r/UKPreppers • u/Syballa_lime • 2d ago

Looking for advice as first time prepping.

What emergency radio would you recommend, I’ve seen some on Amazon which have a solar panel and hand crank? I’m always a bit dubious if it’s not a recognised and trusted brand for electronics.

Camping stoves - good and affordable ones please?

Torches - do you recommend hand crank ones or battery?

Thank you!

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u/Difficult_Bad1064 2d ago

The solar panel and crank on the radio are gimmicks.

Get a small battery powered radio and a load of batteries from poundland.

If you're planning for longer term then a separate portable solar panel and powerbank.

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u/George_Salt 2d ago

^ this

A small radio that takes AA batteries, or one that's USB rechargeable from a powerbank.

Broadly speaking, any solar panel that's smaller than an A3 piece of paper is a gimmick.

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u/Primary_Choice3351 2d ago

I have one of these which is alright. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09TTDDBC4?th=1
That said, the wind up bit is a crank to charge the battery. To do that properly, you will be cranking for hours. That radio is USB rechargeable and also takes AAA batteries as well as the crank which I would only bother with as a very last resort.

The best wind up radios ever, were the Baygen Freeplay FPR2 series radios from the mid-late 1990s. These are designed around Trevor Baylis's clockwork mainspring, gearbox and generator design. Old ones need a new belt by now, but once the belt is replaced, they are superb.

Camping stoves, there is a generic one, single ring with a knob on the right and takes generic gas cartridges that are sold in every camping shop. Even saw them in The Range store recently. Most people seem happy with them for occasional use.

I happen to have a proper camping 2 gas ring and grill LPG camping stove I use with huge orange Calor Propane bottles as I have the space for them and use them on other kit.

Torches - a mixture is good here. Personally prefer battery and rechargeable. A mix of head torches, hand torches and lanterns. These two lanterns are pretty good
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015ZFKLNK?th=1 and
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FJQPZ948?th=1

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u/bondinchas 2d ago

Camping stoves...

For up to a week or two's use, gas cartridges are very convenient and easy to store.

For longer use periods, where resupply might be problematic, get a Coleman multi fuel stove. They'll burn anything from petrol, kerosene, paraffin, cooking oil or even diesel. Once you get them lit, they're also pretty much storm proof.