A Pair of Great Outdoors Lights...

During our excursions to Practice What You Preach, to the Virginia Tidewaters and to the Wilderness Adventurer's Rendezvous; Care and I decided to test some different lighting strategies. I selected the PAL Survival Light, while Care opted for the Pak-Lite for our basic around camp and in-the-tent lighting.


Here's some specs on the PAL Survival Light:

Weight: approx. 3 oz
Size: 2.75" X 1.25" X 1"
Push button switch with 4 modes: Always on, Medium, High, and strobe.

The PAL Survival Light was a wonderful addition to my gear loadout. It's constant on feature made it a snap to find at zero-dark-thirty when nature called. The PAL's white LED light is cast through a lens and as such, the beam is relatively tight with very little side spill. The medium setting was all I needed for finding gear in the tent and to read by. Medium was insufficient for trail navigation. The high setting was ample for safely navigating outside the tent - especially in the South where venomous snakes are a concern.

While the PAL is no powerhouse in the projection department, the light is a major contender for run time honors. I can't say how long the battery lasts. Mine has been running constantly since March, 2008 in the always on mode with quite a few minutes worth of medium and high runtime thrown in. There's no observable loss in light output at this writing.

The PAL has earned it's place in my gear and sets in a place of high honor every night at home. It's always on beam projects light onto my pistol safe lock.
I purchased my PAL Survival Light from Cabela's for $14.99 USD.


Here's some specs on the Pak-Lite:

Weight: 1.5 oz with Battery
Two White LED Bulbs (10,000 hour rating)
Burn Time:
Duracell Alkaline=75+ hrs. high, or 600+ hrs. low
Ultralife Lithium=200+ hrs. high, or 1200+ hrs. low
Slider Switch with low & high modes
ABS Plastic Glow In The Dark Cap

The Pak-Lite has become a mainstay in Care's gear. Coupled with a three pack of spare batteries in a Tools Aviation battery carrier, she has hundreds of hours of personal lighting available at her fingertips.

Care found the low setting ample for in-the-tent reading and gear searching, while the high setting was adequate for trail navigation after the sun set. Finding the Pak-Lite during midnight nature calls was easy, since the entire top of the Pak-Lite is glow in the dark material.

The Pak-Lite fits inverted into the Tools Aviation battery carrier. With the Pak-Lite attached, the bottom of the battery sticks out of the carrier slightly for easy removal. Carried as such, the LEDs are protected from scuffs or other damage.
I was also impressed by Care's Pak-Lite system. So much so, that I bought a second one to store in my get home bag.

The Pak-Lites were purchased from Lighthound at $17.99 USD each. The Tools Aviation carriers were also purchased from Lighthound for $5.95 USD each.