Testing is so critical. It's easy to get gear and let it sit in the corner hoping it will work. Glad you're getting ready for the challenges you may fact this coming winter in Europe. Stay safe my friend.
2 weeks ago, I didn't have a need to simulate! Hurricane Ian passed over us and power was out for 4 days. I've waited for some time for a power outage so I could put to use my prepping efforts! Planning was the most useful tool and for the most part, things went smoothly. A little tweaking was needed with the solar generators, but we kept the refrigerators working, outlets hot for other uses and fortunately, a cold front came through as the hurricane exited so A/C wasn't needed to keep cool. All in all I was impressed with how all my prepping came together pretty much in total comfort. Hats off to Ecoflow for producing such fine solar generators!
That’s awesome! I went five days last winter with no power and learned so much. Even with your prep, I’m sure you learned a lot with your outage. Experimenting like Lilly does is great, but I think going through the real deal fine tunes your needs, your equipment, your expectations, etc.
@@flir67man84 I have 4 160 watt panels and with the 4 solar generators I have, they are grossly underpowered with the panels. After the hurricane I bought the Ecoflow Smart Generator which is gas powered and very efficient. During the blackout I used my 11 kw gas generator to charge my batteries because I could charge 3 at a time in 2 hours. With the panels it would've taken all day the charge just one. In the 4 days with no power I used just 7 gal of gas using the gas generator.
@@phosgene11 I'm running a Harbor freight system, 18 100 watt panels and 22 of my 35AH batteries are HF, Rest are 4 100ah and 4 75AH AGM sump pump batteries and 3 SRNE 40amp charge controllers power it for now. I'm looking into the EGO line for possible battery backup and outdoor equipment system.
I just wanted to add that we have an unused freezer in the unheated garage that we fill with frozen after the freeze here in Minnesota. We don't have to plug it in. Saves us a lot of money!
Don’t forget guys if you live in a rural area you can store meats and other produce during winter time using a simple weather proof food safe box and putting it in the ground it keep your food cool even if above ground temps get warm
Setup a cubic space as a “warm emergency space” vents for fresh air but hyper insulated so your home can get cold but you can survive warm inside on low energy.
If you want to support the channel you can buy the panel shown in this video here: ► Off-Grid Folding Solar Panel: bit.ly/3EviFv2 (10% Off with discount code: survivallilly) ► Faraday Bag: bit.ly/3eNQ6C8
I did a full-on power outage rehearsal over two days. Every piece of equipment passed with flying colors, but overall the rehearsal was a failure. Why? Neighbors. My non-prepper neighbors freaked out over the smell of smoke from a small brick rocket stove cooking food. They also assumed waste bags temporarily buried in my backyard contained my wife's body, who was out of town during the test weekend. They even called the police despite my explanation that I was conducting an EMP power outage test. In the end, I had to abort the test because of neighbors. It turns out neighbors can see, hear and smell almost everything we do. Imagine what will happen if SHTF? Day one they may knock on your door asking that you share your supplies. Day two they may pound on your door demanding that you share supplies. Day three they may come to your door armed to take your supplies. What is the solution? IMO, find a way to get your community organized and prepared, or be prepared to do the unthinkable to defend yourself.
"What is the solution?" Violence of course to defend you and your family. We humans think we are so elevated and civilized. Instead we become dumb stupid hormone monkeys once our comforts and stability are ripped away from us. "Be prepared to do the unthinkable to defend yourself". Well, as the old saying goes "there is a first time in life for everything" including having to kill to survive. Hell is coming, and I don't mean the biblical variety.
Some of your preps should be able to move with you, mobile. This is why solar generator comes in handy. They are silent power sources for that very scenario as well as if you have to get up and out fast. LeadFarmer73 and his wife in Carolina talks prepping all the time. See his collection of solar generators and canning vids. Marfoogle TV runs his platform all on solar power he states. Any prep is better than none at all. May all be safe as best can be.
Very cool but you are showing easily 5k+€ of gear. It would be cool to explore other options, more on the diy low cost side, like fashioning a wind generator from a washing machine motor for example and using a couple car batteries for storage. Just my 2 cents
here is a tip i have had to use when the electric went out here in Ky. during a huge ice and snow storm some years back. i put my food from the freezer in plastic toats and set them in my van until the power came back on. great video lilly.
Hi Lilly. Some information you probably already know but here goes. The Bluetti AC200 Max uses LiFePO4 cells for the battery. You can safely leave them at 100% state of charge without fear of damaging them. Without parasitic loads from the Bluetti controls the LiFePO4 battery will still maintain about 90% of full charge after a year. There is no real need to discharge the battery to 50% for storage. Bluetti specs. state 6,000+ cycles on the battery if you cycle between 100 % to 50% depth of discharge; if you discharge to 80% they estimate 3,500+ cycles. Minimize your connections using cords and adapters as there is always a loss through these connections. You're better off fabricating cords with the proper connectors. The issue with smaller wire gauge is voltage loss over distance. You can minimize the voltage loss with the correctly sized wire. You're better off using a larger gauge wire than required as it'll have a higher current carrying capacity and a lesser voltage loss. It looks like Europe will be hurting this winter. If you don't already have one you may want to invest in an electric blanket. They're relatively inexpensive and fairly efficient with low power consumption. Here in the USA a decent quality (120 VAC) queen sized, dual control blanket is $100-$ 150.00 USD. I've yet to find a decent 12 VDC one though. However, I'm still looking. Good luck and stay well!
You've done a tremendous job over the years keeping up with, sharing all the ideas, techniques and innovations associated with Bushcraft primitive and prepping for survival today. You young ones are the hope of Earth's future. Never give up Safety, good health to you and your loved ones
I have always told people. Go home one weekend and turn off the breaker box and shut off the water to the house for the weekend. By Monday you will have a pretty good idea of what areas you need to work on.
Rather than trying to calculate hypothetical solar input vs power consumption, I'd highly suggest hooking everything up and running it for at least a few days. I also have a bluetti ac200max and you may also consider adding some extra batteries to the bluettii to extend runtime. I have 4x100ah 12v LiFePO4 batteries ( in parallel) hooked into the PV input (change the input setting from PV to "other" so the bluetti will be able to use them). This is an extra 5000 watt hours of capacity (1280 watt hours per 100ah 12.8v battery in parallel) You will get 100w input from this setup which is nice during the night when solar is not an option and more stealth than running a generator. You can also input the 12v batteries through a simple 12v to 24v transformer to get 200 watts input. An additional option is to use an ac inverter with the batteries and plug in the ac power charging brick for the bluetti to get 400 watts input. The inverter and transformers do have conversion power loss.
Potentially you could setup your basement as a “cold sink” in the event that you lose power or gas for heating the cold air will naturally sink into the lowest points of the building. Depending on plumbing layout this could be exploited to keep your living area warmer
@@aarifaamos since it’s the lowest point of your home then all the cold air from the rest of your home will naturally collect here. If there aren’t pipes you have to worry about freezing then you can not heat that area and leave it open to the rest of the home to aid convection. Any cold air leaking into your home will sink into the basement and it will stay slightly warmer in the heated areas.
