An average of 3000-3500 power outages a year end up affecting over 30 million people on average. Some of these outages are mere hours, but in the cases of things like hurricanes, tornadoes, or other issues, the lack of power can last days or even weeks. That can result in genuinely life-threatening situations.
Whether looking at a temporary emergency situation, a permanent survivalist or "get away from it all" cabin, or a semi-permanent get-away or private camp that is somewhere in between, there's no denying the importance of having a reliable power source. These outages aren't predictable, and as the weather continues to grow in severity there will be increasing needs for a reliable and portable power source no matter where you are.
For long-term preppers, survivalists, or outdoor adventurers who just want a little bit of reliable electrical power out at their cabin in the woods, a reliable portable power station like the top-of-the-line model from Bold North Outdoors is an absolute must!
Powering Long-Term (Permanent) Camps
There are plenty of situations that make a portable power station a really important piece of gear. In everyday life primitive camping sites are a prime example of spaces that don't provide any power options. What you can bring with you is all you have available.
Many remote camping sites or secluded camping sites are going to primitive in nature. While you might not need a lot of power for a weekend outing, you want to make absolutely sure that if an emergency does happen that all the cell phones aren't dead, or your emergency beacon's battery is dead.
In other words, even in these situations having a reliable portable Lithium ion battery via portable power station will make sure you can charge up anything you need during a potential emergency situation.
Power for Isolated Hunting Stations & Homestead Camps
The portable battery and solar panel combination make the Bold North Outdoors portable power station a great solution for homestead camps or isolated hunting camps. The ability to gather new energy and store it means a consistent source of power even without the conventional infrastructure.
This is ideal for recording the special moments at hunting camp, for hunting and wilderness survival influencers who need to keep their equipment powered up, but even more importantly: this brings a reliable and versatile power source for isolated hunting cabins or homestead camps.
For hunting cabins sometimes a generator has often been a solution to provide some electric power, even if the majority of night lighting is done via kerosene or propane lanterns. A portable power source makes things much easier, especially if it's a pain to haul the gasoline in and out of that isolated location. Charge GPS systems, cell phones, anything requiring a little bit of power for all the small pieces of gear you want to keep
Before solar power and portable batteries advanced to a certain point, the answer to "How do you get power for isolated camping?" was that you didn't. If you were building a permanent homestead camp on private property it used to be the best you could hope for would be building a slightly elevated platform with a heavy duty canvas tent over the top that was designed to fit a wood burning stove.
There was no reliable option for electricity at all. While you won't be lighting up an entire house this does offer a way to help charge laptop batteries, cell phones, GPS systems, or any piece of electrical gear that needs a bit of a charge up. That really does open up the option for what can be done with long-term camps, hunting camps, or other similar isolated long-term setups.
Portable Power Station vs. Solar Lantern or Flashlight
Many people try comparing portable power stations to solar lanterns or solar flashlights, but this really is a poor comparison. While there are a lot of good solar powered lanterns out there, they serve a very different purpose than what a portable power station does.
A flashlight or a lantern is a single-function tool. That's not to knock it: we all have our personal favorites and you should always have at least two (one plus a backup) on hand, but they're designed for creating light and that's it.
The portable power station may have lights by itself (the Bold North Outdoors model has two, for example) but also can be charged by solar panel and provide a source of power whether it's fans, lights, game cams, phones, GPS systems, or something else entirely. It provides a portable and reliable option for being able to provide power to the many different tools and situations where that can be useful.
In other words, it doesn't make much sense to compare them as they are vastly different tools but the portable power station with LED lights is going to be able to offer a lot more in the area of versatility over the long haul.