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The weather forecast on Monday, September 15, 2003 was not encouraging: Hurricane Isabel was churning through the Atlantic with category 5 wind speeds in excess of 160 miles per hour. Worse yet, Isabel was projected to make landfall on North Carolina's Outer Banks and to then sweep upwards, eventually passing through our hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia. The projected path of Isabel cut a swooping left-hand uppercut through the mid-Atlantic states, and Charlottesville was dead center on the trajectory.
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The forecasters were predicting we'd receive anywhere from 6-12 inches of rain and winds in excess of 60 or 70 mph. Considering we've already suffered through one of the wettest summers on record, that kind of rain meant certain power outages and dangerous flooding throughout Central Virginia. So in preparation for the big hurricane, we made sure we had the essentials: batteries for flashlights, bottled water, and our favorite new Crutchfield product, the Xantrex Powerpack 400 Plus.
If you didn't get a chance to read Ken Nail's review of the Powerpack 400, here's a brief summary of what this handy device can do: The Powerpack 400 combines a rechargeable heavy-duty battery pack with a 115V AC inverter, a 12V DC outlet, an air compressor, a built-in flashlight, and jumper cables. This boombox-size device can supply up to 320 watts of AC output.
The appeal of having the Powerpack on hand when Isabel swung through was obvious: if the lights went out, the Powerpack could power a radio or small television and allow us to stay up-to-date on the storm's progress. Although Isabel was downgraded to a category 2 hurricane before making landfall, we were told to expect to lose power and deal with flooding. So with our Powerpacks charged up and ready to go, we left work early on Thursday, September 17 to go home and wait. What follows is an account of how each of us made use of the Powerpack 400 in the wake of Hurricane Isabel.
Charlie Pastorfield
I live in the country, and I bought the Powerpack 400 Plus for its ability to pump up tires and jump start a car. I was reading the manual when I first heard the news that Hurricane Isabel might be headed our way. The thought entered my head that this little device might be of some use if the power went out. Well, Isabel came, the power went out, and it sure was.
Thursday, 8 PM: Since there are lots of big trees around our house, I set up cots for my daughters in the basement for the night of the storm. The ladies, accustomed to sleeping with a night-light, were not too enthusiastic about spending 10 hours in total darkness. I brought in the fully-charged Powerpack 400 Plus and turned on its built-in incandescent lamp — problem solved.
Friday, 7 AM: Problem #2 was a big one. My wife needs caffeine in the morning, but she won't drink instant coffee. I was prepared to make real coffee on our gas grille outside, but I'd forgotten about the coffee grinder. I grabbed the Powerpack (with its lamp still blazing away), plugged in the coffee grinder, and domestic harmony was restored.
Friday, 9 AM: The in-laws (who live on the Virginia coast) were staying with us, and they were anxious to find out the extent of damage in their area. I plugged the television into the Powerpack, and, amazingly, the cable was still working. After a half hour of channel surfing, they were able to determine that their home town had been spared from the brunt of the storm. Then the cable went out.
Friday, 10 AM: We still had phone service, but our cordless phones would not work without power. Plugged our cordless phone into the Powerpack, and called all our relatives to let them know we were OK. Then the phone went out.
Friday, 2 PM: After a few hours of living without electricity, my daughters had exhausted most of the entertainment possibilities involving artwork and games. They were starting to get bored — and starting to get loud. I plugged our little TV/VCR combo into the Powerpack and played a couple of movies. Beautiful.
Friday, 7 PM: I plugged in the refrigerator to see if the Powerpack would do the job. No way. It won't run a coffee machine or hair dryer either, or anything else that requires lots of power. Worth a try, though.
Friday, 8:30 PM: Turned on the built-in lamp again so the girls could sleep in their beds with a night-light. Left it on all night.
Saturday, 7 AM: Coffee grinder.
Saturday, 10 AM: Used the Powerpack to recharge our cell phone, which had gone dead.
Saturday, 2 PM: TV/VCR combo for some movies.
OK, you get the idea. Until we got our power back on Sunday evening, I found myself using the Powerpack every 3 or 4 hours for some little job. The most amazing thing? When I recharged the unit on Monday, the display told me that the battery was still at 50% capacity. Now, my Powerpack 400 Plus sits in my garage, all charged up and ready to inflate tires, to jump start cars, or maybe to help us out during the next big storm. I never thought I would say this, but I love that little plastic box.
I live in the country, and I bought the Powerpack 400 Plus for its ability to pump up tires and jump start a car. I was reading the manual when I first heard the news that Hurricane Isabel might be headed our way. The thought entered my head that this little device might be of some use if the power went out. Well, Isabel came, the power went out, and it sure was.
