I felt weird carrying a light last night...

dealgrabber2002

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Last night I went for a jog and brought my AA Inova X1 with me. I live in a well lit city and so flashlight is not needed. It felt pretty weird holding the light while jogging because I absolutely have no use for it. Should of left it in my car.

Anyone else bring a light to an event but it's not needed and felt weird?
 
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jerrysimons

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Sure, I always have to weigh the embarrassment versus necessity factor when deploying my light. Those are usually inversely proportional. LOL. I carry my Quark 2x123 in my fist when I jog anyway:nana:
 

CheepSteal

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If I go jogging or hiking at night around the suburbs, I will always carry a crenelated high powered light in my fist as I can't carry a blade/CCW in Australia. Crime around here is present and I don't like the idea of being jumped at night with no light. It's also very useful for getting cars' attention because people drive very idiotically around here, they don't use their turn signals and if they don't see you, you're going to get hit.
Don't feel embarassed or weird for carrying a light; real men carry lights. End of story! :D
 

elgarak

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Bringing a light and not needing it: All the time.

Feeling weird about it: Never.

Better to bring and not need, than need and not bring.
 

Stress_Test

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Last night I went for a jog and brought my AA Inova X1 with me. I live in a well lit city and so flashlight is not needed. It felt pretty weird holding the light while jogging because I absolutely have no use for it. Should of left it in my car.

Anyone else bring a light to an event but it's not needed and felt weird?


There are enough street lights where I live that I don't REALLY need a flashlight when running at night (and I've done it before without turning the light on).

However, remember that yes, there are city lights, but if the city is struck with a power outage, you'd be out there on foot in total darkness, possibly several miles from home. If there's some moonlight or starlight, you could probably make it back okay with no flashlight. If it's overcast.....

Always carry it with you, even if you're not likely to need it. The weight penalty is nill and it could really save your bacon sometime.
 

carrot

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I have needed and used flashlights in all sorts of circumstances where I didn't think I'd need a flashlight... up until I needed it. After enough of those, I never feel silly having a flashlight!
 

enomosiki

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People ask me why I carry flashlights, even in broad daylight, all the time.

That is until when they need to search for whatever crap they dropped into dark nooks and crannies.

There is no need to feel weird or shameful about carrying a flashlight for doing things you believe that you won't have a need for. On the other hand, you have every right to feel stupid when you come across a situation when you do need a light but don't have one handy.
 

Learjet

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I carry a flashlight/torch when I jog also, even if the streets are well lit for all the above mentioned reasons. The one I carry has a little clip that just clips to the side of my trousers. It's completely unobtrusive and I even forget it's there until needed.

So many runners in this thread... It seems runners and lights share a common interest lol.
 

TooManyGizmos

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~

Well lit cities have power failures ..... what'cha gonna do then ?

Darkness can happen any time ..... anywhere ..... be prepared .

~
 

Anonnn

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I have needed and used flashlights in all sorts of circumstances where I didn't think I'd need a flashlight... up until I needed it. After enough of those, I never feel silly having a flashlight!

Word.
 

Tomcat!

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Street lights do not illuminate absolutely everything. Parked vehicles and other obstructions throw shadows all over the place, and a long succession of dark shadows are often where uneven paving slabs, pot holes and dog turds lurk to spoil the unsuspecting walker/runner's day. Carry a light, always!
 

blub

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The only reason I'd go out running is to play with a flashlight.
 

OfficerSheepDog

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I used to take my preon 1 and put it on SOS mode, while jogging. I would carry it in my hand, (You cant see the light itself) aimed towards the ground.I didnt always carry a light, In 5 years of jogging I have been nearly hit twice the first time actually pushing off the hood/side of the burgundy Nissan Pathfinder, and countless times while crossing a 4 way stop people just dont stop or make a right turn without seeing you. Usually the next blast of SOS light makes them slam on the brakes. Its frequent enough on SOS that anyone I see as a problem Will be blasted by light before impact or problem. Yet slow enough that with a 10440 it doesnt get hot.

Dont shine the dam thing at cars, but when you see a problem coming toawrds you a less than a sec blast will make anyone slam on the brakes.

Anyways Now that I have said everything execpt your question, yes I felt wierd the first time, then I think of the times I need it. I don't feel wierd anymore, plus dont you remember seeing someone who looked absurd carrying something or doing something? Do you remember who they are today? or what it was? I dont.... Point is no one cares enough to make fun of or remember the guy with a flashlight.
 
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beerwax

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Dr Beerwax diagnoses 'inadequate light stowage syndrome'. if you can find a better way to carry that light rather than in your hand these unwanted feelings will subside, returning you to 'flashaholic bliss'.

cheers
 

chmsam

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It felt pretty weird holding the light while jogging because I absolutely have no use for it. Should of left it in my car.

Anyone else bring a light to an event but it's not needed and felt weird?

Blasphemy! You should be horse whipped for not having at least three lights with you at all times!! Well OK, maybe not. :devil:

What you carry with you at any time is of course (usually) no business of anyone but you. However, wishing you had something with you is no substitute for actually having the item you need right then and there. That's the philosophy of what most folks here are all about but it is nothing more than a suggestion based on our collected experiences.
 
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novice

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Back when I walked my dog at the last place I lived, I used to take the same loop around the local high school a few blocks away, then back home. I would always turn the flashlight on when crossing the street and let it swing in my hand, even though it's a quiet town, because you never know when someone is not going to be driving responsibly. There were a couple of spots on this circuit where there are differently-sized fields where I would briefly stop and play with observing the beam quality with whatever I was carrying that evening. There is a spot where I would step about twenty yards onto the school grounds, past the end of the nearby bleachers, and then illuminate the bleachers across the field. One night, as I did this with an M61 in an SF host, I was vaguely aware of some 'light pollution' coming from the far bleacher's stairwells, which annoyed me, so I turned my flashlight off. It was red light. Odd. It took me a couple of seconds to fully realize that the wooden bleachers were on fire (arson), and apparently no one was aware of it yet, even though this is in the middle of town. Even after I called it in, I didn't notice any passersby for awhile. The way the street was sloped, I could have walked right by the then-nascent fire looking straight ahead without noticing it. If I hadn't been a flashlight freak, and didn't habitually light up those bleachers on a fairly regular basis, the fire could have continued to burn unnoticed for quite some time. They sent some investigators over to my place for an interview (two weeks later!), and I felt a little self-conscious describing why I discovered the fire, but my point is, it's not only okay to carry a flashlight all the time, it's okay to reconnoiter blind spots, also. I also like to 'scan' parks at night. You just never know what might turn up. I don't move very fast these days, and I like to have some advance warning of possibly impending events.
 
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