# Laser for Hiking



## OscarM (Jan 23, 2019)

Does it make sense to buy a laser for hiking, to signal in an emergency?


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## bigburly912 (Jan 23, 2019)

If it makes you feel more secure then yes, it makes sense. A whistle, a light, a laser, all make sense to me. They pack light so it’d be no inconvenience to carry all three.


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## markr6 (Jan 23, 2019)

That's actually not a bad idea! I have a "5mW green laser" that I'm sure it way off spec. Probably 10x that power. Something like $13 on ebay.


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## DaveTheDude (Jan 23, 2019)

The usefulness of a signalling laser depends significantly on the environment you'll be in when you get into trouble. If you're in a woodland environment, the trees will likely block the very narrow laser beam. If you're in the west or mid-west, in a prairie, or mountain, or desert environment, a laser might make sense, depending on how far from civilization you roam. There are specially designed rescue lasers, that many pilots carry as part of their emergency kits. Also, some lasers offer a kind of spread-beam diffusing prism, that spreads the beam to cover a broad swath of sky. The thing to be very, very careful of when using a laser to signal an aircraft (or when using it at sea), is the pilot's vision. There are federal laws related to this, so do some research before casually using one in your adventures.


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## markr6 (Jan 24, 2019)

DaveTheDude said:


> The thing to be very, very careful of when using a laser to signal an aircraft (or when using it at sea), is the pilot's vision.



Or Tom Brady


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## reviewcart (Jan 26, 2019)

You could of course 'liberate' an old Laser hull (asking first), no doubt to be found abandoned in the corner of 90% of sailing club boat parks, and cut down to size; Also to be found regularly on eBay for 99p. Unsurprisingly this will replicate the exact hiking position of a Laser.


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## Overmind (Jan 31, 2019)

Any of these professionally considered junks like the green 301s, 303s will do.
In case of emergency, you can use it as a signaling device or as very long range flashlight.


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## alpg88 (Jan 31, 2019)

like it was said before depends on situation. but it wont hurt to carry one.

shooting in the air to get attention wont work if you use bow and arrow, flares wont work in a cave. lol


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## Manas (Aug 7, 2019)

I would think a flashlight with a high candela and learning some Morse, beyond SOS would be very effective.


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## ftumch33 (Aug 27, 2019)

I had asked that question some time ago (not sure if it was on this forum or another) and was told green lasers do not do well in the cold and red is the way to go. I do have a red one with the spread out beam unfortunately it runs on primaries and not rechargeables. My cats love chasing it lol


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## alpg88 (Aug 27, 2019)

ftumch33 said:


> I had asked that question some time ago (not sure if it was on this forum or another) and was told green lasers do not do well in the cold and red is the way to go. I do have a red one with the spread out beam unfortunately it runs on primaries and not rechargeables. My cats love chasing it lol



interesting theory, how cold are we talking about? fridge cold or freezer cold?


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## TechGuru (Dec 6, 2019)

alpg88 said:


> interesting theory, how cold are we talking about? fridge cold or freezer cold?



I'd say fridge cold. The green on my StarShower takes at least 15 minutes to warm up and reach full brightness at 40 degrees out.


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