 Grind those coffee beans! The Powerpack 400 takes care of small emergencies in a big, big storm. |
Thursday, 8 PM: Since there are lots of big trees around our house, I set up cots for my daughters in the basement for the night of the storm. The ladies, accustomed to sleeping with a night-light, were not too enthusiastic about spending 10 hours in total darkness. I brought in the fully-charged Powerpack 400 Plus and turned on its built-in incandescent lamp — problem solved.
Friday, 7 AM: Problem #2 was a big one. My wife needs caffeine in the morning, but she won't drink instant coffee. I was prepared to make real coffee on our gas grille outside, but I'd forgotten about the coffee grinder. I grabbed the Powerpack (with its lamp still blazing away), plugged in the coffee grinder, and domestic harmony was restored.
Friday, 9 AM: The in-laws (who live on the Virginia coast) were staying with us, and they were anxious to find out the extent of damage in their area. I plugged the television into the Powerpack, and, amazingly, the cable was still working. After a half hour of channel surfing, they were able to determine that their home town had been spared from the brunt of the storm. Then the cable went out.
Friday, 10 AM: We still had phone service, but our cordless phones would not work without power. Plugged our cordless phone into the Powerpack, and called all our relatives to let them know we were OK. Then the phone went out.
Friday, 2 PM: After a few hours of living without electricity, my daughters had exhausted most of the entertainment possibilities involving artwork and games. They were starting to get bored — and starting to get loud. I plugged our little TV/VCR combo into the Powerpack and played a couple of movies. Beautiful.
Friday, 7 PM: I plugged in the refrigerator to see if the Powerpack would do the job. No way. It won't run a coffee machine or hair dryer either, or anything else that requires lots of power. Worth a try, though.
Friday, 8:30 PM: Turned on the built-in lamp again so the girls could sleep in their beds with a night-light. Left it on all night.
Saturday, 7 AM: Coffee grinder.
Saturday, 10 AM: Used the Powerpack to recharge our cell phone, which had gone dead.
Saturday, 2 PM: TV/VCR combo for some movies.
OK, you get the idea. Until we got our power back on Sunday evening, I found myself using the Powerpack every 3 or 4 hours for some little job. The most amazing thing? When I recharged the unit on Monday, the display told me that the battery was still at 50% capacity. Now, my Powerpack 400 Plus sits in my garage, all charged up and ready to inflate tires, to jump start cars, or maybe to help us out during the next big storm. I never thought I would say this, but I love that little plastic box.
Ken Nail
We prepared ourselves as well as possible for Isabel, laying in extra ice for the freezer and refrigerator, and stocking up on batteries for our flashlights and battery lanterns. We charged up the Powerpack 400 as well. On the night the storm hit, power went out early during the storm. Thanks to the AC power provided by the Powerpack 400, we were able to hook up a small 13" TV and keep current with our local TV station. It was very reassuring to have the ability.
While we didn't suffer any direct damage from the storm, our power stayed out for three days — not as bad as many had it, but plenty long enough! We could always count on the Powerpack 400 to help out, whether it was operating the electric garage door opener, charging up the cell phone, or powering a VCR and small TV for the "family movie night" we had each night after the sun went down. One disappointing note: although I was able to run the coffee grinder, my electric coffee maker drew too much current for the Powerpack 400.
Surprisingly, it was easy to keep the Powerpack 400 charged up. Using the included DC charging cable, we simply plugged it into the car's cigarette lighter outlet each day as we drove around town on errands. We invariably found that it charged fully in a short period of time. The Powerpack 400 was an invaluable help around the house!
 Colin gives the Powerpack 400 Plus a big "thumbs up". |
We prepared ourselves as well as possible for Isabel, laying in extra ice for the freezer and refrigerator, and stocking up on batteries for our flashlights and battery lanterns. We charged up the Powerpack 400 as well. On the night the storm hit, power went out early during the storm. Thanks to the AC power provided by the Powerpack 400, we were able to hook up a small 13" TV and keep current with our local TV station. It was very reassuring to have the ability.
While we didn't suffer any direct damage from the storm, our power stayed out for three days — not as bad as many had it, but plenty long enough! We could always count on the Powerpack 400 to help out, whether it was operating the electric garage door opener, charging up the cell phone, or powering a VCR and small TV for the "family movie night" we had each night after the sun went down. One disappointing note: although I was able to run the coffee grinder, my electric coffee maker drew too much current for the Powerpack 400.
