A place for me to review the various rugged, nifty and needful kit that I've accumulated, for every-day preparedness in the event of accident, disaster or world-shifting end-times Apocalypse, be it zombies, triffids or Mayan divide-by-zero errors.
I'm a fan of my electrical gadgets, and with that comes the need to keep
them charged on the go. whether it be in transit, on the trail, out
cutting wood or doing chores, I like to listen to my tunes, stay in
touch with the news and my feeds and all of that takes electron juice.
I have a collection of batteries, from simple vending machine ones to those that came as bonus to some of my solar chargers like the Kogalla solar bank I recently covered.
Built with a whopping 48,580 mWh charged by a 5V, 2.1A Micro USB port. Outputs are by 3 5V 2A USB ports. which can be run simultaneously, for a 3.7V/13,400mAh capacity
Compared to the vending -machine issued Promate charger ,with only 10,000mAh with a 5V 1A and 2A dual outputs. The power dense Kogalla BatPak 2 is wallet sized and fits nicely in a pocket.
With its triplicated power outputs, and compact size, the BatPak 2 is a remarkably portable and powerful tool to keep your gadgets and devices charged on the go.
The protective case is simple and simple, with a single texture and few extrusions, high- speed, low drag indeed!
I keep it charged up and couple it with a rugged Lightning cable to keep my iPhone charged. It usually sits in a side pouch of , my EDC pack the Mystery Ranch 1DAP but it just as easily sits in cargo pocket of pants or tucked away in my Hazard4 Escape RG harness.
I love my portable batteries. mostly because I love my power-hungry iDevices and not only go to a lot of long meetings, but also occasionally camping trips and other away-from-the wall outings! Having portable power not only extends my mobile browsing and picture snapping abilities, but also makes me a hero when someone else is trying the same and didn't think to prepare.
I also love it when two great flavours like this mix, such as in the Kogalla solar storage bank. The SSB2210 Solar Storage Bank is a high-energy, ultra-slim power bank
matched to a high-efficiency foldable solar panel housed in rugged,
waterproof fabric body.
Unfolding exposes four solar panels each roughly the size of the iPad Air 22cm (8")x 13cm (5") x 3.5cm (1 1/4") compared to (24 cm (9.4") (h) 16.5 cm (6.67") (w) 7.5 cm (0.30") (d)) and when fully unfolded it stretches out to an overall 61cm (24") when fully deployed the SSB2210 offers a huge 22 W capture capacity s worth of panels which allows for fast charging times in full sunlight. Matching the panels to the power bank allows for
energy harvesting even in low-sun conditions. 920g (2lbs) n not bad at all, considering both the panels AND battery in one.
Not unfolding the panels limits the capacity but reduces the footprint required. given that the four panels fold nicely and will constantia a bit to allow it to stand up whilst exposing more panels to the sun. This is also important when it comes to getting a good angle to the sun.
Maximum possible solar generation at your location is possible
by angling the panels to the angle of the latitude at which you are
located. In Melbourne, that would be 38°. You would ideally want to
angle your panels at a greater tilt for maximum exposure to the low
winter sun.
The general rule of thumb is that panels angled at the latitude angle, plus 15°, is best to maximise winter sun exposure. Obviously placing the panel in the line of the sunlight is the other part of this equation. Direct sunlight is best but even dappled or overcast sunlight will generate power, slowly trickle changing the on-board battery.
The 10,000 mAh power
bank provides long battery life between charges. The power bank can also
be charged through a micro-USB power input for charging during no-sun
conditions. from a wall socket tor other alternate power source like
Dual high-current USB power ports (up to 12 W) lets you
power lights, accessories, or fast-charge devices. The unit folds into
a compact, ultra-portable kit that includes a zippered pouch for
accessories. The kit also includes a flexible-neck USB light, micro-USB
cable, and lightning cable. For the charging of all kinds of devices. I especially like charging my USB chargeable flashlights and phone in a modern "make hay whilst the sun shines" situation. I also charge up my other batteries for the same reasons.
I've found that I can charge either an iPad or an iPhone but not both simultaneously, now, doing some research i find that the An iPhone charger delivers 5 Watts (5 volts at 1000 mA) and the Retina iPad mini charger delivers 10 watts (5.1 volts at 2100 mA). so its not unreasonable to see that 5W + 10W is more than the 12 W output of the SSB2210. Bearing that in mind, just like the Apollo 13 Mission Control team, do the math and know how much draw your gear is going to make on your batteries. Matching the panels to the power bank allows for
energy harvesting even in low-sun conditions, but they can only do so much. Luckily I also have a dedicated iPhone solar charger...
