Emergency Lighting

When most of us think of emergency lighting we probably think of flashlights, candles, and oil lamps.  These are all good things to have on hand, both at home and in camp.  Of course, your camp lanterns (gas or battery) are good sources of illumination during a power outage at home as well as in camp.  I like to have at least a couple of old-fashioned "hurricane" lights -- oil or kerosene lamps -- for indoor use at home when the power goes out.  They are attractive as well as effective.  If you don't like the smell of kerosene, use scented lamp oil or liquid paraffin (which has no smell).   Most of my oil lamps are made of glass and, of course, they all have a class chimney, so they are somewhat fragile so they might not be your best choice for camping or in earthquake country.  Old-fashioned kerosene lanterns, being made mostly of metal and having a metal cage around the glass chimney, are a little sturdier and perhaps a better choice for camping.  At home I fill several oil lamps with citronella oil and use them on my patio tables to help keep the bugs away as well as adding pleasant ambiance to after dark gatherings.

For "routine" emergencies in camp, add emergency electric lighting to your RV or camp kit.   Most RVs come with at least one outside porchlight, but you will probably find it convenient to install additional lights at other locations.  I added one on the front of my enclosed motorcycle trailer to illuminate the hitch for nighttime hook ups.  I scrounged up a couple of very bright flood lights salvaged from on old ambulance and installed them on the curb side and rear of my motorcycle trailer that give me excellent illumination for nighttime OHV repairs in camp.  I even put the rear light on an exterior 3-way switch so I can turn it on and off without having to go inside the trailer.  By the way, I wired all the trailer lights using residential light switches in convenient locations.  They are definitely overkill from an electrical standpoint, but sure make finding and using them easier than fumbling with tiny little toggle switches.  Having some battery powered lanterns and plenty of extra batteries is always a good idea for both RV and tent campers.  They can also be used at home during power outages or other emergencies.  It is always good to have either battery or gas lanterns to help conserve your RV or vehicle batteries in camp.

Modern LED lanterns are a real boon for camping and emergencies.   They were quite expensive when they first came out but you can often find them for $10 or so these days.  Since LEDs use far less power than incandescent bulbs, the batteries (or solar charge) will last much longer.  I once inadvertently left a 17 LED lantern on overnight in my barn and it was still burning bright the next morning and still worked for months afterwards.  An incandescent light would have drained the batteries completely in just a couple of hours.  Rechargeable lanterns may be useful if you have access to power to recharge them, but I like to have at least some with replaceable batteries as a hedge against power outages and extended overcast days.  I prefer simple battery powered lanterns for emergencies.  They are usually less expensive and I can stock extra batteries to outlast a power outage and don't have to worry about them running down before the sun comes up or comes out to recharge them.  Solar powered lanterns would be good for camping and home emergencies, but probably not for exploring caves and mines.  They are good for tent lights if you remember to put them outside each day to be recharged.

But what if you are away from camp and find yourself in a survival situation?  What options do you have for emergency light then?  A campfire will provide general illumination for some routine tasks around camp.  Campfires provide comfort, make a good beacon to assist rescuers to locate you, and will help keep wild animals at bay.  But they are not very portable if you need to move around at night.  

Torches have been an historic source of light for centuries.  To make a torch you'll need a handle (a stick will do),  some kind of wick material (cloth, shredded bark, dry moss, etc), and fuel (wax, sap, petroleum, vegetable oil, animal fat).  In a survival situation where you have to make do with whatever is at hand, you may be able to make torch from shredded bark and tree sap.  Animal fat can also be a source of fuel.  You can make a simple candle by putting a wick in a stick or tub of butter or fat.  Most cooking oils are flammable enough to be used to make candles or torches.  If you have access to vehicle fuel like gasoline and diesel, you may be able to use that to power a torch, but exercise extreme caution since these fuels are highly volatile and could easily get out of control.  They also burn fast so they don't last very long.  Gasoline fumes are extremely explosive, so don't work with gasoline in an enclosed space.  In a true emergency situation you could drain motor oil from an engine and use it to fuel your torches.  Motor oil will probably burn slower than gasoline torches, but it will also give off nasty, black, sooty smoke.  No matter what fuel you are using, take care to avoid spills, especially on your hands or your clothing.  The last thing you need is for your clothing to become the wick and YOU become the fuel!  Even skinny people have enough body fat to fuel a fire once it gets started.  In a survival situation you may have to start a fire without matches to light your torch.

