You can duct tape a 9-volt Pak-Lite Survival Light to just about anything and operate it hands-free all night and into the next “many” nights.
The first time I heard about the 9 Volt Pak-Lite produced by the Henry family of Wolf Creek, Oregon, on their family farm (off the power grid) was shortly after Saddam Hussein was captured. Hussein was found in a spider-hole dug into the desert as he was trying to hide from US military forces. Soldiers with flashlights had to crawl down into the spider-hole to force Hussein to surrender.
Legend or fact has it a 9 Volt Pak-Lite was used to assist in finding Hussein in the dark of the dugout earthen hiding place.
9 Volt Pak-Lite
The story was intriguing enough for me to do some research online and find the 9Volt Pak-Lite company and order one of their lights (www.9voltlight.com). I have been carrying the same 9 Volt Pak-Lite in my pocket every day since 2005.
Victor Henry and his family designed the 9 Volt Pak-Lite. They got it patented and started making them in their home, where they are still being manufactured to this day. They started shipping to the buying public in 2001
The 9 Volt Pak-Lite is a very small LED self-contained flashlight head that is snapped onto a 9-volt battery. The flashlight head is 5/8 of an inch tall, an inch long and 5/8 of an inch wide. When you snap it onto a 9-volt battery, the total package is 2 3/8 inches tall. It is a very small compact tool that can be carried almost anywhere on your person, and not have it in the way until needed.
I have managed to run my first 9 Volt Pak-Lite through the washer three times. The first time I did it I made a panicked phone call to Oregon to find out if the light was salvageable. I was advised I might want to get a new 9 volt battery, but as for the light head itself, just unsnap it from the battery and let it dry out.
As I said I am still carrying the very first 9 Volt Pak-Lite I bought.
I got the green light because the website advised me it was the brightest. Over the years, I have bought many more Pak-Lites, which I have given as gifts to many family members.
The US Air Force seems to be a big fan of the Pak-Lite. Just prior to the invasion of Iraq, the Air Force ordered 4000 of the lights for its aircrews. There is a small zippered pocket on the sleeve of the flight suit and the Pak-Lite fits easily in that space. It is forgotten about, but very secure. The important thing is, it will be there in an emergency when that aircrew member needs it, just after punching out of a failing aircraft in the middle of the night.
We are used to high-lumen, extremely bright flashlights that light up the sky and let us see 100 yards out in front of us in the middle of the night. When you turn on your Pak-Lite for the first time in total darkness, you will most likely say to yourself, “Is that it?”
The two most important things you need to understand when using a 9 Volt Pak-Lite is you do not need to light up the entire neighborhood in order to find your way home in the dark. Also, try and find another flashlight that can run for hundreds of hours on the same battery. If you connect a lithium 9 volt battery to your Pak-Lite, now you are talking about, over 1000 hours of light. Mind you that is on the low setting, but when all your other gear fails you in the middle of the night, in the middle of a crisis that could get you hurt or killed, your Pak-Lite will still be working.
9 Volt Pak-Lite Infrared
For those of you who have infrared night vision devices, the infrared Pak-Lite is an excellent complement to your night scope.
The US Military and the FBI have both purchased many of the infrared versions of the 9 Volt Pak-Lite. If you are waiting for the bad guys to show up in your area of operation in the middle of a pitch-dark night, you pre-position infrared Pak-Lites in the area and wait with your night vision device. It is like someone lit up the night, and anyone who is without a night vision device will fail to know it.
It is one thing to be a person who needs a bright flashlight to see for a few minutes in a dark location, either indoors or out. If you have to work for hours in the dark with both hands, holding a large flashlight just gets in the way.
You can duct tape a Pak-Lite to just about anything, pointed in the direction you are headed, and operate hands-free all night and into the next “many” nights on just one battery.
I believe in the rule of threes when it comes to tools you take into the wilderness: three firearms, three knives, three forms of fire-starting devices, and three flashlights. It is really easy to carry a dozen 9-volt Pak-Lites, easier than three of almost any other battery-operated lights on the market.
I have the first 9 Volt Pak-Lite in my pocket right now as I write this article; I am a believer. I even got searched in an airport once because they did not know what it was and were afraid of 9-volt batteries. Of course they were also afraid of the bagel I had in the same carry-on pack that had the Pak-Lite in it.
The 9 Volt Pak-Lite is a tool I personally believe in, use all the time, and give as gifts to deserving friends and family.
Major Van Harl USAF Ret.
About Major Van Harl USAF Ret.:
Major Van E. Harl USAF Ret., a career Police Officer in the U.S. Air Force was born in Burlington, Iowa, USA, in 1955. He was the Deputy Chief of police at two Air Force Bases and the Commander of Law Enforcement Operations at another. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Infantry School. A retired Colorado Ranger and currently is an Auxiliary Police Officer with the Cudahy PD in Milwaukee County, WI. His efforts now are directed at church campus safely and security training. He believes “evil hates organization.” [email protected]
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, Ammoland will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
