I can't find those Cyalume sticks anywhere...I saw some Coleman ones at Target, are they all the same, or am I better off with a Cyalume?<br><br>Be nice to have something as a nightlight when I don't feel like running my batteries down.

There are two manufacturers Cylume and OmniGlow. Same company, two brand names. I would hazard to guess if you read the label on the Coleman product it would also say Cylume or Omiglow in the fine print next to the legal waviers.<br><br>The real determing factor is the foil wrapper still intact. If it is punctured, they will off gas and not work. They should also have an expiration date stamped into the foil wrapper, usually along the seam. <br><br>I have been able to get some that have been expired seveal years. As long as the wrapper was still intact, they activated and worked fine. <br><br>There are several sources on the web that sell then in bulk. The going price seems to be about $2 per stick if you buy a dozen or more. Target and other retailers seem to be closer to $3 per.<br><br>Check the fishing department of the Mart stores for small ones. About 1.5 inches long by 1/4" round. In the lure section they sell small ones in a flat paper pouch about 2" square. Some come with ear ring mounts and others come with fishing line mounts. For younger kids these are easier to activate but may be a choking hazard. My wife bought about a dozen of the earring models around Halloween. The kids loved them. I was thinkging about putting some in the kids kits. Either size in my opinion is there to make the kids feel better in a dark environment and not really for lighting their way.<br><br>A more cost effective product might be LED flashlights or Krill lights if you planning on using them as night lights. Lithium batteries in either LED or Krill will give you days if not weeks of night light while chem light sticks give you 1 night.

Try a dive shop. They are popular with scuba divers for night diving. One thing about Cyalumes is that they often go dead in the package - very uninspiring when you need them. I have found that the version sold in marine stores and USCG certified for attachment to PFDs works very reliably. I have kept several around long after their expiration date (like nine years) and they have always provided light when activiated. I hope this prompts a war story from Chris.

Consider a KRILL light as an alternative. The green extreme version (I like the 360 degree KRILL) is pretty close to the light generated by a light stick. You can turn them on and off as needed. The prices have come down somewhat from when they were first introduced. They are heavier than a chemical light stick. I use mine with rechargeable Ni-MH batteries with 3 sources of recharging - Brunton solar, household 110v current and 12v car. I am in the process of buying the Ni-MH for my other flashlights (mostly the LED varieties), radios, etc. as the alkaline batteries run down. Pete

You to can try a surplus store or a fishing gear shop (they are very small about 1 inch I have some of them in my psk)

The 1" and 2" versions can be used to light the way, for your feet anyway, by taping them to the bottom of a staff or handy stick and sweeping it like a blind man's cane across the path in front of you. If you use a longer stick and hold it vertically at mid-arm's length, the top of the stick/staff will keep branches from your face as well as lighting the path.

Chem light war stories? I have only one. I was on a field excavation with multiple units on a mortuary complex. We set up a perimeter of chem lights to mark the excavation at night. we were camped close by, and the thought was to warn off any chance ranch vehicle. I woke up at sunrise to a strange noise and a lone figure acting agitated on the site. Thinking we had an upset indian, I woke our native monitor( we were expecting an elder to oversee further excavation and re interment of the remains.) We walked over to find a Basque shepherd, his dog and several sheep fallen in our units.My entire vocabulary of Basco consisted of "hello, I love you" taught by a friend of that ancestry. Remember, signals are good only if an observer sees, and understands their meaning.

Cool idea.

I put the larger ones in my kids PSK 's , and to make sure that they stay ok till needed i place the breaklights in a plastic camping toothbrush tube , it protects them till they are needed.<br><br>Yukon (a former lurker on this site)

Do you keep the lights in the original air tight packaging?