Hogokansatsukan
Flashlight Enthusiast
[FONT="]What about BOB?[/FONT]
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[FONT="]I have hesitated starting a thread regarding "BOBs", "War Bags", "Grab and Go" bags or emergency/preparedness gear as it probably has a better chance of going off the rails and getting closed faster than a "Pocket Dump" thread. So, let's start simple and just deal with lighting… Specifically HDS and what battery options you have picked and why for your kit. Let me repeat… Specifically for HDS and what battery options you have picked and why for an emergency kit.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Why in the HDS subform? Because MOST of the folks here have discerning taste and research the snot out of things and value quality regardless of cost. Others who may be reading, please don't take this as a "diss" as it is not. There are folks who simply want the best regardless of cost, and their definition of "value" is different from one who carries a cheap light light because they might lose it or it can be easily replaced or any number of other justifications. This is specifically about HDS and what battery options you have picked for a BOB or emergency kit and why and any long term battery solutions you may have. Do I need to repeat that again? I probably do but I won't.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]First, let me explain my BOB. I look at BOB like my grandmother's purse. That sucker had everything in it. I consider what is on my person as "Vital gear" and what is in BOB as "Essential Gear". There is some overlap, and that being said, I have specific gear in the vehicles for both winter and summer, and "home" gear. There is a ton of redundancy. There are also "giveaway" BOBs which contain great gear that was once in the BOB, but has been replaced with better or higher quality gear. This way I can toss "Elder BOB" to someone who might need it if I am home.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]So, what I have come up with for my BOB. Now, my BOB is really my shadow. It doesn't sit in a corner. If I leave the house traveling further than I can walk home in an hour, BOB comes with me. Why? Let's just say one only has to experience a major earthquake once in their life and carry a dead friend to a make-shift hospital for a lasting impression. Living without electricity for a couple months helps. Great experience if you live through it. Yes, I plan for the worst… not just earthquakes but perhaps an attacking mob of undead mutant brain eating congresswomen as well.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]So, besides always carrying an HDS Rotary in 123 flavor on my person, there are 2 more HDS lights in the BOB. Both are of the 2AA variety, one an Executive and the other a Rotary. There is also a spare Rotary 123 battery tube with raised button and a spare Executive tail with flush button. While I prefer raised tails, both of these 2AA have flush, the reason being I don't want any accidental activation either in the bag or in use.
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[FONT="]Reasons for picking the 2AA format is more than just the battery type. The HDS 2AA tube is much thicker and stronger than either the 123 or 18680 tube and is, in fact, less prone to a malfunction than the 18680 tube because of how the signal wire is installed. It is also long enough to use in conjunction with kubaton and pain compliance techniques if one is familiar with them (another reason for the flush button instead of the raised is that when one is raking the tail of the light down someone's sternum, you don't run the risk of the button snagging and getting dislodged). Try it sometime… but on someone you don't like.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]I keep 12 spare AA batteries in the BOB. 4 Eneloop 4th Gen NiMH 1900 mAh, 4 Eneloop Pro 2550 mAh, and 4 Energizer L91 lithium batteries. There are also 8 Duracell primary 123s.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]What's the difference between the Eneloop Pro and 4th Gen Eneloop? As is everything, there are trade offs. Other than the capacity difference, the Gen 4 can be recharged up 2100 times… the Pro only 500. In real life, once you reach about 250 charges, the Gen 4 have more capacity than the Pro. Honestly, if things have gotten that bad… I was probably already bit by one of the walking dead and I'm foaming at the mouth spouting unintelligible gibberish about economics. But I digress.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Both 2AA HDS lights have Eneloop Pro 2550 mAh batteries in them.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]As part of the "lighting" aspect of the BOB, there is a PowerFilm Solar USB+AA foldable solar charger. I prefer this to their older one. The previous version would charge 4 AA batteries, however the new one has a cover that locks the batteries in, so if the charger is tied to the back of the BOB, there is much less likelihood of the batteries popping out and getting lost. The USB port is a nice option, but it uses the 2 AA batteries in the charger to do this… options are always good to have though. I chose the tan color for the charger as I don't want black absorbing the Arizona suns heat and transferring it to the batteries.[/FONT]
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[FONT="]Along with this I have an AntiGravity PPS and Olight Magnetic Universal charger, but these are for other "things" in the BOB that I won't get into here.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
