Energizer 293W Portable Power Station

We live in one of the towns that was recently hit hard by the freezing rain storms. The entire town lost power at one point or another due to trees freezing and falling on lines. It was a great litmus test for me and my family to see how well prepared we were. Spoiler... we could have definitely used the Energizer Portable Station! So lets start at the top. The bag is great quality and had rubberized zippers, meaning it is somewhat water resistant. That's a very nice addition though it does mean you will want/need to occasionally wax the zippers to keep them moving. Everything fits in the bag nicely as well with extra room. You will not need to fiddle or fight to get things in and out once you have used it. Another cool and small detail? The instructions come in a zip lock bag. It is always nice to know your paperwork isn't going to be ruined by water or fluids. Mind you, I can find no information as to weather weather that is wetter will wither your... wattery? Sorry... that is silly. In the manual it states that care should be used when in a wet environment then also later states this product is not water or dust proof. So care should be taken to keep it out of the rain or a sink. Now the device itself. Its actually fairly small. Basically a small boombox. It is also nice and light. You could carry it in a backpack without too much difficulty though you would definitely notice it. The front panel is VERY clear and easy to read and also very informative. You can see from my pictures what it looks like while charging. The light is bright and has a good cone of illumination. Its more of a room flood than a point beam. It also has various flashing modes. And it slots in very easily with a little red tab to help you pull it out. It charges via a couple small metal pins that are well recessed so they should be safe from most damage. You can read the product details above on how long it will last and what you can charge. The fact you can plug a solar panel in is pretty neat. There are some restrictions though and you will REALLY want to familiarize yourself with what can and cannot be plugged in or make use of this battery pack. It is not a generator... it will not run your stove or your refrigerator. But being able to plug in a TV or charge a smart device when you and your family are going slowly insane in a cold house is a great thing. And also being able to plug into a car charger is a really neat feature since when we lost power that was our only source of easy recharge. This power-bank won't replace a generator for you if you are in a full blackout situation. But it CAN help alleviate some of the worst parts of power loss and it can be an absolute boon to you in an emergency situation where fumes from a gas generator or the sound of it might cause you problems. I certainty wish I had had it. Next time... I will.