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I live with flashlights and every time I go into a disaster area I bring a pack with at least a dozen flashlights. There are some super-cheap Mini MagLites (the LED version at least) that are basically giveaways I don't expect to get back. Then there are some intermediate grade ones (mostly Fenix which I can get at a big professional discount) that put out a ton of light and take CR123a batteries. And then I have a couple really nice ones for my own use, mostly Elzetta's, and I make sure I bring those home with me. They also take CR123a's.
Here's the deal. Whatever you use, replace the original batteries with lithium ion ones. They can sit for twenty years without losing power. They work in the cold where alkaline batteries lose all power. And when you use them they give you 3-4 times the amount of use before they fade. And if you need a compact 2200 lumen flashlight that's compatible with all your other lighting equipment, you can load eight CR123a's at a time into these scorchers and have enough light to signal to passing airliners.
I prefer the CR123a batteries because they have more capacity than AAA's and AA's and because I have the option with most 2-battery CR123a flashlights of using the rechargeable 18650 substitutes (one 18650 = 2 CR123a). However, I use the 18650's rarely and absolutely do not rely on the 18650's as my only battery. They don't last anywhere near as long and if they run down and you don't have 110 volts and a charger, you're hosed. I carry spare CR123a's in little plastic clips that keep them save (Powerpax Storacell's from Amazon, about $5 for a clip that holds four CR123a's). The batteries I have now are all expiration dated about 20 years out. I can live with that. Buy bulk batteries from Amazon (the Surefire brand ones are inexpensive in boxes of a dozen and work really well.).
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