At just over 4 inches, this powerful, durable flashlight can be carried anywhere

The Inova X5 flashlight is the one we carry everywhere. Here’s why. A flashlight is one of those travel items that you never seem to think of until you need one. And we here at WoWasis always need one when we’re exploring old jungle temples and ancient Buddhist caves at dusk. Our flashlight requirements are pretty severe:

• it can’t be heavy, or else it won’t fit in a pocket
• it’s got to be small for the same reason
• it’s got to be waterproof, because it rains in the tropics, and for the same reason, it can’t rust
• it’s got to be durable, because we’ll fall on slippery surfaces, particularly in the dark; if you’re in the dark, you’re in trouble with a failed flashlight
• it’s got to be powerful enough to light a dark path, and illuminate cave and temple walls dozens of feet away

Pretty strenuous requirements, and that’s why we carry the remarkable Inova X5 lithium-powered LED flashlight. It does it all, and at under $30 USD, we consider it a bargain. Most of the time, this tiny, durable, powerful flashlight just sits in the bottom of our carry-on, but when we need it, it performs like a champ. Its powerful 5 LED illumination system is the reason we retired our sturdy and venerable Maglite (Maglite makes an LED now too, but we’ve fallen in love with our Inova). It uses 3 lithium batteries that apparently last for 20 hours, but we swear our have lasted longer. It twists for always-on, but also has a push-button mode for spotlight use, and its normal position is “off,” so you won’t accidentally leave it on and deplete your batteries. Here are its stats:

• Effective range of up to 120 feet
• Signal visible as far away as 1.75 miles
• Dimensions: 4.75” x .865”
• Weight: 3.56 oz.
• Stainless-Steel Head protects optical system
• Patented Precision Optical System for superior light projection
• High-Powered, energy-efficient lifetime LEDs
• Water-Resistant Construction protects it from the elements
• Aerospace-Grade Aluminum with military spec anodized finish
• O-Ring ensures seal integrity and threads are anodized for reliability
• Generous Size Lanyard Hole for easy threading
• Tactical End-Cap Switch activates momentary on, constant on/off and lockout mode
• Limited Lifetime Warranty USA

That’s a helluva flashlight for less than 30 bucks. We’ve has ours for several years, and we’ve put it through a lot. Its toughest test was in a cave in western Thailand with slippery wet conditions and wonderful geological formations and fauna, sometimes 50 feet away. Perhaps most importantly, we had to light the walking path for several others, whose flashlights weren’t good enough. We pointed our Inova straight ahead, which made it safe for everyone. We fell at one point, and the Inova got cracked against a rock formation. The stainless steel head protected the LEDs, and it kept performing like a champ. All in all, the Inova X5 is highly recommended by WoWasis for its versatility, performance, and durability. Buy it now at the WoWasis estore.