EDC Flashlight / Best Flashlight – In Case Of Power Outage

At 12:55 today, December 17, 2017 there was a massive power outage at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

Imagine being inside, in the darkness with a whole bunch of confused people. This is why one of your everyday carry (EDC) items  should be a flashlight.  When traveling, you should carry two or three flashlights and extra batteries. One or two on your person and one in a bag you are carrying with you at all times like a purse or backpack.

Atlanta Airport In The Dark

Here is a picture of inside one of the terminals that was posted on Channel 1 Atlanta Twitter account. Imagine being in there, full of strangers, uncertain as to what is going on, without a flashlight.

Being in a dark terminal is bad enough, what about the bathrooms? If there isn’t emergency lighting in the bathroom, or even if there is, those lights run on batteries and those batteries will die after hours of an outage. As of this writing, the power has been out at the Atlanta airport for four hours now. It could be pitch black in the bathroom, you would HAVE to have a flashlight to see.

Everyday Carry Flashlight

My everyday carry flashlight is a Streamlight 66323, this flashlight puts out a good 45 lumens, doesn’t seem like much, but in darkness, is a great light and I love the long lanyard it comes with, I can keep it in my pocket or put it around my neck. It also has a clip that comes with it that you can use to clip it on the brim of your hat. It uses a AAA battery, its small and the batteries are small, easy to carry and very easy to carry extra batteries.

Legacy Food Storage

When I am traveling, I always carry two of these flashlight on me, and I carry the Streamlight 88061 ProTac, which is 350 lumens which takes a AA battery. Again, it’s small and very easy to put in a purse or backpack and easy to carry extra AA batteries, plus you can buy AA batteries pretty much anywhere, however, if there is a power outage, such as the one at the Atlanta airport today, you may not be able to buy batteries.

 

 

Regardless of what flashlight you choose, pick one that you will carry with you at all times. You will be surprised how often you will use it, and you will be glad you have it if you are in a public place where there is a power outage. Always be prepared!

Backup Power Bank

As a bonus thought….Beyond the flashlight, if traveling, I highly recommend a battery backup/power bank (or two) for your smart phone, such as a Anker 20100. Because not only do you have to see, you also need to be able to stay in contact with your loved ones as well as have a way to get information on your phone, you don’t want your battery going dead during a power outage.

Snacks / Water

Another bonus thought….especially when traveling, always carry some snacks as well as a bottle of water or water bottle, preferably one that has a way to purify the water such as a Sport Berkey bottle, personally I don’t trust municipal water on a good day, much less water in a public building with no power, who knows where there water is being pumped in from. With your own water bottle, you can fill up at any water fountain, and not have to rely on vendors, which may or may not be able to sell to you during an outage, again referring back to the Atlanta Airport power outage today.

 

 

 

Legacy Food Storage