I'm very careful about keeping the balance between stuff vs. skills. Being in a very urban setting, we're prone to rolling blackouts during the summer and also during very extreme winter conditions. The type of stuff I like to add to our bugging-in arsenal are items that can be used in multiple situations and not just for emergencies.
The coffee percolator is an excellent example of this. I like to use this at least a few times a week since it brews stronger coffee than our regular coffee maker. It can also be used for camping/hiking trips. As long as you have a heat source to boil water, you're good to go. In case of a power outage, we can even use this with a sterno stove indoors (I would imagine the boil time is a lot longer but it should get the job done - I'll have to test this in the near future).
There's different types of percolators available out there at various price points but they all pretty much have the same components - you have the pot, the stem, a basket, basket cover, and a glass knob.
The only thing about the model I have is that it has a plastic handle (susceptible to melting). So far it hasn't been an issue, it's just a matter of adjusting the placement of the pot over the heat source.
Here's a quickie video I made about it:
If you want to pick one up, this looks like a good model.
