When hiking in bear country be sure to carry bear repellent. Bear spray is an effective and non-lethal product to help protect you from bears. It is basically a high-powered pepper spray designed to cause immediate inflammation of the lungs and respiratory distress. You must be able to access the spray IMMEDIATELY. Most bear spray is designed to shoot about 30′ for 5-8 seconds. The spray is often an orange or reddish color so that you can see the stream.
Before hiking stop at a Ranger Station and ask about bear dangers and how to deploy the spray. Different species of bears require different tactics so check with Rangers first. When I visited Yellowstone a Ranger explained how to deploy bear spray.
- First, spray a line in front of an approaching bear (should deter most bears)
- Spray in short bursts of 1-2 seconds
- If the bear continues towards you then spray directly in front of the bear
- If the bear continues closer then spray the bear directly in the face
- Remember that you may be affected by the spray as well
Bear spray should be carried where you can access it very quickly such as on your belt or on a shirt loop. NEVER put bear spray in your backpack. Note that the propellant in the canister is temperature sensitive and it may be less effective in cold weather. If the temperature is below 50° then consider carrying the canister inside your coat. The canister can also explode when exposed to high temperatures such as in a car on a hot day. The bear spray will not lose its effectiveness but the propellant will.
Additional Information
- Refuge Notebook: Tips for Using Bear Spray
- When buying bear spray I opt for the larger cans
Whistle
Always include a very loud, durable whistle in your hiking kit or Bugout Bag. Most packs have corded zipper pulls. I replace one of the outside zipper pulls with a whistle to make it fast and easy to access.
The whistle is an essential device for signaling. Every hiking pack should include a very loud whistle and you should know the whistle code:
- One blast → Stop
- Two blasts → Come to me
- Three blasts → Distress – come to me quickly
I prefer a simple, multiple frequency, loud, and durable whistle. A multiple frequency blast normally travels longer distances. Be sure everyone in your hiking group has a whistle that produces a very loud sound and requires minimal effort to blow.
Recommendations
Some multiple frequency whistles require a fair amount of air and others require much less effort. In an emergency situation you may be hurt, weak, and disoriented. If your whistle requires more effort for signaling then this could be a problem. Test the whistle occasionally to be sure that it is easy to blow. I found one by Emergency Essentials that was inexpensive and very loud.
Battery Types
The topic of batteries would seem to be a fairly simple subject. I purchased some tactical flashlights that use a more specialized battery and I wanted to see if I could use a rechargeable battery. This seems like a pretty simple question. What I found was a very confusing and complicated battery landscape. Here are some of the more common batteries:
| AA | 1.5v | Smaller devices including camera strobes, flashlights, etc. |
| AAA | 1.5v | Smaller devices including headlamps, flashlights, etc. |
| CR123 | 3v | Used in most tactical, high-powered flashlights. |
| RCR123 | 3.7v | Rechargeable version of the CR123. These normally output a higher voltage and I do NOT recommend using these batteries in flashlights that were not designed to use them. The higher voltage could damage your flashlight. |
| C & D | 1.5v | Used in larger flashlights, lanterns, etc. |
These are standard batteries and things get complicated after this.
