There are many different types of glow sticks on the market, some stronger than others. In fact, many military units have been carrying them as a backup form of light for years. Learn some of the tricks of the trade by checking out the tips below.

The Science
Typical glow sticks use a hydrogen peroxide solution, a phenyl oxalate ester solution, and a fluorescent dye. The activator (the hydrogen peroxide) is stored in a thin glass capsule which can be easily broken by bending the glow stick. Once the glass capsule is broken, the activator is released, thereby mixing the components to initiate the chemiluminescent reaction. Depending on the exact components used, the chemical reaction may only last a few minutes, or it may last many hours. Heating the glow stick will speed up the reaction and cause a more intense glow, but will shorten the glow time. Cold temperatures will reduce the luminescence, but will also extend the glow time. No batteries are needed for glow sticks, they are water proof, and they are immune to an electro-magnetic pulse (EMP). Sure, they’re not going to cast enough light for you to illuminate your camp, but they’ll light things up enough that you won’t trip over your own feet when you’re walking.
Camping Uses
Glow sticks light up a general area well enough to let you see things in your path and can be used in a small room as ambient lighting. One 6 inch long chemlight hung in the middle of a small living room will provide enough light for people to see well enough to walk in that space without tripping over things and other people. If you’re out camping, hang light sticks on your tent lines and other guy wires so you are not running into or tripping over them. Nobody wants to get clothes-lined stumbling back from the latrine in the middle of the night. Speaking of latrines, you can hang a glow stick from a tree at or near your designated latrine area to make it easier to find in the dark, too.
SHTF Uses
Glow sticks will give you enough light to read a map, compass or write directions for later use while still being able to be hidden so you aren’t discovered. You can even find infrared (IR) glow sticks (if you just happen to be using night vision technology) that cannot be seen in the dark by the naked eye. Use these to mark your camp, a supply cache, an enemy position, or anything else so that you can see it with a good set of IR binoculars, but others can’t unless they’re using IR technology, too. If you’ve decided it’s best to move at night, you can attach chemlights to the back of your tactical vest or your bug-out bag using small carabiners so the person behind you can see you, keeping your group together while traveling at greater distances between people. It is best not to be marching in too tight of a formation. If you’re being followed, tie them to trees with a little 550 cord to mark a false path so your followers will be thrown off. You could even set snares and traps along that path to catch them, injure them or worse.
Being Found
If this is less of a combative SHTF situation and more along the lines of a survival one, attach your glow stick to some 550 cord and swing it around in a circle so you may be seen easier by first responders trying to find you in the dark. If you are travelling with children, you can tie a light stick on a necklace for them to play with. It will keep them occupied, and if they start moving around, you can still keep track of them so they don’t get lost.

Perhaps the best case for carrying glowsticks in your bug out bag, or at the very least in your car, is the fact that they require no batteries and will withstand an EMP attack. After all, the simplest things break the least.

The worst part about them is that you'll get a few usable hours out of it and then it's useless. But all that means is that you drop it out of your bag and keep on moving.

Of course, our most likely use for this is to mark where tent poles and latrines are, but it's pretty impressive that you can mark a false trail for your stalkers, too.

Will you add glow sticks to your bug out bag? Try and come up with some more uses of your own and post them in the comments.

If you want to know more about how to make use of glow sticks for survival, read more at Survival at Home.