While investigating other blogs, I found this post: The Light Stick Over The Door Trick
This is something I’ve been doing for almost thirty years. I leave a lightstick on the top of each doorway in the house. They are unobtrusive, mostly out of sight, but when the power goes out you know theyre always there and they are just what you need to find your way to a real flashlight. (Assuming you don’t already carry a small flashlight in your pocket at all times…which you should.)
I might have mentioned this before but, honestly, I don’t have time to trawl 20 years of blog posts. I will say, though, that with lightsticks being relatively cheap, it’s worth it to replace them every couple years. And always keep them in the foil pouches until ready to use. I’ve never had one fail, but I tested one last year that was almost 15 years past its expiration date and it worked just fine. But for less than a dollar each, why take chances?
As an aside, I also keep a couple lightsticks inside any container of emergency gear so that if I need to use that gear in the dark, I have a light source of some kind. I tape them to the inside of my Pelican gear cases, and I always have one or two in every larger first aid kit. (Thats in addition to a small, lithium-batteried light.)
Power failures have a habit of being unplanned, which means next time youre in the bathroom and the power goes out, it’d be nice not to stumble your way outta the bathroom, down theahll, to your computer room or wherever you keep your emergency lighting tools. Instead, find any doorway, reach up, and -presto- illumination.
Depending on how big your first aid kits are you may want to get an inexpensive headlamp instead of a flashlight. It’s just way more convenient to have a headlamp on than try to grow a third hand in an emergency.
I find the $10 or so Eveready brand headlamps available from WM or Amazon are quite adequate…Replace the batteries every couple of years and they are good to go.
Replace the batteries with Lithium and replace after 20 years.
I use the same ones at this time a local shop has them on sale for around $2.50. The only thing I don’t like about them is they take 3 AAA and I’m trying to use AA.
headlamps for the win. Downside: Used to work nights on the powerlines and apparently someone pissed off over the power being out shot at me and used my hard hat light as a target. Missed, but still pissed me off because I was the one RESTORING POWER!.
The glow sticks do expire, found out the hard way when I pulled an ancient one out of the BOB fishing one night, was totally kaput so keep track of the shelf life and replace as required.
They last a LONG time if kept in the fridge until needed.
We have plug in battery powered night lights in every room but agree that light sticks are great and I keep them at work as well as other places and I agree with the headlamp idea
Good ideas, I’ll use them. I always have a Tube of Dark Repellant in a belt holster, but that works only when I’m dressed.
I positioned 3-cell LED maglites in wall brackets next to each outside door and in the bedrooms adjacent to the door, each maglite with two 3/4″ tape bands aound it – one reflective, the other glow-in-the-dark. Aimed up in the wall bracket the light bounces off the ceiling for general illumination. Spendy, but brighter than glow sticks.
My EDC in the bowels of Navy ships *always* included a chemlight. Also carried a multitool & flashlight, but in a potentially flooded & completely dark environment, chemlight for the win.
Deployed on more than one ship that suffered a total electrical failure. And battle lanterns fail (ask me how I know).
I buy chemlights in bulk for ~ $0.75/light.
” And battle lanterns fail”
I think you mean “never work”. At least (OMG I’m old) the ones powered by those 6v lantern batteries.
Tru nuff.
Yeah. When you consider that last Thursday we had the 19th anniversary of the great northeastern blackout. Which myself. My second mistake and about 50 million other people were unfortunate enough to enjoy. I made sure I had two battery powered fans after that. Can be used with a power cord to. And plenty of flashlights. Which I habitually carry.
I keep a headlamp and a chemlight in the FAKs, and took the over-the-door suggestion to heart some years ago.
I swap ’em out every couple of years at Halloween, when they’re on clearance deep discount right after the 31st.
I’ve encouraged numerous people to carry a flashlight… I invariably get the response that they have one in their phone.
My response is that a flashlight is brighter, lasts longer, and you can give it away or lose it without problems.
Good idea.
The link to Amazon has them priced at $425.08.
But you get 500 of them! lol
Are you familiar with UV Paqlite products ? These are low light output products that last a lifetime. They charge from any light source but sunlight makes them really glow. Featherlite – weatherproof and they don’t ruin your night vision very much. A lot to recommend p check them out and judge for yourself.
Problem is, as I see it, their output is to low for anything other than acting as a marker, and the requirement that they be ‘charged’ from another light source is troublesome.
First off, here’s another vote for the 120v, battery back-up emergency/night lights for in the house. Mine are located to allow me to get to the basement quickly if the power is out and the tornado sirens are screaming…
My EDC back has a glow in the dark keychain attached to allow me to find it in the dark. I’ve used similar morale patches in the past as well.
