For families staying home when the grid goes down

Most homes are ready for the wrong night.

The kit in your closet was packed for a weekend. The Lights-Out Manual is the plan for when the power stays off for a week, a month, or doesn't come back on schedule.

Get the manual · $47Instant PDF download See what's inside

Secure checkout with Dodo Payments · 15-day money-back guarantee

Karl Brenner at his kitchen table with water, canned food, a flashlight, a radio and a first-aid kit

Karl · from the videos

First edition

The Lights-Out ManualGetting your family through a long blackout, and worse, at home.Karl Brenner

The problem

Packed for three days. Tested for nine.

Most emergency kits are built for a long weekend: a flashlight, a case of water, a few granola bars, maybe a radio still in its packaging. That covers the outage that ends Sunday night.

The outages that hurt families run longer. The trouble comes from everything a weekend kit never planned for: a house that keeps getting colder, a freezer turning on day three, water that stops at the tap, and a phone at four percent with no way to find out what's happening.

You're not unprepared. You're prepared for the wrong night.

4.5 millionhomes and businesses lost power in the February 2021 Texas freeze, many of them for days.

2 weeksof supplies at home is what the American Red Cross recommends. Most kits are built for three days.

1 gallonof water per person, per day, for drinking and sanitation. That's the government's own starting figure.

Introducing the manual

One plan for an ordinary house

Keeping your home warm, fed, lit, informed and safe when the grid goes down. Cheap fixes first, expensive gear only where it earns its place, and every chapter tells you what it costs and where its limits are.

Level 1 · 1–3 days

The long night

Light, warmth, a working radio and a fridge you keep shut. The ground floor every family should have covered this week.

Level 2 · 4–14 days

The long week

Stored water, one warm room, saving the freezer, cooking without power, and keeping phones and medicine going.

Level 3 · a month or more

When it doesn't come back

Keeping a low profile, working with your neighbors, sanitation, security, and knowing when it's time to leave.

The first ten minutesWhat to do, in order, the moment the lights go out, before you reach for a single gadget.
WaterHow much to store, where to keep it, and the water already sitting inside your house.
Heat without powerChoosing one warm room, sealing it, and which heaters are safe indoors.
Food and the freezerHow long the fridge and freezer really hold, what to eat first, and a two-week pantry from a normal grocery store.
Light and power on a budgetLanterns, power banks, small solar, and when a generator is worth it, with the carbon monoxide rules that come with it.
Staying informedRadios, phone settings that stretch a battery, and reaching your family when the network is jammed.
Medicine and first aidKeeping prescriptions and medical devices going, and a first-aid kit sized for a week with no clinic.
SanitationThe part nobody plans for: toilets, trash and hygiene when the water stops.
Quiet securityNot standing out on a dark street, light and noise discipline, and doors and windows that hold.
The family planWho does what, where you meet, and what you've agreed before anyone panics.

Everything for one price

The Lights-Out Manual

First edition

The Lights-Out ManualGetting your family through a long blackout, and worse, at home.Karl Brenner

What you get

Instant PDF download · read on any device or print at home

The complete Lights-Out ManualAll three outage levels, room by room
The First-Night ChecklistOne printable page for the moment the lights go out
The Two-Week Pantry ListA grocery list you can shop in one trip
The Family Plan CardContacts, meeting points and jobs, for the fridge door
Free updates to future editions

$47One payment in USD.
No subscription. Yours to keep.

Get the manual · $47Download links emailed after payment

Secure checkout with Dodo Payments. Applicable taxes are shown at checkout.

Karl Brenner at his kitchen table with his blackout kit

Meet the author

I'm Karl Brenner.

I've been prepping for twenty years, ever since an ice storm left my family in a dark house for nine days.

I'm not a soldier and I've never been a cop. I'm a dad who spent nine nights finding out what our kit didn't cover, and the next twenty years making sure we'd never find out that way again.

This manual is everything I'd tell a neighbor over the fence: what to buy, what to skip, and what to do first.

— Karl

Questions

Before you buy

What do I get?

The Lights-Out Manual plus three printable extras: the First-Night Checklist, the Two-Week Pantry List and the Family Plan Card. All are PDF files, and future editions are free. The price is $47 USD, one payment, before applicable taxes.

How do I get the files?

After successful payment, Dodo Payments emails secured download links to the address you enter at checkout. Save the PDFs to read offline and print the checklists. Check your spam folder if needed, or use the customer portal linked in your receipt.

Is it a printed book?

No, it's a digital book. Nothing is mailed. Print it, or read it on a phone, tablet or computer.

Do I need to buy a lot of gear?

No. Every chapter starts with what you already own, then the cheap fixes. Expensive gear comes last, and only where it's worth the money.

Is this medical, legal or emergency advice?

No. It's practical, educational guidance for households. In an emergency, call 911 and follow your local officials' instructions.

What if it isn't for me?

Reply to your purchase receipt within 15 days for a full refund under the money-back guarantee.