Tips on how to avoid losing your flashlight?

Hi folks,

I have been seeing several threads recently about people lamenting the loss of their flashlight(s) and people offering tips and tricks on how to avoid losing them. This is my attempt at pulling all of those tips and tricks together, and to solicit more feedback / ideas on how to avoid losing our prized possessions.

(1) Do not EDC it. This should be quite obvious already but still bears mentioning. If you have an über-rare, impossible-to-find flashlight and you would feel like going postal or possible go suicidal if you lost it, then to do not carry it around with you on a daily basis. Bring it out on special occasions only and when you do carry it, follow some of the other tips and tricks mentioned so that you minimize the risk of losing it.

(2) Use a holster, ideally one with a positive fastening to secure the flashlight. Possible downsides to this would be that the positive fastening would make it difficult to quickly deploy the flashlight in an emergency situation. Also, some people just do not like to carry stuff on their belt.

(3) Keep it in a pocket that can be securely closed. Examples would be zippered pockets or pockets with a flap that can be buttoned down. However, some flashlights may be too difficult to comfortably carry in a pants pocket or just will not fit. And of course, you will have the inevitable "is that a flashlight in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" comments.

(4) Clip the flashlight to your pocket, purse, bag, etc. This all depends on your confidence that the clip will be able to secure the flashlight (some flashlight clips may feel quite flimsy), what you are clipping it to (the clip on my Surefire E2e is so firm that I have difficulty clipping it to the thick material of my jacket) and if you feel the clip lets you carry the flashlight the way you want it (e.g. bezel up vs. bezel down).

(5) Use a lanyard. There are many different variations on this theme but at its very core it involves using some cord to secure the flashlight to you. Some want them to be very secure. Others recommend that a lanyard must always be able to break away i.e. flashlights are replaceable, loss of life or limb is not. Others would even recommend using a retractable lanyard system like the Gear Keeper, for example.

(6) Slip a small piece of paper with your contact information into the battery compartment. While admittedly this does not prevent loss, it does increase the chances of your flashlight making its way back to you in case you do lose it.

I personally use a combination of the above. I normally have several flashlights with me at any time, a couple in holsters, another couple in my cargo pants pockets and another one in my inner jacket pocket. I keep another flashlight in my EDC bag. All of them have break-away lanyards attached to them which I put together using some cord, split rings, lanyard hooks and ellipse toggles. And they all have a little slip of paper inside the battery compartment that has my name, telephone number and email address.

So anyway, that is what I have done. I am sure the people here have some more ideas on what to do to avoid losing your flashlight so please, share your wisdom with the rest of us. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif

Glue it to your hand. I am not joking. That has happened to me on more than one occasion. But, I didn't lose them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

It helps if the light doesn't look super special or ultra valuable. Best if it's got some dings and dents in it.

Don't show it to any friends or family.

Hold on to it like it is money.

I use holster and never lose flashlight.

Don't ever put it down, even for a moment.

If you need that hand for something else, just put the light back in the sheath. Or back in your pocket. Or let it hang from the lanyard.

If you don't put it down it can't be forgotten when you leave -- and it also won't roll, fall, tumble or otherwise fly right off the face of the Earth for some reason that never occured to you.

I like the contact info on paper in the battery compartment! Never crossed my mind before...Thanks! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

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MaxaBaker said:
Glue it to your hand. I am not joking. That has happened to me on more than one occasion. But, I didn't lose them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

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lol, is that how people invented headlamp? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I usually only EDC one flashlight at a time, but always have more than a handful with me in bags and luggages. Personally, one good way is to have an inventory list logging all the lights purchased dates, prices, where abouts or even battery consumption.

Of course, you will know you loss your EDC which is supposed to be on you. But the log will also make sure you didn't loss anything other than your EDC.

