[quote=comms


As great a any item is for my personal kit the first gate it must pass is be replaceable within an hour or two. Admittedly, I don't get the WOW factor but I have it when I need it and can replace it right away. [/quote]

In too many situations, an hour or two might as well be an eternity; you need light and you need it now.

The best solution is redundancy, which is easy with the great variety of AA and AAA models, many of which are both highly dependable and light in weight. Standardize your e-gear so that as many items as possible will interchange batteries.

Compared to the past, there are a huge number of good lights to choose from, both from stores and from the internet. I started in what were truly the Dark Ages.