Best Survival Flashlights for Emergencies
Light is something we take for granted until the lights go out. A surprising number of emergencies and disasters have the potential to knock out power and lights that depend on electricity. This is where a great survival flashlight can keep you prepared and effective- even in the dark.
We’ve tested a large number of flashlights from a variety of brands to find the best for an emergency. There are thousands of models of flashlights out there, but we were able to trim the field quickly with some research and quickly recognizing quality gear. Versatility, output, runtime, and battery type were all huge factors that separated out the best flashlights from the rest of the competition. If you want a versatile, quality flashlight for any situation, one of our prepper flashlight recommendations will get it done.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
In this latest update of the best survival flashlights, prices have been adjusted. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Disclosure»
Best Survival Flashlight
ThruNite TN12 V6
Powerful, Long-Lasting, and Versatile
The TN12 V6 pushes boundaries for a light less than $50, giving us a great value- if slightly flawed- flashlight.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
56
OVERALL SCORE
ThruNite cranks it to 11 with the TN12 V6 powering a massive 1950-lumen LED with a 3400 mAh rechargeable battery without regard for heat. Some view the hot lens cap when it’s running in Turbo as a drawback, but as long as you are aware that it can get hot, we don’t see it as a big issue. In our runtime and durability tests, the housing dealt with the heat fine and wasn’t near the battery, which would affect charging/discharge. This is also the ‘improved’ version (over the previous pro model), meant to disperse the heat better.
Specifications
- Lumens: 1950
- Throw: 259m
- Measured Lux: 5350
- Light Modes: 6
- Housing: Anodized aluminum
This flashlight has a removable, rechargeable Li-ion battery at 3.6V 12.24 Wh (type 18650). It charges through an integrated USB-C port, so you won’t need to remove the battery to charge. The battery’s discharge performance is great, giving the light a long runtime even when you run it through the maximum modes as it steps down in lumens.
Cycle through the modes with rapid presses on the main switch or by holding the switch. Press the separate tail switch for a burst of Turbo (only while pressed), which is great for getting high-output fast or self-strobing. The Strobe mode runs at a high frequency, making it effective and disorienting at 560 lumens.
The dual-sided clip is large and effective for pockets or MOLLE, and it is removable if you prefer. The handle knurling is adequate in wet and muddy conditions, and the rubber USB-C charge port cover held up during testing. I could see the rubber cover as a potential issue down the road, but it’s not a hanging-style cover- it is fully attached on one side.
The ThruNite TN12 Pro Flashlight is the best prepper flashlight for survival kits and bug out bags when you need to balance performance and value.
Budget Flashlight
GearLight S1000
Inexpensive, Durable, and Versatile
This is an excellent budget pick, packing the durability and versatility usually found at much higher prices.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
34
OVERALL SCORE
The GearLight S1000 punches way above its weight class. For ~$15, you get an adjustable zoom LED flashlight that generates up to 800 lumens with a max throw of 300 yards. The aluminum casing is 6 inches long and makes it lightweight- the flashlight weighs just 5 ounces (without the holster).
The flashlight is not water-tight, but it is close with solid water resistance using o-rings. With regular AAA batteries, the output is closer to 400 lumens- but the versatile battery housing for various battery types allows you to pick both power and wide availability. It also lasts at least 10 hours on a set of fresh AAAs.
GearLight also produces lanterns and headlamps, but the S1000 is the California company’s workhorse with over 35,000 online reviews. You could find a better flashlight on the market, but not for this value. If you need more runtime, output, or throw distance, you can always upgrade, but you will find that the GearLight S1000 LED Flashlight is the best prepper flashlight for survival kits and bug out bags if you’re staying on a tight budget.
Upgrade Flashlight
Olight Seeker 4 Pro
Powerful, Reliable, and Extremely Durable
This flashlight packs a ton of power in a waterproof casing with all the details (like wireless charging) well thought out.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Also available to buy at Amazon.
72
OVERALL SCORE
Olight has been constantly innovating LED flashlights, tactical attachment lights, headlamps, and more. Their catalog is constantly growing- if it’s a light and it needs to use powerful LEDs, they’ll probably end up making it.
The Seeker 4 Pro is one of the toughest lights you will come across. It is completely sealed and waterproof, so it uses a magnetic charging cable that attaches to the bottom of the light to charge its 5000 mAh rechargeable Lithium Ion battery. The light puts out a whopping 4600 lumens, thrown 260 meters, and can run for 15 days – all of that power in a housing less than 6 inches and less than 8 ounces.
