Wearable Low Light for adding attachment

[Sleighton]

Looking for something wearable which i can use to add attachments, do minor maintenance etc without completely giving away position in the pitch black.

 

This is mainly going to be used for the tac light which i need to put on the rail of my P226 when i'm using it - Tac light kept in upper pocket of webbing, P226 in leg holster - unfortunately theres no holster which will take it whilst it has the attachment on which doesn't cost a bomb. Currently using the tac light against my hand but if anyone catches a glimpse its pretty obvious where i am.

 

Currently considering something like this UV keychain light which i could turn on/off via the switch without giving off a massive glaring signal as to where i am around corners etc.

 

Anyone have any other ideas or solutions that they use ?

[Mike636]

Gerber Recon LED torch, the red light is pretty discreet

[Sleighton]

Gerber Recon LED torch, the red light is pretty discreet

looks good in most part although Ideally i needs to be wearable as i need both hands to take the pistol out of the holster and put the attachment on

[Lozart]

Viper Tactical Molle torch http://www.vipertacticalshop.co.uk/viper-tactical-molle-torch.html?cookies_accepted=Y

 

Bright enough to navigate by, not a searchlight.

 

Mid skirmish the only attachment I need to add or remove is a tracer which I can do blind because I know where the pouch is on my rig and I know where the end of my gun is (it has a QD thread on the flash hider to make life easier).

[Chock]

You could try simply using a good old Fulton MX991 angle head lamp. You can get them for about a tenner. They have a red light filter and a signalling button which makes them good for light discipline and quick on/off glimpses. There are even mini ones which will easily fit in even a very small a vest pocket or attach to a tactical vest D ring or carabiner:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Angle-Head-Tactical-Waterproof-6-Flashlight-/161219518122?pt=UK_SportsLeisure_Camping_LightsLanternsTorches&var=460271944044&hash=item25896e9eaa

 

You might also consider taking a look at this site, in particular the helmet accessories page, which I've linked directly to:

 

http://www.tacticalgeartrade.co.uk/head-gear/helmet-accessories.html?p=1

 

If you use a PASGT, ACH, MICH or FAST helmet, then there are a ton of helmet fitting/mounting accessories for lights, NV etc, which can be found on that site, and if you don't use a helmet of that type (which you should, since they add a lot to your flexibility with all the stuff you can mount on them) then you can get a decent airsoft replica PASGT helmet there for less than a fiver. A replica airsoft PASGT weighs less than 600 grams, will stop a 500 fps airsoft BB no problem, and can mount pretty much anything, so it's a very inexpensive solution. Personally, I use a PASGT helmet, and I've found it light and cool enough to wear for long periods, which also means there's plenty of leeway to mount stuff like cameras, lights etc without it ending up weighing a ton like my (genuine) Vietnam-era steel pot does just on its own.

 

You should also consider carrying a couple of small cheap spare torches too. They are good for using as decoys and to set up ambushes, and they can also serve to draw attention away from you when you use your more subdued light as well, since you can afford to throw or roll along the ground cheap torches and not worry about breaking or losing them. Most bargain pound shops will have them.

 

For a bit of CQB sneaky b*st*rd fun in the dark, try sticking oversized card onto the front of a cheap torch to block the light with something like blutack and then throwing them, when they land, the card falls off and you have a light appearing to come on and move about well away from your position and a sudden noise when it lands, and if it breaks, you still get the decoy noise and have only lost a quid, less if you retrieve the battery.

[NH Shooter]

You could use the one you pictured with one of these...

http://onestop-key-rings.co.uk/images/securit-key-bak.jpg

[Ian_Gere]

This is what I use:

Cheap reading lamp off fleabay - I swapped out the LED for a UV one and sprayed the tip black to restrict the direction of shine to down not forward when it is worn clipped onto molle. There is no need for all that scruffy tape, however there isn't much holding the battery/clip assembly to the tube and tube to the lamp/switch assembly, so a bit of tape around each join seemed like a good idea and then i got carried away with it lol! At some point I'll get round to taking it off and wrapping it round instead of lengthways.

 

Edit to add: I should have put a ruler in the pic, but stretched flat it is 25cm from end to end and it sticks out from my chest about 13.5cm. It is bendy so no chance of it getting damaged easily.

[Sleighton]

This is what I use:

Cheap reading lamp off fleabay - I swapped out the LED for a UV one and sprayed the tip black to restrict the direction of shine to down not forward when it is worn clipped onto molle. There is no need for all that scruffy tape, however there isn't much holding the battery/clip assembly to the tube and tube to the lamp/switch assembly, so a bit of tape around each join seemed like a good idea and then i got carried away with it lol! At some point I'll get round to taking it off and wrapping it round instead of lengthways.

 

Edit to add: I should have put a ruler in the pic, but stretched flat it is 25cm from end to end and it sticks out from my chest about 13.5cm. It is bendy so no chance of it getting damaged easily.

 

How easy was it to swap out the Led ? Soldering job ?

[Ian_Gere]

^^Yeah, the assembly comes apart easily enough - gentle but firm and pull it apart, not brute force and ignorance. Test the polarity of your replacement LED then lay it beside the old one the right way round to clip its legs to size. IIrc you only resolder one leg and the other gets bent to fit into the switch mechanism - it's a very simple slide thingy.

 

The clear cover just jams in place so, thinking about it, it's probably worth adding some small bits of blu-tac to where the tiny pegs fit, or perhaps some prit stick, to make it a bit more knock proof, or perhaps even superglue; although in that case you'd have to be careful to make sure that it didn't run right through the lamp/switch assembly and glue the switch in place, plus careful not to get too much on the clear plastic because superglue makes clear plastic go cloudy. Thinking about it some more, I'm not going to need to take it apart again, so I am going to glue the clear cover in place.

 

Oh yeah, the reflector is just a bit of mylar sheet and it is only being forced into position around the LED which gives it a curve, so that's something else to be careful of if gluing. It's very simple though, so you'll have no trouble with it. About the only pisser is that you can't buy 1 LED, you have to buy 5... still, it has made me wonder where else i could deploy a UV LED - a ring maybe? For looking at maps and showing them to other people without making a glare that carries - or maybe on the back of a helmet so that you can whisper into your comms "watch for a tiny UV flash - that's me"...?

 

The other idea I had, which I have all the bits for but haven't put into action yet because my G36 is in bits, is to fit the 1/2 of one of these...

...which has the rail

bolted at 45° on the left side of the stock, at the rear, where my body will hide it from view, and fit a 30mm ring mount to hold...

...a cheap UV torch

so that at 'port arms' it will shine vertically down, or diagonally down when the gun is aimed. I dunno though, since I made the bendy one I suspect this idea will be too bright unless i was crouching.