| Type | Composition | Voltage | Size | mAHr | Comments |
| AA | Alkaline (d) | 1.5v | |||
| Alkaline (r) | 1.5v | ||||
| NiCad (r) | 1.2v | ||||
| NiM (r) | 1.5v | ||||
| CR123 | Lithium (r) | 3.0v | 0.64″ x 1.3″ | 1400 | |
| RCR123 | LiFePO4 (r) | 3.7v | 0.64″ x 1.3″ | An ICR battery includes circuit that makes the battery appear as a 3v cell. | |
| 16340 | Lithium (r) | 4.2v max 3.7v nominal |
0.71″ x 1.3″ | 550-700 | Similar to CR123 but slightly larger diameter. |
| 16340 | LiFePO4 (r) | v | Similar to RCR123s and uses safer chemistry but outputs lower voltage. | ||
| 18650 | (r) | 3.6v – 3.7v | 69.2mm x 18.4mm | Looks similar to a large AA battery and used in a number of rechargeable tactical flashlights. | |
| ICR & IMR | (r) | 4.2v max 3.7v nominal |
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| IFR | LiFePO4 (r) | 3.6v max 3.2v nominal |
Sawyer Squeeze
The Sawyer Squeeze is the big brother of the Sawyer Mini. It connects to a (1) water bottle, (2) bladder (included), or (3) placed inline on a hydration pack. The Squeeze is slightly larger than the Mini and can filter a greater volume of water more quickly. Reasons that I like the Sawyer Squeeze include:
- Filters to 0.1 microns which is better than nearly all filters
- Long lasting and will filter up to 100,000 gallons
- Can attach to a bladder (included) or standard water bottle
- Small and can be easily carried
- All-in-One kit allows filter to connect to a bucket
- Reasonably priced at about $50ish
- Easily cleaned by backflushing
Two Kits Available
The Squeeze is available in two different kits. Both kits use the same filter but they include different accessories.
The Personal Squeeze Kit includes the filter, backflush syringe, three bladders, and straw. I recommend this kit for hiking and vehicle kits. Use the three bladders for storing and filtering water. Take a Sharpie pen and write DIRTY on one of the large bladders and then always use this bladder for the unfiltered water. Use only filtered water in the other two bladders. This way you will not contaminate your clean water.The All-in-One Squeeze Kit includes the Personal Kit plus bucket fittings (including a spade bit to drill the hole). With the bucket kit you can use the Squeeze as a higher volume gravity filter. Water added to the bucket flows through the Squeeze filter to filtered water container. If you are building a home kit then also consider the Sawyer Zero PointTwo filter.
Recommendation
I carry a Sawyer Mini in my hiking kit and I have a Sawyer Point ZERO Two filter at home. I think every hiking kit or vehicle kit should include a Sawyer Mini or Sawyer Squeeze. These filters are effective, small, long lasting, and affordably priced. Use the Mini for personal use, the Squeeze if you need a greater volume of water, and the Zero PointTwo for the finest level of filtration.
Sawyer Mini
Reasons I like the Sawyer Mini:
- Filters to 0.1 microns which is better than nearly all filters
- Long lasting and will filter up to 100,000 gallons
- Can attach to a bladder (included) or standard water bottle
- Small and can be easily carried
- Reasonably priced at about $25
- Easily cleaned by backflushing
Recommendation
I have a Sawyer Mini in my hiking kit and another in my Bugout Bag. I think every hiking kit or vehicle kit should include either Sawyer Mini or Sawyer Squeeze. It is effective, small, long lasting, and affordably priced. When carrying the Mini in your kit I take the filter and cleaning syringe and wrap then in the included water bladder. I then take the wrapped filter and store it in a poly zip bag or very small utility bag. This keeps all of the components together and protected.
Review: Streamlight Stylus Pro
Features include:
- Beam: 90 lumens at 860 candela with 58m beam
- Runtime: A very impressive 6.5 hour runtime from two AAA batteries
- Holster: Tear-resistant nylon holster included
- Construction: Anodized aircraft aluminum with polycarbonate lens
- Durability: IPX4 water-resistant and impact resistant to 1 meter
- Size/Weight: About the size of a marker (5.3″ long) and 1.64 oz
- Beam Pattern: 48″ x 10″ at 3′ (Beam Scale)
- Colors: Black, silver, blue, red, orange, green
- Cost: About $20-$30
It is just a good, basic, small flashlight that is extremely easy to carry and use. It has a very long run time, uses two AAA batteries, and has two modes (ON and OFF), and the body is machined from aircraft aluminum. Once again StreamLight created a simple product that does its job very well. At less than $25 it is affordable and well worth that price.
