Why You Need a Good Flashlight

Many people, especially those who live in high population areas, aren’t used to complete darkness, because they live all around city lights.

When you go out at night in the wild, it can be incredibly dangerous without some kind of light source. You can walk on snakes, cacti, poisonous plants, dangerous insects, step in holes, and encounter tons of other hazards that can incapacitate you. With a solid, powerful flashlight, you can identify threats far away, and even signal for help.

The most important qualities in a flashlight should be reliability, battery life, and lumens, which is a measure of brightness. For walking around and performing basic tasks, a handheld flashlight is a reliable option.

The J5 Tactical V1-Pro is an extremely reliable flashlight that’s compact yet powerful. The J5 is made from an aluminum alloy and is waterproof, making it extremely durable in all weather conditions. It will easily survive drops and falls, and you don’t have to worry about the glass breaking because of the metal head surrounding the edges of the glass. It only takes one AA battery to work, and lasts many hours off of a single battery. It produces around 300 lumens of light, which is enough to light up 600 feet of terrain.

You should have a supply of battery-powered flashlights or area lights along with a supply of spare batteries to brighten up your darkened room. You’d be surprised how bright a room gets when these lights are pointed at the ceiling and allowed to bounce its light down across a medium sized room. I also keep a supply of alkaline AA batteries and some rechargeable AA batteries.

Speaking of rechargeable batteries, I’ve been very happy with the Panasonic BK-3MCCA eneloop AA 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries that maintain up to 70% of their charge after 10 years (when not it use). It can certainly be frustrating to discover your rechargeable batteries are dead when you need them most. To keep my eneloop batteries charged, I use the Panasonic K-KJ17MCA Advanced Individual Cell Battery Charger Pack. This is a “smart” charger that allows me to recharge individual batteries if needed. Many chargers only work when loaded with two or four batteries.

Lanterns are a much better option for lighting up a large area for a longer period of time. For example, you might use a lantern as a group or to light up a camp site.

The Etekcity portable lantern is a great option. It’s made from military grade ABS, and is simple to use. It collapses when not in use, and as you expand it, it gets brighter and brighter. It lasts up to 12 hours with constant use. It has handles on the side that fold away for compact carrying. It can be stored easily in any backpack.

Finally, it’s worth looking into headlamps over flashlights and lanterns.

The advantage of headlamps is that it leaves both hands free for whatever task you’re carrying out. Look for one with over 1800 lumens and one where the light beam can be zoomed and adjusted for close and long range use. The main disadvantage of headlamps is that you have to look directly where you want to aim.

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