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12K views 61 replies 51 participants last post by  gorn5150 
#1 ·
I am going to the Sportsmans guide tomorrow, and one of the items I am picking up is glow stick. I am currious as to how long these things can be stored and still work. I'm not sure how many I should get depending on how long I can keep them in a drawer.
 
#30 ·
At The Dollar Tree stores I shop at for various preps, they have a little "section" of glow sticks. I often get them and use them for the dog. They come in a bunch of sizes/shapes of stick, but we can get basic thin ones 5 in a pack for $1, and they come 5 thin glow sticks and 5 connectors. You can use the connector to make a "circle" out of the stick and I attach it to the dogs collar. Then at night you can see him running around.

This is particularly useful at the campsite, we let him roam a little bit and in the summer in the dark at night, it can be very dark. the neon light it gives off is perfect to find him doing his dog thang.

I will say that whoever said quality varies greatly is absolutely right, pack to pack some suck some are bright some barely if not at all-even work. I mean what can you do, it was a 5 pack for $1 at the dollar store, but still.

Now for preps they're good cause they're cheap, you could spend $10 bucks and have a bunch on hand. They have larger ones that come say 3 in a pack, larger still 2 in a pack. or 1 larger yet stick, in many colors shapes and sizes. So you can get a variety and keep different ones on hand. Very useful for things you *haven't* yet thought of. (Like MANY things for prepping...It's the things you HAVEN'T thought of needing or using yet that can be important or make the difference.)


BTW- the "danger areas" and "mining your campsite" had me ROFLMFAO HAHA :)
 
#31 ·
I buy them by the 50 pack (unwrapped) from extremeglow.com for around $26 plus S&H. Inexpensive so I can give them to grandkids all the time when sleeping over, and to all the kids at campouts. They love them. They last for hours; just as thick as the wrapped ones. They last all night. I keep some in each car. For that price I don't care if they last 10 years. Also sell the wrapped more expensive ones at what I perceive to be OK prices.

Take care,
Hal
 
#32 ·
I have a few in the house for an emergency, but I now have a good store of candles so I don't think they are as important in a long term scenario.

However, some years back my son would carry one in his backpack to school, one day the lights went out for an extended time and he hurried to his locker to play with the glow light (he was in 5th or 6th grade). Most of the rooms were interior, so no windows and NOT ONE teacher had a flashlight, so they all would borrow his glow light to get around the rooms and for taking groups of kids to the bathrooms. When he told me the story I told him how clever it was to have it on hand for an emergency and he said that isn't what it was for, but it came in handy.

Naturally the high school has emergency lights, but the middle school didn't. Go figure.

I agree with the dog idea. When the kids were little and we would go into town to trick or treat we would take the dog and he would wear glow necklaces. Putting one on the kids when camping is also a great idea!!
 
#33 ·
Like most of your other disposable gear temperatures and storage conditions are going to be the biggest factor in the longevity of your glow sticks.

If they can be stored year round in 70 degree indoor conditions they'll probably store for a decade+.

If they're kept in the trunk of a car outside that is exposed to 100 degree+ summers and 12 degree winters you'll probably be lucky to get 6 months storage time out of them.


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#35 ·
It varies greatly on the brand, size, storage, and color. I don't find them to be cost effective or very useful so I've gotten rid of most of mine. Best results I've had... larger the better life, dry storage helps, yellow/green color lasts the longest.

Reasonable shelf life: 2yrs. They degrade but still work. Better off with a $1 flash light.
 
#37 ·
I quit using chemlights a long time ago. They were ok but there are a lot of better options out there. A simple replacement for them is to buy a bag of 5mm LED's and some generic CR2032 button cell batteries from Amazon. For about .50 cents each you can make a light that will work as a small area light or marker light.

And the price drops after the first use since the LED's are reusable. You just use some duct tape to hold the LED wires to the battery. Put a small piece of plastic under one of the contacts to insulate it from the battery. When you are ready to use a light just pull out the plastic insulator and you have light that will last all night.
 
