Cousin going to Iraq - need light recommendations!

My cousin is in the Marines and is going to Iraq June 1st. I want to get him a good light before he goes. My idea is a Surefire G2 in desert tan with LOTC, a lanyard, some batteries, and a red filter. I think that is a good setup. I can't seem to find however the redfilter that just has the rubber bezel housing and not the hard latch kind. Also, does anyone know where I can get a desert tan G2 and be sure it has the new LOTC? Thanks for any help.

I think adding the 3-watt module from Bugout Gear would be good for the G2.
ADDING:
Other possibles...an XM-3, 3-watt running on 2AA, very sturdy.

Infinity Ultra G, if you have/can get one, has a really usable amount of light. Low-level light might actually be of more use in his daily life than high-output light.

The $1.25 Photon II clones from KevinL - you could give him a stash of these and he could keep them attached to packs, gear zippers, etc. I've seen pictures of deployed soldiers with these minilights clipped to the button hole near their collar.

You might send on to him after he gets there one of the Photon Protons, once they hit the market...fully adjustable white and red LED output off a single AA - that'll probably top wish lists for folks who are deploying once it's available.

KDOG3,

What is your budget?

I sent my Brother in Law with an Surefire A2 white, Inova X5T in red, and a Pelican M6 with gun mount and pressure switch.

Doing it again, I would just send the A2 with Red LED's and the Pelican and several cheapies like black Maxfire's to use as loaners. The one thing that happens is that the guys share their lights, and my Brother in Law ended up losing the Inova that way, and lost the A2 right before he came home.

The Pelican survived because it was on his A4.

Bill

Re: Cousin going to Iraq - need light recommendati

My budget is pretty slim. I should mention he is Civil Engineering, not direct combat.

I'll look into that Pelican M6 LED also... but the Surefire G2 is my primary choice for him. That BugOutGear LED lamp is a good idea also...

I have a G2 with the 3Watt drop in from Bugout Gear and just love it.....really nice set up, so it would be on the top of my list to recommend for a bright all around light.

You mentioned your budget....and with that I would like to send you this Lanyard (I just made it) of hand woven Para Cord 220 in OD Green as a gift to your cousin. You can tell him it was made by a CPFer in Hawaii who supports our Troops.....All I ask is to see a photo of it attached to the light that you send out to him. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif




PM me with your address and I'll send it out.

Aloha,
Bill

Bill,

Beautiful work and a heck of a nice thing to do!/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Brightnorm

CPR'ers strike again!!

Bill

Here are some suggestons:

Find out what type of batteries are readily available from his unit, when he is actually in Iraq, and source lights with that battery type(es).

(Unless of course, that you plan to give him a huge supply of batteries for his own personal use).

As much as I love modified and custom lights, stick to lights from big manufacturers that sell lights to Law Enforcement and Military. The last thing you need is a custom or modified light to fail, because it did not go through a billion tests to check the worthiness of the light.

What is his function? Will he need high powered lights to see hundreds of feet away, or low power lights to use for covert ops, say reading a map?

So, your answers will determin what type of lights that get recommended.

That said, regardless of his needs, the one light that I would recommend, would be an ARC AAA CYAN (or PEAK Matterhorn AAA Lug Style) for in his pocket or more preferably, around his neck, on his dog tags. Around his neck, he never has to remember it, he never uses it for normal opertions (that way the battery stays full until he really needs to use it).

I would also search out Lithium AAA batteries to send with him, or optionally Duracell ULTRA AAA's (I use only Rayovac AAA's, but reading some posts here, the Duracell Ultras seem to have a slight edge over any other battery, except the Lithiums).

Dont forget extra bulbs if you are selecting incandecents.

Oh, another note, we all love LEDs here, but remember that for long throw, Incandecents still are the way to go.

Re: Cousin going to Iraq - need light recommendati

I brought a bunch of lights with me when I went there this last fall/winter tour. Here are some thoughts:

I recharged my 2200mAH and 2300mAH NiMH AA batteries 51 times! Those fed my minimag modded with a BB500 R2H Luxeon LED and it worked well. If you are going to get him a high output light, one running rechargables is the best idea. Since he is with Civil Engineering, access to electricity to keep it charged is a given. Soooo, here are my recommendations:

High Output Inova T4
Very bright and decent throw make it a great light for night use. It is rechargable so no worries about lack of batteries. Run time is 2 hours so if he needs longer run time, a different light would be in the mix.

