What light would you use in a SHTF situation? (Zombies, anarchy, society downfall)

[BugoutBoys]

Name says it all. What would you use if society collapsed or the world fell to a "Walking Dead" state and you had to fend for yourself and your family. 1st off, would you even carry a light? If so, what would you choose and why?


I know Surefire has great build quality, but they always seem to be 1-2 gen behind other lights as far as lumens. I personally want high lumens for reasons between lighting a target clearly, signaling allies, or close range blinding of a thug or someone. I also want a very low, low mode to use in stealth or whenever I simply want long battery life and being unnoticed. I'm surrounded by forest so I don't necessarily need huge throw. I think my Go-to light would be the Nitecore P12 with the Thyrm switchback. It's always been great to me.:tinfoil:
I like that I can use cr123 or 18650. I see cr123s in every Walmart/Target/REI I go to, so it's pretty common for me to find. The switchback is great because when my finger is through the ring, I know I won't drop the light. Even if I use it as a glass breaker or a weapon. I can also flip it around to use with a pistol in like 0.0024 seconds. It's pretty great.

What light would you choose?:twothumbs

 

[scout24]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

Something Malkoff, a SF host if it were a Malkoff module. In said scenario, I tend to think low levels and stealth may be more valuable than lots of lumens...

 

[BugoutBoys]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

Something Malkoff, a SF host if it were a Malkoff module. In said scenario, I tend to think low levels and stealth may be more valuable than lots of lumens...

That's another reason I like the P12 is that the modes range between 1 lumen up to 1,000 lumens.

 

[Str8stroke]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

I guess I will speak more towards the set up that my BOB lights use. AA, CR123 and 18650. I usually have 3 lights of various sizes. But, I want to be able to easily find batteries in the wild. Or, I want to be able to use the sun to recharge them.
My AA light is a Surefire Outdoorsman. I have a E2D tail cap so I can tail stand. Plus I can fashion a diffuser from a pill bottle. The pill bottle doubles as a drop in carrier.
18650 is a Solarfoce host several drop ins. I have a few specialized. Most are customs. But, I do have a Solarforce Red, and UV, and I forgot the name, but IR drop in. Just in case I accidentally stumble across some IR night vision gear??????
Then last but not least at all. A Maxtoch M24 Sniper (dedomed). It will fit my spare weapon mounts too (in case I find a large cache of weapons) and has a real spiffy holster.

That is just a very brief, lunch break, run down of a portion of light set up. I have more small stuff like a Nitecore Tube and USB & solar charger stuff.
I also have some clamps, spare weapon mount (in case you find a weapon), some zip ties and a tiny thing of dielectric grease.

 

[BugoutBoys]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

I guess I will speak more towards the set up that my BOB lights use. AA, CR123 and 18650. I usually have 3 lights of various sizes. But, I want to be able to easily find batteries in the wild. Or, I want to be able to use the sun to recharge them.
My AA light is a Surefire Outdoorsman. I have a E2D tail cap so I can tail stand. Plus I can fashion a diffuser from a pill bottle. The pill bottle doubles as a drop in carrier.
18650 is a Solarfoce host several drop ins. I have a few specialized. Most are customs. But, I do have a Solarforce Red, and UV, and I forgot the name, but IR drop in. Just in case I accidentally stumble across some IR night vision gear??????
Then last but not least at all. A Maxtoch M24 Sniper (dedomed). It will fit my spare weapon mounts too (in case I find a large cache of weapons) and has a real spiffy holster.

That is just a very brief, lunch break, run down of a portion of light set up. I have more small stuff like a Nitecore Tube and USB & solar charger stuff.
I also have some clamps, spare weapon mount (in case you find a weapon), some zip ties and a tiny thing of dielectric grease.

That is exactly the kind of response I was hoping for! I like it, you have a good setup going. It's good to have multiple lights with different power sources!

 

[markr6]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

Oldie, but a goodie

What-lights-are-in-your-bug-out-bag

 

[elzetta56]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

Elzetta charlie
avs head
hi/lo tail

 

[RWT1405]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

SF G2 yellow with a Malkoff M61LL

FiveMega 2AA with a Malkoff M31LL.

