UV Paqlites

I was reading through some of my favorite webs the other day and came across SurvivalBlogs review of UV Paqlites . I was intrigued since I have a thing for tritium markers, and make a few things in the machine shop for personal use with them. After reading the review I went to  UV Paqlites and ordered the Scout Pack, which is kind of a Paqlite sample kit. I like light sources that don’t require batteries, don’t wear out over time, aren’t one time use, and are reusable. There have been a few times camping and hiking where I have run out batteries, snapped a chem-light that was old, or for whatever reason just didnt have any light left, and tritium has always been my backup. The problem is tritium is expensive, its not always that bright, its works on radioactive beta decay, and it dims over time. Paqlites, according to their website, are just light absorbing crystals so one advantage is no radioactive particles bombarding my nuts if I carry one in my front pocket. Yay!

I received my package from the manufacturer in a couple days and have been playing with the lights all weekend. They seem to recharge their radiance very quickly, just a few minutes in sunlight or indoor lighting will make them glow brightly for a few minutes. Initially they glow bright enough the glow can be seen easily in a well lit room. After a few minutes the glow fades to very dim but consistent level. After reading the review in SurvivalBlog, I knew not to expect them to light up bright enough to see distant objects, basically being manufactured as a marker to locate stuff in the dark. I was pleasantly surprised to find that if my eyes were adjusted to the dark, I could easily navigate around an average sized room with the small Paqlite at 3am.

I’m going to continue using the contents of my scout kit and evaluating them for future use. As it stand now I’m impressed with them enough I will be placing an order for a few more scout kits to give to family to put in their kits for times when the power is out. I’ll write more about them once they have gone on a few outings and I have more experience with them.