Safety first

• Carbon monoxide kills silently. Never run an engine, generator, grill, camp stove or heater that burns fuel inside a home, garage or tent.
• Fuel stored in approved containers, away from living space and ignition.
• Batteries: never short-circuit them, keep lithium cells from heat, do not charge swollen cells.
• Fire: keep a bucket of water or sand, a fire blanket and a tested smoke alarm with spare batteries.

Light and charging

• Several LED torches and lanterns that take common batteries (AA or AAA), plus a crank or solar one.
• A power bank or two, kept at about half charge in storage and topped up every few months.

Small solar

A 100 W solar panel, a charge controller and a 12 V battery (lead-acid or lithium iron phosphate) are enough to run lights, charge phones and radios, and power a small fan or laptop. Learn how to wire it before you need it, fuse the battery side, and keep panels clean and in full sun.

Heat and cooking

Cook and heat with what you can get safely and ventilate. A rocket stove or a cooking pit uses far less wood than an open fire. Insulate before you heat: blankets, closed rooms, draught-proofing.

Water and pumping

A hand pump or a bucket and rope over a well is more reliable than any electric pump. Keep spare seals and parts.

Tools worth having

Hand saw, axe, hammer, files, a good knife, hand drill, screwdrivers, adjustable and fixed spanners, pliers, a multimeter, tape, wire, fixings, cordage, a sewing kit, sharpening stones. Learn to sharpen and to repair, not just to buy.

Repair knowledge

The offline kit contains iFixit repair guides, electronics and engineering archives and open textbooks; see Downloads.