The Best Flashlights To Add To Your Flashlight Survival Kit

A flashlight survival kit is a must for every car, home, and outdoorsy adventure. These kits are great because they include emergency gear like a pocket knife, rope, multi-tool, lighter, and other tactical accessories.

Proper lighting is vital in an emergency kit – light can help you fix things, see where you are going, or spot approaching danger if you get trapped or stuck in some unforeseen situations. 

In this buying guide, we will take a look at some of the best emergency flashlights to add to your little survival kit.  

What is a Survival or Tactical Flashlight?

Survival flashlights can differ quite a lot from your average household flashlight because they are usually designed to handle specific elements or to provide you with the needed light for specific scenarios. 

Tactical flashlights usually have a tougher construction so they can be dropped or exposed to light rains without being ruined. This can be a very helpful feature if you find yourself stuck at a roadside in the middle of a storm or if you are out camping or hunting.

Survival flashlights often have multiple applications. They usually have more than one light feature so you can perform different types of tasks at night and they can have other accessories in their design like a small window hammer or a cutting tool.

These flashlights usually offer more than just light. For instance, Hiking and camping flashlights often have hooks or carabiners to help you keep them close by without losing them. They are often solar rechargeable or can be recharged with kinetic energy so you can still get light even if you run out of spare batteries.

The 5 Best Torches for Your Flashlight Survival Kit

Humans have been obsessed with producing light in darkness since the dawn of time. This obsession has given rise to many different lighting solutions including handheld flashlight designs from many brands and suppliers. 

While it is great to have plenty of quality products to choose from, picking one good torch from so many diverse options can be overwhelming. This is exactly where our guide comes in. 

After considerable research, we shortlisted some of the best and brightest flashlights to include in your survival kit. Here is a look at our top picks. 

1. The GearLight LED Flashlight – The Overall Best Flashlight for Survival Kits

The GearLight LED flashlight is our top pick. This tiny yet tough flashlight offers all the features you need to get you through a survival situation. 

This is a good option for people who need a durable product they can rely on over many years because it is made from tough anodized aluminum materials. The tactical torch is weather-resistant, and it won’t let you down no matter how bad the weather gets.

We also love its compact size – it is small enough to fit snugly in your hand, glove compartment, or even handbag and the textured design helps you keep a good grip even when your hands get sweaty or slippery. 

The GearLight flashlight is the most powerful on our list since it can produce a beam of up to 1200 lumens of light. It also comes with other features like zoom that allow you to control the amount of light the torch offers. The push-button design on the back makes for easy use, although it can sometimes be difficult to find the light mode you need. 

This flashlight requires 4 AA batteries to function. When your batteries run low, you can easily replace them with fresh ones and be good to go. 

Specifications:

• Dimensions – 7.68 x 1.77 x 1.77 inches
• Weight – 10.8 ounces
• Main materials – Anodized aluminum
• Color – Black
• Water-resistance – Weather resistant
• Impact resistance – Drop-resistant
• Versatility – Multiple modes, zoom, and high lumen beam
• Switches – Button press at torch back
• Battery type – 4 x AA (Not included)
• Bulb type – XM-L2 LED with up to 1200 lumens
• Included – Torch only

2. The Eveready LED Flashlight Multi-Pack – The Best Budget Flashlight Pack for Survival Kits

This Eveready LED flashlight multi-pack is perfect for those who are shopping on a tight budget or for people who might be buying in bulk. With these sets, you can have a backup flashlight in every vehicle, bedroom, and in your travel kit without breaking the bank.

There are two types of sets. They both offer the same amount of light (25 lumens) but include different styles of batteries. The smaller flashlight takes 4 AA batteries and can provide you with up to 30 hours of light, while the larger accepts D cell batteries and will provide you with up to 60 hours of light.

This emergency flashlight has a simple design, is affordable, and has only one light mode. The 20 lumens are ideal for working in the dark but insufficient to see obstacles from far away. Due to its flat base, the flashlight can be put upright – small stands on one side prevent it from rolling away when you lay it flat. 

One flashlight is blue and the other one is red so you can easily tell which one might have a depleted battery. The bright red flashlight is very easy to spot in low light conditions so you won’t have any trouble finding it. 

