My List o' Lights For The Road Trip!

milkyspit

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My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

This might amuse you folks...

We're leaving for North Carolina tomorrow. Gotta visit my wife's family. I should be sleeping, but am I? NO! I've started packing for the trip, starting with the flashlights. My plan was to limit myself to 10 lights for the trip, so after much consideration... I'm taking 14! Whoops!

The goal was a variety of lights to demonstrate what's possible in our great little hobby. Here's the list, largest to smallest...

MagCharger with WA01160 bulb
MR-X
Space Needle II (homemade)
Blaster Jr. with direct drive LuxIII
SL ProPolymer 4AA 7 LED
Brinkmann Legend 2AA with BB750 TV0K and Fraen LP
SL Scorpion
Milky Candle
SF L4
SF L1
Lambda MiniLite (custom version with SV1J)
Arc LSL
Infinity Ultra-G
Arc-AAA

Plus a box of SF123A cells, and a Rayovac IC3 NiMH AA 15-minute charger

Am I whacked? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif
 

Stanley

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Whacked? Nope, methinks... So long as your Flashlight bag is heavier than your other bags, you're good to go! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif

Have a safe trip and drive! Hope you come back with some good 'illuminating' stories for us! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

AR15Fan

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Cali
Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

[ QUOTE ]
milkyspit said:
Am I whacked? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Yes. I managed to drive all the way across the country for a deer hunting trip. Lights had to cover; mechanical problems, EDC/Self defense, and Hunting & Camping use. I got by with a Streamlight Scorpian, Surefire A2, ARC LSL, Arc AAA, Arc AA, & an $8.00 Energizer 3AAA LED Headlamp.
 

Ginseng

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Well,

You've pretty much got the whole lighting rainbow there. Please make sure you videotape the people's reactions when you bring out your lights /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Wilkey

PS. Only one box of batteries?
 

cheesehead

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Excellent selection. But I think you missed one important category, i.e. "the borrowing light". I keep a plastic Eveready lantern for the times the wife says "Hey dork, give me one of your brighter flashlights". That way, if I never see the light again, it's not a big deal.

cheese
 

milkyspit

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

cheesehead, like everyone else here, I've got lots more lights than that! But I wanted to pick a representative sample to show the in-laws. If they show any interest in some of them, they might get a nice little birthday present, or Mother's Day, or Father's Day... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

PaulW

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

[ QUOTE ]
milkyspit said:

Am I whacked? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ohgeez.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Naw. I think we all tend to take a little museum with us when we have neat lights to show off. I know I do.

But I get the impression that this is not a short trip. Have you fully considered how much you'll be using your lights? Is only one box of 123s enough? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Paul
 

cheesehead

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Milkyspit,

You are much braver than I. You must pack a cheap light to be prepared for the question, "Can I borrow a light?"-especially if it's from a little snot-nosed varmint that you know will drop your light, cover it in candy sludge and/or lose it. Are you prepared to part with any of your lights? Which light are you willing to have coated in "candy sludge"? These aren't questions to just "poo-poo" and dismiss lightly.
 

milkyspit

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New Jersey
Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

[ QUOTE ]
PaulW said:
But I get the impression that this is not a short trip. Have you fully considered how much you'll be using your lights? Is only one box of 123s enough? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Paul

[/ QUOTE ]

We'll be staying for about a week. But all the lights have fresh cells in them, and of course the ones with NiMH cells can be recharged as often as necessary. I'm not taking the charger for the MagCharger with me, though, so when that one poops out, that'll be it until we get home! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Hey, we'll be passing you on the way down! Well, sort of. We're driving from NJ to NC. If I point MR-X toward the sky, could you follow the beacon and meet me? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif
 

milkyspit

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

[ QUOTE ]
cheesehead said:
You are much braver than I. You must pack a cheap light to be prepared for the question, "Can I borrow a light?"-especially if it's from a little snot-nosed varmint that you know will drop your light, cover it in candy sludge and/or lose it. Are you prepared to part with any of your lights? Which light are you willing to have coated in "candy sludge"? These aren't questions to just "poo-poo" and dismiss lightly.



[/ QUOTE ]

Well, my 3 year old is a budding flashaholic with 5 lights in his own collection. He's very careful not to point the lights at people's eyes (unless they're "bad men"), and routinely carries my lights with me around the yard. So I'm not worried about him! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

As far as others, I have no qualms about loaning out an Ultra-G, as I have several more at home. And I can always build another Space Needle II. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rant.gif
 

paulr

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Bring a big handful of the $1.00 Countycomm keychain lights to give away.
 

milkyspit

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Paulr, I don't have any! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mecry.gif

But I did give one to a longtime friend who works in our local post office as an impromptu Christmas present. Today he stopped me as I was leaving, pulled his keyring from his pocket (the light was on it), thanked me and said, "This light has some real bite!" (Meaning it's BRIGHT!) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

