10-second answer: Household of 4 needs 40,000+ mAh total. Buy Anker 737 (PowerCore 24K) as the primary brick and Anker 325 (20K) as the budget workhorse. Charge both fully when storms are forecast.
Cell towers often stay up when home Wi-Fi dies — but your router is dead and your phone becomes the entire information stack. Power banks are not travel accessories in a blackout; they are comms infrastructure.
Need the printable checklist? Open 30-Second Kit Overview in the sidebar — copy or share it to your phone notes.
How Much Capacity Do You Need?
Modern phone ≈ 4,000 mAh battery. One 20K bank ≈ 4–5 full phone charges accounting for loss. Plan one 20K bank per two adults plus a 10K spare in each car.
Charging Without Grid Power
Pre-charge before storms. Add a portable generator or car inverter for multi-day outages. Solar panels are too slow for primary phone recovery — treat solar as tertiary.
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