What light necessities will i need?

This is mostly for you military guys that have been overseas but anyone else is free to chime in. I ll be heading to Iraq in October and I am wondering what light related necessities will i need to bring along with me. Iv got a Surefire A2 with red light already. Would a surefire weapon light be advisable? Thanks for the input.

Whatever you do, remember to pack a spare bulb, perhaps in an SC3 spares carrier.

You might also want to pick up a box of Surefire (or reputable brand) CR 123 batteries.

redskins38 said:

This is mostly for you military guys that have been overseas but anyone else is free to chime in. I ll be heading to Iraq in October and I am wondering what light related necessities will i need to bring along with me. Iv got a Surefire A2 with red light already. Would a surefire weapon light be advisable? Thanks for the input.

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From what I understand, I'm not sure there are many combat soldiers that aren't issued them. All of the soldiers I've seen are issued them.

As the saying goes, 2 is better than 1.

As I can see, you already own an L1 LumaMax. I would definitely take that one with you, as it has no bulb that can suffer from breakdown, and has at least 16 hours of usable light from only one CR123A...
Availability of those batteries may be an issue, so take a 20-pack or so of those Surefire-batteries with you!
I would leave all those power-hungry incans at home, although the light they throw is hugely addictive..... I'm a fan forever of the C3 Centurion, but in this particular case, I would sadly have to decide: YOU stay home

Timmo.

325addict said:

As I can see, you already own an L1 LumaMax. I would definitely take that one with you, as it has no bulb that can suffer from breakdown, and has at least 16 hours of usable light from only one CR123A...

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Agree, I think the L1 would be a good backup light. Only thing I would add is that if you do plan to pack the L1 get a F05 red filter in case you need to preserve your night vision.

As a backup to your backup, maybe something like a Photon Freedom with a red LED? The Photon Freedom comes with a neck lanyard and is so light that if you wear it around your neck you will probably not notice it until you need it. I think it has the best UI I have ever seen; can ramp up or down, start low or start high and has lots of modes but the extra modes (blink, SOS, etc.) are hidden out of the way. And the low on the Photon Freedom is very low i.e. great if you need a very discreet amount of light. :thumbsup:

I think it would also be wise to pack along something like a Fenix E01 for those daily needs where stealth is not required. Very long running on 1AAA battery. Maybe bring two or three for those buddies that wish they had one.

Geoff

When I was serving I was taught "2 is 1 and 1 is none" so whatever you take, take an extra. Good Luck and be safe and thank you for serving. George

Bring some plumbers grease to clean it (in your carry-on, so it does't get all over the place), and a case/holster to keep all the sand off/out of it. A good "Light Case" is the Eagle Industries Admin Pouch....it will hold 3 E-Series lights. And +1 on the F05...i'd also grab an F04 diffuser, for those trips to the john, and power outages, and a Streamlight UV Stylus to look for scorpions. Be safe!

Get the Fenix TK11, it's bright spot and build like a tank.

Thanks for input. I will have to get some extra bulbs and a spare carrier for sure. My battery supply will also have to be increased. My arc will be coming along for sure as well. I think it would be a good idea to bring along some extra small lights like the fenix. not too big of a deal if i lose them either. Most of the lights i do bring will either be red leds or have a filter on them. Will i always be required to use red light or are there times when white light is allowed?

redskins38 said:

Thanks for input. I will have to get some extra bulbs and a spare carrier for sure. My battery supply will also have to be increased. My arc will be coming along for sure as well. I think it would be a good idea to bring along some extra small lights like the fenix. not too big of a deal if i lose them either. Most of the lights i do bring will either be red leds or have a filter on them. Will i always be required to use red light or are there times when white light is allowed?

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There will be time when white light is allowed...alot of the areas over there are pitchblack, and you will NEED some good white light to get around the "very dark" (pitch black)secure areas/bases, and the constant power outages.

The power went out in our laundry tent one time over there, and I busted out my L4 and lit the whole place up...The people that were on there way out, deicded to stay...like moths to a flame!

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/137823

It's in the list in the above referenced sticky of (too often asked) and important threads...

My brother in law served last fall, and I bought him a small k2 light with a single 123a, and i bought him two lithium ion rechargeables and the charger. He took the batteries and light, and left the charger home. Used the light every day for miscellaneous, they were issued another one. He never even got to the second battery, but was happy he had it to light up the tent and walk to the can in the middle of the night. I think keep it simple may apply here.

Nick

trapn1 said:

Good Luck and be safe and thank you for serving.

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+1

deranged_coder said:

The Photon Freedom comes with a neck lanyard and is so light that if you wear it around your neck you will probably not notice it until you need it.

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+1 again

I'd also recommend a Red Glo-Toob Lithium.