Survivalist uses for solar landscape lights

By Joseph Parish

Here is an interesting thought that surely must have crossed many people’s minds in the past. As I sit on my patio I watch the solar lights that surround it and firmly believe that every survivalist should have several of these solar powered landscape lights for use at their bug out retreat or their home in the event of an emergency.

These little 21st Century wonders function from small LED which do not provide much light output but never the less it is enough so that you can safely see where your sidewalk is. Granted these units are not too good for heavy reading but they will provide you with light to function safely in the evening.

They actually can serve several purposes. If placed along the perimeter of your retreat area they will adequately provide sufficient lighting for which you can monitor the activities around your compound. If you are into using night vision equipment then these solar powered lights can enhance all your additional equipment. The light power output is usually small enough that they would not readily be noticed outside your immediate area or for any long distances avoiding the possibility of alerting the less desirable elements during those crisis times.

They are easily used indoors to provide sufficient light for safe movement in your retreat but once again not sufficient to attract undo attention. Imagine these lights outside during the day charging and retrieved for inside use at night. All you need to do is take them to your backyard in the morning and let them recharge for the following evening.

Generally these lights operate small high efficient LED's which will last you from 8 to 10 hours on a single charge. That is more then enough to get you through the evening. Batteries used in these lights are usually the AA rechargeable. With a little experimentation on your part you may find that you can use these same units to operate a small fan or even a cell phone charger.

These patio lights are generally very inexpensive and are purchased in packs of four or more. Now is the time to start looking for the sales as they frequently go at discount prices near the end of the summer season. Family Dollar is a good place to locate them at very reasonable prices. You can usually find a package of 6 for less then $20 dollars. Yard sales and flea markets are another great place to find bargains on these useful accessories.

An interested note here is that you may wish to store these lights with the understanding that they can be damaged by EMP. The Light Emitting Diodes that are used to provide the actual light pass current in only one direction. When these electronic components are exposed to sources of EMP they receive a surge of current which quickly overloads and burns out the LED’s PN junction. In which case they should be stored within a metal trunk or metal garage which is properly grounded in order to survive any EMP situation.

Copyright @ 2009 Joseph Parish

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