Thinking about EDC/backup lights for the wild

Let's say you're out in the wild, you've somehow been separated from your pack and you are left with only what you've got on your person. What features would you hope to find in that small flashlight you find yourself left with?

Is simple on/off functionality enough? How useful would different modes (e.g., flashing) be to you? Are you more concerned with durability, battery life, or something else?

I'm assuming here we are talking about small lights like the type you would find in a PSK, on a key-ring or on a neck lanyard.

For durability, battery life, and adequate brightness I go with a Streamlight 2xAAA penlight. Excellent pocket clip and about the same size as a mid-size pen. And light enough that I will actually carry it with me as a spare.

My on-person backup light for the trail is a Petzl eLite. IMO having hands-free capability is very important. It's hard to find a headlamp that beats the eLite on both size & performance.

My primary light is a Zebra headlamp and it rides in my backpack.

I always have a Photon Freedom in my pocket, so there's that. My PSK has a similar little Inova light; not as good as the Freedom in many ways, esp. water resistance, but still good (many Canadian military personnel find them just fine) and very flexible for trivial DIY (battery and LED changes).

My main EDC light is a Zebralight H51. I more or less retired all my other larger flashlights for casual use after I got it, and I use it A LOT. On one AA Eneloop (important to use Eneloops) it lasts a long time at a survival light level. I always wear the H51 on a lanyard, can't stand bands etc. on my head. Lanyard use of a L-lamp (headlamp) is a great way to go, and the beam actually seems to bounce around a lot less when moving around compared to on my head. Flashlight is very small, maybe the size of a medium SAK, so no reason not to always pocket it if darkness is a possibility.

Edit: in case I wasn't clear, the H51 is intended to be used as a headlamp.

All things considered, I carry a Princeton Tec headlamp. I find headlamps are much more versatile as they free up both hands to accomplish tasks both in camp and out on the trail which at times can be much more cumbersome or impossible if one had to hold a flashlight in one hand.

The particular model I have has a rated burn time of 50 hours on high, 90 hours on medium, 146 hours on low. On flash, the rate is 96 hours.

As these are marketing ratings, I view them as such and find that the real world burn times are about 75-80% of claimed. Even so, there would not be very many times, if at all where the average person would need this amount of burn time unless they were severely stranded for days/week(s) at a time. Even then and depending on circumstances, by nightfall, your shelter should be setup, firewood gathered so there should be little need for light. Although it goes against almost all survival knowledge, traveling at night unless it is definitive life or death situation would not be wise, but if it were life or death, then a reliable headlamp flashlight and good batteries are mandatory.

Keep in mind that there is big difference between survival and recreation walking/traveling at night. Many times, we have headed out in the early pre-dawn dark on a trail to bag some peak so that we could get back down safely off the mountain by the end of day nightfall.

I agree; I also have a headlamp which is my primary light (actually, from the specs you quote maybe the same one). However when its not in use it's in my pack.

I'm more thinking about those unplanned situations where one might find themselves separated from their pack for whatever reason. In that case, you're basically stuck with what you've got in your pockets. The preferable/beneficial features of the light you'd have in this scenario is really what I'm wondering about.

Features I'd like to see are waterproof, single battery (AA, AAA, or CR123), simple (on/off is OK), rugged, and no unnecessary bulk. I have a Fenix LD10 and an LD15, and would be pleased to have either of these in most situations.

The best flashlight is the one I have with me. I may own a totally awesome flashlight that puts out 600 lumens and lights up the world. However, if I found myself always leaving it at home or in my truck, then realistically it wouldn't be with me if I had to stand up right now and sprint out of here.

That is the same headlamp I have. This headlamp I carry on my person and depending on what activity it is, can be in my coat or pants pocket, in a small pouch attached to my belt or even around my neck. Yes and I know the "supposed hazards" of carrying something on the neck that does not have a break away but that is a separate thread and has been discussed here many times already...

As for your scenario, we all have different requirements, different ideas etc but the main thing is that carrying a light and adapting it best to whatever particular situation is what matters. If I were to choose a flashlight for backup use, I have been eyeballing the Fenix LD15 and may soon be opening the wallet for a couple of them as they seem to have good burn time (even though I discussed burn time vs real use in my last post) and also use AA batteries of which I have a dearth of Eneloops in this size.

My main consideration would be battery life; I would be very happy with low lumen output as a tradeoff. The Fenix LD01 on my key ring would work quite well. It has a clip so that it can be attached to my hat brim if necessary.

