LIGHT UP THE NIGHT

A SMALL TACTICAL FLASHLIGHT SHOULD ALWAYS BE INCLUDED IN YOUR EDC GEAR

- STEVEN PAUL BARLOW

I carry a handgun for defense every day and hopefully I’ll never need it. On the other hand, I also carry a knife (usually two) and a flashlight every day and I use them almost every day.

I remember when a friend of the family was astonished as I pulled a small flashlight out of my pocket one evening. Her reaction was that the average, normal person didn’t just produce a flashlight out of his pocket.

Of course, we’re all conditioned by Hollywood that when it’s dark, you take out your trusty Zippo lighter for illumination. It’s perfectly normal and believable to have a Zippo in your pocket in a movie, because in the movies everyone smokes cigarettes. Incidentally, I don’t smoke, but I usually do carry a Zippo because I spend lots of time in remote areas and I like to have several ways to make fire.

But to light my way, I always have a flashlight. And why not? Gone are the days when you need to stuff five D cells into a metal tube a foot and a half long with a spare bulb in the tail cap. Many of today’s flashlights are truly pocket-sized. They are powerful, often feature multiple brightness modes and come with LED bulbs that last a lifetime. These lights might run on AA or AAA alkaline batteries or stubby CR123A lithium batteries that, unlike several years ago, are very common these days. Some can be fueled with rechargeable batteries to make them even more convenient and cost efficient.