Unless you’re a vampire, you’re better off doing your stuff during the day when the sun is shining bright. It gets pretty difficult to move around in the dark. Fortunately, man has a penchant for inventing things and thanks to the likes of Thomas Edison, Hiram Maxim and Joseph Swan, we have ways of illuminating the dark.
We also have Nikola Tesla, William Gilbert, Alessandro Volta to thank for discovering electricity, which powers bulbs to give us light. Without electricity, however, the world will go dark. Fortunately there are emergency light sources in probably every home. In case you still don’t, below are some of the best emergency light sources you should have.
Flashlight
A flashlight is an obvious choice when we talk about emergency light sources. It’s portable, easy to operate, and lasts as long as you have batteries or electricity in case of the rechargeable kind.
There are different types of flashlights. We have the cheap ones that use incandescent bulbs. This one is not really recommended since it uses up too much energy because of the heat it produces. It is way cheaper than other flashlights, however. LED flashlights are better because it lasts longer, makes use of little energy, and more durable.
Other kinds use different bulbs such as High Intensity Discharge (HID), xenon, halogen, and krypton bulbs. Faraday or shake flashlights, meanwhile, use magnets that produces light that lasts for hours when shook.
Penlight
A penlight is another type of flashlight albeit smaller. Its primary advantages are its being lightweight and portable. A tactical penlight is an ideal everyday carry (EDC) item. It simple means you can take it anywhere for your protection.
A tactical penlight offers a brighter light than a regular pelnlight. In fact, the bright light can be used to temporary blind an attacker allowing you to escape. Their hard and durable casing also allows you to use such emergency light sources as a weapon.
Headlamp
The best thing about headlamps is that you have free use of both hands. As the name implies, headlamps are worn on the head making these emergency light sources pretty portable. Their perfect when you’re out biking at night, exploring dark places such as caves, and doing car repairs at night.
LED headlamps don’t require that much power plus they use rechargeable batteries. They’re also easy to maintain since you only have to replace the batteries when the light goes out.
Solar-Powered Lights
Most solar lights are placed outdoors because of the sun, obviously. They gather energy during the day and automatically lights up when it gets dark.
Solar lights are friendly to the environment since it uses a renewable source of energy. Plus, it’s pretty dependable. As long as the sun shines, you can always use these solar-powered emergency light sources.
Lanterns
Camping or hand lanterns are great to have when your outdoors. You can simply hang or set it down somewhere so you can move freely. Its bright light covers a wide area unlike a flashlight which only lights up where you point it.
These emergency light sources are not only portable and convenient, they’re also rechargeable. They are mostly powered by batteries or solar energy. There are also hand-crank versions.
Light Sticks
The best part about light sticks is that it doesn’t require any kind of energy source. This is great when there’s no electricity and you need to light up quickly. It’s cheap and lightweight so you can carry a number of them at a time. Also, you can throw or drop it into dark places you can’t reach. Most glow sticks has an expiry date of five years. Make sure to use them before they become useless.
Stick-On Lights
Stick-on lights are probably the least one you’d think of with regards to emergency light sources. However, they can be pretty useful. You can easily stick it to a surface so it can light up a dark space such as an attic or basement. In fact, preppers will love it since they can use it freely inside their prepper pantry. Plus, the light is just bright enough for you to see what you need to see. It doesn’t emit that bright a light that can attract other people. That means you and your home are safe from intruders.
Fire
Build fire and you get light. It’s that simple. Candles, torches and bonfires are not really excellent emergency light sources but they do the task good enough. The issue with using fire is mostly related to safety. Fire, when left unattended, can grow big and burn down things you don’t want to be burned. That’s why you don’t use torches or start a bonfire inside your home.
You know the importance of light from the fact that God created it on the first day of creation. At least, that’s what the Bible and some religion say. It doesn’t matter if you’re a religious person or not, you can’t deny the importance of emergency light sources. Visit The Gentleman Pirate to learn more about light sources and other survival gear.
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