This light is NOT a replacement for a high-powered tactical flashlight but it is a good addition to your light collection. If you want to carry a basic, non-tactical flashlight then this one is small, affordable, easy to carry, and has a very long runtime.
Recommendation
This is an excellent light to include in a hiking and emergency kit. You should have two forms of light in your kits and these two lights should use the same type of batteries. I use a Black Diamond Spot headlamp as my primary light and a Stylus Pro as my backup light. Both use AAA batteries and both have a very long runtime.
Streamlight Siege AA
Key features include:
- Rugged and can withstand 2 meter drops to concrete
- IPX7 Waterproof, floats, and can be submersed 1 meter for 30 minutes
- Limited lifetime warranty
- Uses readily available AA batteries
- Red light to preserve night vision and 3-blink distress signal
- Optional magnetic base is especially nice for vehicle kit lanterns
Lighting Modes
It has three white light modes and two red light modes:
- Low white light: 50 lumens runs for 37 hours
- Medium white light: 100 lumens runs for 15.5 hours
- High white light: 200 lumens runs for 7 hours
- High red light: 0.7 lumens runs for 192 hours (8 days)
- Red flashing SOS mode for emergency signaling: 0.7 lumens runs 288 hours (12 days)
Press the power button to activate the light, and press again to move through the lighting modes. Press and hold the button to toggle between white light and red light modes. The lantern can be hung right-side up or upside down. The handle allows the lantern to be hung on the edge of tables, cords, or branches. You can remove the diffuser cover and hang the Siege upside down to provide more even lighting (works well inside tents).
Power
The Siege AA can operate using disposable or rechargeable batteries. If you need to operate off-gird then consider using the Goal Zero Guide 10 to charge NiMh AA batteries for the Siege. The power fail voltage is about 1.12v.
Recommendations
The selling points for me with this lantern are the durability and the red light. The Siege is very durable and can easily withstand 2-meter drops. It is IPX7 waterproof, floats, and can be submerged for 30 minutes. The red light can be used for emergency signaling. If you have car trouble you can put the Siege in red blinking mode to alert others. The flat areas on the main body help eliminate rolling and the square rubber feet on the base help it to not slip. An optional magnetic base is also available.
I recommend having at least one Siege AA in your house in case the power fails. For home use you might consider the larger Siege that uses D-cell batteries and has a very long runtime. I have one Siege AA in my car and one in the house. The one in my car has the optional magnetic base to secure it if I need to use it as a distress beacon. Since it is waterproof it would be an effective signal lantern even in adverse weather conditions.
Conclusion
The Siege AA is not flashy or gimmicky. It is just a good basic, extremely durable, effective, and affordable lantern. This product does one job and does it very well. If you want a larger lantern with more light output then consider the Streamlight Siege which is the big brother to the Siege AA. Streamlight also makes a Magnetic Base for the Siege AA.
Review: Streamlight ProTac HL
The Streamlight ProTac HL is a really nice, durable, and high-power flashlight. It is on the larger side and sells for $70-$100. The machined aluminum body of the light fits in the palm of my hand and the larger head extends past my palm. This is an extremely rugged tactical light that generates a 750 beam with 18,300 candelas. This light output is sufficient to temporarily blind an attacker using either the high-beam or strobe modes. The front and read caps have a semi-aggressive pattern that would be effective if it was used as a striking weapon. The grip areas of the light was knurled to make it easy to grip.
- Construction: The light is machined from aircraft grade aluminum and it has a fairly aggressive striking pattern on both the head and tail. The threads are tight and very smooth and an O-ring provides additional water sealing.
- Size: 5.43″ (13.8cm) long, 1″ (2.54cm) barrel diameter, 1.44″ (3.7cm) head diameter. The ProTac HL is a bit large to carry in a pocket but easy to carry on a belt. The body diameter is large enough to provide a good grip and the head protrudes enough to provide a good striking surface.
