Those of us that have lived in areas where you have a higher likelihood of being in serious weather know about the value of being prepared and having an emergency kit. Now depending on where you live some of those items will change depending on the circumstances and environment.

Those in Wyoming don’t need to worry as much about heatstroke as they do severe cold during the winter. We in Florida focus more on sunscreen and mosquito repellant. What doesn’t change is the essentials, water, medicine, batteries, blankets, food, first-aid, money, etc. Many of us have a generator for when the power goes out, however diesel generators have their own problems.

Diesel generators are loud, and have the nice drawback of spilling out toxic gas. I’m sure many disaster relief coordinators cuss these generators because of all the people that they hurt when not used correctly. Other people use solar generators to generate the power they need in a crisis. The people over at Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies have given us a 3rd option.

They have developed the Hydropack®. Basically it is a small fuel cell power generator that once water is added into the fuel cartridge it will generate 270wH of clean power. There are 2 primary components to the device; the generator and the fuel cartridge. The fuel cartridge has an unlimited shelf life and is set at a price around $20 bucks. The Generator themselves look to be around $400 however you only need one of these unless you want others in case of emergency.

 There are no heavy metals and no toxic gases so that you can use these in your home in case of an emergency. Once activated the cartridge lasts for around 30 days and will sustain 25 watts of power for around 14 hours. It comes with a power outlet and 2 USB ports so that you can recharge your cell phone or what have you when you need it the most. The canisters are recyclable and Horizon is setting up a program where you recycle the canisters through them and get a discount on the replacements. The best part is that you need not use distilled water. It works with any water, even dirty or sea water if needed to give the power you require. To me this is an essential part as those of us that have been in a disaster know that clean water is not exactly the easiest thing to get a hold of, and what you do have will probably go into yourself. As for me I will probably pick this thing up and add it to my emergency kit. Going through the hurricanes of 2004 brought to me the importance of having a kit ready and capable to handle what I need. Worst case scenario I’ll take it with me when I go camping and have a little juice to read by or maybe even a fan since the unit is so small, being only 9×9x4 inches and weighing in less than 6 lbs even with the water. What are your thoughts? Is this something that you would add to your kit? What are the required items you keep in your kit?

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