Bought rechargable motion detecting interior lights. Have one for kitchen, bathroom and hall. They only come on in the dark and stay on for 20 seconds and switch off unless motion is detected again. Got them from Amazon and can charge them from my single solar panel outside on shed. Been using them a while now and after 3 weeks still havent needed to charge them. Good for emergency or just to help keep bills down.
The faraday bag is great idea, especially for your location, put the solar panels in the bag as well, including all cables ! Rolled up cables represent a coil and will overheat in an emp !
A better option if you have the space would be a pole mount in the back yard with 3 350 watt solar panels on it, easy to keep clean, can adjust to the sun, and the 1050 watts capacity would give a better real world daily out put.
That panel is good if you have a semi-permanent place to mount it. Ideally you need a solar blanket that's small enough to throw in your backpack that puts out about 100W because at the end of the day, you're only going to use it to charge a phone or a radio if you have to bug out in a hurry. The last thing you will be worried about is powering white goods when SHTF.
Right!! Well I live in a very rural area and our grid is old … plus no one cares if a bunch of country peeps lose power so we’ve had lots of practice with long term power outages… all seasons too since we basically get all the crazy weather ice, hurricanes, tornadoes, derechos, dangerous thunderstorms and a rare occasional blizzard …
This is smart. I would say screw the building codes and quietly place a duct with 12v fan to run the freezing air outside into the freezer. Then, I would use the collected solar energy to charge my phone so I could stay updated on the outage and situation. 145w isn't much, Lilly needs a small generator with a soundproof casing. Redundancy is so important. Having many ways to heat your space is crucial because what if you have a gas generator but there's suddenly no gas or you can't afford it? Or maybe you have a generator with a propane option but there's no more propane? If you depend on wood and there's a wood shortage.. if you depend on kerosene heaters but there's no kerosene available... it's scary but the more energy sources you can tap into, the better your chances of being able to use what's available at any specific time.
Wow , we have had reports of Russian and Asian ships off the coast of Alaska. All that stuff would come in handy around here but the cold is the enemy of charged batteries. You might test your equipment in a low heat scenario to see the difference in stored energy.
@@user-bd5md5cm2j I was in Wyoming using a crockpot to heat up soup it was a draw on the system. When I picked up the panel kit at Renogy in Los Angeles it would charge up to 100 percent in California, in Wyoming in the cold it could not achieve the same results. One thing I would have had build for my Toyota seems like anyone could adapt it to their program. I could have run extra coolant lines through the dash to a vessel that could be used like a boiler but with some kind of adobe coating to not melt the carpet to be able to cook in the car and have a little bit of heat. Another option was to have a front or rear bumper fabricated to use the coolant system to heat up a section of the bumper to cook with. Was thinking a valve in the coolant system going to and from the bumper when needed would work. If you had fabrication skills or resources you could have separate section for metal water containers or cooking vessels that could fit in the bumper.
@@seanokeefe703 it's a great idea. For bad times though, your burning gas for it to work. There's these little wood stoves for tiny homes available. They even have a glass door for light. You could vent it out the back instead of the top. Keep your roof water proof. I'm guessing you have a shell or camper for your rig? Toyota is the bomb. I've had several. I love them.
@@user-bd5md5cm2j similar sort of deal , would be cool to make a little wood stove that goes into a receiver hitch on the front or back bumper that does the same thing. If I was going to run the engine I wanted to use the heat as much as possible to suit my needs.
@@seanokeefe703 great idea. When it's warm cook outside. When it's cold use it inside. You could probably set the little stove up in the rear in the winter and open your rear window and it would keep the whole truck nice and warm
News radio has blackouts projected in NE USA. Wonder if that will be shared with the Midwest, because it's a grid. going to be interesting none the lest! :) You can fold it in half if you only need half power, I like it! I have two bulky 50 watt Renogy panels for portability! ha Still saying my prayers for you ALL over there! Bank on it!
Keep a freezer full. Use full water containers if it’s not full of food products.A full freezer retains its cold for a very long time if it’s always full.Only opening it if necessary. I remember in the 70s in England we had rolling blackouts all the time.Candles and paraffin lamps were on the window sills ready for use. Then I lived in Canada for 35 yrs and lived through power outages due to storms either thunderstorms or freezing rain storms. A bit of preparation is good. But I’m not going to spend big £ on items just in case.
Every night now I heat my lounge with Riverside Homestead- inspired emergency Crisco candles. I made them myself here in England with Trex from Sainsbury, and Crisp n Dry from Tesco. I also use a handful of tea-light candles. In my bedroom I read by the light of AA battery operated fairy lights from Poundland. The lights are £1 per string. I get 20 AA batteries for £2. So it's 10p per battery, and they last a few nights. The tealight candles are usually about £2 for 9 large tea-light candles that last 8 hours. I get these from B&M when available. All candles have been sold out at Poundland for weeks, and Tesco has a limited supply. Dreaded Amazon does packs of 50 and 100 large tea-light candles. They work out at under 20p each. Just 8 tealight candles will heat my lounge. I've got a string of solar powered fairy lights on the stairs. I think they were from Homebase or B&M. I think I paid £6. I've got 3 sets of AA battery operated longer strings of fairy lights from B&M that cost £5 each. One way or the other I can heat one room at a time, and light every room I need to. I also have a camping stove and lots of CP250 cans. I've got firewood too, and I've got bricks and grills for a rocket stove. I'll be cooking hotdogs tomorrow on the rocket stove. I've learnt all these survival methods from Survival Lilly, Riverside Homestead, and other prepper channels.
If the thinner cable part is short, that extra voltage drop does not cause much power loss. So if only the adapter cable is less than 10 mm2 that is not a big issue. Even the thickest cable cause some loss. Probably that power station can handle higher input voltage at the solar input, so next time when you buy more solar panel to improve the solar power, connect those serial. In that way the power loss is not increasing because only the voltage will be higher, not the current. When you reached the maximum input voltage, but not the input power, you can use serial and paralel connections in ordet to the reach the maximum solar power.
If you are not expecting a blackout, or if it is summer and you have a solar charger, you can store the powerstation at 60% charge. Most manufactures recommended keeping it at 60% charge if not being used for long times. Does mean you've only got 60% battery in an unknown/unpredicted emergency, but means the powerstation battery does not degrade as quickly, and will last you a good few years (5 or so).
Great test! You sounded maybe a bit dismayed at the panel’s output, but I think 140-145 watts is a decent number under your conditions! We all strive for perfect alignment and clean panels and blue clear skies during sun hours, but the harsh reality is that we never get 100% of our panels capability. These tests make for more realistic expectations 👍
Hello Lilly We we're so excited about your CZcams Presentation over the oukitel 2000 w Outdoor Generator, we decided to buy it. Your CZcams presention about the Solar Blanket 220W from Off Grid Trek we also wanted to buy, but we need to find out which cable(s) are needed to connect both devices. The Generator comes with a Anderson to MC4 cable, but that does not fit the blanket connection. Nice Greetings
i live on a sail boat all year round got 500watt solar 400 watt wind generator. and in winter it stil can be ruff... only few hours light and lot of time its clouds...
