6 Amazon Gadgets To Consider Before The Next Snow Storm

Snow can be beautiful, but too much of it can also be dangerous. Depending on where you live, you might get a few inches of snowfall that clears in a matter of days, or you might get several feet that can keep you stuck in your house for weeks at a time. This in itself is inconvenient, but it's also possible that you might lose heat and power for a truly uncomfortable experience. Therefore, it's important to be prepared for when these kinds of storms strike. You'll want to stock up on non-perishable food, bottled water, prescription medications, batteries, blankets, and a decent first aid kit. There are also a handful of gadgets that you'll be happy to have in your home in the event that you find yourself snowed in. Some of these items are straight from the U.S. National Weather Service preparation guidelines, while others are just handy tools that can help you stay comfortable and entertained until the roads are clear.

Fortunately, just about everything you need for your emergency snow storm kit is available on Amazon. The online retailer has a wide variety of products that can be helpful, and a handful that you really won't want to be without.

One of the biggest concerns during a snow storm is losing power, and the worst part of losing power is losing the light. The last thing you want is to be stuck in the dark with nothing but the dim glow of your cellphone's limited battery to illuminate your home. That's why it's a good idea to get some battery-powered lights. A flashlight or headlamp is good to have on hand for getting around, but you'll also want a good lantern to illuminate your living area. 

The Lepro LE Super Bright LED Camping Lantern is an excellent option that is readily available on Amazon. It has a 360-degree beam angle and four different lighting modes: cool white, warm, white-warm combination, and flashing (for emergencies). It can produce up to 1,000 lumens of light, making it ideal for a living area, and is IP44 water resistant if you need to take it outside. The rechargeable 4,400mAh internal battery is rated to last up to 12 hours and can be used as a power bank for charging other devices if needed. It's also affordable, coming in at $31.98 for a single lantern, or $54.99 for a pair.

The lantern has a 4.6 out of 5-star rating on Amazon with over 31,000 reviews. Customers praised its brightness, size, value, and design quality. Stephanie Cronk of Bob Vila ranked it as the best LED lantern on the market. "Even on our overcast, near-pitch-dark testing night, we had no problem illuminating a large area with the Lepro," she said. "Its thick rubberized coating will protect it from occasionally being knocked over or dropped. We let it fall from chest height onto our concrete driveway multiple times, and it suffered little more than a few scratches."

A radio is another thing that you're going to want to have on hand. It can give you important updates about the storm and help you to plan for how long it might last. You can also use it to listen to music and other forms of audio entertainment.

The Midland ER310 is one of the better emergency radio options out there. This handy device has three different power sources to keep it running when the power goes down. To start, it has a 2,600 mAh rechargeable battery that can give you up to 32 hours of use. It also has a built-in solar panel that allows it to get a steady charge of electricity, and a hand crank that you can use to generate power when you're otherwise out of options. The radio can also be used to charge external devices like phones. It has a flashlight built into it as well which can act as a beacon that flashes in Morse code. Additionally, it has a dog whistle function that can help signal your location to search and rescue teams. The radio itself has an NOAA weather scan and alert function that automatically scans through seven weather band channels and tunes you into the strongest signal, on top of its regular AM/FM functionality.

The Midland ER310 has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Amazon, and is the top-ranked emergency weather radio by Thom Dunn of Wirecutter. "The Midland ER310 is the best emergency weather radio because it offers better reception, a brighter flashlight, and more effective charging options than the other models we tested," Dunn claimed.

Using electronics that rely on disposable batteries is always an option, but more and more we are seeing modern electronics turn to renewable lithium-ion batteries. There are a lot of benefits to powering your gadgets this way, but it does mean that you'll need to recharge them if a power outage lasts long enough. One of the better ways to do that is with a good power station. These are essentially massive batteries with built-in power outlets that you can use to charge and power electronics.

The Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus is one of the best portable power station options that you'll find. This is a 2,042Wh capacity battery that can power up to 6,000W in electronics. It can also be paired with a solar panel to provide a renewable supply of electricity. It has two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and four standard power outlets. 

This power station has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Amazon, with users praising its dependability, build-quality, and charging speed. "Dependable, easy to use, and relatively quiet, the versatile Jackery Explorer 2000 Plus is very impressive," wrote Simon Hill of Wired in his review. "The expandability, solar charging, and safety make this portable power station easy to recommend."

