If you haven’t taken the time to upgrade your arsenal of portable lights to light emitting diode (LED) technology, then consider this your presidential order to do so.

LED bulbs last thousands of hours (some as much as 11 years if lit continuously) and they stay cool to the touch (i.e. they won’t burn your finger if you touch them), and they use substantially less power to produce light.

Essential Tip: On all your outdoor camping hiking trips, I recommend you carry a pocketknife and flashlight with you at all times. On the last outdoor camping trip I failed to take my own advice on carrying a flashlight with me and went out for a late afternoon hike.  I managed to get myself lost (a common event) with light quickly fading. I eventually happened upon a trail map but by that time it was too dark to read it and I was unsure which direction I needed to go so I proceeded to run on a dark trail hoping I was headed in the right direction… I wasn’t.

Fortunately, I eventually remembered that my iPod Nano would kick out a little light if I held it up close to the trail map, but if I would just have taken my own advice and carried a flashlight in the first place, those several minutes of near panic of being lost in the woods for the evening wouldn’t have happened.

Here's one LED flashlight to upgrade your outdated flashlights and lanterns. (I’ve even found one that straps to your head for hands free lighting at the same online store). 

Enjoy your next outdoor camping hiking trip with piece of mind with LED lighting.