Surprisingly, it was easy to keep the Powerpack 400 charged up. Using the included DC charging cable, we simply plugged it into the car's cigarette lighter outlet each day as we drove around town on errands. We invariably found that it charged fully in a short period of time. The Powerpack 400 was an invaluable help around the house!
Todd Cabell
After reading Ken's earlier review of the Powerpack 400, and listening to Charlie brag about how cool his new Powerpack was, I was jealous. Then Isabel appeared on the horizon, and provided me with a perfect excuse to go out and get one of my own — and thank goodness I did!
Thursday, 4:30pm: I got home as the rain and wind started to intensify. There on my porch was a package from Omaha Steaks, a mail-order company that will ship you tasty steaks and burgers. "Perfect timing!," I muttered. I now had 6 sirloins, 4 filets, and 12 burgers in an empty cooler (the dry ice had long since evaporated), and Isabel was just getting going. When the power went out an hour later, I tried to use the Powerpack to run the refrigerator, but it just wasn't up to the task. The refrigerator draws way more power than the Powerpack's 320-watt shut-off threshold will allow.
Thursday, 6pm: My girlfriend's mother called to let us know that a huge oak tree had just fallen on their roof and broken through the ceiling. Everyone was fine, but the house had received a direct hit and sustained major damage. We plugged the cell phone into the Powerpack to keep it charged up in case they needed to get in touch with us later.
Thursday night: I plugged in the radio to the Powerpack's second AC outlet to keep up on the storm's progress. We sat around listening to storm updates on the radio. The powerpack kept our phones charged and the radio on all weekend.
Saturday, 3pm: A relative had driven over to check on my elderly neighbor across the street. When she was ready to leave, her car would not start. I grabbed the Powerpack, plugged in the jumper cables, and gave her car a jump.
Sunday, 11:30am: The power came back on, and I gratefully retired the Powerpack to the study, where it sits charging, waiting for its next call to duty.
After reading Ken's earlier review of the Powerpack 400, and listening to Charlie brag about how cool his new Powerpack was, I was jealous. Then Isabel appeared on the horizon, and provided me with a perfect excuse to go out and get one of my own — and thank goodness I did!
 The Powerpack 400 Plus' jumper cables make it a hand tool to keep in your trunk. |
Thursday, 4:30pm: I got home as the rain and wind started to intensify. There on my porch was a package from Omaha Steaks, a mail-order company that will ship you tasty steaks and burgers. "Perfect timing!," I muttered. I now had 6 sirloins, 4 filets, and 12 burgers in an empty cooler (the dry ice had long since evaporated), and Isabel was just getting going. When the power went out an hour later, I tried to use the Powerpack to run the refrigerator, but it just wasn't up to the task. The refrigerator draws way more power than the Powerpack's 320-watt shut-off threshold will allow.
Thursday, 6pm: My girlfriend's mother called to let us know that a huge oak tree had just fallen on their roof and broken through the ceiling. Everyone was fine, but the house had received a direct hit and sustained major damage. We plugged the cell phone into the Powerpack to keep it charged up in case they needed to get in touch with us later.
Thursday night: I plugged in the radio to the Powerpack's second AC outlet to keep up on the storm's progress. We sat around listening to storm updates on the radio. The powerpack kept our phones charged and the radio on all weekend.
Saturday, 3pm: A relative had driven over to check on my elderly neighbor across the street. When she was ready to leave, her car would not start. I grabbed the Powerpack, plugged in the jumper cables, and gave her car a jump.
Sunday, 11:30am: The power came back on, and I gratefully retired the Powerpack to the study, where it sits charging, waiting for its next call to duty.
Isabel may not have been the knock out punch she looked like at first, but she still did plenty of damage. In addition to knocking out power to about 1.8 million people in Virginia alone, she felled thousands of trees, destroyed hundreds of homes, and cut a channel straight through Hatteras Island, North Carolina. As I write this on Tuesday, September 30, a week and a half later, there are still approximately 30,000 homes without power throughout Virginia.
 Crutchfield's Charlottesville headquarters lost power for 2-1/2 days as a result of tree damage from Isabel. |
As you can see from our personal experiences during Hurricane Isabel, the Xantrex Powerpack 400 Plus proved to be a worthwhile investment for each of us. In addition to powering our radios and televisions for three days and keeping us abreast of the storm's progress, we found a number of other uses for the Powerpack that you might not have anticipated. All in all, the Powerpack 400 is one versatile little device. After taking us through a hurricane, I'd even venture to say that the Xantrex Powerpack 400 is one thing you don't want to stay home without.