jampot,<br> Please read http://www.equipped.org/pop_up_survivalist_def.htm. Most of the folks on this forum would be more concerned about using the torch / flashlight / signaling mirror to attract attention and therby rescue than suppressing all light thereby avoiding detection lest the maurading hords of post apocalyptic crazies. <br><br>Your suggestion about beta lights is right on. They are very useful, last about forever, and are very small. They don't give off much usable light except as a lure but they are great for fending off the fear and darkness for small children. I would definately recommend them as a replacement for Chemical light sticks in a kids psk as long as I also include a torch to keep them from breaking their legs when walking about in the dark.

Post deleted by Chris Kavanaugh

Post deleted by Chris Kavanaugh

I may have mis-interpreted your post. The wilderness survival aspect of this forum seems to be focused on surviving until rescue from unexpected situations which leave one stranded in a wilderness situation. Whether you have found yourself in that situation due to being a weekend warrior or because you live in a wilderness situation is largely irrelevant. The survival issue becomes a problem when you are unexpectedly prevented from returning to your normal - presummed safe - mode of daily life. This is what we are becomming equipped to survive. This is much more focussed on temporary survival until rescue than on permanent "The society has collapsed" survival. If your "presummed safe" daily life is that of a homesteader in the north-eastern reaches of alaska then I'd expect that you would be starting from a much more prepared beginning than the weekend warrior. Nonetheless there may be times when the snow-mobile breaks down 40-50 miles from your cabin and you are suddenly thrust into a survival situation. If you wish to learn better how to be equipped and prepared for this sort of survival you are on the right forum. <br><br>I don't think that this forum is intended as a discussion on how to survive in an escape and evasion situation involving hostiles of any sort. <br><br>Carnivorours game is often fended off by light not attracted. Especially bright fire which would certainly attract more attention than a flashlight.<br><br><br>Perhaps a comment from Doug or Chris will clear this up.

I couldn't disagree more. Equipped To Survive is designed to aid those of us who wish to survive everyday emergencies. Planes crash and ditch; earthquakes, hurricanes, floods happen, people have backwoods situations requiring rescue, cars crash into water and break down in the middle of the desert. Nations only rarely collapse and advanced ones far almost never. We here are therefore, logically focused on the former.<br><br> We look at three areas:<br>1) Avoid getting into an emergency<br>2) If 1) fails, get help as soon as possible, and <br>3) survive until help arrives.<br><br> A good light will help this effort by:<br>1) illuminating potential hazards, allowing them to be avoided. Things that might break an ankle when alone in the woods at night, seeing in dark areas in town. Do you drive your car at night without headlights?<br>2) Signalling rescuers your location at night, speeding assistance, and <br>3) avoiding further trouble once in an emergency, providing light to perform first aid and other survival tasks.<br><br> A good light is invaluable. I carry a Photon because it is light and small, therefore will be constantly carried, and will always be available. I use mine frequently. If I could conveniently carry a movie searchlight, I'd do that too.<br><br> As far as "giving myself away", should that extremely miniscule possibility occur, all I have to do is not use the light. By having it, I have more options than someone who does not have a light. <br><br> And that's what we are about here, keeping as many options available as possible.<br>

Not sure what type of forum that you may be seeking, but preparedness is for anybody at anytime. E&E may be a factor that you consider, but the majority of the posts on this forum are everyday people being prepared for everyday life. Someone could walk into my office right now and say "Hey, let's go take a look at some land I want to sell"....we hop in a vehicle, perhaps end up off of the beaten path and then....(fill in the blank)... Those are the times that I, as well as many on this board, prepare for. I do not live in an urban area, but, ask anyone on this board who works in a high rise what he or she may consider an immediate threat....and I am sure that you will hear from nearly all of them stating that they have some type of light to help them navigate a potentially dark stairwell. There are a many great ideas from many sources on this forum, take what you can that applies to you. Not everything that I have read works for me, but if it doesn't, I keep my thoughts...and posts...in check and disregard them rather than firing back a flippant remark.

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr><p>I was under the impression this was a survival forum for people who anticipate the wilderness experience as an ongoing endeavour, and not merely a haunt for corporate executives who like to do daredevil things at the weekend.<p><hr></blockquote><p>Hey Jampot,<br><br>No need to be rude, Dude. You made an honest mistake. No one here will hold it against you. (Although, you might seriously consider following up on mebrad's advice to go check out http://www.equipped.org/pop_up_survivalist_def.htm. It's pretty good advice; it'll help you stop yourself from making similar mistakes in the future. )<br><br>It's pretty obvious you were looking for the Escape & Evasion forum, and must have gotten us confused with them. Not entirely sure where that forum is, but you might want to start looking for it by doing a web search for "escape evasion forum". <br><br>Meanwhile, in belated response to your post about not wanting to, as you so accurately put it, "give your position away"; I know it'll seem really strange to you, but we here on this forum actually like the idea of giving our positions away. No, really! The truth is, we even carry gear for that purpose. Yes, I know, it's wacky. But it's true; and not just flashlights, either. Why, we carry mirrors, dye, streamers, flagging tape, flares, smoke ... we've even discussed new handheld lasers that are designed for no other purpose than giving one's position away. We're darned eccentric about it. <br><br>Hey, I know! If the above web search keywords don't give you any good leads for finding the forum which you mistook us for, you might try doing another web search for "forum for people who don't want to give their positions away".

Keep it simple. :0)

Hey Jet, you took that class too? Sarcasm 101. :0) Good post.

Pray tell why? Your logic, outside of the tactical sense, eludes me completely. And IF you need to practice E&E skills, you can turn the silly thing off. BTW, if you need to E&E for a legal and legitimate reason, so not something like escaping from jail, a simple flashlight is a good way to get found by the people you are E&Eing towards. (Trust me, grewing up in my family, you learn more feildcraft (tactical and regular), SAR/CSAR, and small unit/covert crap than you can shake a stick at, the same way the son of a carpenter learns to hammer nails, so I have *some* clue.)<br><br>I'm not an executive, and for me, the outdoors is not a weekend "daredevil" thing. Under good conditions, by car, it's about 20 minutes to my nearest neighbor, all woods, marsh and big hill/little mountain, and about as far past that to "town". I do know, from extensive (as in thousands of hours) experince, that while you can move at night by stars and moon (and often do), a flashlight makes many things easier, safer, or just plain possible. <br><br>So tell us, who might you have to E&E from? Or is that "classified"?