What's worth having

Gear & Supplies

Water, food, power, first aid, and tools, grouped by what your family actually needs. No gear dumps. Just what's worth having and why.

A white plug-in carbon monoxide alarm on a hallway wall outside a sunlit bedroom

Best Carbon Monoxide Detectors for Your Home

Federal guidance on carbon monoxide detectors, boiled down to what to buy and where to install it, plus three models compared on power, battery backup and display.

10 min read

A small electric space heater on a bare hardwood floor with clear space around it and its cord running straight to the wall outlet

Space Heater Safety for Cold Snaps and Power Outages

Most space heater fires come down to a few habits. Here is what federal agencies say about distance, outlets, cords, and leaving a heater on.

9 min read

Do Batteries Expire? How to Store Them for an Outage

Batteries do expire, but slowly. Here is what the makers claim for shelf life, how to store spares, and what Ready.gov and the EPA say about keeping them safe.

10 min read

Illustration of a tan fire-resistant document bag full of folders and envelopes sitting inside an open dark gray home fire safe on a closet floor, with a blank checklist on a clipboard beside it.

Fireproof Document Bag vs Home Safe: Which One Actually Protects Your Papers?

A fireproof document bag is cheap and portable but built for brief heat. A UL-classified safe is rated for a set time and temperature. Here is how to choose, with a free printable for what goes in the bag and where your other copies live.

17 min read

A weathered red all-purpose gasoline can with a yellow spout sitting on pavement

How Long Does Gasoline Last? How to Store Fuel for Emergencies

How long gasoline lasts according to the U.S. Department of Energy, where fire and safety agencies say to keep fuel at home, and what no federal page tells you about diesel, kerosene and propane.

9 min read

A yellow and white box of 25 windproof and waterproof stormproof matches, with an actual-size match printed on the label

4 Reasons You Need Stormproof Matches

Stormproof matches light in rain and wind and keep burning when a regular match or a cold lighter would quit.

7 min read

A portable generator connected to a propane tank sits in the snow with an orange extension cord running from it

Do Propane Generators Work In Cold Weather?

Propane generators handle cold well, but vaporization and regulator issues can slow one down long before it actually quits. Here is what helps and what to skip.

7 min read

Do Emergency Blankets Expire? Waterproofing and Storage

Emergency blankets expire in 1 to 2 years if stored right. Here's everything else worth knowing too, from waterproofing to why the silver coating works.

9 min read