What flashlight do you keep in your vehicle?

[NightTime]

One car has an old Fenix L1D. The other one had an Olight Warrior, but I sold it. You make me realise I need to buy a new light for this car! 🤗

Anyway I always carry an EDC light and my spouse to, so it's less of a need.

 

[orbital]

+

EagleTac D25LC2 'mini'

can get to blinking modes if I need to, a side of the road deal.

 

[ghostguy6]

Always in the truck. Can you tell I do a lot of traffic control?
Pelican 3310 with 3d printed traffic wand and lithium AA cells
Pelican 3315 (because it actually has a useful strobe) with 3d printed traffic wand lithium AA cells
Pelican 2010 with traffic wand
Streamlight 4 AA with traffic wand and lithium AA cells
Solarforce Masterpiece Pro 1
Surefire g2 with upgraded LED drop in with traffic wand
Petzl Tikka headlamp

In my hunting bag with lives in the truck
Streamlight Polytac
Olight HR2 headlamp

 

[Kitchen Panda]

The current car flashlight is my 2014-vintage NextTorch P8A, which has now survived two Winnipeg winters in the car without problems (I never charge it when it's cold), along with an Eveready headlight that was *extremely* useful when changing a tire. ( I have a pack of spare AAAs for it. Checking for burst batteries is a good way to kill time in the car when waiting for someone. I finally broke down and bought some lithium primary AAAs that will get rotated into the headlamp and spares.)

The NextTorch replaced a Defiant that failed spectacularly when the C cells spilled lye all over the insides. This would be in addition to whatever lights myself or the better half have with us when driving. If I'm heading out of town, I'll generally bring at least one more light that the usual EDC.

For loaner/give away purposes, I used to keep a fly-eye triple AAA light in the glove box (auto dealership give-away with an oil change) but after it managed to dismantle itself just from riding around in the car, I gave up on it. You can have a cheap car light or one that will work when you need it, but not both.

Several cars ago I had a 3 C cell Maglight in the glove box, which worked OK for years till the second time the batteries leaked and ate the switch; I still have the pieces in the "junk/project" box. I'd even picked up the MagLight LED upgrade for it.

Darn it, I need some kind of cone or wands or electric road "flares", though it's a little rare that I'm out on the highway after dark these days.

 

[bykfixer]

😀 bykfixer, unless your wife drives the truck, I think you need to "spread the wealth around" with her, as far as lights go. That's quite an impressive assembly of lights you keep onboard.

She owns several flashlights too, but those are the ones she chose to put in her car.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Wow. Some of you guys are really prepared!

I have picked up on a few tips:

--Keep a headlamp in the vehicle. I don't think there is a more useful tool when you need both hands free to work on something, and a headlamp, unlike a work-light, puts the light pretty much exactly where you need it.

--Keep a flashlight with a red cone on it for directing traffic. While this is more a job for LEO's, in an emergency you may be the immediate responder, and have to do that duty.

--Keep a magnetic work-light in the car. In addition to your personal headlamp, you may not be alone, and having a magnetic work-light along can help with general illumination of the vehicle and area. It also serves as a sort of backup to the headlamp in case it fails.

--Keep a giveaway light in the car. I had not really considered this until spending some time on the forum, but it is a good idea. You might come across someone that needs light, but you can't stop to help them, so being able to simply hand them a light and going on your way would be nice.

Keep posting folks, I'm learning good stuff here!

 

[bykfixer]

Store extra batteries too. The kind that do well in cold weather.

Now I've found that at times the headlamp shines lights where my hands work. In other words my hands block the light. Not always but sometimes. So that's when a floody beam light helps. Set it in a spot beside you.

And keep the celphone charged just in case none of your other lights will operate. Better to have it and not need it, right?

 

[letschat7]

If you don't keep extra batteries the time you really need it for extended use it will be dead or dim. I've found that Surefire and Energizer Lithium batteries in storacells in plastic 30 cal ammo boxes work well.

