EDC different after blackout?

[brightnorm]

I'm keeping my present combo of LSH-P, ARC AAA, Photon II plus rotating L4, E2e or Nascar/P61/E2e but I'm adding 2xAA lithiums for total 10hrs regulated Lsh-P and 1xAAA for total 10hrs ARCAAA. Have 2x123 in cellphone case for another hr L4 or E2E. I may stop carrying P61/E2e though I love it dearly. Total minimum: 23hrs light ranging from very bright to fairly dim. If I wanted a very long burning small emergency light I'd use Mag/Inretech with lithiums.

Brightnorm

 

[brightnorm]

[ QUOTE ]
tsg68 said:
Try adding some of these to your EDC Dave, I'm gonna!

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

TSG,

Great site but for me EDC means what I carry on my person, so I have to put my extras in cellphone case and perhaps pockets or custom made mini belt pouch.

Brightnorm

 

[tsg68]

Did you see the little 2 cell cases Norm? They are about 2 1/8"x 3/4" and would easily fit in a pocket or cell phone case.

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Reaper]

No change in EDC's. Still LS2 on belt holster, CMG Infinity on keyring (everyone always carries keys, right?), 3AA Opalec and extra batteries in ever present shoulder bag. These 3 lights are what I usually carry but I may now also add the ARC 2AA power pack so I only have to carry AA's.

 

[JasonC8301]

Yes, I now have a arc aaa LE along with my tags 24/7.

In my pocket it varies from a Streamlight TT 1L or a Streamlight Scorpion. The 1L surprised me with its throw and light output Sunday night when I was walking back home from the bus stop, the lights for the 8 lane SI Expressway I-278 underpass were off (probably bad timing switch due to the blackout, needs to be re-calibrated) and I had my SL TT 1L to test. It was really dark, could barely see 5 feet in front of me, but the 1L lite things up well and reached the far corners of the underpass. Not as white and powerful as the Scorpion but good for its size.

Its so good, I ordered two more for family (was going to be 3 but my cousin opted for a CMG Ultra Infinity.)

EDC when in the field (weekend drills or 2 week training exercises), I'll leave my Scorpion in my wall locker and carry a Pelican M6 on my belt in the holster (on order from www.batterystation.com ) and the SL TT 1L on my load bearing vest somewhere. Arc aaa LE will be on my tags for low LED close up work, and a Inova microlight in my pack when all else fails.

Shouldn't be a problem though, CR123A's are available to me in the field.

 

[Roy]

JasonC....take a look at the Anglelux for your drills and 2 weeks. Its a military style bent head 2xD light with a runtime of 24 hours.

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Can anyone tell me about those cases from inanycase? I'm wondering if the (rubber? foam?) inserts are user-moddable. I'd like to mod one to hold 4 123As, plus some extra lamps and perhaps a Dspeck battery extender. What I"d like to do is carry my E2e+, and then have the option of two battery refills, or switching in an MN03, or switching in the battery extender and a P91 bulb plus 3 fresh batteries. Actually, I'm considering adding a P90 bulb to the kit, to get: E2e+ (120 lumens 20 minutes), E3e (120 lumens 60 minutes), or E3e (200 lumens, 20 minutes).

Okay, I'm sure all that won't fit into that little case. The question still remains, is the rubber/foam solid, so I can carve out slots for more lamps?

Joe

Joe

 

[JasonC8301]

Thanks for the recommendation Roy, but D cells aren't really readily available unless I pack them. Lithium CR123's are plentiful, as well as the communication equipment rechargable lithium packs, C and 9 volts are here and there, then the occasional D cell which appears once in a blue moon.

I am off to conduct a search for the Anglelux, sounds like a nice read.....

EDIT: Wow ElecktroLumens has a nice selection of lights. MX-991 is tough, but not that tough, I managed to be on light #5 which is the one I bought the day I left the island after graduation. I think I'll leave the 2D at home for novelty purposes. Haven't seen anyone use one at the unit yet.

