuel supply
Six disposable 1-lb propane cylinders give you roughly 30 hours of heat on low (5.4 hours each). A 10-foot hose and filter adapter lets you connect the Portable Buddy to a standard 20-lb BBQ tank for much longer runtime at lower cost per hour. Store propane outdoors or in a ventilated shed, never inside the house or garage. Check cylinder dates annually and replace any with visible corrosion or damage.
Item 7 · Pipe protection
Foam pipe insulation sleeves for exposed pipes in the basement, crawl space, attic, and any exterior walls. A bright tag on the main water shutoff valve so anyone in the household can find and close it in the dark with a flashlight. During the outage: open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls to let room air reach the pipes. Let cold water drip from faucets served by exposed plumbing. If pipes freeze, never use an open flame to thaw them. Use a hair dryer, heat lamp, or towels soaked in warm water.
Item 8 · Food and water
Canned soup, canned chili, canned fruit, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, dried fruit, and nuts. A manual can opener (the EZ-DUZ-IT or Swing-A-Way, both American-made, both under $12). One gallon of stored water per person per day. If you already have a No-Cook Food Kit or Pantry Starter Kit on the shelf, this item is covered. If not, a single grocery run handles it. USDA advises that a full freezer holds temperature for approximately 48 hours if the door stays closed, and a half-full freezer for about 24 hours.
Full kit estimated cost
$555–$900
The power station is most of the cost. The budget version below brings the total under $250.
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03 · What not to buy
Kerosene heaters produce significant carbon monoxide and require proper ventilation that a sealed-up winter house does not provide. They also require specific 1-K grade kerosene (never gasoline), produce a strong odor, and present a greater fire risk than a propane unit with ODS. CPSC has issued repeated warnings about kerosene heater CO deaths.
An electric space heater is useless during a power outage. Even with a portable power station, a 1,500-watt heater drains a 1,000 Wh battery in under 40 minutes. Your power station is for phones, lights, and medical devices, not heat. Propane handles the heating.
CPSC and fire departments advise flashlights or battery-powered lights over candles during outages. An unattended candle in a dark house with children, pets, or sleep-deprived adults is a house fire waiting to happen. LED lanterns are brighter, safer, and last longer.
An average of 100 people die each year in the United States from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by portable generators, according to CPSC. Never run a generator inside a home, garage, basement, crawl space, or any partially enclosed area, even with the door open. Never burn charcoal indoors. Never use a gas oven or stovetop to heat your home. All three produce lethal levels of CO in enclosed spaces.
A USB hand warmer heats your palms for a few hours. It does not heat a room, a sleeping bag, or a child. It is a comfort item, not a heating solution. If you already have one, put it in the kit. Do not buy one thinking it solves the heating problem.
04 · Budget version
The budget version keeps every safety item at full quality and trades the power station for car charging. No safety corners are cut. The heater and CO alarm stay identical.
CO alarm
No substitution. Same item.
Propane heater
No substitution. Same item.
Sleeping bags
Trade 0°F bags for 20°F bags or heavy wool blankets.
Power station
Skip it. Use car charging and a $15 car inverter.
Lanterns + radio
Basic LED lanterns and an AM/FM radio.
Propane supply
Four cylinders instead of six. Add the 20-lb adapter later.
Pipe protection
Same item. Foam insulation is already cheap.
Food and water
Store-brand canned goods. Same manual can opener.
Budget total
The budget version skips the power station entirely and uses the car for phone charging. Run the car for 15 minutes at a time with the window cracked, and never in a closed garage. A basic 12V car inverter (~$15) lets you charge devices from the cigarette lighter. When you can afford the power station later, add it.
05 · When to upgrade
These upgrades extend how long you can ride out an outage and how comfortable your household stays. None of them replace the core kit. Add them in order of priority.
Priority 1
Doubles the heating coverage to 450 square feet and accepts two 1-lb cylinders or a 20-lb tank via hose. Same ODS and tip-over safety as the Portable Buddy. Worth it if your main living space is larger than 200 square feet.
$150–$200Priority 2
A 100W or 200W portable solar panel lets you recharge the power station during the day, even in winter. Extends a three-day outage kit to a week or longer. Most brands sell matched panels (Jackery SolarSaga, Anker SOLIX). Even partial winter sun adds meaningful charge.
$150–$350Priority 3
A 2,000–3,500 watt inverter generator (Honda EU2200i, Westinghouse iGen2500) powers a refrigerator, furnace blower, and lights simultaneously. MUST be operated outdoors only, at least 20 feet from any window, door, or vent. Requires gasoline storage and annual maintenance. This is a meaningful commitment, not a casual purchase.
$450–$1,100Priority 4
A closed-cell foam pad (Therm-a-Rest Z Lite SOL, ~$40) or self-inflating pad under each sleeping bag prevents conductive heat loss to the floor. Makes a 20°F bag feel like a 0°F bag. The cheapest warmth upgrade in the kit.
$30–$60 each06 · Maintenance
A winter kit that sits in the garage from March to November is a winter kit that fails in December. These intervals keep it current.
October is the anchor month. Run through the full list once before the first hard freeze. Monthly tasks (CO alarm test, power station charge) take less than five minutes each.
07 · Save it
Every item in this kit, with maintenance intervals, in a checklist you can save to your dashboard and run through each October before the first freeze.
Save it to My Readiness and it stays current across devices. Print it and keep it with the kit.