Best Survival Flashlight that Uses 3xAA

Arlec22

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Looking for a rugged, ipx7 water resistant flashlight I can use on my camping trips. Nothing too pricey and a simple on/off switch would be ideal.

Thanks in advance
 

archimedes

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Hello and welcome to CPF !

Your post above has been approved, but the thread was moved to the "Recommend" forum ....

Listing a specific dollar amount or range for your budget is likely to get you more useful advice quicker.

And if you were wanting something under ~ $25-ish, let me know and I can further relocate this to the "Budget" forum.
 
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parametrek

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Any specific reason for 3xAA? That category is filled with lower quality lights because the lights don't need any driver circuitry.

But there are decent options. Coleman 300M, Streamlight TwinTask 3AA, Coleman 325M, Pelican 3310 PL, Streamlight Dualie 3AA. Probably the most interesting option is the Pelican 3410M. It has an articulated head, a magnet, a glow in the dark body and dual flood & throw emitters.
 

Woods Walker

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Looking for a rugged, ipx7 water resistant flashlight I can use on my camping trips. Nothing too pricey and a simple on/off switch would be ideal.

Thanks in advance

You're best hope in terms of durabilty would be to create a Malkoff omnivore however that is very expensive. I do know of some 3XAA headlamps etc.
 

Woods Walker

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3xAA is pretty specific and cuts out a lot of options. Any particular reason why you would want a 3xAA flashlight?

That's another issue right there. For example a 2XAA flashlight could use the same number of batteries in a Garmin GPS or radio. 1XAA flashlight doesn't need to match AA batteries and what's the greater chance in an ER. Having 1 battery or 3. Overall for survival I prefer flashlights that can take one battery.
 

xxo

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Lights that run off of 3 AA or AAA cells are usually cheap direct drive lights whose brightness drops with the Voltage. These lights usually depend on a battery carrier of some sort, which is just another component that can fail or get lost.

For a survival light I would recommend something that is regulated and runs on 1 cell (it's a lot easier to scrounge up 1 cell than 3). Specifically, I would suggest the Streamlight 1L-1 AA which will run on either a single AA cell or a CR123 and even AAA's will work all without any parts to switch out or reconfigure. Cheap carbon Zinc AAs and AAA's (which is the type of cells you are likely to find in remote parts of the third world) will work in this light, although output and runtime will be less than Alkalines or NIHM's. Energizer L91 ultimate lithium batteries work great in this light and may be the best choice for a survival light due to their long run times, light weight, long storage life, and ability to work in extreme high and low temperatures.
 

Monocrom

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I have to be honest, for survival use; a headlamp would be your best option.
 

Burgess

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Gotta' agree with Monocrom (above) --


Having both hands free is SO useful ! ! !
 

jorn

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Agree, headlamps rules over the handheld ones outdoors. Simple tasks like finding firewood is kind of hard with a handheld. You got one hand to pick up and carry wood with, so you have to carry one twig at the time with your one free hand. Takes time and your spending lots of extra energy. With a headlamp, you can carry a pile under one arm, and still have one hand free to pick up more wood. Also stuff like coocking gets harder with one hand. Been there, done that, now i always use a headlamp, and the handheld is just a backup light with a different beampattern in case i need it.
 

flatline

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Lights that run off of 3 AA or AAA cells are usually cheap direct drive lights whose brightness drops with the Voltage. These lights usually depend on a battery carrier of some sort, which is just another component that can fail or get lost.

For a survival light I would recommend something that is regulated and runs on 1 cell (it's a lot easier to scrounge up 1 cell than 3). Specifically, I would suggest the Streamlight 1L-1 AA which will run on either a single AA cell or a CR123 and even AAA's will work all without any parts to switch out or reconfigure. Cheap carbon Zinc AAs and AAA's (which is the type of cells you are likely to find in remote parts of the third world) will work in this light, although output and runtime will be less than Alkalines or NIHM's. Energizer L91 ultimate lithium batteries work great in this light and may be the best choice for a survival light due to their long run times, light weight, long storage life, and ability to work in extreme high and low temperatures.


My issue with the 1L-1AA is that its "low" mode is 40L. If I'm in a situation where I'm scavenging batteries to get by, then I want a light with a true low mode so that I can get as much run time as possible out of my scavenged cells. If it had a 5L low mode, I'd be much happier with it.

--flatline
 

xxo

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My issue with the 1L-1AA is that its "low" mode is 40L. If I'm in a situation where I'm scavenging batteries to get by, then I want a light with a true low mode so that I can get as much run time as possible out of my scavenged cells. If it had a 5L low mode, I'd be much happier with it.

--flatline

A lower low would be better for this application, but the 1L-1AA has decent run time on low - 7 1/2 hrs on alkaline AA's or 14 hrs. on Lithium AA's or CR123's. I the past I have used Inova X1 LEDs for survival kits, either the 55/6 lumen variety or the 80/11 lumen version, (I haven't tried the current 125/12 lumen model) mainly for their super long runtimes on low.....not a bad light for this purpose but the X1 is less versatile than the 1L-1AA in that it only works with AA's and the X1 doesn't have the S clip for attaching to a hat brim to convert it into a head lamp.
 

PartyPete

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I believe EagleTac made a 3x AA light. It seemed to fare pretty well against the more common 4x AA lights.

I guess in a sense it is advantageous that it's simply 3 AA that drop in, no battery cage with that model.

Though for a survival situation, a headlamp is a must at times. A handheld flashlight is fine for casual use, but if you are expected to pitch a tent, start a fire etc in the dark...you need both hands free.
 

bykfixer

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Rayovac Indestructable 3aa. 250 lumen high, 18 lumen low. Drop resistant to 30' (10m). About $25.

And get ya a 2aaa minimag for pinning to a ball cap for hands free. About $15.

Both can be found at big box stores while you're out buying weedeater twine or charcoal etc.

Streamlight has some nice ones too. Check out Streamlight dot com for some ideas and once you decide it's likely Amazon, Optics Planet, Bright Guy and others will have them.
 
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