I wonder if you could add hydroelectric to your boat! If you have a hydroelectric turbine on your boat while it's in motion you could offset some of your energy expenditure. Now I want a boat!
Things that affect your Solar: 1. NO Solar Panel made is 100% Efficient, so no-matter-WHERE you are or time of day, you will NEVER see the claimed Wattage by the manufacturer. 2. Efficiency of the Solar Panel is further diminished by the operating requirements os whatever charge Controller you are using. 3. Time of day, Weather Conditions, and Latitude are HUGE factors that determine how much power your Solar can produce. Temperature is ALSO an important consideration. ALL Solar Panels perform better when cold than when hot.The "CLAIMED POWER" of any given Solar Panel is calculated for Noon on the Equator at Summer Solstice.Tis is something 99% of Solar Manufacturers, Sellers, and installer do NOT know, and those who DO will NEVER tell you!
Rehearsals are always a good plan. I've simulated one of my contingencies one weekend, which was having to get home from my university on foot and avoiding major roads. It's about 19 miles/30km, I did it to see how long it would actually take me but also to plan my route and look for potential friction points.
I live solar 24/7 and run a chest freezer. The freezer's compressor uses an inductive motor that takes a surge of power to start running. Can your batteries give the necessary amps in the early morning hours? Also, solid panels last for decades, flexible panels might last five years... Also, the panels won't put out if over 150F. The heat causes resistance. You need airflow under the panels to keep them cool. In the summer you will notice the difference. Not so much in the winter.
Thank you! I had been worried that if I bought an expensive power station that it may get blown up by an EMP. I also checked out your video on your old microwave turned into a faraday cage and see now how I may be able to make my own protection too. You're the best. I'm a busy single mommy and your research and ideas help me so much even by saving me time.
Ideally, it would be nice to go straight from the powerpole connectors to an SA20 for a dedicated application like this. But I think it might be difficult to terminate anything larger than 12 ga to the SA20. So shorter would be better. Judging by the hand shadow, the angle of the panels was pretty much spot on, so you probably could get as much as 80-90% of the panels rated output. I have an AC200p (the previous model), and am not really impressed with the charge controller in it. An older "Renogy" (I think it is ultimately a Tracer) MPPT is able to get more watts from the array under the same conditions. All that being said, seeing it producing enough power to run the freezer hopefully provides you with some confidence.
Your nearing winter if you have a black out take your food in bags and bury it in the ground, if your temp is near 32° sorry not sure Celsius, but freezing you dont need to use the fridge. Hell I've gone with out power you just keep the fridge shut or like I said in winter take it outside. Your best bet is getting more non perishable foods if you expect a black out. Start smoking your meat or dehydrating your food, zip seal it, Mason jar canning. You can have canned meat not refrigerated just like grandparents did. They had a cellar, canned the meat and kept it fine and edible through out the winter and upto a year. You don't need fridgeration if you prep your food right. Hell look at hard tact and pemmican both can last years no fridgeration. Honey prepared and contained properly never goes bad. 26hrs is a buffer, it's not a fix. You need long term prep. I mean solar panels are great for camping, but cloudy days is common In the winter. Best of luck, cause I know for a fact this winter is going to be bad, to much is happening now, its gonna be the worse we've had in a while, and now Boston making a new strand of Covid with 80% mortality rate, it's a nightmare and I cannot believe it's being allowed. I hope God watches all of us cause we are at the edge of WW3.
This is great advice. Canning your meats and smoking them is a wonderful way to preserve without using energy long term to keep it frozen. I'm about to go can some green beans and potatoes! When it comes to ice cold blackouts, you have to heat your body from the inside, so it's critical to have a source of hot water and a way to heat your food. Heat the person, not the air. Keeping a full warm tummy will stave off the chill. An electric blanket would be perfect for her little Bluetti. 145w input for 5 hours will give her enough juice to keep the blanket warm all day and into the night, too. They only run about 50w. :)
@@LilyBean82 we I got some more tips. I used to live in a shed, it was drafty and retained no heat. • use a tent to create a micro climate. You can use mylar blankets or the reusable space blankets as insulation for the walls and a trash bag ( contractor bag nearly 4 ft tall) or bivy bag as a heater retainer over a sleeping bag. It will trap it can can make you sweat. But if your tent had a vestibule like a little room before the tent door you can have a safely placed heater there to bring in the heat, but your blanket would do the same. Just trap it in the tent and your fine or better off. You just need to heat a small area not the house. • a large can of lard you can use several methods to make a wick, but it can become a candle or a pilot light and with the right reflectors a stove. A large can, can last nearly a month of use. Its animal fat so it's also used for alot of things too. •a water filter straw can filter 100s of gallons of water. And in an emergency the bath tub can almost hold 30 gallons of water. •you can harvest water from trees, through vines and even tap it. Maple water has a lot of nutrients and even a few found only in its water. I filled a milk jug once with tree water, tastes like spring water. Just be careful if its cloudy or milky sap its toxic, just look into it more before experimenting with it. Had some bad luck, but learned some cool things from CZcams. Corporals Corner, Dave Canterbury Wilderness Outfitters, Grunt Proof, Really Big Monkey, those guys are really great sources to learn from. Then theres even a pretty good channel on primitive tech making things from the very low tech possible. Check out the the Book the Lost Ways, you can find the PDF for it easily or purchase it and it comes with several pdfs and extras. It's a book on how to make pioneer like prepping like making pemmican. Pemmican is native American food that includes meat and berries and etc to be trail rations that last without refrigeration. And civil war hard tact like crackers but they last too. But best of luck and I hope God watches over you.
80% mortality in mice that have been bred to be susceptible to covid. Thankfully it wouldn't effect humans the same way. Still, they need to stop making these things.
I bought six 100w panels. I run them in two sets of 3 in parallel. I get around +400w input with good sunlight. I also run a small pulsar 2200 generator at the same time as collecting solar. Combined I can input the bluetti 800 plus watts. The nice thing about using a generator is you only need to run it a few hours a day.
A bluetti ac200max can run my fridge and freezer for more then 12hr by itself. With solar it can almost indefinitely run them. I just supplement with a small generator when I'm low or the sun isn't shining good that day. You only need a small generator because it's input max out at 400w ac.
The bluetti has a ac and dc input. You can max out dc at about 900w with solar panels or windmills. And using your ac wall outlet you can max out at 400w. I think the low ac number is because of the charger brick. But you can charge ac and dc at the same time and max out around 1300w. With that kinda input you can charge the 2kwh bluetti from zero under 2hrs.
I’m no longer homeless but experiencing a blackout right now. Was so depressed by the dark I made a lamp with olive oil. Pretty sad. I can’t emphasize enough to anyone reading this. Phone is everything. Until the basic paradigm of first world lifestyles changes your phone is more valuable than any gear in a backpack. Backup phone chargers should be plugged in at all times. The homeless are the canaries in the coal mine for economic collapse. Phone phone phone. Nothing else matters. It’s like macgyver with his Swiss Army knife. If you have a quality phone in service you can tackle any situation. It’s also good to save books and print media but good luck doing that without a place to live.
@@SurvivalLilly I understand the foldability and portability, this was not a personal attack on you, I just believe that there are less expensive options.
