Survival Checklist -- Flashlights(check)

[rodmeister]

Hey talk to Tom Mayo on the next island. He makes excellent knives, both folding and fixed.

 

[ZENGHOST]

Too bad Tom doesn't take orders anymore. And he should be on the same island as coolguy (going by the Honolulu in his location).

 

[Sonic]

Hey guys,
I happen to have lived on the island of Kauai during hurricane Ewa, and for those who don't know, Kauai was hit the hardest(usually is). I lived on the extreme west side in the town of Kekaha. And worst of all, my house was(and I do mean WAS) right along the beach. I was told that the waves got up to 80 feet in front of my house, and that's measured from the back of the wave! My house was built on stilts, like all houses in the area and managed to escape basicly untouched, but did float away about 80 feet from it's original position!

To make a long story short, we had to go without electricity for over five weeks and without running water for over three MONTHS!

Luckily, my grandmother's house was still standing, so we all had somewhere to live. Those next six months was like a long camping trip without the fun. And to be honest, I think that lantern type lighting would be far more useful in a hurricane (or more like afterward), as most of the time we would need area lighting to get around the house, such as it was. We used a lot of kerosene lanterns most of all, far more than flashlights. Flashlights were only used to go outside to relieve yourself or get from room to room inside the house.

I'm not saying you wouldn't need a flashlight, and most of the suggestions here would have been more than welcomed back then. But in actual use, a nice LED-based lantern would have been ideal, along with some good flashlights.

I was already living here on Oahu by the time hurricane Iniki hit Kauai, so it wasn't bad at all. But my families home, which survived Ewa, didn't make it out of this one.

Just thought I'd give my two cents having lived through a major hurricane.

Darryl

 

[coolguy]

Sonic: Wow Hurricane Ewa... That was a long time ago. I was recently in Kekaha. I visited that area to see where my Grandparents were raised. You are right, many of the houses in that area, particularly the ones on stilts don't look like they would survive a hurricane. Too bad you didn't have some infinities back then to use as 'candles'.

 

[Sonic]

Yeah, some infinities or any LED lights would have been great back then. And yeah, it was a long time ago. I was in the 5th or 6th grade I think and the schools were shut down for a long time. Heck, everything was shut down for a long time. But the biggest bummer was probably having to eat MRE's for a couple months straight. I think I've had enough to last me the rest of my life!

Darryl

 

[ZENGHOST]

That sucks, dude. I was in the 3rd grade when Iwa hit (1982), and I remember it was pretty scary. One of our outer walls was a single wall and I remember putting my hand on it and feeling it flex back and forth with the wind. Luckily we got through it unscathed. I'm smack dab in the middle of the island so we were unaffected by the high surf. I remember coming home early from school, but I think we went back the next day. Iniki was a walk in the park for us--I actually sat on my driveway and watched everything during that one. Kauai does always seem to take the brunt of the storms along with the West Coast of Oahu (Waianae side). I only remember using propane lanterns and candles during Iwa (no need during Iniki)--not much in the way of flashlights.

 

[xrayzebra]

Yep, the thread was intended to list necessary flashlights for a survival checklist, but the lack of any knives on any list was just too much for me! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I'm always off topic, sorry guys. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Charles Bradshaw]

They did kinda leave that flashlight one open, didn't they? Since most would buy the mass market standard incan flashlight, they forgot to mention extra bulbs. Things should be stored in watertight containers, and be in a place that isn't going to blow away in those high winds. The containers must be easily loaded into your vehicle for evacuation, with room for the family. One or more tents would be a good idea for after the fact.

Of course, in the light area, flashaholics tend to be better prepared.

 

[Drjones]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif

Sonic brings up a point we all surprisingly missed:

Lanterns and headlamps.

Those are truly indispensable for many situations...

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif

 

[Drjones]

[ QUOTE ]
xrayzebra said:
Yep, the thread was intended to list necessary flashlights for a survival checklist, but the lack of any knives on any list was just too much for me! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I'm always off topic, sorry guys. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I hear ya brother!

I had to chime in about firearms, and can't believe I forgot blades!!! You ever visit www.bladeforums.com or the USN?

Back to your regularly scheduled thread...

 

[haertig]

My (home) survival flashlight is something simple and robust. A CMG Infinity. All the other lights I have are conveniences, not necessities. I would be more worried about food, water, shelter, etc. in a survival situation. Lights are nice, but not essential in my mind. To handle an "extended inconvenience" situation, I'd probably vote for the well rounded SL 4AA LED with extra batteries. With an Infinity (regular or Ultra) as a backup.

 

[StoneDog]

If I had to drastically reduce my collection, I'd want to keep:

- Streamlight Propolymer 3c w/ 10 LEDs (great flood that will run for many, many hours)
- Mini-m@g w/ Opalec (perfect small task light)
- Streamlight Scorpion (for throw - rarely used)
- Inova X5T (great little utility light)

The way I see it the Proppolymer 3C and Opalec would be used the most. "C" and "AA" cells are cheap so I keep a good stock of them (lithium AA's, of course). Figure over twenty hours(??) on a set of batteries in the 3C and atleast ten hours per set in the mini-mag and I'm looking at enough light to see me through almost and disaster in my neck of the woods (north metro Atlanta).

The other two lights are occasional use, so being CR123 based shouldn't be a problem. I usually keep at least 20 SureFire 123 batteries in reserve anyway... These lights are for situations when I either need long throw (Scorpion) or something brighter than the Opalec but not as big as the 3C (X5T).

If I actually owned a headlamp or lantern they'd be on the list too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

OK, OK, I just read haertig's post above mine and I'd have to agree. Of the lights I have I could really get by with just my Propolymer 3C for room lighting and my Arc AAA LE for everything else. But, that just wouldn't be as fun. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Jon