Spare cells to go with both and radio.

 

[wjv]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

Fenix LD10 and a 10 pack of Alki-Leaks wrapped in a baggie.
Also, I always have either my EagleTac D25A or my Spark SG5 plus a 4 pack of eneloops as my EDC.

I like the fact that all three of those have a very low setting, in case I want to not attract attention.


Eagletac 0.45 Lumen
Spark 1 Lumen
Fenix 3 Lumens

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

My SHTF light thinking is along these lines:
- For my personal situation, I'm more likely to need a "get home" light, defensive light, or "wait out an earthquake or other disaster" light, than a BoB light -- my BoB will have several lights in it, pre-planned, the other situations require using whatever I have on me.
- For a defensive light, I have simple requirements: forward momentary tailswitch, a guarantee it will always come on in high and a UI that lets me hit the tailswitch multiple times without resulting in level changes, and highest candlepower possible.
- For an earthquake disaster light, I might be far from home, in a power outage situation -- I need a long running low.
- The form factor has to be a light I'll carry every day, which for me is a <1" 2x123A and 18650 supporting light. Nice little touches like in-light charging are nice-to-haves. I believe this battery size has a number of advantages over AA-size, starting with the fact that in any disaster, all common alkaline battery sizes get sold out from every store very quickly.

My current light is: Eagletac P200LC2.
My next light might be: Eagletac DX30LC2-R (this light gets me double the candlepower, in-light charging, and some minor other niceties).
My perfect light would be: Klarus XT2C, with XPL HI LED, in-light charging, and a lower low (18 lumens is the current low)

 

[PoliceScannerMan]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

I can't list just one. But it would be from OVEREADY, Malkoff and HDS. With McGizmo Sapphire around neck.

 

[BugoutBoys]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

My SHTF light thinking is along these lines:
- For my personal situation, I'm more likely to need a "get home" light, defensive light, or "wait out an earthquake or other disaster" light, than a BoB light -- my BoB will have several lights in it, pre-planned, the other situations require using whatever I have on me.
- For a defensive light, I have simple requirements: forward momentary tailswitch, a guarantee it will always come on in high and a UI that lets me hit the tailswitch multiple times without resulting in level changes, and highest candlepower possible.
- For an earthquake disaster light, I might be far from home, in a power outage situation -- I need a long running low.
- The form factor has to be a light I'll carry every day, which for me is a <1" 2x123A and 18650 supporting light. Nice little touches like in-light charging are nice-to-haves. I believe this battery size has a number of advantages over AA-size, starting with the fact that in any disaster, all common alkaline battery sizes get sold out from every store very quickly.

My current light is: Eagletac P200LC2.
My next light might be: Eagletac DX30LC2-R (this light gets me double the candlepower, in-light charging, and some minor other niceties).
My perfect light would be: Klarus XT2C, with XPL HI LED, in-light charging, and a lower low (18 lumens is the current low)

that's a good idea. I like the idea of having a different light for those situations rather than just a "bug out" light. Instead, having one for all of the scenarios you could find yourself in

 

[Timothybil]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

Actually in my BOB I have a couple of Photon Micros, my Energizer Folding LED Lantern, and an EA4W, along with a TerraLUX Lightstar 80 and a 15 Ah power bank with cords. Available to add to BOB if I have a couple of minutes is a TM16, an EA41, a G2, a 6C, a Seraph 6, another power bank, my Xtar VC4 charger, some Tubes, and a couple more Lightstar 80 lights. Also various and assorted cells, a DVM, a ZTS Mini, and my Anker solar panels.