Another neat feature of the SSB2210 is the fabric eyelets sewn into the
middle of the unit and the four corners. These loops allow the solar
panels to be lashed down into optimum position or onto something either
for stability or portability. I lashed it to the side of my rain-fly one
day, and also to the back of my hiking pack, such that my daylight hike
would serve double duty of also charging batteries on the bounce.
I
used four mounting points to fix it to my pack here, but left the bottom
panels free-hanging.
I knew I would need to be mindful of the panels when I shucked my pack, but it wasn't any drama at all on an hour long hike.
I generally keep this unit folded up and in the hydration bladder pocket of my day to day pack, ready to charge up my devices on the go, or to pull out and make myself a hero during long meetings.
I can highly recommend it, especially as an off-grid power source in a sunny environment to keep your vital gadgets alive. I would couple it with other power generation and storage items such as the Beacon or the like. Diversify and empower yourself!
I was asked "what piece of gear do you think you'd be pissed, if you went out and left behind?" and I had a hard time coming up with a single item, as I have a lot of redundancy in my EDC. However, one thing that I have found that I really don't like realising I have left behind, or lent out, is my external power source. My personal go-to power-pack is an item I originally backed as a Kickstarter, and have now moved into full commercial production, the LimeAde.
This is the Limeade BLAST L180X, their 18000mAh high-capacity option at the time of the Kickstarter campaign. It has been with me since July 2013 and faithfully charging my devices every other week or so.
I've had very good service out of my Limeade Blast, and when I go on adventures, or even just have solid days away from my desk off-site or in meetings, it's an invaluable addition to my loadout, and one that is appreciated by anyone else who wants to sponge Amps off me.
We had a scheduled power outage at our place over the weekend, which we had completely ignored, and it took us a little by surprise, but thankfully, we have gas-for cooking and hot-water.
What we didn't anticipate is the power-hungry nature of the ladies Pokémon GO running iPhone 5's. We might have lost wireless internet, microwaved cooking and refrigeration but they still "gotta catch 'em all!"
We were fortunate that even though the power-outage went 3-4 hours over time (apparently the pole-replacement was too big for the hole dug) it was not as cool as it had been, getting down to 5oC at nights, as all our inside heaters are electric. However, running the stove, boiling water in the PowerPot for hot drinks as well as generating power, and our collection of candles and lanterns for lighting.
Outside, I ran our BioLite thermoelectric stove much to the delight of Tactical Baby, who insisted in roasting marshmallows over the flames, whilst I charged yet another Lithium 4400 battery and phones directly. I cut wood to run the BioLite, as it only takes short sized lengths of wood and twigs before dark set in. We were preparing to cook by candlelight when the power came back on.
With good use of ambient light, not opening our fridges and freezers, and gas-cooking and water, we were hardly inconvenienced, and with my collection of thermo-electric power sources, we has device-running power aplenty.
I came across a very informative article recently, that I thought my be of interest to you my readers.
Dan West is the founder and CEO of Walden Labs, a certified permaculture designer (Geoff Lawton, 2013), and a seeker of truth. In 2014 he bought a 100+ year old, rundown, farm in the north of Sweden that he's transforming into a resilient homestead full of abundant natural production systems.
"When you are new to self-reliance, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I wish I could tell you the "lost" feeling changes over time, but it doesn’t. The truth is; while you expand your knowledge of taking care of yourself, your interests in new subjects and skills can spiral out of control. That’s the thing with depending on yourself, it’s hard to just specialize on doing just one thing. Sure you can become a master of growing potatoes, but potatoes won’t keep you warm through the winter or quench your thirst. And, when you think you have figured something out, you may realize that you have solved only a small piece of the puzzle."
Mr West has developed this infographic to outline and track a wide variety of elements to self reliance, untpder he major headings of food, water, shelter, energy and protection. It's well worth checking out, and you can download a high resolution PDF version of this document from his article.
I was wandering the streets recently, and passed one of the big-chain outdoors stores with a sale on, and thought I'd pop in to see what was what. I thought I might do a new thing for a spot. I wandered around and found 6 items that I would want to grab and go with if a disaster was imminent. This wasn't a very well thought out thing, and I might do it differently next time, but the premise was: "if SHTF whilst out strolling, what would I grab and go with, right now". I had parked my car only a block away, I had my family with me (Omega, Lorin and Tactical Baby), so we already had a reasonable EDC and BOB capacity on-hand.
