We have the canned goods, the dry goods, the water filter, the ammo, an emergency trunk filled with everything you can think of—drugs, first aid, lanterns, etc.
But I’m sitting here in the dark for hours after a transformer blew in our small village. Totally failed our dry run. I can’t get the lanterns working. Our batteries seem corrupted and I don’t have the right kind of batteries in some instances. And I need a lantern that uses another kind of energy too.
Big fail! I’m off to Home Depot when the lights come on to truly get prepared. Glad this happened today. I thought we were in good shape. Didn’t make it an hour.
I use the rechargeable Panasonic eneloops for AA/AAA, and the ternergy LSD (low self discharge) for D cells. These sit well on the shelf for months without losing much charge.
Don't leave alkaline batteries in your devices! They leak over time and ruin flashlights, radios, etc. Duracell and Energizer have sent me checks to replace maglites until I learned.
https://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-K-KJ17MCA104-Rechargeable-Batteries-Individual/dp/B078375TK9/ref=sr_1_9?sr=8-9
https://www.amazon.com/Tenergy-Rechargeable-Discharge-Batteries-Pre-Charged/dp/B01ASF24WI/ref=sxin_16_pa_sp_search_thematic_sspa?cv_ct_cx=tenergy+lsd+D+cell&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sr=1-2-6024b2a3-78e4-4fed-8fed-e1613be3bcce-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1
Charger: https://www.amazon.com/Powerex-MH-C800S-8-Cell-Smart-Charger/dp/B000LQMKDS/ref=sr_1_2?sr=8-2
Buy once, cry once. I have been happy with these for years.
Eneloops rock.