A good power station will take you far, but the really big ones can be prohibitively expensive and the smaller ones might not power everything that you need. In those instances, you might be better off getting an inverter generator. These small, but powerful portable generators can produce enough electricity to power your lights, television, refrigerator, and maybe even a small heater. The flip side is that you will need to have an ample supply of gasoline at the ready. You'll also need a place where you can keep the generator outside the house and a way to run extensions to the places you need them. All gas-powered generators, even inverter generators, produce carbon monoxide exhaust and should therefore never be run inside the house.

One model that you might consider is the Wen 56203i 2,000W Portable Inverter Generator. This 39-lb machine is able to produce 2,000W (1,700 rated watts) of electricity. It has three 120V outlets. It also has a fuel shut-off feature that uses up all of the fuel in the carburetor before shutting down in order to prolong the life of the machine.

The generator has a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Amazon, with customers citing its functionality, quiet operation, ease of use, build quality, and value, as reasons for their satisfaction with it. "If you want a highly portable generator that can be transported easily with extremely quiet operation and can be paralleled with another bigger unit, this is for you," said Josh Milan of Generator Mechanics in his review.

Another major safety concern during a snow storm is heat. You might be alright if you already have a fireplace, wood burning stove, or a sufficiently powerful generator to run an electric space heater, but anyone who only has an electric furnace to keep their house warm might find themselves in a pretty chilly situation. In those instances, one of the best things to have in your home is a gas-powered portable heater.

One of the better options out there is the Portable Buddy Heater from Mr. Heater. This little powerhouse runs on propane and is able to put out 4,000-9,000 BTUs of heat which can provide as much as 225 sq. ft. of coverage for a little over five hours on a single 1lb. canister of gas. You can connect it to a 20lb. cylinder with optional hose and filter attachments to keep it running much longer. It's rated for safe use indoors and has a safety shut-down system which is activated when the heater is shaken, bounced, or tipped over.

The Portable Buddy Heater has an impressive 4.7 out of 5 rating on Amazon from almost 30,000 reviewers due to its heat output, ease of use, size, and safety features. Glenda Taylor of Bob Vila reviewed this unit and stated that it is "a dependable emergency heating option for those in regions prone to power outages or extreme weather conditions, providing comfort and safety during unforeseen crises."

Of course, not everything you need during a snow storm is about hunkering down inside your home. You'll eventually want to clear your walk and driveways too. You could always bust out a shovel and do it by hand if you don't have a lot of square footage to cover, but those with larger areas that they need to clear might be interested in something with a bit more horsepower. That's where a good snowblower comes in.

The Ego Power+ SNT2112 cordless electric snowblower is a solid option for a couple of different reasons. To start, it's fairly affordable. In a market where a lot of snowblowers cross the line into four figures, you can get the SNT2112 on Amazon for just $749. On top of that, the tool comes with a 21" steel auger, two 5.0Ah batteries, and a dual port charger. Gas powered units might typically be more powerful, but battery powered blowers like this one are much quieter and easier to maintain.

The SNT2112 has a 4.3 out of 5 rating on Amazon where users praised its functionality, ease of use, and power, though there were a handful of complaints about the snowblower's battery life and durability. "Overall, I'm really happy with this snowblower," said Doresoom Tool Reviews. "It has plenty of power. It does throw a good distance when you have a deep snow." The reviewer also went on to explain that this snowblower addressed all of his needs in the Missouri winters, while being more convenient than giant gas blowers or awkward corded models.

I've spent a lot of my life in areas where sudden snow storms can leave you stuck without heat or power for several days. In that time, I've learned to keep a well supplied stash of non-perishable food, bottled water, medicine, and other goods and gadgets that can make that time pass more comfortably. In constructing this list, I started by consulting the U.S. National Weather Service's guidelines for the supplies that it recommends having readily available in the event of a snow storm. Combining these gadgets with those that I knew from personal experience would also come in handy I took a look at what was available on Amazon. I looked at their highest rated products and then cross referenced them with models that were recommended by independent reviewers.

I favored models that were specifically well rated for safety, efficiency, and affordability, as I believe these are the qualities that are most important in an emergency situation. I also prioritized lithium-ion battery powered products over gas-powered and disposable battery powered models, as these are the easiest to keep at the ready and they can be recharged multiple times via either a power bank or a generator.