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You don’t need all ten. The first three cover most of the official checklist.
Lighting EVER LE1000 torches, pack of two
One upstairs, one down
Light that isn’t your phone. Everything else on this list is easier to find once you own these.
INIU 10,000mAh power bank
Two full phone charges
The phone is your torch, radio, map and link to 105. Keep this charged and it stays all four.
Culinare MagiCan tin opener
Getting into three days of tins
The official checklist forgets it. A cupboard of beans and an electric opener is a puzzle, not a plan.
A 2-litre hot water bottle with a cover
The first cold night
Gas boilers need electricity, so the heating goes off with the lights. This is the cheapest warmth in Britain.
LE rechargeable lantern
The room you’re all in
A torch lights where you point it. A lantern lights the Monopoly board, and the argument.
Thermos Thermocafé flask, 1 litre
Hot drinks from one boil
Boil once before a planned cut, or once outdoors, and you’ve tea until bedtime.
Panasonic eneloop AA batteries, pack of four
Torches and radios
They hold their charge for years in a drawer, which is the only thing a standby battery has to do.
Fridge and freezer thermometers
Knowing what to bin
Food is fine while the fridge stays under 8°C. Without a thermometer you’re guessing, and guessing is how people meet their GP.
10-litre collapsible water carriers, pack of two
Filling up before a storm
Flat in a drawer until the forecast turns. Some pumps and all electric showers stop in a cut.
Lewis-Plast 90-piece first aid kit
The medical line on the checklist
People do daft things in the dark. Mostly to their shins.
What isn’t on the list
A radio, because a decent one sits just over the limit. It’s the next thing I’d buy, and it’s on ready for £100 with everything above.
Candles aren’t on it either. The official advice is that torches are safer, and the official advice has met my family.