Best EDC on a cruise ship?

[MattE]

Life long sailor here. Cruise ships are like floating apartment buildings, I have never taken a cruise. I prefer a sailboat. Here is my 2 cents.

Taking a reliable light with you, which you can have with you where ever you go is a good idea, dont leave it in the cabin, you never know when you'll need it. Such light has to be small enough to be with you at all times, it has to be reliable (read simple), and preferably some sort of waterproofing wil be a good idea. Functions of the light (SOS, Blinky etc), maker of the light, lumens, type of LED, doesn't mean much. All you need is a reliable light with you all the times.

As important as the light, (may be more important) will be a whistle. Rescuers may not see your light if they are on an adjacent corridor or one level up or around the corner from where you are stuck etc. There are very good whistles at very reasonable prices. Buy a few of them and give to family members/friends coming with you on the cruise. Once again keep it with you at all times. If you leave it in the cabin it will not help.

The most important thing will be your situational awareness. Please, please, pay attention to your surroundings. Always know where you are in the ship. Always pay attention where the nearest exists are. I believe they perform fire drills once the passengers are on board. Take it very seriously.

If SHTF do not panic. Panic kills. Remember, you have the whistle, you have the flashlight, you know where you are in the ship, you know where the exits are and you have taken the drills seriously. You will walk away from the situation without a scratch, no need to panic.

Keep in mind that the chance of a real situation happening is probably less than one in a million. Once you have taken the above four simple precautions, sit back, relax and enjoy your cruise

Be Safe

Matt

 

[JulianP]

Thank you all. So far, I am narrowing the choice down to the Preon 1. I am still unsure about the IPX8 standard. A search of CPF and Wikipedia provides different interpretations, and at least one CPF Super Moderator said it is a useless standard. I guess something that is said to be waterproof is still better than something which makes no such claim. I like the metal body (vs plastic) as you can use it to tap the metal walls when trying to attract rescuers.

I agree with most people saying the EDC should never leave your pocket, even when sleeping (I would add, especially when sleeping). This makes headlamps, neck ropes and waterproof cases less practical.

Finally, would any CPF member seriously board a cruise ship without an EDC?

 

[cue003]

You should have a loud whistle (The Windstorm or the Storm or Fox Micro Whistle.....maybe even 4sevens) that floats and a light that floats. Things may get knocked out of your hands and the whistle may fall out of your mouth or whatever. Have things that can float and for sure on lanyards.

 

[Quiksilver]

Really the odds of you needing it in an emergency are so low that its not worth thinking about. Any light will do.

 

[jorn]

I would like the best edc for finding snakes in a plane hehe

My preon has bad runtimes compared with many of my other aaa lights. It wont change tint due to pwm and it's fine. I dont like the pwm around water/reflective suff. I see the strobe effect in my sidewiew when im out wading for trout. I'm moving around hip deep, water is moving. Imo, all this movement and reflective surface is bad stuff for pwm. It disturbs me. It feels like im beeing strobed from the side everytime a wave reflect the light back from the side when im on the move.
A current controlled light will have longer runtime and with no pwm.
And i wouldent bang my light on the hull, it might break. If youre in a real shipwreck, i bet you can find something to bang the hull with within seconds if you got a working edc

 

[Hoop]

Personally, SR-90.

 

[MikeAusC]

A headlamp will get knocked off your head in the least bit of rough-and-tumble.

If you don't have some sort of securing strap, you may see it disappearing into the depths.

 

[AZPops]

One other thing that I would think is important as well is the ability to use the light (as well as access it's modes) with one hand! That's were the HDS does a great job!

 

[JAS]

Best EDC On A Cruise Ship?

Now that our cruise is only a few weeks away, I am giving some more thought to bringing a flashlight on the trip. My choices are:

-Inova T4

-Pelican 7060

-Streamlight Stinger LED

-Streamlight Stinger With 300 Lumen TerraLUX TLE-ST1 upgrade

Anyway, if you guys would bring along one of the above lights, which would it be and why?

