On the very early morning of October 14th, the better half and I left home on a long around the country car trip. We set out from Germantown Maryland, for Atlanta Georga, Georgetown Texas, Mission Viejo California, White Sands New Mexico, Carlsbad Caverns New Mexico, back to Atlanta Georga, and home to Maryland. We got home on the night of the 19th of November. We packed in only a couple of nylon duffle bags each, as the trunk space on the 2013 Camry was already half taken up with tent, air mattresses, and sleeping bags for whatever.
I had the usual pocket edc stuff with me, and a few items in the car. I used my pocket knife a bit here and there, and once needed some duct tape off the role in the car's tool kit. This being a knife based forum, we all love our knives here, but I have to admit that sometimes whole days would go by with no real need of a knife. We camped out in several spots, but when we got to the destinations, we stayed at family homes that we were visiting. We hiked in the dunes at White Sands, and in the Cleveland National wilderness area in California, in the Elsinore mountains. Always carried a water bottle or two in desert terrain.
But of all the stuff in my pockets and travel bags, the over whelming handiest item on the trip was a little thing the size of a small pinkie finger. A Fenix E01.
It was used at least every night, while staying in homes that were strange to us, or motel rooms in little towns in the middle of nowhere. Getting up at night, or trying to find something in a strange closet, or finding ones way to a bathroom in a strange house in the wee hours of the morning while trying not to wake up others by turning on a light, the tiny Fenix was a great tool. Looking under a motel bed for a dropped item, or being in a part of a National park cavern where some lights were burned out, but not replaced under the gov't cheap skate period. It was surprising how even a little light like the E01 at 750 feet under the earth had enough power to light up a dim paved path with more than enough light to see more, and probe the darker parts of the cavern not lit by the parks light system. Finding a dropped item in a dark tent in New Mexico was easy with the flashlight. It was cool to see some red eyes staring back on a night walk in Texas. The critter was too far off to see clear, but the eyes reflected the light very well, and we could see it blink. Very neat!
I had put a new battery in on the day we left, and at home again on the 19th it was still going strong. Good light, long runtime, and great reliability. Of all the stuff I had, the Fenix flashlight was the most used piece of gear on the trip. It's amazing how dark it gets out in the boonies at night.
I had the usual pocket edc stuff with me, and a few items in the car. I used my pocket knife a bit here and there, and once needed some duct tape off the role in the car's tool kit. This being a knife based forum, we all love our knives here, but I have to admit that sometimes whole days would go by with no real need of a knife. We camped out in several spots, but when we got to the destinations, we stayed at family homes that we were visiting. We hiked in the dunes at White Sands, and in the Cleveland National wilderness area in California, in the Elsinore mountains. Always carried a water bottle or two in desert terrain.
But of all the stuff in my pockets and travel bags, the over whelming handiest item on the trip was a little thing the size of a small pinkie finger. A Fenix E01.
It was used at least every night, while staying in homes that were strange to us, or motel rooms in little towns in the middle of nowhere. Getting up at night, or trying to find something in a strange closet, or finding ones way to a bathroom in a strange house in the wee hours of the morning while trying not to wake up others by turning on a light, the tiny Fenix was a great tool. Looking under a motel bed for a dropped item, or being in a part of a National park cavern where some lights were burned out, but not replaced under the gov't cheap skate period. It was surprising how even a little light like the E01 at 750 feet under the earth had enough power to light up a dim paved path with more than enough light to see more, and probe the darker parts of the cavern not lit by the parks light system. Finding a dropped item in a dark tent in New Mexico was easy with the flashlight. It was cool to see some red eyes staring back on a night walk in Texas. The critter was too far off to see clear, but the eyes reflected the light very well, and we could see it blink. Very neat!
I had put a new battery in on the day we left, and at home again on the 19th it was still going strong. Good light, long runtime, and great reliability. Of all the stuff I had, the Fenix flashlight was the most used piece of gear on the trip. It's amazing how dark it gets out in the boonies at night.
