Survival Lighting | Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.

Introduction
In the 21st century most people everywhere have become accustomed to having light after sunset each day.

This short article will briefly discuss how to provide light during a survival event.

Discussion
For thousands of years the four traditional sources of light have been:

Fires: A small fire was normally started at a campsite, or inside a oven, or inside a fireplace. This provided light, heat, and the option to cook food. However, the fire was stationary and it would only illuminate the immediate area. And if the fire was built outdoors then it could be seen from a long distance away. Therefore, if a person did not want their fire to be seen, then they would use dry wood to minimize smoke and they would dig a shallow hole in the ground so the fire would be below the top of the ground and this reduced its visibility as the distance from the fire increased.
Torches: Handheld torches were portable and they allowed people to explore an area and minimize the chance of an accident. The Holy Bible says that the soldiers who arrested Jesus used torches (John 18:2).
Candles: Traditionally candles were made from animal fat. The flame of a candle will provide a small amount of light for one room. Candles could be moved between rooms if the flame was protected from air drafts as the candle was being moved, such as using your hand to keep the air from blowing out the flame. Detailed instructions for making candles from animal fat are on my website at this link How to Make a Candle Using Animal Fat and Some Cotton String.
Oil Lamps: A traditional oil lamp was a fireproof clay bowl with a wick that extended down through a spout into the oil inside the bowl. The Holy Bible tells a parable of ten virgins who used oil lamps (Matthew 25:1-13). Modern oil lamps have a glass globe to protect the flame. Oil lamps require oil, wicks, and some people do not like the odor created by an oil lamp. And if you run out of oil or wicks then your lamp is useless.

In the 21st century a very good option for providing light during a survival event would be to use rechargeable batteries (AA or AAA), and a flashlight or a lantern with an LED bulb. The LED bulb will last somewhere between 20,000 to 100,000 hours depending on the type of bulb. The rechargeable batteries can be recharged hundreds of times. During a survival event the most reliable way to recharge batteries is to have a small portable solar battery charger. A solar battery charger that will recharge AA and AAA batteries and that has a wire between the solar panel and the battery case will allow the solar panel to be placed in direct sunlight and the battery case to be placed in a shaded area.

During a survival event the best use of a flashlight or lantern would be to provide illumination in one room. This will provide light for everyone in the room. Each family should have a flashlight or lantern for each person in the family but everyone should not be using their flashlight or lantern at the same time (except when it is necessary). A better option would be to only use one flashlight or lantern to provide light for everyone. This will allow your rechargeable batteries to last a very long time. This suggestion will probably be ignored by most people at the beginning of a long-term survival event. However, if the event continues for a very long time then most people will wish they had not wasted their rechargeable batteries when it wasn't absolutely necessary. This would be similar to rationing your emergency food at the beginning of a survival event and not waiting until after you have eaten half of your food before you realize that the survival event is lasting a lot longer than you expected.

Conclusion
During a survival event most families will still need some type of light after sunset.

At the current time, flashlights, lanterns, and rechargeable batteries are affordable and widely available. Solar battery charges are available on Amazon and at other websites. However, after a survival event begins these items will not be available and most families will wish they had purchased several of these items when they were available.

May God Bless,
Grandpappy.

Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com