Dynamo Radio which gives you a portable and personally powered connection to the outside world, at least listening in. The Radio is recharged by turning the crank for 90 seconds (providing approximately 40 minutes of playback). It also features a torch, clock and alarm. It carries a IPX6 "Splashproof" rating, and even features an earphone jack (reducing your noise signature, and reducing power consumption).
An internal rechargeable battery pack (2.4V/300mA) powers the radio two LR-44 button batteries run the clock, but it can It can run off AAA 1.5V batteries or be powered by an external DC3V adapter. It has a pretty standard frequency range (AM 540-1600KHz, FM 88-108 MHz). It weighs 200g and is pocket sized.
Phantom MTB v4 hydration pack caught my eye as a carry-it-all.
Lightweight & simple, with enough room for the essentials required for a short trip if we had to hump it. Its design encourages airflow & comfort, with airmesh harness and backing and and adjustable straps. It features a multi-tool organiser, waist strap for secure running or climbing, reflective come-rescue-me flashings, and is 2L hydration bladder compatible. It's construction is of some very lightweight materials, the main body being a P600D Oxford, the trim a N420D SC HD and the lining N210D Oxford, all materials are double polyurethane coated for waterproofing. It weighs only 390g and this is telling, it's a pretty flimsy pack, compared to the usually mil-spec bags I'm used to, but it would have work well enough for what
With more storage and salvage in mind, as well as contamination reduction, I spied a Dry Sac 3-pack, which would meet that need. Constructed of a light but tough 30D diamond patterned nylon ripstop with polyurethane coating. The three pack comes in three sizes: Large 48cm L x 33.5cm W, 8L capacity, medium 38cm L x 26.5cm W, 2L capacity and small 28.5cm L x 20cm W with 1L capacity. They are lightweight, durable, and water resistant with sealed seams. I really like dry-bags, Its just a matter of stuffing them, rolling down the top a minimum of three times to cover the flap and folding back and clasping the Fastex buckles.
I also saw a pretty good little pocket sized Survival kit in a find-me Safety-Orange case the case's contents: Pencil, Waterproof paper, fire steel and striker, cotton wool (2pcs), button compass, whistle, survival mirror, Wire saw, a small multi-tool, snare wire, fishing kit, salt sachet (2pcs), safety pins (2pcs), duct tape, zip-lock polybag, braided nylon cord and a carabineer.
It's only 12cm x 10cm and weighs 186g, so would be a very quick way to bolster a survivors kit on short notice.
Power and light are key elements for even short term comfort in a disaster situation ,and can greatly improve morale which is where something like the LuminAid come into play
This is a solar powered, inflatable LED light, with a waterproof (IPX-7) solar cell, battery and LED lantern, which is housed in a PVC-free balloon, which makes it buoyant, and dissipates the light evenly, making it a lantern rather than a flashlight. The battery is fully charged after 7 hours of direct sunlight, and can retain its charge for up to three months, before needing a top up.
It has two light settings, a 15 lumen glow, with 12 hours of illumination, and 30 lumens, with 6 hours of charge. The bladder is blown up by a valve, the same kind of valve seen on pool toys world wide. At 77g this is a simple innovation that would go a long way to driving back the chaos after a disaster, especially in a family situation.
A second light also caught my eye, this time as a communal power source as well as light source. The Power source lantern has a Cree R5 LED 3W light with four lighting modes: high – 150 lumens; medium – 75 lumens; low – 13 lumens; flashing, with corresponding run times: high – 6 hours; medium – 12 hours; low – 94 hours. The lantern also features a USB output which can be used to connect and charge your digital devices as a power source. It features a rechargeable Li-ion 3300mAh battery offering DC 5V-1A Max output.
The lantern can be placed on its base, hung by its built-in hook, or attached to metal via powerful built-in magnets. It also features a battery indicator and has a IPX5 splash resistance rating. Being able to keep a phone charged can also be really useful and potentially life saving survival tool.
So, there is my quick summary of six items that caught my eye that I might grab, if I happened to be passing near a Kathmandu store in the outbreak of a sudden disaster.
