"I didn't think much of it when it showed up. It's a power bank. I've used a hundred of them.

I charged it and put it in the backpack we take on family trips.

A few weeks later, we drove up to Missouri to see my wife's parents. That night a big storm came through. Around 8 p.m., the whole town went dark.

It was pitch black. My youngest started to cry. My phone was at 17%, and we had no idea how long the power would be out. 

I could feel the room start to panic. My father-in-law was digging through drawers for candles. Nobody knew what to do. 

Back home, I've got a big battery in the garage. It wasn't doing us any good from 200 miles away. 

But this time, I just opened the backpack.

I turned on the SolaBank's flashlight and set it on the table. The whole room lit up. My daughter calmed down almost right away. 

I set my phone on top to charge. My wife plugged hers in. Then her mom's. 

We had light. We had our phones. We could check the storm and call the rest of the family. 

The power stayed off until the next afternoon. In the morning, I folded out the 4 panels and set it on the porch rail. 

I'll be honest. It was a gray day, and the solar didn't fill it up fast. But it kept adding a little. And that was enough to get us through and home safe.

The part I didn't expect was my kids. On the drive home, my son told his grandpa, 'My dad always has a plan.' 

That's the whole point. Not gear. Being ready for the people who count on you, wherever you are. 

If your family doesn't have a plan like this, start here."