@@moore5325 There are foldable options that don't cost nearly $1800 for a measly 220w. I'm not saying it's a bad solar panel. I'm just saying it's too expensive. We are in a recession bordering on a depression.
@@SurvivalLilly the video was good but the panel foldability for backpack is useful for phone recharge unless you backpack bluetti and electric oven or kettle...in an blackout the mobiles will not work as all towers are out. When you are running for your life with a backpack in a total blackout of all power including car gas....EVERYTHING will be out including cell towers. This is good for your campervan thats always gased up ready to get out of city and run your appliances in the van...if they still work after an emp. Your van wont work unless you protect from emp..it wont even start. Its worse than you think. Im prepping to survive in place at home in blackout. If it gets bad enough for backpacks you need to prep differently...tools to make shelter and find water and hunt
You need 5 of those panels to get a good charge into the generator, and perhaps with the power adapter run another 3 panels… and then you can have aircon in summer 😅
Better learn to live without air conditioning sooner than later, regardless of your local climate. There are a million better uses for electricity than pumping cool air around yourself.
Looks like a great product. But that price is crazy expensive for essentially a 220 watt foldable solar panel. Can purchase several 120 to 200 watt portable panels for less. This may be of better quality though. I'd love to see a comparison to a 200 watt foldable panel that costs around 200 dollars.
Fun Fact; Faraday bags can be used to transport large sums of currency, so the sensor on the highway can’t detect the metal strips in the bills! -Mr. Bill
Thanks Lilly for doing real world testing. I am saving for a solar backup system for my house but of course while my nest egg grows so does my knowledge which leaves me constantly fighting between the goals that I set for having a solar generation system and the budget that I have to work with. I was hoping to have a system in place for this winter but it is looking like I will be depending on my car mounted inverter for another year as I try to raise the needed funds. Thanks for all you do!
Lilly, my Bluetti like yours here in the U.S. is rated for 35V-150V on the PV input. The 28V the Grid Trek is rated for should still work fine, just take longer. I have my AC200P connected to 600 watts of monocrystalline glass panels. Have been planning on purchasing the Grid Trek panels if they went on sale during the holiday season. A 10% discount makes them a buy. Thanks!
I tried a 24 volt rated panel on the solar input of my AC200p and it never tried charging. Two panels in series is around 64 volts when actually charging and works, but 530 watts of panels only ever gives around 350 watts of charge. On the Chinese integrated unit it is more like 450 watts.
140 Watts from a 200 w system in October is pretty good. With my folding 100 watt panels, I count on getting 70 to 80 watts on a good day. I like the fact that when the sun lowers in the winter, we need less refrigeration. Also, in my experience, once my small fridge has gotten cold, it does not take much power to keep it going. Off Grid Trek stuff isn't cheap, but it seems to be high quality.
You need to overpanel by a factor of 5 or 6 at least. Already now in fall you get max 3 hrs of really usable sunshine; and it's getting worse in winter.
Very good item to have. I have to be able to be self sufficient with a solar panel as this could provide power when none is available. The sun, that's where, lol. Thanks 👍.
Nice demo, I have to say that I got (and like) the Bluetti unit and really like it. We have a lot of power outages here so it's come in handy. Their solar panels were pricey but I stuck with them for ease of use. That bag is great but I think I'll make my own and save a little bit! Thanks for the idea, I haven't been paying attention to newer EMP protective devices.
How much solar did you get and is it keep you topped up? I've got 800 Watts I still need to mount but am now thinking of getting the folding panels. Seem easy to use and at least I can bring them inside at night so they won't get stolen. They are not cheap however!
@@smalltownhomesteadAC I got three of the 200W folding panels. I haven't had to use The panels yet although I've tested them. If I had a power outage of more than a couple of days I would have to use them. When there's power I charge the Bluetti with an outlet. The panels wouldn't work great this time of year but they would work some.
Nice review Lilly. I’ve been considering the Faraday bag. I have some small ones for devices, but my solar generator requires something larger. It is pricey, but having a working generator when you need it is more important.
Although I do appreciate the reviews of prepping gear such as this. It seems all the reviews for most prep channels are of products that most of us can’t afford.
![Build A Power Supply - With Junk Box Parts! [The BC-348 Series.]](/img/n.gif)
Testing is so critical. It's easy to get gear and let it sit in the corner hoping it will work. Glad you're getting ready for the challenges you may fact this coming winter in Europe. Stay safe my friend.
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A quality comment, instant sub. Thanks
Hey Rene! My two 200w blankets I got from you are working like champs in series on my station. Off Grid Trek ROCKS!
So true
let it sit in the corner hoping it will work??you gotta be really dumb to buy anything and just put it away until the day you need it comes
2 weeks ago, I didn't have a need to simulate! Hurricane Ian passed over us and power was out for 4 days. I've waited for some time for a power outage so I could put to use my prepping efforts! Planning was the most useful tool and for the most part, things went smoothly. A little tweaking was needed with the solar generators, but we kept the refrigerators working, outlets hot for other uses and fortunately, a cold front came through as the hurricane exited so A/C wasn't needed to keep cool. All in all I was impressed with how all my prepping came together pretty much in total comfort. Hats off to Ecoflow for producing such fine solar generators!
How many panels did you have? I’m up in NC..
That’s awesome! I went five days last winter with no power and learned so much. Even with your prep, I’m sure you learned a lot with your outage. Experimenting like Lilly does is great, but I think going through the real deal fine tunes your needs, your equipment, your expectations, etc.
@@flir67man84 I have 4 160 watt panels and with the 4 solar generators I have, they are grossly underpowered with the panels. After the hurricane I bought the Ecoflow Smart Generator which is gas powered and very efficient. During the blackout I used my 11 kw gas generator to charge my batteries because I could charge 3 at a time in 2 hours. With the panels it would've taken all day the charge just one. In the 4 days with no power I used just 7 gal of gas using the gas generator.
@@histeve1110 who is that guy with the large chin 🤔🚬
@@phosgene11 I'm running a Harbor freight system, 18 100 watt panels and 22 of my 35AH batteries are HF, Rest are 4 100ah and 4 75AH AGM sump pump batteries and 3 SRNE 40amp charge controllers power it for now. I'm looking into the EGO line for possible battery backup and outdoor equipment system.
Lilly, you are such a wonderful person for sharing your knowledge with people. Thank you for all your efforts. Be well.
😉😊😎😍
That chin is crazy 😂
I just wanted to add that we have an unused freezer in the unheated garage that we fill with frozen after the freeze here in Minnesota. We don't have to plug it in. Saves us a lot of money!
Don’t forget guys if you live in a rural area you can store meats and other produce during winter time using a simple weather proof food safe box and putting it in the ground it keep your food cool even if above ground temps get warm
Preppers will survive the winter but what about those Islamic jihadis who will hunt everyone
Setup a cubic space as a “warm emergency space” vents for fresh air but hyper insulated so your home can get cold but you can survive warm inside on low energy.
Doing this on my boat. The old fashions "engine room" style bed and blanket with curtain setup. :)
If you want to support the channel you can buy the panel shown in this video here:
► Off-Grid Folding Solar Panel: bit.ly/3EviFv2 (10% Off with discount code: survivallilly)
► Faraday Bag: bit.ly/3eNQ6C8
Thanks Lily.
