I don’t know about you but I adore all the places LED flashlights have made their way into. With their durability and frugal energy use, I’m always grateful to have one within easy reach in the car, at home or when outdoors. In a real emergency or survival, situation they can go well beyond a convenience and comfort though. Along with fire starting supplies, light is one of those consideration every survival and disaster preparedness plan should have multiple back-ups of. Two particularly nicely integrated concepts have recently made their way into my heart and my gear.

The first is an LED integrated into a Cord Lock. A cord lock is a common, spring-loaded tension adjustment device found on numerous pieces of gear that use drawstrings; backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, laundry bags, luggage, coat hoods and so forth. You’ve probably seen them a hundred times. Because of their size and ubiquitous nature, its surprising that someone didn’t incorporate an LED into them earlier. This particular light is from Black Crater and is a nice quality piece, boasting a white LED with three lighting modes: low (20 hours), high (12 hours), and flash (50 hours). Other features include:

  • LED: 3mm Hyper Bright LED, 12,000 mcd typ.
  • Power Source: 2 x lithium CR1220 batteries, shelf life 5 years (included)
  • Weight: 8 grams / .25 oz.
  • Water resistant construction
  • Corrosion proof stainless steel cord lock spring
  • Limited lifetime warranty from the manufacturer

Currently available from Sahalie or GoinGear.

 cordlock_led
zipper_pull_led Next up for LED attention is the ever-present zipper pull.  Much like the Cord Lock, the main purpose this zipper pull LED from Eddie Baurer is to upgrade some under utilized space on your gear.  However, the Eddie Bauer® Zipper Pull with LED brings a few other tricks to the table:

  • Three LEDs for stronger lighting
  • Thermometer
  • Compass
  • Batteries included

Available from Amazon.com.

Considering the reasonable price of each, I think both would make great addition to any set of gear and much appreciated gifts for friends and family.

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