As super storm Sandy and other natural disasters have shown us, you never know when the power might go out. To that end it is good to have a flashlight, at least three days of food and water, but a radio or other communication device is a good idea too.
We’d recommend taking it a step further with something like Eton’s FRX3 – a multi-powered, multi-functon smartphone-charging, weather alert radio that can help light the way. We didn’t get to test the FRX3 in an actual emergency – for which we can be grateful – but we found that it does power up quickly by cranking the hand turbine for just about a minute. That is just enough to get a good 15 or so minutes of news, weather and even music – because in a disaster nothing beats some music. As a radio the unit provides a way to hear AM/FM and even NOAA weather band digital radio.
If that was all the Eton FRX3 did we’d still appreciate having it for those times when can’t simply turn on the TV or radio. But this unit, which can also be powered by the sun via a solar panel, can be used as an LED flashlight or beacon, and most importantly can charge a mobile phone.
There are certain devices you shouldn’t head out without, but this is one device that should be in the home as well as the campsite.
One thing we were certainly reminded of as a result of last week’s tragic aftermath from Hurricane Sandy was that power is fleeting. We depend on so many devices but getting them juiced up can be quite a challenge when the grid goes down.
We often wonder how the castaways on Gilligan’s Island managed not to break that small radio. We know from one episode that it had rechargeable batteries, but it still seemed to be pretty tough for its day. Today those taking a three hour tour, or deciding to trek into the wilderness might consider something more durable.