I am your #1 fan
Lilly, you have someone spamming the comments section.
Great video but that panel is way overpriced
Sure. Only $1800 USD. Bargain!
@@ScrabblerVid only?!!
Way to be proactive Lilly! Equally awesome to share with everyone your findings. Stay safe 🙏🏻
A dry run, excellent idea. I will do the same. Thank you
Lilly, you are amazing. Thank you, and it is so good to see you regularly again. Best wishes to you and to Austria. 🇦🇹🇺🇸
I did a full-on power outage rehearsal over two days. Every piece of equipment passed with flying colors, but overall the rehearsal was a failure. Why? Neighbors.
My non-prepper neighbors freaked out over the smell of smoke from a small brick rocket stove cooking food. They also assumed waste bags temporarily buried in my backyard contained my wife's body, who was out of town during the test weekend. They even called the police despite my explanation that I was conducting an EMP power outage test. In the end, I had to abort the test because of neighbors.
It turns out neighbors can see, hear and smell almost everything we do. Imagine what will happen if SHTF? Day one they may knock on your door asking that you share your supplies. Day two they may pound on your door demanding that you share supplies. Day three they may come to your door armed to take your supplies.
What is the solution? IMO, find a way to get your community organized and prepared, or be prepared to do the unthinkable to defend yourself.
Omg worst case neighbors
"What is the solution?" Violence of course to defend you and your family. We humans think we are so elevated and civilized. Instead we become dumb stupid hormone monkeys once our comforts and stability are ripped away from us.
"Be prepared to do the unthinkable to defend yourself". Well, as the old saying goes "there is a first time in life for everything" including having to kill to survive. Hell is coming, and I don't mean the biblical variety.
Some of your preps should be able to move with you, mobile. This is why solar generator comes in handy. They are silent power sources for that very scenario as well as if you have to get up and out fast. LeadFarmer73 and his wife in Carolina talks prepping all the time. See his collection of solar generators and canning vids. Marfoogle TV runs his platform all on solar power he states. Any prep is better than none at all. May all be safe as best can be.
Very cool but you are showing easily 5k+€ of gear. It would be cool to explore other options, more on the diy low cost side, like fashioning a wind generator from a washing machine motor for example and using a couple car batteries for storage. Just my 2 cents
Clever PV-Battery-Powerpack combination : black-out prepare as well as dual usable for holiday/week end trips!
here is a tip i have had to use when the electric went out here in Ky. during a huge ice and snow storm some years back. i put my food from the freezer in plastic toats and set them in my van until the power came back on. great video lilly.
Hi Lilly. Some information you probably already know but here goes. The Bluetti AC200 Max uses LiFePO4 cells for the battery. You can safely leave them at 100% state of charge without fear of damaging them. Without parasitic loads from the Bluetti controls the LiFePO4 battery will still maintain about 90% of full charge after a year. There is no real need to discharge the battery to 50% for storage. Bluetti specs. state 6,000+ cycles on the battery if you cycle between 100 % to 50% depth of discharge; if you discharge to 80% they estimate 3,500+ cycles.
Minimize your connections using cords and adapters as there is always a loss through these connections. You're better off fabricating cords with the proper connectors. The issue with smaller wire gauge is voltage loss over distance. You can minimize the voltage loss with the correctly sized wire. You're better off using a larger gauge wire than required as it'll have a higher current carrying capacity and a lesser voltage loss.
It looks like Europe will be hurting this winter. If you don't already have one you may want to invest in an electric blanket. They're relatively inexpensive and fairly efficient with low power consumption. Here in the USA a decent quality (120 VAC) queen sized, dual control blanket is $100-$ 150.00 USD. I've yet to find a decent 12 VDC one though. However, I'm still looking.
Good luck and stay well!
You've done a tremendous job over the years keeping up with, sharing all the ideas, techniques and innovations associated with Bushcraft primitive and prepping for survival today. You young ones are the hope of Earth's future. Never give up Safety, good health to you and your loved ones
I have always told people. Go home one weekend and turn off the breaker box and shut off the water to the house for the weekend. By Monday you will have a pretty good idea of what areas you need to work on.
A little tip with freezers. If it's full it doesn't run as much.
Right? I would only run mine a couple hours a day
Rather than trying to calculate hypothetical solar input vs power consumption, I'd highly suggest hooking everything up and running it for at least a few days.
I also have a bluetti ac200max and you may also consider adding some extra batteries to the bluettii to extend runtime. I have 4x100ah 12v LiFePO4 batteries ( in parallel) hooked into the PV input (change the input setting from PV to "other" so the bluetti will be able to use them). This is an extra 5000 watt hours of capacity (1280 watt hours per 100ah 12.8v battery in parallel) You will get 100w input from this setup which is nice during the night when solar is not an option and more stealth than running a generator. You can also input the 12v batteries through a simple 12v to 24v transformer to get 200 watts input. An additional option is to use an ac inverter with the batteries and plug in the ac power charging brick for the bluetti to get 400 watts input. The inverter and transformers do have conversion power loss.
Miss Lilly, you are as smart as a whip... thank you for sharing and keep up the great preps. stay safe.
Potentially you could setup your basement as a “cold sink” in the event that you lose power or gas for heating the cold air will naturally sink into the lowest points of the building. Depending on plumbing layout this could be exploited to keep your living area warmer
I would like to know more? I am not understanding. I have a basement so I am interested
@@aarifaamos since it’s the lowest point of your home then all the cold air from the rest of your home will naturally collect here. If there aren’t pipes you have to worry about freezing then you can not heat that area and leave it open to the rest of the home to aid convection.
Any cold air leaking into your home will sink into the basement and it will stay slightly warmer in the heated areas.
Bought rechargable motion detecting interior lights. Have one for kitchen, bathroom and hall. They only come on in the dark and stay on for 20 seconds and switch off unless motion is detected again. Got them from Amazon and can charge them from my single solar panel outside on shed. Been using them a while now and after 3 weeks still havent needed to charge them. Good for emergency or just to help keep bills down.
The faraday bag is great idea, especially for your location, put the solar panels in the bag as well, including all cables !
Rolled up cables represent a coil and will overheat in an emp !
A better option if you have the space would be a pole mount in the back yard with 3 350 watt solar panels on it, easy to keep clean, can adjust to the sun, and the 1050 watts capacity would give a better real world daily out put.
Yeah our electricity does simulate the blackout by putting your bill up so high you can't pay it so they shut it off.
Yep, pretty much!
Thanks for the testing and showing of a black out.
That panel is good if you have a semi-permanent place to mount it. Ideally you need a solar blanket that's small enough to throw in your backpack that puts out about 100W because at the end of the day, you're only going to use it to charge a phone or a radio if you have to bug out in a hurry. The last thing you will be worried about is powering white goods when SHTF.
We don't have to simulate a blackout , our electricity company does it for us.
O my...
How thoughtful of them.