For chemlights, I prefer Cyalume brand as they ARE mil-spec. That said, I went with their industrial line for my last batch to save some bucks.
Steelheart
Years ago, I purchased 4 of the 9 volt pocket lights from survival,com (when Ron was still alive and kickin), I do not know who made them, but they have been my doorway lights for years. A standard Energizer 9v battery has lasted for over two years while the unit was on low. it makes just enough light to see steps, etc. But it can also be used as a full on flashlight.Plenty of light sticks in storage, but I’m not impressed with their output in a time of need.
CZ -looks like Karen might be interested in selling the survival.com domain name…. 🙂
Someone hit a power pole up the street at work today and a four hour power outage happened. Out of the 11 adults, I was the only one whom had a flashlight. Not the light from my cell phone, but a actual working Olite S2 baton 2 light. Everyone wanted to borrow it. I then put my work light on its magnet and attached it to the overhead ac vent to give the office light. People were amazed how I thought to do that and that I carry a flashlight.
There is no hope for humanity.
They all know that Joe Biden will take care of them, o matter what.
/s
Why is it that the people who never have the equipment always think the person who has it should just give it up? Then they get mad and start calling you out to everyone. Wait until tomorrow and some one will be on about how you keep the light to yourself, and they had to go with out.
For those who want a carry/pocket flashlight, but can’t deal with bulk, consider the Nano Light by Streamlight. Comes with a tiny spring clip for keychains, uses button batteries, and is about the size of a finger digit. About $6. I have one in my keywrap, and one on the linked key rings on my pepper spray, along with a neat pen/stylus item that has a ‘biner clip to hang it with. Don’t use the pen very often, but the rubber stylus tip gets a workout on various public keypads of card readers. Inka Mobile by Nite ize. Bit pricey, as it seems to be ~$31 now.
Normally have at least one Streamlight Microstream usb in my pocket. Also ~$30, and charges from a usb cord, same as my current phone. It can handle a normal AAA battery if needed. About 150 lumens, but can bump up to ~double if you need to really light up something.
The pen and light hang outside of my pant’s pocket, which gives me a handle to yank the pepper spray out without having to dig it out of a cluttered pocket.
If you are getting chemlights for first aid, get the bright white variants. They are usually short life (30 min or so) but very bright and most importantly white light. Trying to deal with a bleed under green or yellow light is hard, and almost impossible under red.
(And yeah, a headlamp is superior, but two is one and one is none.)
One useful trait chemlights have is you can throw them into an area and then see what’s there. I’ve tossed them under stages so I didn’t have to crawl in the dark because I had my hands full and my headlamp was banging on things. You could crack one and toss it around the corner into the living room if you heard a noise at night, for instance.
They are very visible when attached to a lanyard or string and swung in a circle…
WRT the streamlight nano, I’ve had 3 come unscrewed and separate into the piece attached to the back pack, and the piece that vanished… leaving me with nothing.
I put a super cheap LED ‘pinch’ light on every ID lanyard so I have a backup at work too. I used to put a tiny Maglite on there, but they come unscrewed too,leaving just the base cap hanging from your lami.
n
A tip on the Nano lights, put some teflon tape on the threads. Yes, the stuff used for plumbing, air lines etc. The light still works fine but it won’t un-screw itself.
Every keychain of mine has a light of some sort on it. My primary keys have a USB rechargable Olight of some type.
If my house was a traditional layout (bedrooms upstairs with everything else main level) I would have a few of the 30 minute chemlights available to break and toss 1 down the stairs while I waited in the dark at the top suitably equipped to persuade uninvited guests to leave us alone…
Steelheart
Thanks for the tip about the tape…
n
Why do I, every time I read this, read it as Lipsticks above the Doorway?
I’ve worked out it’s not my Dyslexia but the fact I’m an idiot. I must get it from both of my patents, they are both idiots, they have to be, they got married to each other, not for long but still.
Not Bad…. and I found a bunch “1/2 off” right after halloween and bought them all !! We were going into that time of year when the sun set’s early and we would do “NIGHT SKYDIVES!!!” The chem lights were what we would use on our rigs and instrument panel so we could see them with out getting night blinded.. put a few on your risers incase you had a mal and cutaway so you could find yur rig on the ground!!! Oh yes, later the kids on the DZ would cut them open and pour the fluid over each other and run around looking like spooks in the night!!! lotsa’ FUN!!
skybill
Retired skydiver
PS A long, long time ago in a galaxy far. far away… Skydive Perris… 1970’s. 1980’s and 1990’s… I was there!!! and SKYDIVE ELSINORE and don’t forget ….OTAY!!!!!!!!!!!