I added them all up the other day, and if you include the dozen or so $1 button cell lights, I have about 40 lights all total that I could have packed and ready to go in about ten minutes if I am given the time. Kind of shocking when one stops to count them all.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

that's a good idea. I like the idea of having a different light for those situations rather than just a "bug out" light. Instead, having one for all of the scenarios you could find yourself in

I know, right? Seriously though, among the other things I like about one light that hits all my most possible scenarios, is that it's the light I always have on me. I have never used it in self defense or in an earthquake, but I use it constantly for just everyday light usage. I always know what state of charge the battery is in, I know if the light had some manufacturing defect from the factory, I know if the switch is getting wonky, I know if the battery is bad. How many times have we heard stories like, "I just bought this light ... and now, 2 weeks later, it stopped working". Imagine if that happens with your never-used BoB light. I know the state of my light. 'course, I do have a little Olight S1 for backup in any case, but still...

 

[BugoutBoys]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

I know, right? Seriously though, among the other things I like about one light that hits all my most possible scenarios, is that it's the light I always have on me. I have never used it in self defense or in an earthquake, but I use it constantly for just everyday light usage. I always know what state of charge the battery is in, I know if the light had some manufacturing defect from the factory, I know if the switch is getting wonky, I know if the battery is bad. How many times have we heard stories like, "I just bought this light ... and now, 2 weeks later, it stopped working". Imagine if that happens with your never-used BoB light. I know the state of my light. 'course, I do have a little Olight S1 for backup in any case, but still...

It's like the saying, "the best flashlight is the one you have on you"
you can have the fanciest flashlight out there with tons of bells and whistles, but if you don't know how to use it, it's worthless. I'd rather use my EDC light for as many scenarios as I can because I KNOW this light, how it works, what it is capable of and what it isn't capable of.

 

[NoNotAgain]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

Surefire P6 with Malkoff 61LLLL bored to accept 18650 and a Nitecore TM26.

TM26 will run on low, 3-5 lumens for close to 1000 hours. It will also blaze your eyes when needed.

The Surefire speaks for its self.

 

[MX421]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

For this scenario, I would agree that i'd use the light(s) i was familiar with. For me, that would be a number of lights now that i normally use on a frequent basis. Unlike the similar "bump in the night" thread that surfaced, this scenario would change depending on what the "in-the-moment" situation were in those times. For the most part, i'd be using lower modes so as not to draw attention that I am in there. On the other hand, i'd most likely be packing some sort of weapon and wouldn't care to some extent as long as the riot crowd or bad guys with weapons weren't within sight/shooting range. I certainly wouldn't be showing off my light maximum outputs to my neighbors I would however probably be in the position to supply my family & immediate neighbors with lights if necessary due to my flashlight hobby. That way they can help take shifts in the watch against chaos....:twothumbs

 

[BugoutBoys]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

For this scenario, I would agree that i'd use the light(s) i was familiar with. Unlike the similar "bump in the night" thread that surfaced, this scenario would change depending on what the "in-the-moment" situation were in those times. For the most part, i'd be using lower modes so as not to draw attention that I am in there. On the other hand, i'd most likely be packing some sort of weapon and wouldn't care to some extent as long as the riot crowd or bad guys with weapons weren't within sight/shooting range. I certainly wouldn't be showing off my light maximum outputs to my neighbors

That's a good idea. I'd always have a handgun on my hip as well, but who knows if the "enemy" has assault rifles. So staying on the DL is a good idea.

 

[zs&tas]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

The new nitecore explosion proof light

 

[MX421]

Re: What is your "Bug out Bag" light?? What would you use in a SHTF situation?

That's a good idea. I'd always have a handgun on my hip as well, but who knows if the "enemy" has assault rifles. So staying on the DL is a good idea.

I also have assault weapons, but would likely only use as a fallback position due to portability. I would think now that I wouldn't carry those around all the time, but on the other hand, I have some AR rifles with carry straps...in those times, those weapons would probably be placed around the house in accessable positions instead of locked away in the gun safe as they are now...lol.

A more likely scenario for all around carry would be handgun, probably some sort of large knife or machete on the belt/back (would probably have for chopping wood anyway) and of course a flashlight (or three).

When i was a kid, i used to watch the Mad Max movie series, you know the original with Mel Gibson. I would probably be like Mad Max was when he went into the city in that last movie...pulling weapons (and flashlights) out from all the hiding places, but always able to access each weapon when confronted...LOL. If i had to venture out, i'd have plenty of stuff stashed in the vehicle as well.