What is your stuff hit the fan light?

[raggie33]

im still deeply afraid here in the usa we will go into a depresion that makes 1929 look like good times. so im preparing for being houseless. got water purfiers stoves that run on papper pine combs etc etc. .but im still not sure which flashlight to stock up on?it was zebra aa light. but im also afraid there wont be stock on these cells. so for now im goingg sofirn if 25a . with a folding solar charger that can charge two 21700 a day in good sun. so what about you?

 

[parang]

Best to diversify with as many power sources as possible. I have AAA (ReyLight), AA (Armytek), C3 and D2 (Maglite), and one each of every chargeable lithium. Also one that runs on makita 18V 6Ah cells. Hand crank is the last ditch.

 

[raggie33]

i have a solar and crank powered rradio flashlight . uses 18650 cells as storage

 

[raggie33]

here is the radio light i have but i only payed 20 bucks shied after tax https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083TLZN7G/?tag=cpf0b6-20

 

[Olumin]

Id like one of them crank/dynamo lights for emergency, but they dont seem to make any decent quality ones. All the ones Ive seen or had were kinda just toys. Remember back we had one of those squeeze type lights with super dimm orange incan, I think I took that thing on a school trip somewhere.

 

[Stefano]

A good idea is to protect some of the material against EMP or new "Carrington events"
I keep some of the lights, batteries, chargers and solar panels protected against these hypothetical events.
Hopefully the protection works, no one knows for sure.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

With fiber optics replacing copper trunks these days, long-haul communications are less likely to be affected by a CME than they used to be. Fiber optic circuits are completely immune to EMI/RFI from CMEs. Certainly it could still interfere with power lines, satellite and radio communications, and individual electronic devices, but I don't see a massive chunk of the 'net being down for weeks.

Having said that, the EMP from a nearby lightning strike can take out sensitive electronics. We lost some circuitry at work from a nearby strike a few weeks ago during a violent thunderstorm. The strike was about a block and a half away from us and it still fried some cards.

 

[3_gun]

Acebeam E70. Surefire L2. Fenix LD12. Surefire X300. Others if time & luck are on my side.

E70 is my "normal" EDC now, LD12 or i5T as my "dress" EDC, L2 is in the go bag, X300 on my full sized pistol. Got a E35v3 in the truck, E12v2 w/Leatherman(usually on my belt), LD10 on my 12ga, Streamlight TwinTask in my tool box. Klarus SP10 in my day pack & a Klarus EP10 on my ALICE belt/harness + a few Maglites I'd grab given time & room

I'm not afraid of the dark .. just what hides in it

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Good idea for thinking we have a disaster to prep for coming. Let's see. Volcano eruption in Canary Islands they said would cause a mega tsunami that would wipe out the east coast of the U.S.. Check. Millions of people homeless that were recently evicted when eviction moratorium ended, check. Millions of essential workers in police, firefighters, nursing, trucking, etc. about to be fired for not getting the vaccine, check. Imminent government shutdown with more taxes and unprecedented spending, check. An armed Taliban with more weapons than most first world countries, check. A porous southern border that terrorists can easily get through, check. A sun burping out M class solar flares, check. Two ransomware attacks this year that harmed our gas and food distribution, check. Entire states (Louisiana, Texas) and much of a neighboring country (Mexico) recently had entire electric grids collapse, check. Largest fires in U.S. history on west coast, check. Did I miss anything?

For disasters, I'll choose a light with the best runtime for long term outages (1500 hours on low), a decent high with good throw for search and rescue scenarios (1200 lumens), a medium that will allow travel on foot for days at a usable brightness (55 lumens for 46 hours), and a good, bright setting that will last an entire work shift for keeping my home/shelter secure in the event of riots, looting, etc. (300 lumens for 8 hours). For disasters, I'll stick with a Nitecore MH10 v.2 loaded with a 5 amp 21700 li-ion battery. Keep a solar charger and 12 volt car USB charger and some spare batteries and I should be good to go.

 

[lion504]

HDS Rotary - EMP resistant

 

[Hemicrusher]

I have a couple Surefire G2X Pros, and a few Olight Baton S10, all packed with fresh CR123s around the house.

I was a couple miles from the epicenter of the 94 Northridge Quake when it hit, and lived in a small apartment complex that partially collapsed. At that time I had a couple 3D Maglites and I was the only person in my building with a working flashlight. I learned that a reliably flashlight, that I don't have to keep "charged" is really important and is why I stick to CR123s.

 

[Califkid]

im still deeply afraid here in the usa we will go into a depresion that makes 1929 look like good times. so im preparing for being houseless. got water purfiers stoves that run on papper pine combs etc etc. .but im still not sure which flashlight to stock up on?it was zebra aa light. but im also afraid there wont be stock on these cells. so for now im goingg sofirn if 25a . with a folding solar charger that can charge two 21700 a day in good sun. so what about you?

I felt that way after Northridge Quake. I worked in Northridge and Hollywood area as a home health PT. It looked like a war zone day of the quakes. Was not supposed to be traveling on freeway, but had elderly patients there. THAT was third world stuff in USA. Had pack, lights ready.