Medium Output UKE 4AA eLED light. Regulated run time of over 10 hours and waterproof. $25 you can't go wrong.

Low Output Peak Matterhorn 3LED High Power with "snow" LEDs.
I used one in Iraq mounted on a lanyard with my dog tags. The single AAA light was bright enough to walk around, midnight bathroom runs and looking inside things without blinding myself. Light output can be "adjusted" by placing finger over some of the LEDs so not to wake up roomies in the middle of the night. Wore mine for months and it took a shower with me every day so no worries about waterproofness. It can run dimmer on NiMH AAA rechargables or brighter (and lighter) with Lithium AAA cells.

Blackout light Peak AA single LED red
I used a rare Arc AAA with red LED for that purpose, the Peak AA version will run at least 13-15 hours on a lithium AA cell. The larger size is good when feeling around in the dark, it won't be confused with the Matterhorn snow.

The Perfect, Ultimate, Wazoo, Adjustable, Blackout, Waterproof, Idiot proof, Small, Variable Output, Light weight, Dual purpose, Gotta Get One Light
Proton Photon
Two of those would be perfect for all non-combat uses. 60 lumens of light for seeing at distances with variable output to match lighting needs. Two 3mm red LEDs that are variable output for blackout conditions. Match it with a Inova T4 for high output and you have bases covered. Throw in one of those head straps for minimags and it can be used as a head lamp.

I will be heading back next year (for my third time) Two Proton Photons and my nFlex WX1S 170 lumen "2D Mag" mod will give me all the light I need. Alas, I am going to Turkey next month for two years so I will need to have the order shipped APO AE.

Wonder if I need to change my name to BentheadTU ?

Re: Cousin going to Iraq - need light recommendati

Thanks for the offer Braddah, but since I don't know what I'm gonna do yet, I'll hold off on that cool lanyard.

Re: Cousin going to Iraq - need light recommendati

If you decide to go with the stock G2, don't forget a couple of spare lamps.

way to go bill! we salute you! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Find out what he needs to use a light for. Then select almost nothing but AA powered lights. Those are the most common batteries in the Army's supply system since most everything we have is or can be powered by them. Our night vision goggles, GPS systems, some unit issued lights, etc. Skip the weird batteries, unless you can keep sending him more. Some units can get 123's, others can't too easily. It also depends on how well AAFES has set up their PX in his area. He might have a great selection of most things, most of the bases are pretty well extablished now, and have decent exchanges (stores).
The G2 is a great idea. Pair it up with the spares carrier (with 6 batteries and a spare lamp of course), and maybe a 12 pack of batteries too.
Once he gets there, he might have great access to 110 AC power, so a rechargeable might be a good choice. And if he is in a motorised or mechanised unit (Humvees, LAV's, Amtracks, etc) and is somewhat mechanically inclined, a power inverter can be used when away from base. A 400 watt continous output should be about $25 from Costco, and closer to $50 at most other places. Just remind him to only hook it up to one battery, most vehicles are 24 volt with two 12 volt batereis wired in series, the larger ones have 4 batteries, two sets that are then wired in parallel.

E-mail or PM ElectroLumens and see if he will crank out a 3W AngleLux for you. It is a modified military issued bent-neck 2xD cell light! Looks like a stock bent-neck untill you turn it on!

A UK 4AA, an SL ProPoly Lux, and a Gerber Infinity Ultra would give him just about everything he could need. You could also substitute a Gerber LX 3.0 and a Gerber Trio for either of the two mentioned above (or add them on, if budget allows).

Re: Cousin going to Iraq - need light recommendati

I don't think you should get anything colored "desert tan". Black is a better choice for something relatively small because it is easier to find if dropped on the sand. Make sure anything you get has a way to securely clip onto the Molle vest or body armor.

Semper Fi.