Reliable Emergency SHTF Lighting Solutions

Editor’s note: Please welcome Daniel Major to the website. Daniel is the owner of Alpha Survivalist. According to Daniel,  “I’m not ex-Special Forces. I’ve no experience in counter intelligence. I’ve never had to survive 3 years as a castaway on a deserted island, and I’m not some wannabee apocalyptic zombie killer!

It wasn’t until after watching a few episodes of ‘The Walking Dead’ that the penny finally dropped, and before you say anything, I didn’t suddenly start panicking that we were going to suffer a sudden pandemic of flesh-eating zombies roaming the planet.

No, I had suddenly realized that if everything that our society took for granted such as a usable water supply, electricity, stocked shelves in the supermarkets, communication networks, and public transport just to name a few, suddenly ceased to be there at our fingertips, society would very quickly collapse and those who were not prepared for such an eventuality would become, I presumed, the zombies of the show.”

Emergency lighting is essential in a SHTF situation. Regardless of whether you live in a remote area, in the center of a medium-sized city, or on the outskirts of a small town, you’ll find that emergency lighting is not only important, but entirely crucial.

The best emergency lighting solutions are those based on electricity. However, despite their ability to last a long time, many of them still rely on batteries. As a result, you will want to make sure you have better emergency backups. If you don’t want your batteries to let you down when you least expect it.

Which Lamps Are the Best to Have Around the House?

Although oil lamps and candles are always a good idea when it comes to keeping backups at the ready, electric lamps are often better for a number of reasons:

• They don’t require any fuel.
• Their batteries last longer than most fuel-based lamps.
• They can be designed using battery-free energy storage devices that store power in kinetic or electric form.
• They’re also lighter and less dangerous – so your kids won’t run the risk of getting burned or starting a fire.

AA battery flashlights are great to have around, since AA batteries can be found just about anywhere. Even if your main supply of batteries is gone, you’ll likely find a few leftover batteries in old toys, radios or alarm clocks.

At the same time, you can consider other hybrid battery/mechanic lamps and flashlights. A good example is a cheap shake light. It uses the movement of a magnet through a coil to generate power, and a small battery to store it. As you shake the lamp, the battery stores all that energy and keeps the light going for at least 5 minutes.

On the other hand, it’s always best to keep either a reliable oil lamp at hand at all times as a backup. Having a dependable Faraday box designed to protect the electronics in your lamps also works. Failure to do so will leave you exposed in the event of an EM pulse attack.

Hand Crank Lamps – The Only Solution You’ll Need

If you really want to be 100% prepared in an emergency, a hand crank lamp and an oil lamp will be all you need. Hand crank lamps are great because they don’t require any batteries in order to work. If your lamp is of a sturdy design, you can pick it up in 20 years’ time, crank it up, and have it provide you with hours of bright light without the need for fuel or batteries.

One of the simplest designs that does not use batteries is the flywheel design. Using a crank or a squeezable handle, the device activates a mechanical contraption that spins a small but heavy flywheel at high speed. The flywheel is concealed inside the device, and it spins an electric generator or motor to produce current. The current is fed directly into the light bulb or LED without the need for any energy storage components.

The greatest thing about these hand-crank lamps is that they work each time. Also, very little maintenance is needed. At most, you might have to check to see if the wheels are spinning properly and if the light bulb or LED doesn’t need to be replaced.

Over the years, hand crank lamps have evolved greatly and most can now be charged with USB leads, car battery and wall socket adapters. But most importantly, especially where preppers are concerned, most now have integrated solar panels. These will effectively charge a lamp in sunshine for use at night. So now you don’t even have to crank to put a charge in your lamp!

What’s Wrong with having just an Oil or Kerosene Lantern?

In a word, nothing! Before hand crank lanterns became popular you only really had the option of an oil or kerosene lantern for emergency lighting. Some people even continued to use them as their primary light source because they preferred them to electric light bulbs!

With regards to fuel, it has always been a good idea to use the recommended type of lamp oil for each specific lamp. But in an emergency most oil lamps could run on just about any oil you have lying around. They would still be able to provide a light bright enough to fill a room. This is something only the best hand crank lamps are able to match.

Some might say they are old fashioned but the standard lantern design is as popular today as it has always been, as the old saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke, why fix it”? However, modern kerosene lanterns are proving to be more efficient and a much cleaner alternative to the older style oil lanterns. And they are much safer too.

Mentioning safety briefly, when you are dealing with flammable fuels there is always going to be the danger of fire. We’ve all seen the movies where the house or barn burns down because an oil lamp has fallen over or been thrown and smashed intentionally. They might only be movies but unfortunately the danger from oil lamps is very real.

When using oil lamps, use common sense. Keep them out of reach of children and pets. And don’t have them located where there is a greater chance of them being knocked over.

Summing Up

Oil lamps are here to stay and personally I’m pleased about that. I much prefer their warm glow to the sterile light that a LED gives off. However, the reality is; they require fuel, regular maintenance, and they are a fire risk.

Hand crank emergency lanterns on the other hand, need only be cranked to produce an efficient light source. They are much lighter in comparison to an oil lamp. Hand cranked lights are safer, and nowadays, many are multi functional. They even have USB ports for hand crank charging of mobile devices as well as offering other methods of charging, including solar!

In short, both these emergency lighting options have their benefits. That’s why I’m sure a good prepper would definitely see the wisdom in having both oil lamps (preferably of the modern kerosene type), and at least one hand crank lantern in their emergency kit list; wouldn’t you?

Stay safe out there!

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