Right!! Well I live in a very rural area and our grid is old … plus no one cares if a bunch of country peeps lose power so we’ve had lots of practice with long term power outages… all seasons too since we basically get all the crazy weather ice, hurricanes, tornadoes, derechos, dangerous thunderstorms and a rare occasional blizzard …
My power will be off tomorrow, Thursday and then again on Monday. At least SDG&E let us KNOW this time!
Hahahahaha
Always good to see your videos pop up. Did you ever finish your van?
"normal" glass Solarpanels can get you a bit more efficiency.
This short cable won't produce much loss. Don't worry about it.
If it's cold outside why waste power with a fridge freezer, a small duct hose leading into the fridge with low watt 12 volt fan will do just fine.
This is smart. I would say screw the building codes and quietly place a duct with 12v fan to run the freezing air outside into the freezer. Then, I would use the collected solar energy to charge my phone so I could stay updated on the outage and situation. 145w isn't much, Lilly needs a small generator with a soundproof casing. Redundancy is so important. Having many ways to heat your space is crucial because what if you have a gas generator but there's suddenly no gas or you can't afford it? Or maybe you have a generator with a propane option but there's no more propane? If you depend on wood and there's a wood shortage.. if you depend on kerosene heaters but there's no kerosene available... it's scary but the more energy sources you can tap into, the better your chances of being able to use what's available at any specific time.
@@LilyBean82 I'm currently using USB heaters , vest sleeping bag liners, easily chargers during the day on my solar.
Wow , we have had reports of Russian and Asian ships off the coast of Alaska. All that stuff would come in handy around here but the cold is the enemy of charged batteries. You might test your equipment in a low heat scenario to see the difference in stored energy.
Hopefully you have a wood stove. Then your battery won't get cold
@@user-bd5md5cm2j I was in Wyoming using a crockpot to heat up soup it was a draw on the system. When I picked up the panel kit at Renogy in Los Angeles it would charge up to 100 percent in California, in Wyoming in the cold it could not achieve the same results. One thing I would have had build for my Toyota seems like anyone could adapt it to their program. I could have run extra coolant lines through the dash to a vessel that could be used like a boiler but with some kind of adobe coating to not melt the carpet to be able to cook in the car and have a little bit of heat. Another option was to have a front or rear bumper fabricated to use the coolant system to heat up a section of the bumper to cook with. Was thinking a valve in the coolant system going to and from the bumper when needed would work. If you had fabrication skills or resources you could have separate section for metal water containers or cooking vessels that could fit in the bumper.
@@seanokeefe703 it's a great idea. For bad times though, your burning gas for it to work. There's these little wood stoves for tiny homes available. They even have a glass door for light. You could vent it out the back instead of the top. Keep your roof water proof. I'm guessing you have a shell or camper for your rig? Toyota is the bomb. I've had several. I love them.
@@user-bd5md5cm2j similar sort of deal , would be cool to make a little wood stove that goes into a receiver hitch on the front or back bumper that does the same thing. If I was going to run the engine I wanted to use the heat as much as possible to suit my needs.
@@seanokeefe703 great idea. When it's warm cook outside. When it's cold use it inside. You could probably set the little stove up in the rear in the winter and open your rear window and it would keep the whole truck nice and warm
Great info Lilly! Thanks!
News radio has blackouts projected in NE USA. Wonder if that will be shared with the Midwest, because it's a grid. going to be interesting none the lest! :) You can fold it in half
if you only need half power, I like it! I have two bulky 50 watt Renogy panels for portability! ha Still saying my prayers for you ALL over there! Bank on it!
That blanket is very efficient Lilly.
A "Kil-O-Watt" device can help you check Wattage used by your electronics for preplanning.
Keep a freezer full. Use full water containers if it’s not full of food products.A full freezer retains its cold for a very long time if it’s always full.Only opening it if necessary.
I remember in the 70s in England we had rolling blackouts all the time.Candles and paraffin lamps were on the window sills ready for use.
Then I lived in Canada for 35 yrs and lived through power outages due to storms either thunderstorms or freezing rain storms.
A bit of preparation is good. But I’m not going to spend big £ on items just in case.
Every night now I heat my lounge with Riverside Homestead- inspired emergency Crisco candles. I made them myself here in England with Trex from Sainsbury, and Crisp n Dry from Tesco. I also use a handful of tea-light candles. In my bedroom I read by the light of AA battery operated fairy lights from Poundland. The lights are £1 per string. I get 20 AA batteries for £2. So it's 10p per battery, and they last a few nights. The tealight candles are usually about £2 for 9 large tea-light candles that last 8 hours. I get these from B&M when available. All candles have been sold out at Poundland for weeks, and Tesco has a limited supply. Dreaded Amazon does packs of 50 and 100 large tea-light candles. They work out at under 20p each. Just 8 tealight candles will heat my lounge. I've got a string of solar powered fairy lights on the stairs. I think they were from Homebase or B&M. I think I paid £6. I've got 3 sets of AA battery operated longer strings of fairy lights from B&M that cost £5 each. One way or the other I can heat one room at a time, and light every room I need to. I also have a camping stove and lots of CP250 cans. I've got firewood too, and I've got bricks and grills for a rocket stove. I'll be cooking hotdogs tomorrow on the rocket stove. I've learnt all these survival methods from Survival Lilly, Riverside Homestead, and other prepper channels.
Update. Today 9 maxi extra large tea-light candles up from £2 to £2.50 in Tesco. Birmingham England.
its coming, first prayed up then prepped up
be ready
May the grace of JESUS be with you
Very true..prep for eternity and have no fear
If the thinner cable part is short, that extra voltage drop does not cause much power loss. So if only the adapter cable is less than 10 mm2 that is not a big issue. Even the thickest cable cause some loss. Probably that power station can handle higher input voltage at the solar input, so next time when you buy more solar panel to improve the solar power, connect those serial. In that way the power loss is not increasing because only the voltage will be higher, not the current. When you reached the maximum input voltage, but not the input power, you can use serial and paralel connections in ordet to the reach the maximum solar power.
That looks like an excellent solar panel. Great review!
One can rely on Lilly Should we ?
If you put your freezer in an unheated space it won't have to work as much during the winter when there is less sunlight.
Here's a survival tip, sit down before checking the price on that solar panel.
If you are not expecting a blackout, or if it is summer and you have a solar charger, you can store the powerstation at 60% charge.
Most manufactures recommended keeping it at 60% charge if not being used for long times.
Does mean you've only got 60% battery in an unknown/unpredicted emergency, but means the powerstation battery does not degrade as quickly, and will last you a good few years (5 or so).
Great test! You sounded maybe a bit dismayed at the panel’s output, but I think 140-145 watts is a decent number under your conditions! We all strive for perfect alignment and clean panels and blue clear skies during sun hours, but the harsh reality is that we never get 100% of our panels capability. These tests make for more realistic expectations 👍
i do this once a year just to know what im missing and what i need to improve. its good practice
Great ideas Lilly, your videos are awesome
Hello Lilly
We we're so excited about your CZcams Presentation over the oukitel 2000 w Outdoor Generator, we decided to buy it.
Your CZcams presention about the Solar Blanket 220W from Off Grid Trek we also wanted to buy, but we need to find out which cable(s) are needed to connect both devices. The Generator comes with a Anderson to MC4 cable, but that does not fit the blanket connection.
