Flashlights & Lighting

In the event of an area wide disaster such as an earthquake it could be weeks before power is fully restored. Some people who lived through hurricane Katrina went 4 to 6 weeks without electricity and a major earthquake can do just as much damage.

Living in the city, most people forget just how dark it is when the power goes out to an area. No street lights, no house lights, no traffic lights, and if it's foggy or overcast, no moon light. You will literally have trouble walking down the sidewalk without tripping and the light from your cell phone will not be enough!

LED Lights
Most newer lights come with LED bulbs. LEDs last longer than regular bulbs, are brighter, use less power, and will rarely burn out. Any light you buy should be an LED. I still see some lights sold in the store that aren't LED, don't buy them, not worth it.

Lumen
The total "amount" of visible light emitted by a source. Basically the brightness of a light.

Not all light manufacturer measure lumens in quite the same way. The better ones measure to ANSI standards while others will measure in ways that make their lights seem brighter (on paper) than they really are.

Flashlights
Lights range in price from $1 to hundreds depending on quality and brand name. 99% of people don't need super expensive lighting but you do need at least one good quality, reliable light that will work when you need it. Your first light should be shock (drop) resistant and water resistant.

I recommend a modern, LED, AA powered light, with multiple settings (high, medium, low) as your primary light. AA batteries are cheap and easy to come by and a modern LED light will be able to run for many hours on a few AA batteries. If you're in your home you don't need a super bright light to get around. The light I keep in my everyday backpack is the Fenix LD10. It runs off a single AA battery, has 4 levels of brightness, and can run for a solid 90 minutes on high at 100 lumen. It's low setting is only 3 lumen but it's enough to get around a dark house and it will last for 70 hours. It's current price is about $50 which may seem expensive, but it's well worth knowing it will work when I need it.

Backup Lights
You will also need a backup flashlight. Nothing is ever guaranteed to work 100% of the time and the same goes for even good quality lights. Even if your primary light is working great, eventually you'll have to change it's batteries and will help if you can see what you're doing.

Key Chain Lights
Cheap and surprisingly bright, these little lights are enough to get you around the house or even help you navigate a dark sidewalk. Indoors their light reflects off the wall and give just enough light to see around room. Outside, you won't be able to see more than a few feet in front of you, but you can at least navigate a sidewalk.

Headlamps
Headlamps are incredibly useful and keep both hands free while you're moving around. Headlamps make a great backup light but many people, myself included, find them to make great primary lights with your flashlight as a backup.

Lanterns
Lanterns create nice diffused area light and are useful around the house if the power goes out. If you have to evacuate however, you probably won't need one. I have a few small lanterns for the house but I don't keep any in my evacuation bag.

Batteries
My main flashlight and my headlamp both use a single AA battery. AA's are very common and easy to find at almost any store. I absolutely recommend rechargeable AA's though. Not only can you use them over and over, saving you money in the long run, but modern rechargeable will be brighter and last longer in hi power LED lights than disposable alkaline batteries. Rechargeables also won't leak like disposables can.

For $18 you can pick up 4 Eneloop AA batteries and a charger. Each additional 4 batteries will cost you around $10. Don't waste your time or money with other brands of rechargeable batteries, these are THE batteries to get. Every now and then Costco will have them in stock for an even better price than Amazon.

Solar Charging
Not for everyone, but if want to be able to keep you batteries going for an extended period, there's are many options for solar battery chargers. I have a Powerfilm AA charger. I've only used it a few times but so far it works well.

Variety of Lights and Batteries
It's ideal to have most of your lights and gear running off the same size battery. It simplifies what kind of batteries you have to buy and what you have to carry. It's a good idea however, to diversify just a little in case something comes up and you can't get the size you're looking for.

My two primary lights (my flashlight and my headlamp) for example run off of AA batteries. I have one small backup light that runs off a singe AAA battery and another light that can run off of CR123 batteries.

Pak-lites / 9 Volt Lights
Handy to use in place of candles, these small lights simply snap onto the top of a 9 volt battery. If you place one of these in a room, it will be enough light to navigate around and it will last for a very long time. Lots of different models available online but I couldn't recommend one over the other since I made my own and haven't tried any particular model.

Candles
Candles in earthquake country can be dangerous and I wouldn't recommend them if power goes out in an earthquake. If power is out for other reasons then they're ok, but earthquakes can damage building gas lines. Even a small gas leak will cause a fire or explosion if it hits an open flame.

Recommendations
I'll make a few lists in different price ranges. I would get at least one mid range light if you can afford it, but the important thing is to get something. The Fenix E21 is a good starting point for a mid range, quality, water proof light but if you're on a budget, try picking up the Duracell light at Costco for $10. It's not water proof but it's a good deal for $10. The higher end lights will have more settings and will last longer on a set of batteries.

Items to Purchase
At least two lights.

Budget Lights / Backup lights
Duracell Daylight - 2 AA - $18 ($10 at Costco)
Fenix E01 * - 1 AAA - $13
Mini Keychain Lights - 5 for $5
Steamlight 61400 Headlamp - 2 AAA - $15

Mid Range Lights
Fenix E-21 - 2 AA - $35
Quark Mini AA - 1 AA - $37
Petzl TacTikka Plus Headlamp * - 3 AAA - $44

High End Lights
Fenix LD20 - 2 AA - $60
Fenix LD10 * - 1 AA - $48
Quark AA2 - 2 AA - $57
Zerbra Light H51Fw - 1 AA - $64
Zebra Light H51W Headlamp * - 1 AA - $64

Lanterns
Rayovac Sportsman 300 Lumen Lantern - 3 D - $24
Rayovac Sportsman 65 Lumen Mini Lantern * - 3 AA - $19

*Lights I Own