 

[roadkill1109]

One that floats...
Any good torch that NEVER gets left behind in the cabin when your out and about.

+1

On a ship, it should be one that floats and one that has a long runtime plus a beacon and SOS mode. GID is also a must.

On the cell type, should be a commercial non-rechargeable CR123 due to is excellent 10-year shelf life. It would be hard when an emergency arises and you forgot to charge the light! hahaha...

Should you use the light heavily, use rechargeables, but always have primaries readily available.

fantastic lumens are irrelevant in a survival situation.

 

[angelofwar]

The Poisedan Adventure, they were using M3T's...

An E1B wouldn't necessarily need to be in a water proof bag. All the E1B's I have owned were essentially waterproof on their own.

I would want one that floats and one that doesn't. I'm thinking in the case of the Concordia, if I was stuck in a pitch black air-pocket towards the top of the water, a compact, tight throwy (TIR) light would be best for cutting through the (presumably) semi dirty water and attempting self rescue. I would have my VIP adveture light, and immeditaely turn it on strobe and just wear it on my person.

SOS may be nice, but you have SOS on any light, as long as you know how to do it...so NOT having SOS shouldn't be a deal breaker.

A trit/GITD would be nice for a "find me light"

Floating Light? E-Series SF with a "key chain floater on it" that could be easily removed.
Non Floating light? E-Series SF w/ long runtime (E2L)
(Note: all my E-Series (20+???) have proven to be consisently water-proof, and I would trust any of them in a situation as seen with the Concordia)

Having a small Pelican case for your sensitive electronics (GPS/Phone/Radio) wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

[GreySave]

Having been on a few of these.....On the water in the dark (The REAL dark), a little light will provide you with a lot of illumination, will attract attention, and be more than enough to guide you around a darkened ship. You don't need to carry a 300 lumen monster. As others have said.....Waterproof and easy to carry and use. Personally, I'd go with modest to lower output, extended runtime, and rock solid reliability. And re-read MattE's post before you go. EXCELLENT material in there.

 

[CarpentryHero]

MattE has A great point about the whistle, and paying attention to your surroundings. Also your on vacation so a larger light you probably won't carry at all. I'd carry a small cr123 light or AAA light Like the Fenix PD10 or E05. On a lanyard with a whistle and a glo-toob.

I've been on two cruises and the passengers have lots of exits to the exterior of the ship and before they set sale holland America went through the life raft drill.

Another necessity is a bottle opener, there is a lot of beer to drink and although there's lots of carbonation alcohol does not help with boyancy

 

[Tolip]

I just went on a cruise this past October, in my pocket the entire trip was my Preon, even when I slept... Also in my bag was my streamlight micro...

I would carry any light normally would in addition to having a locator beacon (think glo-toob).

I agree with these guys. Choosing from my own collection, I'd feel pretty safe carrying around a Preon 2 in my shirt pocket and maybe a glo-toob on a lanyard in my pants pocket.

 

[Buckley]

My wife and I have just returned from our 22nd Carnival cruise. On the basis of that experience, I would offer the following comments:

1. The chances of a disaster at sea of any type where a flashlight would be useful are exceedingly small. As with flying, the greatest danger you will face is travelling to the port of embarkation. So, relax and enjoy your cruise.

2. Having said that, accidents do happen, so it pays to be prepared. Consequently, whenever I travel I carry three lights: First, a tiny little "button" light (such as the ones Lighthound and Battery Junction give away with purchases). I wear it on a chain around my neck 24/7, mostly as a means of finding my other lights should things go awry while I'm sleeping. Secondly, as soon as I put on my pants, my Titanium Innovations IlluminaTi goes in the pocket. Lastly, in the outside pocket of my carry-on is a Quark AA loaded with a 14500. Also in an outside pocket, in a waterproof carrier, are four extra, fully-charged 14500 cells.