Always test your torches outdoors before attempting to use them inside a cave or a structure.   Some fuels will burn fairly cleanly, others, like old motor oil, will produce a lot of nasty, black smoke.  Sometimes there will be a lot of nasty smoke initially but things may clear up a bit after the torch has burned for a while, warmed up, and gotten rid of excess fuel.  It  takes a little time for a wick to warm up and function properly, so be patient.  Always be careful with a torch so you don't accidentally start something around you on fire.  The last thing you need in an existing emergency is to add fighting or escaping from a fire!  Avoid using torches anywhere they could cause a fire.

You can make an emergency candle from a tube of ordinary lip balm.  One of the easiest methods is to simple insert the bottom end of a wooden match into the tube and press it down until the flame, when you  light the match, it is close enough to draw up fuel from the wax in the contents.  I've also seen people make wicks from cotton balls or toilet paper by rubbing them between their hands until they form into a string and insert them in a hole pressed into the center of the tube.   Since the main fuel being burned is wax, there is usually little smoke so a lip balm candle can even be used in a tent if you take appropriate precautions to maintain safety.

Chemical light sticks. commonly know as "glow sticks" are sometimes useful in an emergency.   They are especially good for comfort lighting -- alleviating some of our natural fear of the dark -- but usually are not bright enough to be good work lights and might not be adequate to scare off wild animals.  They are light weight, have no risk of igniting nearby flammable materials, and are easy to store, transport, and use.  They do have a limited shelf life, so keep an eye on expiration dates.  However, it isn't like there is a magic switch inside that turns off when the expiration date is reached.  I still have viable glow sticks that were "retired" from a company emergency program that are now nearly 20 years out of date!  I have observed that if the sealed packets have gone flat, the glow sticks are dead but if they are still "puffy" there is good chance the lights will still work.  They may not last as long as fresh ones, but in an emergency they are certainly better than nothing.  I have found a variety of glow sticks at Dollar Tree, include some giant ones about 1 1/2' long, so they don't have to be expensive. They are also safe to use in enclosed spaces and won't cause an explosion if there is a gas leak.  I carry one in my dirt bike tool kit.  It wouldn't be bright enough for nighttime repairs but I could use it as a signal to help rescuers locate me and for my own comfort.  To be honest, in a situation like that I would probably prefer a small fire, which would also help keep me warm during cold desert nights,

You may come across  Internet articles on making glow sticks from Mountain Dew soda.  Sounds like fun but beware that these are pranks or hoaxes!  There are even YouTube videos that demonstrate the process, but all my research tells me they are faked.  Don't waste your time, energy, or a possible source of necessary hydration and sugar energy trying to make glow sticks from soda pop!  Drink the soda and go find some good material to make a torch.  BTW, the popular "myth" of turning a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke into a rocket using Mentos does work but that is, of course, irrelevant, except perhaps for entertainment value.

You can use an ordinary milk jug as a diffuser to turn a point-source of light like a flashlight or headlamp into effective area lighting.  Shine a flashlight or place a candle next to a milk jug filled with water.  The water and the translucent plastic jug will diffuse the light to provide pleasant area lighting.  A battery operated LED "tap light" can similarly be fastened to the inside of the lid of a mason jar to create diffused area lighting.

In a survival situation, you may be able to cannibalize your vehicle (car, truck, RV, boat, OHV) for lights.  This isn't something you would want to do unless it was a serious survival scenario since ripping out lights and wiring is pretty destructive and you probably won't have any way to recharge the batteries once you've run them down.  Speaking of batteries, you can use batteries and 0000 steel wool to start a fire.  Sometimes even a couple of flashlight batteries provide enough current and even a partially discharged car or motorcycle battery may still have enough juice left to light up the steel wool.  Steel wool doesn't make a good torch but it is excellent tinder to start your fire or light your torches.  I've seen demonstrations of using an ordinary D-cell flashlight to start a fire.  Carefully break the bulb so you don't damage the filament.  When the light is turned on, the filament will be hot enough to ignite well-prepared tinder.  Why would you destroy a good flashlight?  Well, you might need a fire for warmth or cooking or you may need torches that will last longer than the flashlight batteries.  Personally I'd probably save my flashlight and use it to look for other ways to start my fire.

Light up!