1x AA for bugout bag in the <$30 range.

Hi guys. I'm streamlining my bugout gear to run off AA's. I have a Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus and Nomad 7 solar panel to charge the AAs.
I've moved my headlamps to AAs as well starting with the Fenix HL21.
My current pocket EDC is a Fenix LD10. Nice to have another in the BOB but too expensive for something that just sits there.
There is already an old Inova X1 reflector type with a 5mm LED in there but I need something with more power and I need 2 of them. 1 for miy BOB and 1 for the Mrs' BOB.

I've had good luck with Fenix since I got my P1D-CE and P2D years ago and are still going strong. Also the E01 I gave my wife and the E05 I gave my mom.
My experience with Fenix makes me lean towards either the E12 or LD15 and I have the diffuser tip/wand to make it a lamp if need be. I was trying to look for the newer Inova X1 but couldn't find it in Target anymore.
I'm only in the US a couple of days a month. I do have access to Target, Walmart and REI when I'm there.

Less moving parts for the twist switch should make it more robust but the convenience of the tailswitch especially for emergencies could be indispensible.

What would you guys go for in bugout bag/emergency bag? Twisty or clicky?
If you have any other suggestions of brands and models, I'm open to them.

Thanks!

If you are happy with Fenix try the E12 like you mentioned.

BloodLust said:

What would you guys go for in bugout bag/emergency bag? Twisty or clicky?
If you have any other suggestions of brands and models, I'm open to them.

Click to expand...

I've also consolidated around AAs for my EDC, camping, and travel gadgets and prefer my ultra-versatile "AA" Quark QPA-X for preparedness. I EDC a lantern diffuser, hands-free neck lamp cord (or reverse my clip if I have a baseball cap), and piece of tinfoil in my wallet. Day-to-day I'll run 14500s for ~400 lumen highs, and 3V CRAAs while off-grid camping for output/runtime, and since they'll also power all my other 2xAA gadgets. Of course, I can also use ubiquitous ~1.5v Alk, NiMh, L91 Lithiums, and with the piece of MacGyver tinfoil, in a real pinch, also run AAAAs (from a 9v), AAAs, and any cell/chemistry between a CR123 and 18650 in size. A "bright" moonlight mode of 0.3-0.5 lumens (enough for comfortable book reading) is a must have for me to maintain night vision, preserve my stealth (I sometimes camp where I shouldn't ), and especially for 200+hrs per AA runtimes.

I prefer mechanical clickies - with that piece of MacGyver tinfoil, I can always turn my Quark into a twisty light. If I'm worried about light failure (which I'm not, but for sake of a BOB discussion..), I'll carry two - XML flooder and Turbo thrower - and Lego working parts together.

For <$30 though, I go with an L3 L10 4 mode N219 - its moonlight mode is generally too low to be useful for me, but the option to have a little light is always better no light when batt power will likely be your most limiting factor.

Gerber recon...

l3 illumination has some excellent budget priced lights

There's a fairly new choice in the popular 1 X AA format with the aluminum Thrunite T10 Cree XP-G2...which IMO, should be an excellent choice for a BOB light. It's unique in that its well spaced usable modes (200lm (1.5hrs), 20lm (39hrs), 0.2lm (147hrs) all on a standard 1.5v AA) can be selected either by the reverse clicky OR by twisting the head...adding a level of switch redundancy not normally seen! It can also tail stand, comes with a diffusing wand, and can be had in cool or neutral tint (depending on where you buy it)...all for $30. *The XP-G2 emitter should be a power sipper as well.

It can also be had in stainless steel for approx $40, and a real steal in titanium for $60!

Yes. Highly recommend the thrunite t10 clicky.

Hmm. That Thrunite sounds interesting.
Will have to order it online though since where I'm from, the budget hobby lights available are mainly Fenix and Nitecores.
Any online shops that are reliable and have good deals on it? I perso ally have no experience with Thrunite.

hkequipment (online) is a reliable China based dealer that ships globally. I know Amazon in the US has them but not sure if you can access them. Edit: Also Thrunite.com has warehouses in Germany, UK, France, Japan, Australia, and USA and I think ships globally as well.

One thing though. I'm not a fan of memory mode though but the clip on the T10 is considerable.

Interface of the E12, I do like but lack of a clip to prevent it from rolling isn't available. Maybe I can fabricate something to prevent it from rolling. I'll be using a lanyard with a carabiner to keep it on stuff anyway.

You seem to trust Fenix so my advice is to stick with them. Lots of other solid manufactures out there but it's nice to have that piece of mind. For me it's FourSevens. Lanyards are a good way to keep lights from rolling and you're going to be using one anyway so you shouldnt have a problem with the E12.

Other lights to consider would be the Thrunite T10 (great value) and Xeno E03. I've had 3 Xeno E03's and all have been solid, no issues. But no matter what you get make sure to hard test them. Put them in water and throw (hard drop) them on the ground, beat them up and make sure they keep working. That will give you a nice piece of mind knowing your lights will work

I wrote up a large response but it got lost. Here is the summary.

I got the Foursevens Quark Mini MA because of its great mode spacing; the low mode is great for everyday tasks. It may not be as heavy-duty as you like though.

Instead of using heavy rechargeable systems, why not buy a pack of Energizer Ultimate Lithium? They last forever and have a very high power to weight ratio, the best for short term BOB use.

I prefer twisty to clicky for BOB use. My primary EDC is a forward clicky, however, and will be used for situations where momentary on is necessary.

PierceTheNight said:

Instead of using heavy rechargeable systems, why not buy a pack of Energizer Ultimate Lithium? They last forever and have a very high power to weight ratio, the best for short term BOB use.

I prefer twisty to clicky for BOB use. My primary EDC is a forward clicky, however, and will be used for situations where momentary on is necessary.

Click to expand...

I have a set of primary lithium AAs in there.
The Guide 10 Plus and solar panels are for my other electronics. I have a USB cable with multiple tips which can charge my cell phone. I also have a small dumb phone in the BOB with a prepaid/pay as you go SIM on a different network that has emergency and family numbers stored.
Cell service may be there, spotty, or even non-existent but if there is cell service, I would like the option to make a call and smart phones nowadays eat a lot of power, hence the backup.
2-way radios using AAs as well.

Thanks for the replies guys.

I'm still leaning toward the E12 for the price and availability but will be on the lookout for other lights since I'll be in Hawaii and LA for a few days this month.
I just want my BOB items and layout to be similar and/or identical with the wife's so that there would be no confusion especially on her part.
Twisty may be more robust but I haven't had to replace any click switch on my lights just yet.
I'll keep the spare parts in the BOB as well.
There's also a headlamp there anyway.