Prepping – Let There Be Light

Light is a topic that’s come up a few times in my prepper discussions, and so I thought it deserved its own article. Light is defined as “…something that makes vision possible.” (Merriam Webster) We call the light part of our day, aptly enough, daytime. We can see to study, to teach, to learn, and to do. For hundreds and thousands of years, light has been of immense importance to human beings.

The first light was, of course, the sun. Light happened during the day, and night was when you huddled together and tried not to get eaten. The purposeful use of fire is the second light. Fire allowed us to do things in the dark. It kept predators at bay. It warmed our bodies, our food, and even our souls. Once fire was harnessed, it was more a matter of what method to invent to keep the light on at night, safely and effectively.

Some of the earliest lanterns were Canaanite oil lamps. These were basically pinch pots, or rather, a shallow bowl with a pinched spout at one end for holding a wick. These open candles go back farther than our written history. I can say with authority that they do work, too, having both made and used some myself. From a prepping standpoint, open candles can be made out of just about anything. A wick in a bowl works, especially if you can float the wick somehow. Consider an old cork with a hole in it to hold a wick, floating on an oil source.

Fuel oil in early times came from animal fat, or from nut oils. Tallow candles were used as early as 500 BCE, in Rome. They continued to be used until modern paraffin became easily available. Paraffin wax was quickly adopted, because it had almost no smell at all. Candles made from tallow or other animal fats were quite stinky.

From a prepping standpoint, light is important. Whether you’re trying to find the fuel for the generator in a blackened basement, or you’re wending your way through dark woods, light is going to be important. There are many options available for the modern prepper.

My first go-to when I am camping or when the power goes out is my solar lantern. I use this one (though mine turns colors on one setting), and one of my kids prefers this option. Both go flat when they’re stored, and both seem to hold their charge very well. I can tell you that mine is about 6 years old, and gets constant, very rugged use at living history events and renaissance faires. Both charge well in an afternoon of sun. I usually toss mine either on top of my tent (where it gets the most sun and is mostly out of sight of patrons) or in the dash of the car. A standard afternoon of sun charging is plenty to fill it up for an evening of getting me to and from the porta-john. I charge it completely with my USB charger at home, about once a month, just to make sure it’s topped up. It’s the first thing I turn to during a power outage. I’m contemplating picking up a few more of these small rechargeable lanterns, because not only are they easy to charge, they store flat, hold charge well, and are pretty. They do fine in the rain (ask me how I know LOL), and are simple to keep clean. I call mine my “disco light” because it will cycle between the colors at a fairly rapid rate if I want it to, and we sometimes have it hung up in our modern pop-up while relaxing after fair.

My second option is my candle lantern. Mine looks like this one to the right, though it’s darker wood. My sides don’t open – you lift a stick and it brings the candle up through the hole in the top so you can light, extinguish, or replace it. I like it because it’s safe from most wind, it reflects light well (I have one side covered in tin rather than glass to direct the light slightly), and can be hung or sat on a table. I also have a large black metal candle holder that has glass walls and a door. It doesn’t hold tapers like this one, though. It holds the big, chonky candles that burn for days. Funnily enough, it doesn’t give as much light as the smaller one with a regular taper in it.

For my living room, I have several oil lights that are on the mantle of my fireplace. They just live there, and if it looks like we might lose power, we light them up. We also have hurricane lamps of the type used by boy scouts and such, that use kerosene. I have a zillion regular taper candles and candle holders, but I generally avoid using them because they can be knocked over very easily and that’s a fire hazard. I like to not have my house burning down around me, m’kay?

I do have many of the more simple oil lamps, which I’ve used at living history events before. The main problem with them is that they don’t hold oil very well for the first several months. It takes time and effort for them to have held oil long enough that it stops seeping out the pores of the clay. It makes them messy, and again, they are prone to spills. However, in a pinch, they’re a light and that’s a good thing.

You have your classic work-arounds out there. You can burn a crayon, for instance, or put wicks into a can of Crisco. Please, do NOT plan for these “emergency lights.” It’s fine if you find yourself without anything else, and remember it and it’s useful. But it’s not something to prepare for. But there are some okay ways of working around not having candles or oil lamps on hand.

As an example, any oil will keep a wick lit. That would be why we purchase tuna canned in oil, rather than in water. It might smell, but in an emergency it is there. You can use a wick in a tuna can (remove the tuna, leave behind the oil and add a wick) for light relatively easily. What if you don’t have any cans on hand, though? Literally any oil will do (ask the Jews!). A bit of olive oil poured into any container, with a supported wick, will work. Half of an orange peel turned into a little bowl, makes a very nice candle. It has the benefit of smelling nice, too.

Of course, there’s always the standard item for lighting: flashlights. These come in a multitude of sizes, shapes, colors, and brightness. You can pick whatever type you like. Make sure you have the right kind of batteries on hand (unless it’s solar), so that you can continue using the flashlight indefinitely. Be aware that batteries do eventually die, however. Remember that by the time you run out of batteries, you must have another source of light.

Another thing to think about is to use sunlight. During the day, the dim insides of a home can be lit with sunlight through windows. In many poorer countries, they will put a water-filled glass bottle or jar into a hole in the roof. This allows the sunlight to hit the jar and reflect into the house, providing much needed indoor lighting. Mirrors can be used to get light where you need it, too.

“Aziz, light!” — Professor Pacoli to his assistant, Aziz, in The Fifth Element.

Think creatively when it comes to light, but think ahead. We all have to deal with power outages from time to time, so it behooves us to be prepared in advance. Whether you’re stuck using your phone light, a flashlight, or a solar lantern, you’ll use it at some point!