Your EDC flashlight

It was a dark stretch of I75. My family and I were headed to Christmas Midnight Mass. The weather was unseasonably warm, quite a contrast to the year before when temperatures were near 0° and patches of ice made the interstate treacherous.

Traffic was light and moving normally. Suddenly, the vehicle directly in front of us, though well ahead, swerved violently to the left, then over-corrected to the right and lost control. We found out later the driver was trying to avoid striking a coyote that was running across the interstate. The sedan skidded in reverse towards the right shoulder, launching 50 yards or so into the low brush and partway up the hillside before coming to a stop.

I slowed our vehicle and pulled onto the shoulder. I couldn’t tell exactly how bad the wreck was, so I grabbed my trauma bag and jogged back along the shoulder to the scene. A few other drivers had stopped to check on the wreck. Fortunately, the occupants of the vehicle were uninjured, and without any other reason to remain onscene, I got back to our vehicle and continued on our drive. Interstates are not a safe place to be stopped, even on the shoulder, and I didn’t want to stick around any longer than necessary.

I carry a large flashlight in my truck, but only had my EDC flashlight with me that night. I remember that it wasn’t much light for how dark the night was and with the vehicle a ways off the road in the brush. Still, it was better than nothing. Had the occupants of the vehicle needed emergency care, my EDC flashlight would have provided enough light  for me to operate around/in the vehicle safely and render aid. Any light is better than no light!

What should you look for in an EDC flashlight? First, it needs to be comfortable enough to carry, rugged, and reasonably powerful. I’ve been carrying a Streamlight Stylus Pro penlight for several years. At 100 lumens, it’s plenty bright for most applications, and it’s small enough to easily carry with the included pocket clip. I use mine so frequently throughout the day on and off duty that I’m pretty much lost without it. I’ve misplaced a couple over the years, but at its price point ($20) it’s not the end of the world. Honestly, the worst part about losing one is that it’s usually developed a nice patena finish from a couple years of carrying it around at about the time I misplace it. There are rechargeable options, of course, or you can stick with disposable batteries. I personally use the non-rechargeable Streamlight.

What’s your choice for an EDC flashlight?