3. The first thing you will want to do in any sort of emergency at sea is to head back to your stateroom, grab as many of your valuables (especially money and passports) as you can stuff in your pockets, your flashlights, and your life vest. Your life vest will have a whistle and a water-activated light already attached, so I see no need to carry an additional one.

4. As another CPF'er already mentioned, two way radios are handy things to have on a cruise. In an emergency they could be invaluable. Unfortunately, so many people use the standard FRS/GMRS units that those frequencies are horribly crowded, and radios which operate on ham frequencies are not permitted. Consequently, my wife and I use the TriSquare eXRS TSX300 radios, which use frequency-hopping technology that provides (thoretically) up to 10 billion discreet channels. We have never experienced interference with these radios. Range is approximately the same as most FRS/GMRS units. The only downside is that voice quality isn't the best. They are readily available on line at about $75 a pair.

HAPPY CRUISING!

 

[Patriot]

My most used lights on my last Alaska cruise where AAA's like the Preon1 and Maratac. There's never a time where they weren't with me, even had one in my pocket while sleeping. The convenience of the form factor is hard to overstate. I also kept a UST Jetscream whistle and ZT300 folder on me most of the time.

Additionally, I took the LX2 and S12 for shore excursions.

 

[EPVQ30]

i'd bring my edc with a few extra lithium primaries, more than likely you'll be eating, drinking, and swiming on board. if anything you'll need it more if you're off the ship at night in some caribbean port. so make sure you have an easy access strobe to fend off the natives.

 

[HotWire]

Whatever light you choose, take at least 1 spare battery (for single-cell lights) in a carrier on you person at all times or.... 2 very small lights that use the same battery in your pocket. Have a few extra batteries in your suitcase. I've owned several boats and have fished from Mexico to the Inside Passage to Alaska. I always carried a flashlight and a strobe light day and night. Flashlights today often have a strobe included. I'm not a fan of strobes, but in the water....

 

[reppans]

I'm a bit of a "prepper" and I agree that the attributes of a disaster/survival light should be roughly the same no matter what the situation or method of transport. I would prioritize the following, and as many have said above:

1) Single AA/AAA, it needs to be small enough to be pocketable so that it will always be on your person. Ideally AA as your primary and AAA as keychain back-up (2isOne,1isNone). This common battery format is super easy to get anywhere in the world. While I agree they'll be the first to sell out in an an emergency situation, you're probably already carrying other devices with AA/AAAs in them, and I've never been in a hotel room without a AA/AAA remote in it.

2) Moonlight, 0.2 lumens, enough light with night-adjusted eyes to do most anything you need ~300-500 hours from a single AA. OK, except for the worst apocalyptic scenario, no one is ever going to need to run a single batt. 300 hours on moonlight. However, how much battery capacity do you think you will have when the SHTF - 50% on average? Then, how much additional capacity do you think you'll burn because moonlight may not be quite enough - 25% maybe? So if you've got 25% left to use where moonlight is enough, that 75 hours+ of light... what's that worth?

3) SOS/Beach/Strobes, nice to haves, not super critical in my book. I'd personally have a hard time running any disco modes randomly without a specific target to aim toward, but if you see any sign of potential rescue, I guess it's a lot more efficient and beats trying to strobe a light by waving your hand in front of the lens.

In AAAs - 4/7s P0 and Preon Revo, ThruNite Ti, Klarus MiX6 can all push 50+ hours and the PO/Ti with moonlight, significantly longer
In AAs - 4/7s Quark, Zebralight 51s, ThruNite T10, all have moonlight, but only 4/7s and ZL will get you 300+ hours. The Quark has the full disco selection.

Sadly, in the current lumens arms race amount manufacturers, moonlight may be a disappearing feature.

 

[Mikeg23]

I went on a cruise about two years ago and took an HDS and a fenix LOD not because I was worried the boat would sink but rather I always carry a light or two. I made my decision based on the HDS being more water resistant than my Surefires and also because the HDS has great run time on low levels.