 

[Hemicrusher]

I felt that way after Northridge Quake. I worked in Northridge and Hollywood area as a home health PT. It looked like a war zone day of the quakes. Was not supposed to be traveling on freeway, but had elderly patients there. THAT was third world stuff in USA. Had pack, lights ready.

I was in Canoga Park for the Northridge Quake. My building partially collapsed.

Can't even fully describe what that was like to someone that didn't live here.

 

[Jeff H]

"Shhhh....tuff Hitting the Fan," for me doesn't have to be a national or global collapse, because I have been in enough emergency situations to conclude that Murphy's Law prevails regardless. I try to gear my tools and mindset to that and it has served me well.

1) An emergency is going to happen.
2) It's going to happen when it is:
a) COLD;
b) WET;
C) DARK;
D)______________ fill in any other worst possible annoyance for the situation here.
3) It's going to happen when you're not necessarily expecting it ("emergent?")

Without going into EVERYTHING I do to mitigate potential failure in such a situation, I'll just say which lights I own for that purpose/reason. If the grid goes down long-term, I suppose I'll have to resort to cat tails and 'coon fat-torches or something. I'm thinking the weakness will be charging cells, and if I have to spend more time building a system and spending energy to charge with it, I may as well put the effort to something else. I had to learn to live without flashlights as a kid, and would have been subjected to non-judicial punishment in the Infantry, as a young adult, if I'd have been caught using one in the deep, dark forests of the Pacific Northwest.

So, to me, a flashlight boils down to being one really fantastic LUXURY I'd do without if worst came to worst.


Wile I dearly love the new stuff Sofirn is making, and I have an old Eagletac SP20, which is STILL an amazing light and a Gerber (formerly CMG) which gets used several times a day (night), EVERY DAY since they came out, I still don't count on them as my last-ditch lights.

In my emergency kits, I keep two versions of the Surefire L1 and a Surefire E2L with a KX1B head. Needless to say, they rarely get used, but for some reason, I trust them, which may be a mistake, but I don't know.

I perceive Surfires to be more rugged, reliable and dependable in rough conditions, even though my most-used lights have stood the test of some pretty brutal treatment over years. This may be a TOTALLY irrational thought, but that's what I keep for the knock-down, drag-out emergencies. I'd feel pretty stupid if I died because I swapped out my Surefire for a Sofirn.

I have been gravitating more toward AA cells, specifically in lithium and NiMH, and I keep a pretty good supply of either. I do have several "landscape lights" which will charge AAs (slowly) if it comes to that. Yeah, I have a generator, but it takes gasoline, and that's one of the things which will be "short" in a bad situation.

Or, cattails dipped in 'coon fat......

No, I've never tried that - I'm just making a point.

 

[ikanode]

In addition to a flashlight, I suggest a LED camping lantern to provide diffuse light in a room or tent. I prefer one with variable power settings. I've had this one for several years and have used it occasionally for camping.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UZ2R89O/?tag=cpf0b6-20

I've seen it with several brand names.

It has two features that I like in addition to diffuse light: It collapses and it runs on both 18650 and AA.

 

[parang]

A good idea is to protect some of the material against EMP or new "Carrington events"
I keep some of the lights, batteries, chargers and solar panels protected against these hypothetical events.
Hopefully the protection works, no one knows for sure.

When it comes to this, my solution was hundreds of tea lights (sounds a lot, but stores really compact), a few rounds of beeswax and sacks of paraffin wax granules ready to be processed into whatever is in need. Gallons of (m)ethanol for trangia style cooking and firewood.

 

[ledbetter]

I too was a mile from Northridge epicenter in my recently purchased first home with young kids and pets. What a mess! I only had a single rayovac (or was it eveready?) sportsman 2d flashlight. Not great, but better than nothing. No electricity or water for a couple of weeks. Lots of candles. Then I learned a lot about plaster repair, galvanized plumbing, rehanging doors, and filling the fissures in my backyard with two dump trucks worth of sand! Quake killed my grape vines! And people don't realize the hundreds of after shocks….Now I can lego Malkoff lights to run any battery with sleeves/extensions and have a couple of maglites in c & d. And a couple of lanterns.

 

[Jeff H]

When it comes to this, my solution was hundreds of tea lights (sounds a lot, but stores really compact), a few rounds of beeswax and sacks of paraffin wax granules ready to be processed into whatever is in need. Gallons of (m)ethanol for trangia style cooking and firewood.

Yes, many ways to cover that base. Versatility is key. I don't keep my lights in the microwave.

No, I don't keep a kerosene lamp on the wood stove. I set it there for a picture.

 

[Hamilton Felix]

I suppose I should add some solar chargers. But I do believe in diversification. I collect kerosene lamps, have candles, a few propane and white gas lanterns. If there's anything close to a "universal" battery these days, it's probably AA. So it would be sensible to lay in a few AA lights and a supply of rechargables with matching solar chargers.

 

[raggie33]

I suppose I should add some solar chargers. But I do believe in diversification. I collect kerosene lamps, have candles, a few propane and white gas lanterns. If there's anything close to a "universal" battery these days, it's probably AA. So it would be sensible to lay in a few AA lights and a supply of rechargables with matching solar chargers.

i got a super cool looking stainless steel keroscene latern made in usa. but it kind of sucks to light