Nice Greetings
That does look like an excellent solar panel great review ! Thanks !👍
Very cool. I'm sure it will come in handy. All of us might be needing something like that before long.
Thinking of getting it really soon myself. Never know what could happen.
That pannel is so awesome , and the way you share , Important info , right to the point , you got it all rolled up , perfect video , Lilly
My alarm is set for tonight at 7:55 so i don't miss it. I think you're going to do well. Im rooting for you!!!
i live on a sail boat all year round got 500watt solar 400 watt wind generator. and in winter it stil can be ruff... only few hours light and lot of time its clouds...
I wonder if you could add hydroelectric to your boat! If you have a hydroelectric turbine on your boat while it's in motion you could offset some of your energy expenditure. Now I want a boat!
Super job Lilly.
Things that affect your Solar:
1. NO Solar Panel made is 100% Efficient, so no-matter-WHERE you are or time of day, you will NEVER see the claimed Wattage by the manufacturer.
2. Efficiency of the Solar Panel is further diminished by the operating requirements os whatever charge Controller you are using.
3. Time of day, Weather Conditions, and Latitude are HUGE factors that determine how much power your Solar can produce. Temperature is ALSO an important consideration. ALL Solar Panels perform better when cold than when hot.The "CLAIMED POWER" of any given Solar Panel is calculated for Noon on the Equator at Summer Solstice.Tis is something 99% of Solar Manufacturers, Sellers, and installer do NOT know, and those who DO will NEVER tell you!
Great video, very happy that these will help you and your family if you experience a power outage or need to move to a new location for any reason. :)
Rehearsals are always a good plan. I've simulated one of my contingencies one weekend, which was having to get home from my university on foot and avoiding major roads. It's about 19 miles/30km, I did it to see how long it would actually take me but also to plan my route and look for potential friction points.
Nice demonstration Lilly 👍
I live solar 24/7 and run a chest freezer. The freezer's compressor uses an inductive motor that takes a surge of power to start running. Can your batteries give the necessary amps in the early morning hours? Also, solid panels last for decades, flexible panels might last five years... Also, the panels won't put out if over 150F. The heat causes resistance. You need airflow under the panels to keep them cool. In the summer you will notice the difference. Not so much in the winter.
Thank you! I had been worried that if I bought an expensive power station that it may get blown up by an EMP. I also checked out your video on your old microwave turned into a faraday cage and see now how I may be able to make my own protection too. You're the best. I'm a busy single mommy and your research and ideas help me so much even by saving me time.
Great simulation you never know exactly how equipment is until you use it
Thin wire mesh over a vent hole cut in the bag for the fan to work
Ideally, it would be nice to go straight from the powerpole connectors to an SA20 for a dedicated application like this. But I think it might be difficult to terminate anything larger than 12 ga to the SA20. So shorter would be better. Judging by the hand shadow, the angle of the panels was pretty much spot on, so you probably could get as much as 80-90% of the panels rated output. I have an AC200p (the previous model), and am not really impressed with the charge controller in it. An older "Renogy" (I think it is ultimately a Tracer) MPPT is able to get more watts from the array under the same conditions. All that being said, seeing it producing enough power to run the freezer hopefully provides you with some confidence.
You always describe the tech so clearly and simply. Thanks!
Great information Lilly, thank you. Take care, be well and safe.
Your nearing winter if you have a black out take your food in bags and bury it in the ground, if your temp is near 32° sorry not sure Celsius, but freezing you dont need to use the fridge. Hell I've gone with out power you just keep the fridge shut or like I said in winter take it outside. Your best bet is getting more non perishable foods if you expect a black out. Start smoking your meat or dehydrating your food, zip seal it, Mason jar canning. You can have canned meat not refrigerated just like grandparents did. They had a cellar, canned the meat and kept it fine and edible through out the winter and upto a year. You don't need fridgeration if you prep your food right. Hell look at hard tact and pemmican both can last years no fridgeration. Honey prepared and contained properly never goes bad.
26hrs is a buffer, it's not a fix. You need long term prep. I mean solar panels are great for camping, but cloudy days is common In the winter. Best of luck, cause I know for a fact this winter is going to be bad, to much is happening now, its gonna be the worse we've had in a while, and now Boston making a new strand of Covid with 80% mortality rate, it's a nightmare and I cannot believe it's being allowed. I hope God watches all of us cause we are at the edge of WW3.
This is great advice. Canning your meats and smoking them is a wonderful way to preserve without using energy long term to keep it frozen. I'm about to go can some green beans and potatoes! When it comes to ice cold blackouts, you have to heat your body from the inside, so it's critical to have a source of hot water and a way to heat your food. Heat the person, not the air. Keeping a full warm tummy will stave off the chill. An electric blanket would be perfect for her little Bluetti. 145w input for 5 hours will give her enough juice to keep the blanket warm all day and into the night, too. They only run about 50w. :)
@@LilyBean82 we I got some more tips. I used to live in a shed, it was drafty and retained no heat.
• use a tent to create a micro climate. You can use mylar blankets or the reusable space blankets as insulation for the walls and a trash bag ( contractor bag nearly 4 ft tall) or bivy bag as a heater retainer over a sleeping bag. It will trap it can can make you sweat. But if your tent had a vestibule like a little room before the tent door you can have a safely placed heater there to bring in the heat, but your blanket would do the same. Just trap it in the tent and your fine or better off. You just need to heat a small area not the house.
• a large can of lard you can use several methods to make a wick, but it can become a candle or a pilot light and with the right reflectors a stove. A large can, can last nearly a month of use. Its animal fat so it's also used for alot of things too.
•a water filter straw can filter 100s of gallons of water. And in an emergency the bath tub can almost hold 30 gallons of water.
•you can harvest water from trees, through vines and even tap it. Maple water has a lot of nutrients and even a few found only in its water. I filled a milk jug once with tree water, tastes like spring water. Just be careful if its cloudy or milky sap its toxic, just look into it more before experimenting with it.
Had some bad luck, but learned some cool things from CZcams. Corporals Corner, Dave Canterbury Wilderness Outfitters, Grunt Proof, Really Big Monkey, those guys are really great sources to learn from. Then theres even a pretty good channel on primitive tech making things from the very low tech possible.
Check out the the Book the Lost Ways, you can find the PDF for it easily or purchase it and it comes with several pdfs and extras. It's a book on how to make pioneer like prepping like making pemmican. Pemmican is native American food that includes meat and berries and etc to be trail rations that last without refrigeration. And civil war hard tact like crackers but they last too.
But best of luck and I hope God watches over you.
80% mortality in mice that have been bred to be susceptible to covid. Thankfully it wouldn't effect humans the same way. Still, they need to stop making these things.
Great idea. Good idea to test. Nice little portable power station you have.
I bought six 100w panels. I run them in two sets of 3 in parallel. I get around +400w input with good sunlight. I also run a small pulsar 2200 generator at the same time as collecting solar. Combined I can input the bluetti 800 plus watts. The nice thing about using a generator is you only need to run it a few hours a day.
How do you need to only run it a couple hours when say the freezer needs to run all the time?