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[FONT="]I would say if you want to pack real light, 2 Gen 4 Eneloop batteries in the PowerFilm and 2 in the HDS would cover most anything… as long as you live where the sun shines most of the time.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]I have hesitated starting a thread regarding "BOBs", "War Bags", "Grab and Go" bags or emergency/preparedness gear as it probably has a better chance of going off the rails and getting closed faster than a "Pocket Dump" thread. So, let's start simple and just deal with lighting… Specifically HDS and what battery options you have picked and why for your kit. Let me repeat… Specifically for HDS and what battery options you have picked and why for an emergency kit.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Why in the HDS subform? Because MOST of the folks here have discerning taste and research the snot out of things and value quality regardless of cost. Others who may be reading, please don't take this as a "diss" as it is not. There are folks who simply want the best regardless of cost, and their definition of "value" is different from one who carries a cheap light light because they might lose it or it can be easily replaced or any number of other justifications. This is specifically about HDS and what battery options you have picked for a BOB or emergency kit and why and any long term battery solutions you may have. Do I need to repeat that again? I probably do but I won't.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]First, let me explain my BOB. I look at BOB like my grandmother's purse. That sucker had everything in it. I consider what is on my person as "Vital gear" and what is in BOB as "Essential Gear". There is some overlap, and that being said, I have specific gear in the vehicles for both winter and summer, and "home" gear. There is a ton of redundancy. There are also "giveaway" BOBs which contain great gear that was once in the BOB, but has been replaced with better or higher quality gear. This way I can toss "Elder BOB" to someone who might need it if I am home.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]So, what I have come up with for my BOB. Now, my BOB is really my shadow. It doesn't sit in a corner. If I leave the house traveling further than I can walk home in an hour, BOB comes with me. Why? Let's just say one only has to experience a major earthquake once in their life and carry a dead friend to a make-shift hospital for a lasting impression. Living without electricity for a couple months helps. Great experience if you live through it. Yes, I plan for the worst… not just earthquakes but perhaps an attacking mob of undead mutant brain eating congresswomen as well.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]So, besides always carrying an HDS Rotary in 123 flavor on my person, there are 2 more HDS lights in the BOB. Both are of the 2AA variety, one an Executive and the other a Rotary. There is also a spare Rotary 123 battery tube with raised button and a spare Executive tail with flush button. While I prefer raised tails, both of these 2AA have flush, the reason being I don't want any accidental activation either in the bag or in use.
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Reasons for picking the 2AA format is more than just the battery type. The HDS 2AA tube is much thicker and stronger than either the 123 or 18680 tube and is, in fact, less prone to a malfunction than the 18680 tube because of how the signal wire is installed. It is also long enough to use in conjunction with kubaton and pain compliance techniques if one is familiar with them (another reason for the flush button instead of the raised is that when one is raking the tail of the light down someone's sternum, you don't run the risk of the button snagging and getting dislodged). Try it sometime… but on someone you don't like.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]I keep 12 spare AA batteries in the BOB. 4 Eneloop 4th Gen NiMH 1900 mAh, 4 Eneloop Pro 2550 mAh, and 4 Energizer L91 lithium batteries. There are also 8 Duracell primary 123s.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]What's the difference between the Eneloop Pro and 4th Gen Eneloop? As is everything, there are trade offs. Other than the capacity difference, the Gen 4 can be recharged up 2100 times… the Pro only 500. In real life, once you reach about 250 charges, the Gen 4 have more capacity than the Pro. Honestly, if things have gotten that bad… I was probably already bit by one of the walking dead and I'm foaming at the mouth spouting unintelligible gibberish about economics. But I digress.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Both 2AA HDS lights have Eneloop Pro 2550 mAh batteries in them.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]As part of the "lighting" aspect of the BOB, there is a PowerFilm Solar USB+AA foldable solar charger. I prefer this to their older one. The previous version would charge 4 AA batteries, however the new one has a cover that locks the batteries in, so if the charger is tied to the back of the BOB, there is much less likelihood of the batteries popping out and getting lost. The USB port is a nice option, but it uses the 2 AA batteries in the charger to do this… options are always good to have though. I chose the tan color for the charger as I don't want black absorbing the Arizona suns heat and transferring it to the batteries.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Along with this I have an AntiGravity PPS and Olight Magnetic Universal charger, but these are for other "things" in the BOB that I won't get into here.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]I would say if you want to pack real light, 2 Gen 4 Eneloop batteries in the PowerFilm and 2 in the HDS would cover most anything… as long as you live where the sun shines most of the time.[/FONT]