The general principle is this: a steel pot, an inner layer with air-holes, a protective outer mesh to prevent accidental contact with the hot pot, built in folding legs, and an attachable, thermocouple driven, high-capacity battery, with both USB output and an internal fan to drive the fire.
The fire output is measured as 3.4 kW (at low power with the fan) and 5.5 kW (With the fan at high power). I haven't yet timed it, but BioLite state that it takes as little as 4.5 minutes to boil 1 liter of water, but obviously boiling times vary by strength of fire, which then comes back to the quality of the fuel used.
Officially, 46g (1.6 oz) of wood to boil 1 liter of water, when I used it, I simply chopped up a fistful of wood, and fed it in, feeding as it went. One thing to note is that with a small combustion pot, you need to feed it regularly, as it burns down rapidly, more so if the fan is set to high.
The varnished pine ex-furniture I was using here went up like a candle, but I expect that denser, or damper wood to burn a bit lower and slower. Charcoal would be an ideal fuel, but anything form hay (which I used to light it) to paper and cardboard, twigs, pinecones, whatever, would do. If you have the fire going, and can fit the solid fuel into the firepot, it will probably work.
The output of the USB varied, with the intensity of the fire, but is documented as 2W @5V at a continuous burn, and a peak output of 4W @5V. This in turn gives a phone such as the iPhone 4S (2G) 20 minutes of charging provides 60 minutes of talk time.
As with the boil times, charging times would vary by device and by the strength of the fire.
I really like how by clever design the fan/charging pod, fits neatly into the fire pot, with the thermocouple poking out.
When packed, its 21cm (8.25") tall, and 13cm (5") around, and weighs only 930g (33 oz).
The triangular trivet which clips over the scalloped triangular metal lip provides extra security for placing pots or cups on the top, for cooking, water sterilizing, or what-have-you, doesn't clip nicely back onto the lip when the charging pod is stored, but the whole package comes with a nylon drawstring bag, so you're covered.
The USB port is nicely fitted, and covered by a silicone flap which keeps it drip, splatter and ash-free when not in use. The external honeycomb grill shields you from direct burns, but still heats up pretty swiftly, so don't try picking it up once burning.
I look forwards to coupling this with my newly-replaced PowerPot XL and doubling the off-grid charging and powering that I can offer my camp-site.
I do love my Kickstarter projects, my flashlights, and alternate power sources, so when the Fogo project came up, I jumped right onto it. Alas, its first iteration didnt make the target goal, but the Fogo team have gone bak to he drawing board, and have come back with a second version, which looks to be going strong.
I wanted to give you all my thoughts on it, because I think it has some real potential, but needs some explanation before you go right in and back it. Caveat Emptor.
The base level light has a programmable flashlight, USB charger,
accelerometer, digital compass and a charging system for other devices.
I've covered a multi-functional flashlight before, in the Hexbright FLEX and charging systems like the Snow Lizard SLXtreme case but the Fogo has a few more built in features that sets it apart.
Constructed predominantly of Type III Hard Anodized 6061 aluminum for
the body, end cap, and bezel, with an acrylic lens protector, and a
polycarbonate protector for the built in 168x144 crisp, low power LCD
screen (with backlight), and all together holds a IPX7 Waterproof rating.
It measures 14cm (5.56") x 4.5cm (1.78") in diameter and weighs 285g (10oz) when fully loaded up with the twin 18650 protected Li-Ion batteries (up to 3400mAh each).
The USB Charger which has a 1.8A at 5V output power (Micro USB OTG Adapter required for charging external devices) allows charging of up to 1.8A.
The really interesting features that the Fogo can have added are a Bluetooth connection, GPS circuitry, Walkie-Talkie Smartcap and Text Messaging over radio.
The Radio cap offers a wireless network between other Fogo users allowing you to send digital voice and text messages, including GPS data such as waypoints, as well as real-time communication from 1.6 to 11.2km, depending on terrain.
The Text-Messaging-Over Radio option requires the Radio-Tail-Cap option in order to work, so be sure to bear that in mind when building your own, and you need two of them to communicate like this.
I haven't gone as far as pledging for those upgrades, because I unfortunately don't have the funds to put in for two or more complete models, but I can see the appeal of off-cell-grid communications in a rugged an easy to use unit like these.
For my money, I'm looking forwards to the Kickstarter to surpass its Stretch Goal of $80k to achieve an upgrade of the Cree LED's. The higher efficiency XP-L outputs up to 1226 lumens compared to 1058
for the XM-L2. Plus the XP-L gives the Fogo a 10% improvement in
battery life.
