Chemlights?

[teddy12b]

I don't know about now, but the navy has used chemlights on life preservers for "man overboard" at night.
Batteries went dead. Bulbs died (before LED). Seals failed corroding connections.

That's something that makes sense.

 

[J Galt]

I keep a spare set of house keys on a chem light. The idea is if I hear someone breaking in and I decide to hard point my room, when the cops arrive I tell the dispatcher I'm tossing a chem light with the keys out of a window (at night obviously). That way the cops have the option to retrieve the keys and make entry where they like.

Yes. There are 1,001 variants and potential issues with this.

Yes. There are 10,001 other ways to possibly handle the situation.

This is an option, not the option.

Posted in response to the OP. Page 3 is usually where the topic strays to something completely unrelated. Yes, I opened the door to the topic straying.

#MeaCulpa

 

[actaeon277]

That's something that makes sense.

Well, with +200 years of history, they're bound to accidentally do something that makes sense.
Occasionally.

 

[bcd007]

Thanks Guys for some ideas that I hadn’t thought of. Giving chemlights to the kids is a really good idea and one that I have done myself when the kiddos were younger. Sounds like using them as marker lights is a way to go as well. Great responses guys. And order those ReadyHeat blankets before it gets super cold, you’ll thank me!

 

[churchmouse]

Thanks Guys for some ideas that I hadn’t thought of. Giving chemlights to the kids is a really good idea and one that I have done myself when the kiddos were younger. Sounds like using them as marker lights is a way to go as well. Great responses guys. And order those ReadyHeat blankets before it gets super cold, you’ll thank me!

We have 6 of the redi blankets ordered just today. I said 4 and CKW said 6......OK then 6 it is.

 

[teddy12b]

Well, with +200 years of history, they're bound to accidentally do something that makes sense.
Occasionally.

Man I'm glad you said it and not me. I had to delete more than half my initial response trying to be nice.

 

[teddy12b]

Not trying to hijack this thread form chemlights to vehicle blankets, but you guys may really like to look at the 5star warm-n-dry blankets. There's not a lot from 5star I've ever recommend, but this is an exception. It's a blanket that's water proof ish on one side and fleece on the other. I keep one in the back of my vehicle to using as a shooting mat. I've laid the water proof side down on wet or snowy grass before and been just warm and snuggly on the other side on the fleece. It's a pretty handy little piece of kit to the point where I thought I'd lost mine and bought another. Then one day one of my neighbors brought my old one down and said the kids had left it at their place. Now I've got two in the back of the jeep.

 

[Thor]

For hiking take 4 of the smaller chemlights and put two close together on opposite sides of your pack. Then the hiker behind knows how far/close they are. If they see 4 lights they are too close, if they see 2 they are at the right distance, if they see 1 they are falling behind, if they see 0 they are lost (for those of you who understand blackout drive).

 

[10-32]

A backup to the flashlight.
When you clicky - no lighty.

^^^This^^^ And for those worried about EMPs, well if you're still alive, chemlights will work when batteries don't.

 

[Cameramonkey]

^^^This^^^ And for those worried about EMPs, well if you're still alive, chemlights will work when batteries don't.

So will your batteries.

But those of you with super cool overpriced LED lights with microprocessor controlled charging/dimming circuits may be screwed. Grandpa with his 6v lantern and mag lights with xenon bulbs will still be good though.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Marking locations and amusing the kids is about the only real use I have ever found for them. I’ve been a caver for 35 years with greater than 15,000 hours underground, night operations in search and rescue, and I live way out in the middle of the dark and creepy. About the only cyalume lights I ever use are the ones when people give them to me because “hey you do a lot of stuff at night.”

All lights have their issues. My experience with chem lights is that in a bag that I use on a regular basis or in the vehicles, after six months to a year invariably they don’t work as well. Once the packaging starts to get a little crumpled, they do degrade over time. They also need to be protected from accidental activation. Good quality lights have gotten so reliable that I don’t even question them anymore. My EDC usually has two or three very small LED lights that will give me dozens of hours of very usable light, better light than my high end gear when I started doing stuff outdoors and underground in the 80s, and many of them are rechargeable off of USB, but I also have some that have a AAA battery in them for diversity.

 

[freekforge]

My use for chem lights is mainly signaling and keeping track of people out and about at night. Tying a length of string to one and spinning it around (buzzsaw) is an excellent signalling method that has helped me a few times.