It was one of those translucent milky-colored plastic ones with white LED. Are those the ones they're presently selling? That's my favorite style!
 

rlhess

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Aurora, Ontario, Canada
Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

My roadtrip to Toronto (well, it really was an airtrip:

Me:
SF L6 with KT-4 turbohead MN-15, MN-16, N2 lamps in two
SC-2 spares carriers and a special custom
rear "lens cap"
SF E2e with KL-1 (reading in bed, long runtime)
SF L4 (edc)
Arc AAA LE (edc)
Arc AAA tricolor (most people have holiday lights
--I have a holiday light)
Arc AAA green
Arc AAA UV
Red 2 S76 cell LED in camera bag
Red laser pointer (for playing with cats)

Wife:
Arc AAA LE
Arc sLS

Sons (each of two):
SL Septor Headlamp
Arc AAA tricolor light (received as Christmas present)

A friend who has too many cats:
received a Golden Gadgets 6 LED UV light (3 AA)

Cheers,

Richard
 

paulr

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Milky, you don't have any of the keychain lights? Well order some, have them sent to your destination so they'll be there fore you.

They ran out of those white ones. The new ones are a different design with a constant-on slide switch (no momentary squeeze). I only have had the old ones and haven't seen the new ones, but other people have tried them and liked them better than the old ones because of the constant-on.
 

StoneDog

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Geez, and I thought my typical Atlanta-to-Tampa/Orlando arsenal was too much:

Streamlight Scorpion
Streamlight TT 2L
Streamlight ProPolymer 3C LED
Inova X5T
CNC-123 (MM & Q2)
Mag 3D-4C
Arc AAA LE

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Jon
 

kaseri

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

My typical trip lights are an ARC LSH-P and an ARC AAA-P. Those two lights cover 99% of my needs. Every once in a while I might take my SF M6 but that light is mostly used when I go camping in the mtns.
 

PaulW

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

[ QUOTE ]
milkyspit said:

Hey, we'll be passing you on the way down! Well, sort of. We're driving from NJ to NC. If I point MR-X toward the sky, could you follow the beacon and meet me? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Hah hah. What I'll do is leave the window open a bit. Then I'll be able to hear the atmosphere crackle when you turn on your light. Just point it straight up when you get to Route 198. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Paul
 

Cyclops942

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Hmmm... might have to re-think my road-trip bag (in no particular order):
<ul type="square"> [*]Streamlight SL-20X with digital flasher/dimmer tailcap and optional traffic wand (yellow) [*]SureFire 9Z (old-style) [*]Streamlight LiteBox with 8W spot lamp [*]Streamlight Ultra Stinger [*]Streamlight Stinger XT [*]PALight [*]Code 3® High-Profile with Double-Flash Strobe (Amber) [*]Code 3® 420 Halogen Mini-Lightbar (Amber) [*]6-C M@glit3 with optional traffic wand (yellow) [*]Pelican M10 [*]Pelican M11 [*]SureFire 8X with after-market traffic wand (yellow) [*]SureFire 6P (old-style) [*]First-Run Arc-LS in Cyan with 2AA TSP [*]Arc-AAA RGB [*]Arc-AAA in turquoise [*]Standard Mini-M@g for loaner purposes [*]ASP Sapphire Elite [*]ASP Navigator [*]Brinkman Legend LX
[*]CMG Infinity (Smoke body/White LED) [*]Streamlight Clipmate with white LEDs [*]First-run Arc-AAA in white [*]Dorcy Cool Blue (the TurtleLite I copy) [*]ET finger-light from a box of cereal [*]LRI Photon II in purple (complete with UV warning) [/list]
not to mention my EDC lights:
<ul type="square"> [*]Arc-AAA CPF 2002 Edition [*]Arc-AAA CPF 2003 Edition [*]Arc-AA [*]Arc LSL with CR123 TSP [*]EternaLight Ergo4Xray [*]LRI Photon II in green [*]LRI Photon II in turquoise (marketed as "Night-Vision Green") [*]ASP Sapphire [*]ASP Aspen Elite [/list]
I think I need to throw a few more in the bag, what do you guys think? (I hate to think of the money I'd have to spend to replace all of those at once.)
 

cheesehead

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

Cyclops942,

You've lost your mind, only one mini mag? You need more than one loaner, that's crazy.

cheese
 

Cyclops942

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Re: My List o\' Lights For The Road Trip!

The Dorcy is only about $8 at Wal*Mart, so it qualifies as a loaner in a pinch, as does the ET finger-light. (After all, the finger-light doesn't fit my finger (yes, I tried /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif).) The ASP Sapphires are coming down in price to about $12, and the Photon IIs (in various colors) are available for $10 at Meijer (similar to Wal*Mart, but regional and based in Grand Rapids, MI), so those can be loaned out, too, but I don't typically think of them that way.

That brings me up to over a handful of loaners, if need be. Is that better?
 
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