- Waterproof: IPX7 waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes.
- Durability: Withstands 1-meter drop.
- Features: High, strobe, low modes, and Ten-Tap programming.
- Light Output: (high) 750 lumens at 18,300 candelas for 1.25 hours, (low) 35 lumens at 900 candelas for 18 hours.
- Beam Pattern: 50″ x 7″ at 3′ (Beam Scale)
- Power Fail: No low battery indicator and the flashlight will fail when the CR-123 battery gets to 2.5v.
At my job we are routinely warned to walk to our cars in pairs late at night. When I walk to my car I always have this light in my hand. The diameter of the light is just the right size for my grip, it is lightweight, but substantial enough to be effective should the need arise.
Additional Reviews & Information
- Streamlight HL-X review (replacement for HL)
- Fenix UC35 review (similar style flashlight)
- OLight M2R review (similar style flashlight)
- Luke Fosberg Review
Review: Streamlight ProTac 1L-1AA
- Construction: The 1L-1AA is machined from aircraft grade aluminum and has a fairly aggressive striking pattern on both the head and tail. The threads are tight and very smooth and an O-ring provides additional water sealing.
- Size: At 4.5″ long and 0.95″ diameter (head, 0.85″ barrel) it is small enough to fit in my pants pocket but large enough to fit with width of my palm. The diameter is just large enough for my fingers to wrap around the body of the light.
- Batteries: A HUGE advantage of the 1L-1AA is it can use either a CR123 battery to produce 350 lumens or a AA to produce 150 lumens. I use the CR123 but it is nice to know that I could use a AA as a backup. The lower battery contact is spring loaded to accommodate the larger AA battery directly. This feature distinguishes this light from all others that I have seen.
- Battery Life: CR-123 (high) 350 lumens for 1.5 hours, (low) 40 lumens for 14 hours
AA Alkaline (high) 150 lumens for 1 hour 20 minutes, (low) 40 lumens for 7.5 hours
AA Lithium (high) 350 lumens for 4.25 hours, (low) 40 lumens for 14 hours - Waterproof: IPX7 waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes.
- Durability: Withstands 1-meter drop.
- Price: $40-$60 which is a very fair price for a flashlight of this quality.
- Features: High/strobe/low modes and Ten-Tap Programming to switch to High/Low or Low/High mode.
- Beam Pattern: 40″ x 7″ at 3′ (Beam Scale)
- Power Fail: No low battery indicator and the flashlight will fail when the AA battery gets to 1.18v, or the CR-123 battery gets to 2.83v.
If you want an everyday carry (EDC) flashlight then this is normally the one that I recommend. It is a good size for most people, generates a bright beam, and uses duel fuel. If you have larger hands then consider the Streamlight 2L or one of the longer flashlights.
Advantages
This is my personal everyday carry (EDC) light. I took months deciding which flashlight to purchase and this was my choice. I keep trying to find a better light and I keep coming back to this one. Some of the reasons I really like this flashlight:
- 350 lumens on high and 40 lumens on low
- Aluminum construction with tactical bezels on the front and back
- Small size allows me to easily conceal it in my pants pocket
- Large enough to fit all the way across my palm
- Double sided clip
- Dual battery so I can use an AA if necessary
Disadvantages
This is still my favorite flashlight but there are a few minor flaws in this product.
- No low battery indicator: This light will work fine until the batteries get low and then it will stop working with very little warning. If you needed to light in a tactical situation and the batteries were low you may have a completely non-working light.
- Others have reported that the clip will easily lose its shape and not grip the body of the light over time. I have not experienced these issues and have been carrying the flashlight daily for well over a year.
- The light does not tail-stand easily. While this is a disadvantage if you want to tail-stand the light it means that the button is easier to press use to less material on the back of the light.
These are minor disadvantages and should NOT dissuade you from purchasing this light. This is still my favorite everyday carry flashlight.
