Don’t be Afraid of the Dark! SHTF Lighting Solutions

As preppers we like to be prepared for nearly anything and that includes life without electricity… a wonderful invention that has reliably lit up the dark of night for generations now.

But, as preppers, we also know that the power grid is relatively fragile and certainly won’t be there (at least not reliably) during an lengthy SHTF event.

We need to plan for this or at least be aware and be willing to adjust our lifestyle and perhaps even our expectations. We NEED SHTF lighting solutions we can rely upon.

Fears are hard to overcome

It’s hard, however, to overcome well ingrained fears such as a fear of the dark. I’ll admit it… complete darkness still freaks me out on occasion. It’s a natural fear and one that nearly all of us experiences to one degree or another, especially children.

Perhaps there’s good reason for such fears, particularly so during any extended disaster scenario. Fortunately, most of us have yet to experience prolonged periods of darkness. The most that we’ve likely experienced is the occasional blackout for a few hours to a few days or weeks at most. Most people–even the relatively unprepared–can deal with these situations with a minimal amount of flashlights and batteries.

But what happens if those weeks turn into months and months into years? Unless you’ve REALLY prepared yourselves then you’re probably going to end up living in the darkness eventually.

Remember we didn’t always have lights

Believe it or not there was a time in life when we tended to go to bed when the sun went down and got up when the sun rose. Yes, we may have had the capability to make fire and even had candles but we DIDN’T have the myriad of flashlights, lanterns, glow sticks, and whatnot that we do now.

In fact, I’m willing to bet that you and I are so accustomed to ambient lighting–such as lights from city streets even a long way away to glowing LED lights from electronics such as your cable box–that we don’t even know what it’s like to NOT have them in our lives.

It’s ONLY when we experience a true blackout (or a serious removal from society) that we can even remotely begin to understand what a SHTF pitch black scenario might feel like. Granted, we currently have a variety of light sources at our disposal but there will come a time when they no longer work or we don’t have fuel/batteries to run them. Then, and only then, will we feel the ominous pitch black much like our ancestors did.

Yes, yes, I know that moonlight can provide some good light at night and that our eyes will eventually adjust to having minimal light but there are situations where even this won’t do much good…

OPSEC is a double-edged sword

I’d assume that many of us–me included–fully intend to board up our homes (or at least a room) so that no light escapes in order to protect our OSPEC from potential passersby.

That’s a good thing but doing so also means that NO light can get in from the moon or any other source… even the sunlight during the day. If/when we no longer have our own light source then we’re back to living in complete darkness and in our own homes no less!

Of course, I shutter to think what life might be like if we’ve sadly run out of fuel and batteries for lighting (among other uses) yet are still boarded up in our homes like prisoners. The question, regardless, is: what can you do in this situation? That is, to better prepare yourself for a SHTF situation long down the road?

Here’s a few thoughts…

What to do about long-term SHTF lighting solutions

1. The first thing you can and should do is to stock more fuel and batteries… duh! It’s not THAT hard or expensive to do. In fact, I once did a calculation that you could purchase enough D-cell batteries to run my favorite battery-powered lantern (the LED Lantern) for about two years at five hours a day for around $100 in D-cell Batteries, if I remember right. The original post was, regrettably, apparently deleted in one of my overzealous cleanups of old posts. 😉
2. The second thing you can do is to invest in a quality rechargeable solar lantern or two. The d.light LED Solar Lantern (reviewed here) is a good option but I’m sure there are plenty of others. Do realize that you’re going to need to place the lantern outside most days in a prominent spot so that it gets enough sunlight to recharge which could also blow your OPSEC.
3. A step-up would be to utilize a small solar panel to recharge a deep cycle battery and then run any number of DC lights. I posted about an experiment I did a while back with an extra tent light. This option could result in fewer times that the battery needs recharged which is a plus to your OPSEC. In fact, you could even get tricky with it and figure out how attach panels in an inconspicuous spot on your rooftop (but still well exposed to the sun) and wire them permanent to your batteries. Of course, there are limitations on this but it might be worth considering for SHTF.
4. Another option is to learn to live with it. Yes, as “crazy” as it may sound, you could learn to do as our ancestors did and rise and sleep with the sun. Granted, this doesn’t much help if you’re inside a boarded-up home/room during the day but it can certainly reduce the need for artificial lighting at night.
5. You could, alternatively, choose NOT to board up your home thereby ignoring OPSEC rules, at least, not during the day. Yes, this may seem to be the CRAZIEST suggestion yet! Honestly, I don’t think I could live cooped up inside my home 24/7… not for very long anyway. Moreover, this would mean lesser security if/when something happens.

I’m not saying I have all the answers here but the topic has crossed my mind a lot lately. What thoughts do you have? I’m all ears…