While it is always nice to have a light, it isn't really all that critical, outside of being inside a cave. I would prefer not to travel at night, and at most I would use a flashlight intermittently, if at all. If there is a full moon or good starlight, I doubt I would use a flashlight very much. I would prefer to wait for daylight to travel. Much would depend upon the nature of the terrain (cliffs? mineshafts?), my knowledge of the country, time of year, weather, and many other factors. One of the reasons I carry a Fenix LD01 is that with a lithium battery I can reasonably expect to keep it on all night if I need to hike. A second lithium battery is also EDC on my person routinely.

I have to capability to hike all night, but unless there were exceptional circumstances, I would prefer not to move in the dark. Travel is usually much easier during the day.

This thread is asking about EDC - on body - not in a pack - right?

For quite a few years I've carried an ARC-AAA LED flashlight in my pocket - attached to my spare key chain (I always carry spare car keys!!).

Its not the brightest light I have, but it is tough as nails and is small enough to be tolerable in pocket.

BTW, its on a plastic-coated cable loop key ring along with an orange Fox 40 Sonik Blast CMG whistle and a Boy Scout Hotspark ferro rod and striker. I also carry my mini Rittergrip in pocket and an Android smartphone (Droid 2).

That is my EDC - in pocket ... carried any time I'm wearing pants ;-)

I don't carry a pack 24/7.

Hello everyone, I'm chaosmagnet, and I'm a flashaholic.

My primary EDC flashlight is a 4sevens Quark 123-1. I've put a forward clicky on it. It's not the flashlight I would lend to someone who didn't know how to use it -- the interface is intuitive and easy for me but not so much for most people. My backup flashlight is a 4sevens Preon ReVO, in a custom leather keyring sheath. We had a power outage with the tornado sirens sounding, and the ReVO made the difference between my young daughter freaking out and being calm waiting in the downstairs bathroom while I was collecting her sisters.

Hi chaosmagnet!




(Isn't that what we're supposed to say at the FA meeting?)

I recently picked up a Gerber axle 2x3, not as fancy as my SF and 47 lights but very neat nonetheless. It's powered by 3xaaa and has white/red LED, the flat shape makes it very pocketable and it's designed to clip onto hat brim (which works very well).

Yep, and specifically wilderness as opposed to urban. Basically I've been trying to think through some of the choices I make in what I bring with me when I head out to the woods.

My usual EDC is a Fenix E01 and it's a good, bullet-proof design. It holds up well to pocket carry and really does anything I need in an urban environment. Typically, when I head to the woods I just shift it from my key-ring to a lanyard around my neck.

But, looking at my options, I am thinking of shifting to something like a simple MEC Turtle light which provides a longer battery life plus a flash option while trading off in the durability department.

I was just looking for other thoughts on what the important features are in a backup light.

Fenix should redesign their clips on the LD10 and LD01. If they made the clips reversible, the user could more easily clip the flashlights onto a brim of a hat. You can do it now, but it requires professional fiddling. You'll ruin your clip if you're only an amateur.

for those of us that wear eyeglasses... a couple of neoprene "O" rings, or wrap of tape to your E01 or similar ... can attach your key ring light to the earpiece of your glasses, to make a hands free light...slip the split ring on and then attach the front end...

If I fell out of my canoe and swam to shore, I would have at least the followng items, as they are always clipped to my beltloop when I am off the pavement: Vic classic, fire striker, compass, Fox 40 whistle, and the little light pictured without the big keyring, all looped onto one foot of paracord and a springclip.

I agree wth Hikermore that a light is not the top priority in the scenario you present, but I still carry this small one. The uses I envision require that it have a momentary push button 'on' switch with the ability to lock into the 'on' positon. Uses include emergency first aid and firelighting.

The light pictured weighs one quarter ounce and costs about .75 cents each shipped from Dealextreme in a multipack. It will not accidentally turn on in the pocket, as the momentary switch is prettry sturdy, and the little slide switch has to be moved to lock it on, and it has a little guard molded into the case. The feature I like is that it can be locked on and hung from a low branch or held in your teeth (it's plastic, no worry about freezing to a lip) for first aid or to light up the striker and tinder. There are no complicated electronics in this one. The light is so simply constructed that it will work even if it has been wet, once you blow out the water. The battery is replaceable (with a mini phillips), but it's cheaper to buy a new one. It's output is small, maybe 10 lumens, but it's servicable for the uses I listed.

In my environment, I would not travel at night with any EDC flashlight, as I have tried it with a much larger light and found that it is much better to wait until dawn.