Specifications:

• Main materials – Chloroprene plastic
• Color – Red and blue
• Water-resistance – None
• Impact resistance – None
• Versatility – Beam only
• Switches – Pushbutton switch on torch side
• Battery type – 2 x D batteries, 4 x AA batteries (included) (Up to 60 hours of battery life)
• Bulb type – Lifetime LED (25 lumens)
• Included – 2 / 4 flashlights and batteries

3. The Simpeak 2-Pack Hand Crank Solar Flashlight – The Best Solar Flashlight for Survival Kits

The Simpeak hand crank solar flashlight is an ideal accessory to add to your survival backpack or to use for night walking. This set includes two army green flashlights that will fit in any camping bag. They also come with a carabiner back so you can hook them safely onto your backpack or belt.

While the tactical flashlight isn’t waterproof or impact-resistant, it is made from thick and durable ABS plastic, so it should be able to handle light hits and bumps. 

This flashlight isn’t overly bright, but at 50 lumens it will give you plenty of light during emergencies. It offers a side-fitted switch and only one light beam setting.

What makes this flashlight ideal for an emergency kit is its rechargeable battery and solar panel. Simply leave it out in the sun and the battery will fully charge within 10 hours of direct sunlight. Once fully charged, it can be used for up to 10 hours. 

If the battery runs low, turning the swift crank for one minute will give you about 10 minutes of emergency light. 

Specifications:

• Dimensions – 124 x 45 x 32 millimeters
• Weight – 869 grams
• Main materials – ABS plastic
• Color – Army green
• Versatility – Solar charge, crank charge, belt clip, and beam light only
• Switches – Push switch on the side
• Battery type – Rechargeable via solar or hand crank
• Bulb type – LED (about 50 lumens)
• Included – Two flashlights

4. The PrimalCamp Hand Crank Solar Flashlight – The Runner Up Solar Flashlight For An Emergency Kit

When disaster strikes, you will want this little flashlight at your side. Backpackers who look for an eco-friendly and reliable light source for their emergency kit may want to consider the PrimalCamp solar flashlight. It is environmentally friendly since it can recharge via the sun or kinetic energy, so no more batteries will be discarded.

The LED flashlight has only one light beam setting that you can switch on via the side-fitted switch. This light isn’t overly bright but it certainly offers enough light for basic campsite tasks or nighttime chores. If the battery runs low, you can quickly turn the crank to produce more light. The torch can be recharged in sunlight, providing you with up to 10 hours of light with a full battery. 

The bright yellow color of the flashlight helps you easily see in limited light conditions. You are also very unlikely to lose hold of it since it has a carabiner that can clip onto your backup. 

Specifications:

• Dimensions – 5.51 x 1.65 x 2.8 inches
• Weight – 3.05 ounces
• Main materials – ABS
• Color – Yellow
• Versatility – Solar recharge, hand crank recharge, belt carabiner, and beam light
• Switches – Side fitted push switch
• Battery type –  NiMH battery rechargeable via crank or solar (10 hours light to fully recharge)
• Bulb Type – LED
• Included – One flashlight

5. The Carelite Multi-Function LED Work Light – The Best Multi-Purpose Work Light for Survival Kits

The Carelite LED work light is specially designed to assist you with car emergencies like crashes or breakdowns. The little torch has three different light options that are powered by 2 AA batteries that you can easily replace if they run low.

The 270-lumen flood beam is ideal for getting a clear look at your environment or for spotting threats at a distance. The lower 100-lumen offers plenty of light to change a tire or check out the engine. A flash beacon will also keep you safe if you get stranded in the middle of the road because it will signal other approaching vehicles. 

This high-quality flashlight offers other accessories like a little hammer to break car windows if you get stuck in your vehicle or a belt razor that doubles as a survival knife so you can get out of your seat after a crash.

The torch might be made from plastic but it is durable and has an IPX4 splash-resistant rating. 

When you consider all of these specs, it becomes clear that this flashlight is a must for every car glove compartment. 

Specifications:

• Dimensions – 0.54 pounds
• Weight – 8.6 ounces
• Main materials – Plastic 
• Color – Orange
• Water-resistance – Yes
• Impact resistance – Yes
• Versatility – Flood beam, torchlight, flash beacon, car window breaker, and belt razor cutter
• Switches – 3 (beam on, torch on, and red roadside hazard on)
• Battery type – 2 x AA batteries 
• Bulb type – LED (100 – 270 lumen output)
• Included – Flashlight only

Final Thoughts

We hope that this guide helped you find a great flashlight to include in your survival kit. If you need other emergency gear like an inflatable fishing boat or a hiking survival kit, then you should have a look at some of the other guides we have on The Preparedness Experience. Our site is packed with product reviews on all the best survival accessories for outdoorsy adventures.