 

[Dave D]

I also have a set of LED Road Flares in the trunk, fitted with Lithium AAA batteries.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

I also have a set of LED Road Flares in the trunk, fitted with Lithium AAA batteries.

View attachment 45099

SOL MAN WANT!

 

[ghostguy6]

I also have a set of LED Road Flares in the trunk, fitted with Lithium AAA batteries.

View attachment 45099

I have a set of those as well. in the 100's of accidents I have stopped at I have only ever used them once. I found the standard traffic cones with reflective stripes to work much better as they sit higher indicating a physical barrier. If there is blowing snow the flares quickly get covered. People will drive over those flares and the AAA cells dont last. I get not everyone can carry traffic cones in their vehicle but even one folding cone tends to be more useful than those led flares. Around here mounting one on you vehicle could net you a ticket as they tend to have more of a red light than amber.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

I have a set of those as well. in the 100's of accidents I have stopped at I have only ever used them once. I found the standard traffic cones with reflective stripes to work much better as they sit higher indicating a physical barrier. If there is blowing snow the flares quickly get covered. People will drive over those flares and the AAA cells dont last. I get not everyone can carry traffic cones in their vehicle but even one folding cone tends to be more useful than those led flares. Around here mounting one on you vehicle could net you a ticket as they tend to have more of a red light than amber.

KILLJOY! 😄

 

[LEDphile]

I have a set of those as well. in the 100's of accidents I have stopped at I have only ever used them once. I found the standard traffic cones with reflective stripes to work much better as they sit higher indicating a physical barrier. If there is blowing snow the flares quickly get covered. People will drive over those flares and the AAA cells dont last. I get not everyone can carry traffic cones in their vehicle but even one folding cone tends to be more useful than those led flares. Around here mounting one on you vehicle could net you a ticket as they tend to have more of a red light than amber.

The US DOJ did some testing about 15 years back, and their results are freely available at https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/224277.pdf
They came to basically the same conclusion - that height above the roadway makes a big difference when it comes to visibility

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

Yeah, I knew about that, but I lost my head when I saw those electronic flares, and remembered seeing them in a manufacturer's demo video once.
I looked into cones, and know that DOT's use different heights depending on the speed limit for the road--shortest for the slowest zones, and tallest for freeway. Reflector strips for night use. Yeah, finding trunk space for three or four of the big ones for use on the freeway could be difficult. Hmmm, maybe I should restore my full size Ford LTD, that thing has a HUGE trunk.

 

[mrfixitman]

I'm curious what flashlight folks are keeping in their vehicles. I'm undecided what to keep in mine, so curious what you keep in yours and why.

Maglite 3D cell with LED bulb.

 

[sween1911]

My dated yet trusty Olight M30 Triton with 3 CR123's. It's clipped right on a bracket I made for my cell phone.

 

[IMA SOL MAN]

My dated yet trusty Olight M30 Triton with 3 CR123's. It's clipped right on a bracket I made for my cell phone.

Whaaa?! NOT A GLADIUS??!!

 

[The Hawk]

3D cell Maglite and 2AA cell Maglite.

 

[KSLD]

Kyocera LaserLight

 

[Dave D]

Here in Spain, and I assume it applies to the rest of the EU countries, it has been a legal requirement to carry two collapsable warning triangles and a high vis vest, for at least the driver, to use in the event of a breakdown.

However there have, over the years, been a number of deaths when motorists have been on foot attempting to put the triangles out to warn approaching traffic so the requirement is being changed to a DGT approved magnetic LED amber beacon instead, at the moment either triangles or warning beacons (or both) can be carried but by 2026 all vehicle must have a warning beacon.

I have one in the drivers door pocket, I've replaced the supplied 9v alkaline battery with a 9v lithium one, which is bright enough to be clearly seen in daytime.

Below is an example.

9v battery versions were the first types available but having done a quick check on Amazon there are various beacons with different battery types available now.