With its Battery Voltage, Current, and State of Charge sensors, automatic light control to save battery life and protect your night vision (point to the ground for dim and far away for bright) and off-course notification, the Fogo is a pretty advanced flashlight on its own. With the addition of the GPS and bluetooth options, and being able to track your speed, distance, elevation, rate of ascent/decent and see your stats on the Fogo or download them for later use, tracking your heart rate or cadence or even use the crash detection feature which alerts nearby Fogos (if any) of your situation. It's a pretty special system, all told.
I hope it gets picked up widely, it would be good to see it out there getting its full exposure and coverage.
Another Kickstarted project, another power generating project and addition to my off-grid arsenal.
This is a second generation thermoelectric device, that was launched as a Kickstarter in order to get the new models out there. These are the PowerPot X from Power Practical and I really liked it.
The PowerPot X is a sleek 10-watt generator that converts heat into
electrical power. It works by housing a thermoelectric module between the base of the regular pot, and an aluminium base-plate. The modules are encased in weatherproof high temp silicone casing Just heat up water in the pot and the PowerPot will
immediately start putting out electricity to power or charge your devices.
The smaller first-generation PowerPot V,
only has a 1 amp output, but the X can push up to 2 amps, sufficient to charge larger and more power hungry devices like iPads and SLR batteries.
The X ships with a standard USB (5V)
port, and comes supplies with one of Power Practical's three-headed adapter cables (mini, micro and 30-pin). The detachable cable has a one-way-only connector to the body of the pot for safety, and three-feet of
highly durable, flame-resistant cabling. Built into the USB end of the cable is a solid-state voltage regulator provides safe and stable power at up to 10 Watts charge any number of small high-tech
devices.
The PowerPot X comes in two sizes, the X is 2.3L (3 qrt) and the XL (which I selected, because bigger) is 3.8 L (4 qrt), each having the same kind of hard-anodized aluminium pot, with folding handles. The XL measures 19cm x 13cm (7.5" x 5"), and weighs 770g (11.2 oz) . Not bad for an output of 10w, 2amp, 5V as infinate as your water and heat source.
That's one thing to note. You can't run it dry, or the thermocouple will get fried. I've run mine on both an electric hotplate and by gas, both on the home stage, and also a propane BBQ plate, to remarkable success. Whilst out camping recently, we charged a number of iPhones and iPads, in fairly short order.
The size of the pot allowed me to boil 5 cobs of corn at a time as well as charging. This could be used at each meal-time to top up devices, recharge lights and batteries. As long as you have water to act as your thermal mass, and fuel to heat it, the Power Pot is a never-ending source of electricity in a lightweight and dual purpose package.
I almost look forwards to our next power outage, so I can dazzle the neighborhood with my awesome power.
It is more than just a radio though, and it is jam-packed with extra features.
As well as a scanning (no dials or even readouts) AM/FM radio, it also has a SD card slot and USB port to play solid-state media music, and a 3.5mm stereo auxiliary input port.
A push button selector cycles through the input types and similarly, the scanning forwards and backwards is by push-button. I found this a bit difficult to use, or at least awkward, to try to find a station I was specifically after.
Each side cap features a LED lamp, also push button controlled. The left side is white and continuously lit.
The right side features four flashing red LED's and also activates a siren, which is both loud and annoying. Perfect, really. At full charge, the siren will play for 3 hours.
The unit features a 1000mAh 3.7V lithium polymer battery internally, but can also take four AA batteries as well. Power status indicators on the front also show how well the hand-cranking dynamo is working on your manual charge.
It also will charge USB devices with an output of 5VDC /500mA.
The radio will play for 7 hours, the torch will last 15 hours and the SD/aux playback will run for 3-5 hours.
Made of a pretty lightweight ABS plastic, and with exposed seams throughout, this is not really a rugged piece. More suited to sitting in the glove-box or in the box of camping gear than for treks in the Amazon, or salvage runs into Chernobyl, but given the eternal nature of the dynamo as a power source, not only for the radio, lights but also as a charging station, this little multi-purpose device is a welcome addition to my just-in-case collection. You never know when the power will go out, and radio is an excellent source of news and information.
Here's a very cool gadget that I backed via Kickstarter, and have added to my mobile power ensemble. I've previously covered power generating thermo-electric systems such as Tellurex tPod1
and the bioLite power generating campstove as well as some options for going solar.
