I think one of the most overlooked items in an outdoor gear kit is a good flashlight. We live in an age where every smartphone has one, it’s easy to find a cheap one at the store or have one included in a trade show grab-bag, and our advanced living conditions rarely deal without electricity anymore. When the lights go out, however, it’s one of the most valuable tools you can have. I have been on numerous outings with friends and Boy Scout groups where someone in the group is caught unprepared with a dead battery, broken equipment, or nothing at all and is now left quite literally IN THE DARK.
Enough painting the picture of doom and gloom. Let’s talk about a light source that you can absolutely rely on and not only does the trick, but shines above the competition! (Okay, I promise I’ll try and quit with my flashlight puns…) I had the opportunity to acquire the Fenix PD35 TAC LED Tactical Flashlight and this thing is amazing! This is now the second product from Fenix that I’ve added to my kit and this company is seriously great at what they do! For being just an 5.4″ everyday carry flashlight, this thing is packed with features and quality.
For starters, this thing has multiple modes of operation. Yeah. MULTIPLE modes. Here are the details:
- TACTICAL MODE
- Turbo: 1000 Lumens (1 hr., 10 min.)
- Low: 60 Lumens (29 hr., 15 min.)
- Strobe: 1000 Lumens
- OUTDOOR MODE
- Turbo: 1000 Lumens (1 hr., 10 min.)
- High: 500 Lumens (2 hrs., 55 min.)
- Mid: 200 Lumens (8 hr. 30 min.)
- Low: 60 Lumens (29 hr., 15 min.)
- Eco: 8 Lumens (140 hr.)
- Strobe: 1000 Lumens
A couple takeaways from the mode features as I tried it out…
1) This sucker is BRIGHT! 1000 lumens is powerful to light up even large spaces. You’ll never be wanting for more brightness when you turn this one.
2) 1000 lumens draws a lot of power quickly. As outlined above, you can see that the battery will only last for just over an hour in Turbo-setting. I loved that you can switch to dimmer settings in Outdoor mode to preserve battery life and to be completely honest, very rarely have I needed to use the 1000 lumens of Turbo-setting for more than a few minutes. Mid-setting is my go-to for most of what I’ve used it for, kicking it up to High as needed.
3) Honestly, I wondered at first why you would need multiple modes at all. After playing around with it, I can say now that I really appreciate the Tactical vs Outdoor modes. It’s very convenient in Tactical mode to have just three settings: Turbo, Low, and Strobe. Depending on your line of work, this makes complete sense to me. For those that are using this light more for recreational purposes and for extended periods of time, it’s really awesome to have six different settings to pick from depending on your need or heart’s desire.
4) The Strobe-setting is sick. It’s easy to activate, it’s extremely bright and draws attention, and it is perfect for an emergency situation.
5) The Eco-setting was nice to use as a soft light in the tent when getting ready for bed or hanging out talking where you just needed enough light to socialize.
Some other noteworthy tidbits about the PD35, this is a high-quality product that’s tough and durable. I love that the body design of this flashlight is not perfectly round like others I’ve used in the past that can roll away. The PD35 body design will stay put if you lay it down so you can have both hands free (and mouth or armpits for all of us who’ve had to resort to that!) to work. It’s even waterproof up to 6 1/2 feet for 30 minutes. (I tested it. It works!) As for batteries, you’ve got the option of the Fenix’s Lithium ion Rechargeable 18650 batteries or 2 CR123A’s. (I went with the CR123A’s.)
In closing, I love this flashlight. It’s honestly the nicest flashlight I’ve ever owned and I keep it with me in my “bug out bag” at all times. As mentioned before, this is the second piece of Fenix gear that I’ve acquired and they’re absolutely fantastic. Go grab yourself a PD35 and never worry about getting left out in the dark again!
– Jake
See the full line of Fenix products at their website: https://www.fenix-store.com
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the PD35 TAC LED Tactical Flashlight for free from Fenix as coordinated by Deep Creek Public Relations.
Backwoods Gear Review 