Visiting a remote destination? The supply of electricity and other utilities becomes less reliable and more prone to outage the farther away from civilization you travel. Treating blackouts and other utility shortages as inevitabilities—and planning for them—will boost your comfort in the likely event that one occurs. My wife, Virginia, and I were lucky enough to spend a month at our cabin in northern Montana over the holidays. Five days before we planned to head home, a windstorm knocked out the power. Rather than end our trip early, we made do, but we could have been more comfortable if we had packed a few more essentials. Based on what we learned that week, here are some tools and approaches that could have made our experience easier—and will ensure comfort when electricity fails.