Head mounted lights just don't seem to work for me. Bugs!! Every time I tried one I got a face full of critters.

I ALWAYS have some sort of light with me. Which one varies with the situation, but I find the safety factor of a light more than makes up for any carry inconvenience.

Nomad

I prefer a simple AAA flashlight with a simple on-off mechanism, such as twist on/twist off. I currently have the Fenix E05 on my keychain and it works fine for me. Previously, I had a Fenix L0P which was similar and worked fine as well.

I appreciate having a light that's more powerful than cheap coin-size lights. It comes in handy every once in a while (at night mostly).

The only flashlight I ever got myself to EDC along with my daily house keys and work cabinet key, was a Fenix AAA-type flashlight. Along with a Leatherman PS4.

I second the endorsement for the DX light, Byrd. I have dozens of them. The first day I had one I accidentally left it in my pants pocket and ran it thru the washer and dryer- it still worked! They're pretty bright for the size and the batteries are removable (although replacements generally cost more than the light). The huge plus of this light is the constant-on switch. I utterly refuse to purchase a light that lacks this feature.

Many times over the years one of these little "faux-tons" has saved the day. Once a coworker had a flat tire at night, and was parked at the far end of the parking lot where there was zero light. No one had a flashlight of any kind! It turns out there was a cheapo D-cell in the office but the batteries were corroded and dead. My little DX light was plenty adequate to change the tire and get him on his way.

Any light beats no light, hands down....I used to carry a similar light, also with an "on" button, a very desirable feature. But I have since switched to a small AAA keychain light - with a small increase in bulk and weight, I have much greater capability (hiking all night if necessary.

Whatever flavor you choose, having some sort of EDC light makes a big difference. Right now, I am regularly passing out small AA lights to crew members who are occasionally digging in dark shadows - and this is within a fully lighted building.....

I agree that it's a good idea to have other lights. Me, I'm a bit of a "flashlight junkie"! I have a few by SureFire, dozens by other brands. The AAA is a great EDC battery; the size and shape allows very small form factor lights yet the cell is big enough to drive a serious emitter. One of my favorite "cheapo" EDC AAA's is also from DX. It's called a "Black Cat". It uses one x AAA and is rated for 100 lumens. This is probably rated at the emitter and not OTF, but the rating seems pretty legit compared to other lights I own. Despite costing $8 it's held up to a couple years of carry.

Yet even this small light doesn't accompany me every minute of the day, 24/7. That's the beauty of the "faux-ton". It's so small that I literally have it on me except in the shower. When I know I might reasonably expect to need a light I have some very good ones. The fauxton is for those times I didn't foresee the need but was glad to have something.

My flashlight system is pretty dated, but I'm happy with it. I carry a Surefire E1B in my left pocket and I have an ARC AAA on my key chain in my right pocket. I've used both countless times in countless situations.

The most recent quasi emergency situation is when I was broke down on the side of a major highway at night with a car that had no lights (Electrical issue I guess, but it wasn't my car). That was a week ago today. I was pleased with the E1B's performance.

If I had to critique my own system I'd say that the both lights are dated and don't use the same batteries. In an ideal world I think one would always have a light on their person and both lights would use the same batteries. It might be even better if they were identical. I should probably consider at least replacing my ARC with an E10 as it has longer run time, but I like the history of the ARC light (See CPF ;)).

I wonder if I'll get to use them tonight, we may have severe thunderstorms rolling through this evening. Fun stuff.

Having flashlights with different batteries may allow for better scrounging -- if all you can find is AAA batteries, having a flashlight with you that takes them may be a big advantage.

I have a Fenix E01. The light output is about the same as my photon keyring light. I've always wondered, is that about what others get out of the E01?

The manufacturer claims the Photon puts out 4.5 lumens. The Fenix E01 puts out 10 or 13 lumens. I have seen both ratings stated on the Fenix site. Perhaps they upgraded the LED since the site now claims 13 lumens. They claimed 10 lumens when I bought mine about 7 months ago. I don't have a Photon so I can't compare them visually here.

I would guess that photon puts out a lot more than 4.5 when the battery is fresh and rapidly drops to about 4.5 and rapidly drops again to even less. Unless they're semi regulated now (Mine I don't think are regulated at all), the photons have very quick drop off. The E01 is fully regulated for something like 10 hours them semi regulated for another 10. The flat-ish output is what I like so much about it.

EDIT - I should say the ARC AAA has similar performance to the E01 except about half the regulated run times, if memory serves.