#43 ·
I cleaned out the "RV on the water" yesterday and found two, still in the package, no-name sticks. Date was marked 2004. The yellow, 6" variety. Opened and cracked both, shut the cabin and went to the dark forward hold. Little bit of usable light. In an emergency situation, they would have been useless.

Better off with something battery powered.
 
#44 ·
Wally World usually has some left after a holiday like Halloween. If I go in and they are marked down, I get a couple and duct tape them to the inside of the lid on my 'hurricane' storage tote. If I need some light to get me started, I know it is taped under the lid.
Chances are I would only need it in the event of a power outage, get plenty of notice for hurricanes.....
 
#48 ·
I put them in all my larger FAKs for times I want some light without giving away a position with a blazing glow. Also, they are good things to put in the top of cache containers in case one of the things you are going into it for is a light source.

I have had them last well beyond their expiry date (as much as 8yrs past) while others failed to work right within months of expiry. Some times it is about brand. Some times I think it is about storage.
 
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#49 ·
lil trick I do, go to the Cigar store, and find a stogie that is the same basic size as the chem lite, that comes in a lightweight hard plastic or aluminum tube.carry the lite in the tube.

no matter where you put it in your ruck, it wont accidently get activated. best tube I have found that fits is a king chateau Fuente,, not only do you get a decent tube that fits, But you get a good hand rolled Dominican..... win win .
 
#51 ·
I have some mil-surp ones, that I got for doing a photoshoot with them; with the guys woman. We splattered a room and them with the glow sticks, it was for "Trash the Dress".

The sticks have been expired for a few years now, they still work. I cracked one a few months ago, it last over 12 hours. I can't remember how many over exactly, but it was a long time.

I only have a few more, I don't really use them. But they could come in handy.

I'll find one, and post a photo of it.
 
#53 ·
I had a bunch of military issue. They were for life vests. They had handles on them that you would squeeze to snap the stick. They would work past the expiration date, but depending how long past would depend on how bright and how long they would last. If they are going to be used in emergency, I would just buy some cheap LED flashlights. You can store then with unopened batteries. Most batteries now have over a 10 year shelf life.
 
#54 ·
I think glow sticks are a waste of money. I use lazerbrite lights that are battery operated, last a lot longer than a glow stick, and gives me multiple options for color, light intensity, and night vision. They have single mode and multi lux light heads. There are plenty of accessories and kits you can buy. I like that they are non disposable except for the batteries of course. They are pricey but well worth it for you kit.ive had mine for years with no complaints. They even have a IR head you can use if your really getting tactical. Check them out at lazerbrite.com
 
#55 ·
I don't think that anybody disagrees that there are better options out there when it comes to illuminating a space but do consider that a glow stick may serve another purpose.
Something as simple as a glow stick can be used to calm someone down, to boost moral for somebody who's lost hope or even as a gift or trinket to a child.. They're light weight and cheap and yet somehow they have an effect on people.


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#56 ·
I absolutely agree. I was thinking more on a tactical level for bugging out etc. I have glow sticks also as I'm not leaving a 25.00 lazerbrite out to mark trails. They are really good for map reading, using the iris attachment, signaling, and can be hung up as a lantern inside a tent or for area light. Also use as a flashlight. For me having multiple uses makes its a keeper for me. You should check them out. I haven't seen anyone talk about them outside of the military where I was introduced to them.
 
#59 ·
BACK when in cop world I used to carry a couple of the real bright ones in my "possibles" bag Get into some of the big warehouses or other places on alarms with lots of deep shadows and other places you don't want to lead with a flashlight. Snap one to life and throw it into the black hole and light it up. Then use the inspection mirror to look around that now lighted corner instead of sticking your head out to peek.

Saved a lot of wear and tear on nerves while doing searches and a lot cheaper than some other ways of doing things. One light could be bounced through a whole complex and still keep going strong.
 
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