For my EDC, if I suspect it is an easy to lose item(no clip, small and light weight), then I would do a 'jump-around' test on bed/carpet to see whether the light will hop out. Also, I had a habbit to always check my wallet and belongings whenever I am moving from a static position(like sitting in cab or restaurant) which could help prevent losses. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

AuroraLite said:[/b]
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Also, I had a habbit to always check my wallet and belongings whenever I am moving from a static position(like sitting in cab or restaurant) which could help prevent losses. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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I do the same. When I'm out and change locations at all, I do a "pat, pat, pat" check of all my pockets and make sure all my stuff is still with me. It usually includes cell, camera, knife, money clip, and keys (the light is on the keys).

I plan on losing my flashlights. I lose everything else, right? And they are so small and useful. The more I use them, the more likely I am to lose them! So I try to stick to the inexpensive flashlights and buy more than one to cover the losses. That way I'm not going to freak out when I can't find them.

Does anyone number their lights to help keep track? I don't, but I find myself counting them just to see how close I am to the expected total.

Nice tip on the paper, i will do just that!!

Get a really expensive flashlight. You'll pay more attention to its whereabouts.

Gotta second the vote on the expensive light. You oughta be able to pay a little more attention to the ones that will dent the wallet a little bit heavier then others. Buying just about anything that's a "throw away" says it's OK to lose stuff, and that's not really being responsible.

Lanyards and holsters are the way to go. More importantly get into the habit of using them all the time -- just make it a "no exceptions" kinda thing.

BTW, watch patting down too much when you get up from sitting since it will tell a pickpocket exactly where the valuables are hidden. Either that or pat every pocket and look a little bit like you have OCD. Of course the OCD look does make the ladies go wild. "Mmmmm, OCD and a flashlight geek. Wooo, wooo! There's a keeper"

Losing any light is a drag.

The way I see it if your not prepared to loose it you'll never use it! Or another way of thinking about it is would you carry $100 dollar notes (pounds in my case)loose in you pockets?

Seriously I 'try' to look after anything I value and would be heartbroken to loose one any of my lights but I would also feel cheated of the experience of owning some of them if I couldn't use them! YMMV

Doug

Almost all my lights are 'working' lights that are meant to be taken out and used, come what may. Loss.. it's just a matter of when Murphy catches up with me.

I'm trying to stay one step ahead of the curve with a Z60 lanyard looped around my belt and attached to the U2. There is enough length so I can draw it and use it, but not enough length that it becomes impractical, and if I drop it, it'll hit my leg instead of hitting the floor. I try not to unlatch it.

Not carrying the U2 at all....I might as well have never bought it. Much as this U2 is irreplaceable (probably a LuxV XWAT)..

As for the keyring, there is so much stuff on the keyring, that the moment the load shifts it's obvious. E1e+KL1, keys, and most days a Leatherman Wave.... !

As someone said about the ArcAAAs - locking it away in a safe and never using it again comes to the same thing as if you'd lost it.

I also use a lanyard. My miniminimag kept slipping out of the pocket of my Dockers-style pants, especially in the car.

Finally I fashioned the tether shown below out of para-cord and a Berkeley micro-clip. The loop goes up behind my belt, I put the light through the loop and it hangs inside my front pocket.



It works very well for me. You can draw the light quickly, unclip it if necessary, it's unobtrusive, and no more anxiety about losing my EDC.

Don't EDC rare or lights that cost more than the amount of cash you would carry on you at a time in the same locations you carry the light. If you figure how much cash in your wallet you could lose, a flashlight would be the same amount. Also when you carry it, put it always in the same place always so you will check that location whenever you move to another area to see if you still have the light on you. Make sure when you sit or move into strange positions you double check for your light and other items before continuing on.

i never lost a flashlight out of my leather holsters (most if which i do myself), but if i did, i would just use a piece of string to secure it to my belt (long enough to hold it at arms length)
i'd also use this in a pocket where it could fall out

this thread is just an ugly reminder to me to be more carful, I just lost my favorite work light a Lambda Minilight it had to fall out of my pocket while working.. dang I hate it when murphy strikes back at me, and takes a light from me. Thank goodness it wasn't tooo expensive buuuuuuuutt it WAS my favorite

doug