The mountable holster that doubles as a charger is the cherry on top. It’s the detail that pushes the versatility of this light above other contenders. Holstering your light in your bug out vehicle or even in your bag can start recharging it automatically. Olight’s Baton models tried this first, but the charging case was cumbersome. Now we have an open-air holster with USB-C charging coming in and magnet charging going to the light.
Don’t worry about rubber charging ports on this light- it’s completely sealed and IPX8 waterproof. It charges through magnetic induction at the tail, and the battery and brightness indicator lights use ‘microperforation.’ This makes them bright and completely waterproof. It doesn’t use a separate lens- it’s lasered into the mode toggle button.
Pick up the Olight Seeker 4 Pro Flashlight if you are looking for the best of the best.
Comparison Table
| Survival Flashlight | Recommendation | Price* | Lumens | Battery | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThruNite TN12 V6 | Best Overall | $39 | 1950 | 3,400 mAh | |
| GearLight S1000 | Best for Budgets | $15 | 800 | 3xAAA | 6.4 oz |
| Olight Seeker 4 Pro | Best Quality for Frequent Use | $140 | 4600 | 5,000 mAh |
The Flashlights We Compared
Our research narrowed the field down to several contenders that we tested: Eveready, Nitecore, Olight, GearLight, Maglite, Streamlight, Surefire, and more. This helped us eliminate flashlights that just weren’t a good value. Finding the best value and a solid budget pick ended up being much more straightforward than our upgrade pick. There were plenty of options at lower price points, but most of them matched their low price with low quality. The few exceptions stood out quickly.
At the higher tier (upgrade) prices, there were still plenty of options from well-known quality brands, so features and versatility became more of a factor. Maglite used to be the de facto flashlight for emergency use, but has seemingly been out-innovated by a wide range of competition. The onset of LEDs has flooded the market with competition, and a new set of leading brands has emerged.
What to Look For
The best prepper flashlights have several important features to look for. To compare flashlights with our measurements and metrics, we consolidate those into an overall score by weighing the features.
- Value
- Brightness (40% weighted for overall score)
- Runtime (20% weight)
- Durability (20% weight)
- Versatility (20% weight)
Below, we break down what each of these means for a great flashlight. When you get the right blend of these, you can find a great flashlight without breaking the bank.
Value: Cost vs. Benefit
There are plenty of expensive flashlights that are just awesome. If you are a lottery winner, maybe you can stock up on these for all of your kits. For the rest of us, in the real world, we need to consider what we’re actually getting for the price of the flashlight.
*Prices at the time of the latest update.
A solid, cheap flashlight is an excellent pick for an occasional-use survival kit. Sure, you don’t want some cheap flashlight that will fail you in an emergency, but there is a tipping point where you could easily overpay for a flashlight. That’s why our upgrade pick is small enough to be EDC- if you are shelling out serious money for a flashlight, you need to be using it often and getting your money’s worth.
Brightness
Flashlight performance is the main thing that separates the garbage from the useful gear. Most times, brightness is measured by the lumen output and throw.
Lumens are a measurement of the light output. Flashlights range from 20 lumens all the way up to the hundreds of thousands now. Flashlights have really gotten brighter over the last several years, but most of the time, this kind of output can drain a battery quickly.
The throw of a flashlight is a factor of the Lumens produced, the reflector cone shape, and the lens type that affects how far the flashlight beam travels. Some flashlights have a throw beyond 500 yards. Some flashlights have a ‘zoom’ bevel which allows you to change the beam width and throw distance.
The problem is that both of these are difficult to measure and don’t paint a complete picture of brightness, especially lumen output. LEDs are lumen-rated, which is typically what manufacturers list as flashlight lumen output- but the real brightness varies based on cone type, battery type, and LED configuration.
That’s why we use a light trap and a light meter to measure brightness. It’s not perfect since it puts the results in Lux (or footcandles)- but it’s a good benchmark for comparing the total light output from these flashlights.
Runtime
Runtime is a fancy flashlight word for how long it lasts when it is turned on. This is usually directly related to its battery capacity and the lumen output. A good runtime is a few days, and some flashlights can even be on for weeks.
Disregarding ‘firefly’ or ‘moon’ modes that output less than 1 lumen, we ranked the flashlights based on their reasonable runtimes with stock batteries:
Durability
A flashlight’s durability covers how well it can take abuse. Because these are meant for potentially life-altering situations, we need flashlights that can survive through thick and thin.
