I’ve seen people superglue their hand to their face, smash themselves in the teeth with a hammer while trying to put up storm shutters, struggle for over an hour trying to start a gasoline generator that didn’t have any gas in it, turn an expensive tent into a fireball attempting to refill a gasoline stove that was already lit, slice their hand open with a screwdriver, and settle down to read the instructions for some essential bit of kit as a massive storm approaches.

Also: You’re using super glue all wrong

Add stress and fear into the mix, and you have the potential for a lot of chaos.

Not sure how your portable battery pack, generator, or new weather app works? The time to be figuring this out is now, not when the winds are strengthening, the rain is starting, and the lights have gone out.

Oh, and now is a good time to download and print out any manuals you might need.

Also, the more you practice and use your gear, the more likely you are to remember you have it. I’ve known people forget that they have some useful bit of kit when an emergency hits. 

This is why practice and drills are important!