Generally, you shouldn't store anything electronic with the batteries in it for a long period of time.


With that said, my gear is stored with the batteries in it, but I do go through everything twice a year to make sure it's all ok. As long as I do that I've never had a problem. To be extra safe I put a little piece of paper or plastic over the positive terminal of the battery to prevent it from completing a circuit in the device and potentially draining power.

With that said, I do find that CR123 batteries, and lithium batteries in general, are very good at sitting in devices unused. They don't seem to leak like alkalines sometimes do, and they don't seem to drain themselves out over time. (at least not as quickly)