 

[Drjones]

Joe: Surefire makes a neat, tough case that carries a spare lamp and six batteries.

Check it out.

 

[Charles Bradshaw]

At least this gets us to evaluate our EDC, and make any changes, if needed.

The main problem as I see it, is that there are too many variables to come up with an EDC light that is perfect for everyone.

 

[Interlude]

Keeping my ARC-AAA as EDC, might carry the LSL around more often... but surprisingly, I found the most use from my Petzl Tikka headlamp. Not too bright, and easy to walk around with in the house - good aim and moves when your head does. Easy on the batteries, too - had it going for 6 hours straight with no noticable loss of light. Those weren't fresh batteries, either.

 

[cool4light]

I'll now make sure that i always have spare batteries in the car.
and if i go to the city, i'll make sure i have extra batteries on my person. And i'll make sure that the lights themselves have fresh batteries on them.

 

[gyverpete]

I was not affected by the blackout.
But I'd like to make some points about preparedness and runtime IF you don't carry spare lights and/or batteries with you.
Regardless of how many hours your light(s) will run on a FRESH battery, just be sure that you don't forget that what really counts is how much time is LEFT on the battery when you need it. A light with a 10 hour runtime may become useless if it's in the final 15 minutes of battery life and you need more than that. This is especially true of current-regulated lights which won't dim (and alert you) until the very end. You don't know how long you'll need light, so err on the generous side. I don't usually carry spare batteries on me, unless I am specifically anticipating long usage, so instead I check and change them when they get below a certain voltage. I don't like to waste battery power either, so these partially used batteries go into less critical devices or ones that I use at home or car where I DO keep spares. If you do carry spares WITH you, all the better.
For incandescent lights, an extra bulb is a neccessity.

In addition to battery life management (or at least instead of) it is also wise to carry more than one light, since this increases the amount of light-time you have and because even good quality lights can fail. With most CPFers that need not be said, but if you are a minimalist and insist on only one light, at least carry a tiny keychain light as backup. I personally 24/7 carry the ARC-AAA and additionally EDC the ARC-LS and Photon II yellow. Additional lights are available in car and home.

Your EDC or 24/7 or bug-out-bag gear should be maintained in top condition in anticipation of emergencies. Keep cell phone charged, supplies refilled, lights and other gear in good condition, etc. Have backups for critical gear. Get to know how to use EVERY piece of gear beforehand. You might not have time to figure it out later. It will give you confidence and reduce worry when difficulties arise. Take care of your gear and it will take care of you.

Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

 

[paulr]

One nice thing about the Arc AAA is that it's semi-regulated, so it dims slowly through its runtime. When you do notice it's getting dim, it still has a couple good hours left. And when it does crap out, you can turn it off, let the battery rest a few minutes, and turn it back on and have another 1/2 hour or so and can repeat that several times.

 

[PaulW]

Yes, I have a lot more respect for my Arc AAA now -- and for my SF A2. Both of them have relatively long run times.

My collection of flashlights is concentrated on bright lights with short run times. I can see how their only value in a blackout of undetermined duration is their ability to donate batteries. It's similar to using my big Plymouth during the gas crunch of the 70s to supply my moped with gas.

 

[brightnorm]

[ QUOTE ]
tsg68 said:
Did you see the little 2 cell cases Norm? They are about 2 1/8"x 3/4" and would easily fit in a pocket or cell phone case.

TSG /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I missed those; I'll go back and check. Sorry for late response!

BN

 

[imgadgetman]

I was in COSCO and a big storm came through, I was hoping for the electricity to go off but it didn't. I was thinking about how to choose EDC based on others observation with the blackout and figured why not have a dry run, I will just turn out all of the lights for a couple days and put my flashlights to the test. What the heck, my wife things I'm light crazy already anyway.
imgadgetman

 

[paulr]

Rigid cell cases seem a little too bulky. I'd use a small nylon pouch, or just wrap them in tyvek (cut from a fedex envelope). Plastic baggies wear through too quickly.