This is the Practical Meter which is a clever little in-line USB unit, which gives you a visual means of determining the power usage and output. The LED's built in give an indication of the number of Watts (0-10W, 0-2A) that is being drawn to a given device. This display is in two stages, blue LED's lighting up for 1-5W, and then with the flashing red LED indicating 6-10W.
This level of resolution enables the user to customise the output, either by adjusting cables for better USB version, or the power source. For example, with solar collectors, it would be possible to adjust the angle of the panel to catch the maximum solar output. The same would stand for a thermo-electric generator, or any USB source combination.
Having an adjustable and monitoriable source of power means that a survivor can tailor their resources to best serve their needs in the event of being cut off from reliable mains power. Whether it is solar, fire or from a variety of battery sources, with an item like the Practical Meter, you can at least see what you are getting. It's not a robust piece of tech, so needs to be treated with more care than a ruggedised piece of bug-out kit, but at 12g (0.4oz) it's a great value piece of tech to add to your "power-pack pack".
Kevin Martin over at BreachBangClear has done a cool piece on a hefty ruggedized power-pack for charging his devices out in the field, for extended times.
Here's the link to his take on the PowerTravellers - Power Gorilla. This tablet sized battery boasts 20,000 mAh of charge, and you can see that Kevin put it through its paces in some pretty rough conditions.
I've covered a couple of power-generation devices in past, the thermoelectric Tellurex-tPod1, and a wish lust BioLight campstove to generate power, solar systems like those found on the SLXtreme iPhone case and the other small solar systems I have tried
but as yet haven't really covered how to STORE that power, other than in those built-in devices. Worth checking out Kevin's findings, for sure!
I had a comment left for me by a reader on my Facebook page (g'day LCpl Thralls!) following on from my Lazerbrites post I dropped by UVPaqLite to check out their glowsticks. I'm a sucker for lights, as my regular viewers would know, and have an enormous affection for glow-in-the-dark products, having decorated many childhood bedrooms with constellations and have expanded that into my adult life with the SAR GlobalTool Moon-Glows. I was impressed by the range of rugged, practical items that UVPaqLite had on offer, and snapped up their mixed collection Scout Pack.
I put my Moon-Glow down beside the collection for a comparison as well as a wrapped cyalume stick, for scale. I super-charged all of these with my Jil-Lite Jenyx UV torch The scout pack consists of four different elements; the UVGlowStik, the 6" ToobLite, a UVO ring necklace and the flexible signature UVPaqLite sheet. The UVGlowStik, ToobLite and UVO are solid pieces, consisting of solidified clear epoxy, in which crystals of glow-in-the-dark strontium aluminate are suspended. Being solid-state, these pieces can be cut or drilled and can also be taken to ANY depth.
Unlike traditional GITD products, the large crystals are clearly visible but apparently this large granularity increases the brightness, duration and speed of charging, they certainly appeared to do so. The 4"x1/2" UVGlowStik is not quite as bright overall as the 6" ToobLite, but is "ruggedised", lacking the tube, plastic cap, and key chain ring of its larger cousin, but features a drilled lanyard hole.
Swiped from UVPaqLite webpage.
The UVO is 1.75" in diameter, and comes in both the traditional greenish GITD hue, but also in their "Ice Blue", but subtly adjusting the chemical composition of the crystals. Spinning the UCO on its lanyard produces a signalling method of contrasting of light and movement which would make it easier for rescue crews to see from the air.
The UVPaqLite flatpack is a vacuum sealed roll-able, stuff-able, pouch measuring 20cm x 15cm (8"x6") and weighing only 36g (1.3oz) and can be dangled or laid flat to provide a tents forth of illumination all night long. Better yet they have an essentially infinite shelf life, unlimited recharge cycles. Perfect for a disaster, where resupply, or even infrastructure is doubtful.
I found that the whole set could be exposed to electric room lights for "getting ready for bed" durations, and still be visibly glowing in the pre-dawn gloom, when Tactical Baby comes calling. Daylight exposure for just a few minutes makes them light up visibly even in lit environments, thanks broken ozone layer! UVPaqLite suggest that they would still be visible as markers even after 4 days of cave-darkness. These are super cool, and I think I will be adding more to my collection as soon as budget allows, great gift ideas are forming ...
I've covered some of my battery collection as well in the Limefuel by Limeaid . 