Manufacturers usually list a few signs signaling how durable a flashlight will be:
- Water Resistance / Waterproofing
- Drop/Shock Resistance
- Material (ABS plastic, steel, aluminum, etc)
Versatility
There are many ways to make a flashlight more versatile, but here are a few:
- Clips/Holsters/Lanyards
- Colored Lens Filters
- Conversion to Lantern or Headlamp
- Zoomable Bevel
- Multiple Output Modes
- Status Lights
There are also specialty flashlights that are excellent for prepping and survival purposes, such as:
- Combo Flashlight/Radio/Chargers
- Mechanical Flashlights (Crank, Shake, or Spin)
- Socket Emergency Flashlights
- Pen Lights
- Headlamps
Most of these specialty lights were not considered and have reviews of their own in some cases.
Batteries are one of the more nuanced decisions you can make when selecting a prepper flashlight. There are two main routes you can go:
- Replaceable: Cheap, easy to stock up, and find more of in an emergency (AAA, AA, C, D – main battery types)
- Rechargeable: Expensive, reusable, great emergency solution when paired with charging capacities like solar panels or generators. Usually, Lithium Ion or other advanced battery technology is used for longer and more consistent performance.
To muddy the discussion even more, you could always go with rechargeable and replaceable batteries, like Eneloop.
Why Flashlights are Important for Survival
The list of emergencies that could make the power go out is almost too long to list. We’ll list a few out anyway:
- Hurricane
- Tornado
- Flood
- Earthquake
- Severe Storm
- Wildfire
- Heat Wave
- Landslide
- Coastal Event (Like a Tsunami)
- Space Weather (Like a CME)
- Volcano
- Nuclear Accident
- Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP)
- Nuclear Attack
- Conventional Attack
The list goes on, and these are just the tip of the iceberg. To see all common threats and their matching risk score, you can check out our Threat List. As you can see, the probability and impact of these events are very different, but your survivability for each of them can depend on how prepared you are to bug out.
Flashlights can help you see in the dark, but you can also signal with them, and some models can even be used to generate heat. They are versatile tools all on their own, and having some light around during an emergency can even be comforting.
With so many threats with the potential for power outages, flashlights are a well-known preparedness priority. It is pretty hard to get things done in the dark, so a flashlight is just a common-sense tool for emergencies. If that’s not enough for you, the Red Cross, FEMA, and CERT – all these agencies agree that self-sufficient preparedness is important and that every family should have an Emergency Plan that includes kits with flashlights.
Who Needs a Prepper Flashlight?
Flashlights are a key tool for preparedness and prepping. Everyone can benefit from being able to see in the dark, especially in an emergency.
A flashlight is an integral and essential part of these kits:
No matter what threats could come your way, a flashlight is a good thing to have on hand.
How We Review Products: We research thoroughly before selecting the best products to review. We have vast prepping and survival experience and bring in outside experts when needed. Hours on end are spent testing gear in stressful conditions and using specialized testing gear to verify claims. We assign performance criteria and impartially rate each tested item. Learn more about how we test.
Sources & References
An objective look at the best prepper flashlight is useless without sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our practical military experience and prepping acumen.
Hunter, K., et al. (2014). Visible light communication using a digital camera and an LED flashlight. IEEE SOUTHEASTCON 2014, Lexington, KY, 2014, Pages 1 – 5. (Source).
Lenk, R., et al. (2017). Practical Design of An LED Flashlight in Practical Lighting Design with LEDs. IEEE, 2016, Pages 135 – 160 (Source).
Riederer, R. (2018). Doomsday Goes Mainstream. Dissent; University of Pennsylvania Press. Volume 65. Issue 2. Pages 14 – 18. (Source).
Conclusion
A flashlight may seem like a simple tool, but having a reliable and effective one in an emergency can make all the difference. Whether you are fixing something at night, navigating to your bug out location, or experiencing a power outage, a solid flashlight is something you will always want close by.
Here are some other review guides our subscribers have found helpful:
- The Best Headlamp for Survival and Prepping
- The Best Emergency Candles for Prepping and Survival
- Home Survival Kit List | 53 Essentials
See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.
Prepping Your Way
No judgement and no imperatives. Prepare the way you want to with the trusted source millions of modern preppers have relied on.Our newsletter fires out every Monday where you can expect:
- Practical prepping guides and tips
- Thorough survival gear reviews
- Noticeably absent spam and popups
- < 0.4% of people unsubscribe
