Flashlights

Although many multitools pack a ton of features, some of those features often take the form of tiny, near-useless tools. The VAK6 keeps things simple with a knife, flashlight and pulse ignitor, along with an optional cranked generator for recharging.

Nitecore has been quickly growing a lineup of remote control-like flashlights with serious outputs and slim, packable designs. The new EDC29 Luminblade is the most powerful of them all, more than doubling the output of older slimline EDC models.

If you're in the dark about which flashlight to add to your EDC kit, the GR35 from Imalent claims an output of 2,800 lumens, features a slim build that'll slip easily into any pocket – and it comes with a charging case that doubles as a power bank.

The best flashlight is the one you have with you. That's what makes the tiny new Ysmart Bullet2 a great choice out in the wilderness: it's small enough to fit on a keychain or belt loop, and it turns on as soon as you yank it from its magnetic base.

Tiny flashlight, tiny output, right? That's not always the case. The PicoTorch twists out over 200 lumens and burns for up to two hours a charge while dangling from a keychain. With a magnetic base, it doubles as an effective work light.

The EDC market is pretty crowded. Manufacturers are always looking for ways to let us take a little more light along on our outdoor adventures, and Imalent is betting on a portable charging case that wraps around its small but powerful EDC light.

The Lumina camping lantern certainly packs a lot of features into a small(ish) package. Among other things, it can telescope up and down, serve as a flashlight, charge your devices, and cling to ferromagnetic surfaces.

Sometimes a forward-facing-beam flashlight is what you need, while other times a side-facing beam is more appropriate. The Wuben X2Pro combines the two in one device, plus both of its beam modules are multi-functional.

Nobody likes carrying any more gear than necessary when camping ... even if they're just "car camping." Lovork's new Modular Camping Lantern is designed with that fact in mind, as it packs eight functions into one system.

Although many multitools include flashlights, they're often puny penlight-like things. The MutiFlex 13-in-1 Flashlight is different, in that it features a big ol' 1,000-lumen torch along with 12 (ish) other functions.

Last year, Nitecore put a new emphasis on "flat light" with its EDC27. After a little electronics tinkering, it's bested itself with the EDC25, a slightly lighter flashlight that fires out 3,000 lumens with more throw, intensity and overall runtime.

Pens, flashlights and pry bars are all useful, and the BoltLite modular multi-tool packs all three into a waterproof titanium body. It can be carried as one solid unit or pulled into pieces as the situation dictates.