#01A wind-up or solar-powered emergency radio keeps you connected to weather warnings, emergency broadcasts, and rescue coordination when the power grid fails. Your lifeline to critical information.
#02A high-decibel survival whistle carries further than the human voice and requires minimal energy to use. The simplest and most reliable signalling device for attracting rescue in any conditions.
#03When phone networks are down or you're out of signal, two-way radios keep your group in contact. Essential for coordinating a family, a hiking party, or neighbours during an outage.
#04A sealed pouch keeps your phone — your lifeline for calls, maps and alerts — dry and working through rain, spray and accidental dunks.
A loud pealess safety whistle whose sound carries far further than the human voice. A tiny, effortless way to signal for help and attract rescue.
A wind-up AM/FM emergency radio that also charges from solar, USB or its 2000mAh internal battery, so you can keep hearing local broadcasts during a prolonged power cut. It doubles as a small torch and a top-up charger for a phone in a pinch. Crank output is modest, so treat the hand-crank as a backup to the built-in battery rather than the main power source.
A do-everything emergency radio that keeps working when the grid doesn't: hand crank, solar panel and a rechargeable 4000mAh pack all feed the same battery. Reach for it in a storm or blackout to pick up AM/FM broadcasts, top up a phone, or trigger the SOS alarm and torch. It's the kind of single, self-contained tool that earns its place in a grab bag.
A wind-up and solar radio that pulls in AM/FM/SW so you can follow official updates when the mains and mobile networks are down. It doubles as an LED torch, SOS alarm and small power bank, with the 2000mAh battery topped up by crank, sun or USB. A tidy all-in-one for a grab bag or the power-cut drawer.
A wind-up and solar AM/FM radio with a large internal battery, built-in torch and reading lamp, and a USB output to top up a phone in a blackout. The NOAA weather band is US-focused and won't apply here, but the crank, solar and AM/FM are the real value for a UK power cut. A sensible one-box option for keeping informed when the grid is down.
An FM/AM radio you can power by hand crank, solar panel or its built-in battery, with a torch, SOS alarm and a USB output to trickle-charge a phone. The kind of thing to reach for in a power cut or when you need to keep up with news off-grid. Note the NOAA weather band is a US feature, so in the UK you'll rely on FM/AM, and the crank charger is for emergencies rather than fast top-ups.
A hand-crank and solar emergency radio with a 4,500mAh battery, so you can keep FM reception and a little phone charge going when the grid and mains are down. Handy as a backup information source and torch during storms or power cuts. Wind-up output is modest, so treat the USB charging as a top-up rather than a substitute for a proper power bank.
A pair of long-range two-way radios for keeping a group in contact when the mobile network is down or absent. Handy for a family in a power cut, coordinating on a hill walk, or staying in touch across a site with no signal. Range claims are optimistic, but for line-of-sight and short distances they do the job licence-free.
A hand-crank and solar emergency radio that adds DAB to the usual FM, so you can still pick up digital broadcasts during a power cut. It doubles as a torch and a small power bank for topping up a phone, and the wind-up handle means it keeps working when the batteries and grid are both gone. The kind of thing you set aside for a storm and forget about until the day you need it.
A hand-crank and solar radio for keeping AM/FM (and DAB) news coming when the mains and mobile networks are down. It doubles as a torch and a small power bank, so it earns its place in a grab bag or the cupboard under the stairs. Reach for it during a storm or power cut when you need updates without draining your phone.
An AM/FM emergency radio that charges three ways: hand crank, solar panel or USB, with a 12,000mAh battery that can also top up a phone. It rolls a torch, reading light and a loud SOS alarm into one unit, so it earns its place in a grab bag when you need news and a little power with no mains available.
A licence-free PMR446 radio set from a trusted brand — simple, light and ideal for keeping a family or group in contact off-grid.
A licence-free PMR446 radio pair from Motorola, built for the outdoors with a rugged, splash-resistant body and a bundled hard case. Handy for keeping a group in contact on a hike or coordinating at home when the mobile network is down. Range is line-of-sight so treat the box figures as best-case, but for short-range family or team comms it does the job.
A set of four waterproof PMR446 licence-free radios with a travel case, useful for keeping a household or group in contact when mobile networks are down or out of range. The IP67 rating means they'll survive rain and a brief dunk, which matters for real outdoor use.
A hand-crank FM/AM radio built for the moment the power and the phone signal both go down and you need to hear official advice. Winding it charges the internal battery, so you're never reliant on finding fresh cells, and many units in this class add a torch and a USB port for topping up a phone in an emergency. Keep it in the grab bag or the cupboard under the stairs and give it a wind every few months.
A wind-up and solar DAB/FM radio built for power cuts, with hand-crank and solar charging so it works when the mains and your batteries are gone. It also has a torch and can top up a phone in a pinch. Keep it in the cupboard for storm season so you can still hear emergency broadcasts off-grid.
A wind-up and solar AM/FM emergency radio with a built-in LED torch and a 2000mAh battery that can trickle-charge a phone in a pinch. It keeps you connected to broadcast news and local warnings when the grid and your mains chargers are down, and the hand crank means it never depends on batteries you've run out of. A sensible power-cut and grab-bag item rather than a hi-fi listening radio.
A floating IPX8 waterproof phone pouch that keeps your phone dry and fully usable through rain, spray and submersion, with a clear touch-through window and neck lanyard.
A hand-crank and solar AM/FM radio that keeps you informed when the mains and mobile networks are down. It doubles as a torch and a small USB power source, so it earns its place in a grab bag rather than sitting idle. No batteries to run flat: a minute of winding gives you a burst of listening or a trickle of charge.
A hand-crank and solar radio with a built-in torch and USB charging, so you stay informed with no mains power. A core item for staying updated during a prolonged outage.
A hand-crank and solar radio for when the mains and mobile networks are down. The 2000mAh battery holds enough to pick up emergency broadcasts and top a phone up a little, and the crank keeps it running when there's no power at all. Treat it as a grab-bag radio, not a hi-fi — you reach for it in a storm or a prolonged power cut.
Start with the cheapest, longest-shelf-life option. Stash it and forget it for a quarter.
A backup that uses a different mechanism. If option 1 fails, option 2 still works.
For trips outside the home — light, durable, field-serviceable. The honest one.