Comments on: How To Choose The Best Survival Flashlight for Your Bug Out Bag

By: shocksi

shocksi — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 13:59:18 +0000

Are LED-Lenser flashlights not available in the US ? They are cracking good lights, mate. Also, what about Pelican ? I know they aint fancy but all my Firefighter and EMT relatives stateside swear by them. Or maybe at them…I forget…

By: Chris Ruiz

Chris Ruiz — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 21:18:11 +0000

In reply to michael mckee. Glad to hear a real world story about using a flashlight to protect yourself. You are correct that headlamps are extremely useful when hiking, keep an eye out for a future article on them!

By: michael mckee

michael mckee — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 16:48:11 +0000

I’m 62 and have been backpacking since I was 15. I’ve hunted and worked search and rescue. I’m frankly amused that you don’t include any headlamps in your article. Sure, there’s a place for extremely bright flashlights, but 99.9% of the time having my hands free is of greater value than blinding someone. Actually, I’ve only used a flashlight for self defense to blind an ankle-biter dog. Once. I could have just kicked it instead. I use my headlamp dozens of times a year.

As far as signaling, in complete darkness one can see a candle for miles. We once rescued an injured hiker by spotting her phone screen a half mile away, and this was a pre-iPhone screen, which was both smaller and less bright.

I do have a very bright flashlight. I use it for light painting during night photography – after using a headlamp to hike into and out of locations.