I didn't mention this above and it's not easy to imagine from reading the dimensions: The Fenix LD15 is substantially smaller than the LD10, even though both are AA flashlights. When I first got my LD10, I thought it was quite small. I never imagined a high performing AA flashlight could get much smaller, until I got the LD15. If anybody cares, I can take a pic of the LD15, the LD10, and the E01 next to each other.

The 4Sevens Mini AA I have is now called the FOURSEVENS Mini MA it is similar to the Fenix LD15 but 1/4" shorter at 3". 4Sevens lights have a 120 month (10 year) warranty.

Other than being a satisfied 4Sevens user, no affiliation.

Here in California (mostly open space, rare clouds, a lot of light pollution from large cities), I prefer to use no flashlight at all as in most cases there is enough scattered light available at night for the natural night vision. After 2 hours in darkness you will be amazed how much you can see without a flashlight and how little with it.

However, when in the field I'm always carrying the Wave multitool and Petzl E+Lite on my belt. E+Lite is the smallest multi-function headlight on the market and also has the red light modes, which will not ruin your night vision too much but allow to see in really deep night shadows. It runs for very long time on a pair of lithium coin cells for me.

Too much ambient light and your natural night vision will never develop. Ambient light also causes shadows; a light is very useful for reaching into dark places.

My Mountain Hardwear hiking pants have a zippered compartment in the right pocket, I always put a Fenix 1xAA, Ritter MK1 knife, and matches in a waterproof aluminum case there. I carry a whistle on paracord around my neck, with a P-38 can opener attached (for luck, and in case I encounter a nasty can of beans on the trail). That's how I roll - I once forgot the whistle and nearly turned around at the TH and went home, but found a spare whistle in my pack so I put that in my pocket. Its funny how repetition shapes our lives - I feel naked without pocketing these things on the shortest day hike, and more than likely will turn around if any of them are missing. OCD?

I may have mentioned it before but I purchased several Olight i3 single AAA lights for my boys. The lights are very small in diameter, weight about half an ounce and have a pocket clip. If you clip them to a pocket next to a knife you are likely to forget it's there. I don't remember if they are regulated but a quick visit to their website shows the output at 70 lumens for almost 45 minutes, 20 lumens for 90 minutes & 2.5 lumens for 20 hours. We've had no problems with them and they were just over $20 each.

No affiliation; just a happy customer.

The main "extra feature" beyond on/off is being able to trade battery life for brightness. Sometimes there's no substitute for a lot of light; if, for example, you are trying to do first aid, or looking for a dropped tool. On the other hand, more often having a lot of light is at best unnecessary, and having a battery life long enough to last the crisis is more important. How long that is is a judgement call, I suppose. Unless you are really diligent about keeping your batteries charged, you should maybe allow for the light being perhaps 75% flat when the crisis starts, so you need more duration than you might think. That said, you can often spend most of the dark hours sleeping.

Variable brightness is one way to manage that trade-off. I think it's good to have.

Flashing is another. I guess it's useful mainly if you are using the light as a beacon for others to find you: to be seen, rather than to see. Some lights can flash SOS automatically. I have trouble believing this is important. For me, flashing is a dispensable feature.

I guess the main thing now is that LED torches are so good you don't have to compromise. My Nitecore PD is a few years old now, and varies between about 2 lumen/50 hours, and 120 lumen/1 hour. Its piston-drive switch is very reliable, and I don't feel I've given anything up for the flexibility.

for wilderness lights, i believe reliability, runtime and having it on one's body are most important (verses brightness, flash/strobe modes, clickies, throw, beam color...)

i have spent a lifetime looking for the right light and the closest i've come is the custom-made Mako 1xAAA.

here's a link to a thread i started about the Mako, listing what i require of a wilderness EDC 'light and why so few lights meet my needs:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/show...i-ve-ever-owned

although the Mako is kinda hard to come by, the concepts discussed in the thread may offer you additional insights into what might work best for you.

I ended up coming across a little light that I think fits the bill nicely for neck lanyard use - the Princeton Tec Impulse.

Here it is shown on a lanyard along side a Fox 40 Sharx whistle:



It uses 2 coin batteries, is waterproof (IPX4), and has 3 modes: High - 12 hours, 12 meters; Low - 36 hours, 6 meters; and Flash - 48 hours. Just to note, this mode information is different than found on either the MEC page I linked to or the Princeton Tec page; the specs have changed but the websites still reflect the previous model information.

Also, the clip shown above can be removed and exchanges with a hat clip if desired.

I've used it on a couple trips so far and am pleased with it, especially given the $10 price tag.