A bluetti ac200max can run my fridge and freezer for more then 12hr by itself. With solar it can almost indefinitely run them. I just supplement with a small generator when I'm low or the sun isn't shining good that day. You only need a small generator because it's input max out at 400w ac.
@@stephensonsimikiss6809 is the first thing you mentioned a generator too? How do you use both at the same time?
The bluetti has a ac and dc input. You can max out dc at about 900w with solar panels or windmills. And using your ac wall outlet you can max out at 400w. I think the low ac number is because of the charger brick. But you can charge ac and dc at the same time and max out around 1300w. With that kinda input you can charge the 2kwh bluetti from zero under 2hrs.
I am new and not tech intelligent at all. At all..
Yes go with a 10gauge… very smart choice
I’m no longer homeless but experiencing a blackout right now. Was so depressed by the dark I made a lamp with olive oil. Pretty sad. I can’t emphasize enough to anyone reading this. Phone is everything. Until the basic paradigm of first world lifestyles changes your phone is more valuable than any gear in a backpack. Backup phone chargers should be plugged in at all times. The homeless are the canaries in the coal mine for economic collapse. Phone phone phone. Nothing else matters. It’s like macgyver with his Swiss Army knife. If you have a quality phone in service you can tackle any situation. It’s also good to save books and print media but good luck doing that without a place to live.
I just went through 12 days of no power here in the United States I live in Florida we got hit hard by hurricane Ian
Good job Lilly.
$1,744.99 USD for 220 watts. Way too expensive for that few watts.
It is foldable to a small size and you can take it with you in your backpack.
@@SurvivalLilly I understand the foldability and portability, this was not a personal attack on you, I just believe that there are less expensive options.
@@moore5325 There are foldable options that don't cost nearly $1800 for a measly 220w. I'm not saying it's a bad solar panel. I'm just saying it's too expensive. We are in a recession bordering on a depression.
@@SurvivalLilly the video was good but the panel foldability for backpack is useful for phone recharge unless you backpack bluetti and electric oven or kettle...in an blackout the mobiles will not work as all towers are out. When you are running for your life with a backpack in a total blackout of all power including car gas....EVERYTHING will be out including cell towers. This is good for your campervan thats always gased up ready to get out of city and run your appliances in the van...if they still work after an emp. Your van wont work unless you protect from emp..it wont even start. Its worse than you think. Im prepping to survive in place at home in blackout. If it gets bad enough for backpacks you need to prep differently...tools to make shelter and find water and hunt
@@LilyBean82 You're correct, you've restated the same thing I said.
You need 5 of those panels to get a good charge into the generator, and perhaps with the power adapter run another 3 panels… and then you can have aircon in summer 😅
Europe doesn't do aircon, at least not in homes.
This is correct.
Better learn to live without air conditioning sooner than later, regardless of your local climate. There are a million better uses for electricity than pumping cool air around yourself.
wow that thing is huge!
Looks like a great product. But that price is crazy expensive for essentially a 220 watt foldable solar panel. Can purchase several 120 to 200 watt portable panels for less. This may be of better quality though. I'd love to see a comparison to a 200 watt foldable panel that costs around 200 dollars.
Very cool Lilly!! Thanks so much for showing us all this great stuff 👍
Fun Fact; Faraday bags can be used to transport large sums of currency, so the sensor on the highway can’t detect the metal strips in the bills!
-Mr. Bill
Your videos are a great learning tool, and i will be praying for you living in Austria.
Cool, I’ve never seen one of those solar panels.
Hey Lilly, Please ensure your weapons is ready at all times. Take care and God Bless you. I will pray for you tonight.
Thanks Lilly for doing real world testing. I am saving for a solar backup system for my house but of course while my nest egg grows so does my knowledge which leaves me constantly fighting between the goals that I set for having a solar generation system and the budget that I have to work with. I was hoping to have a system in place for this winter but it is looking like I will be depending on my car mounted inverter for another year as I try to raise the needed funds.
Thanks for all you do!
Is that the official Survival Lilly?
@@JJBrown-lw1dv I sincerly doubt it...
super nice.
Hay Lily . Question on the 200 watt blanket . Are the panels monocristalin ?
Lilly, my Bluetti like yours here in the U.S. is rated for 35V-150V on the PV input. The 28V the Grid Trek is rated for should still work fine, just take longer.
I have my AC200P connected to 600 watts of monocrystalline glass panels.
Have been planning on purchasing the Grid Trek panels if they went on sale during the holiday season. A 10% discount makes them a buy. Thanks!
I tried a 24 volt rated panel on the solar input of my AC200p and it never tried charging. Two panels in series is around 64 volts when actually charging and works, but 530 watts of panels only ever gives around 350 watts of charge. On the Chinese integrated unit it is more like 450 watts.
140 Watts from a 200 w system in October is pretty good. With my folding 100 watt panels, I count on getting 70 to 80 watts on a good day. I like the fact that when the sun lowers in the winter, we need less refrigeration. Also, in my experience, once my small fridge has gotten cold, it does not take much power to keep it going. Off Grid Trek stuff isn't cheap, but it seems to be high quality.
@@JJBrown-lw1dv please dont react to them. They are scammers
As usual, you have been very thorough in your research & testing. Thank you sharing this info. And yes, wire gauge plays a big part. God bless.
You need to overpanel by a factor of 5 or 6 at least. Already now in fall you get max 3 hrs of really usable sunshine; and it's getting worse in winter.
Very good item to have. I have to be able to be self sufficient with a solar panel as this could provide power when none is available. The sun, that's where, lol. Thanks 👍.
Nice demo, I have to say that I got (and like) the Bluetti unit and really like it. We have a lot of power outages here so it's come in handy. Their solar panels were pricey but I stuck with them for ease of use. That bag is great but I think I'll make my own and save a little bit! Thanks for the idea, I haven't been paying attention to newer EMP protective devices.
How much solar did you get and is it keep you topped up? I've got 800 Watts I still need to mount but am now thinking of getting the folding panels. Seem easy to use and at least I can bring them inside at night so they won't get stolen. They are not cheap however!
@@smalltownhomesteadAC I got three of the 200W folding panels. I haven't had to use The panels yet although I've tested them. If I had a power outage of more than a couple of days I would have to use them. When there's power I charge the Bluetti with an outlet. The panels wouldn't work great this time of year but they would work some.
Nice review Lilly. I’ve been considering the Faraday bag. I have some small ones for devices, but my solar generator requires something larger. It is pricey, but having a working generator when you need it is more important.
This is great! Stay safe! 🧡🧡
You are the best. Thank you so much
Although I do appreciate the reviews of prepping gear such as this. It seems all the reviews for most prep channels are of products that most of us can’t afford.
@@Electrogeist dont contact them. They are scammers
wow that’s an awesome set up ❤
Very Interesting! Thanks for sharing
Are you going to get more solar panels than that? Have you tried using your other panels also in series?
if a huge cme happened, even power stations wouldn't work , unless they were in a faraday cage /box maybe ?
really cool product. I like that you talk about the many uses. Great idea.
140W on a 220W folding panel is pretty good… my 100W Rockpals would max out around 70W when directly into the summer sun. ☀️