Flashlights are an important item to bring when you’re traveling, or in case of emergencies. You can choose to use a battery-powered flashlight and bring extra batteries, but in case it runs out, you need to have a back up. A hand crank flashlight is very useful in these situations. It doesn’t need a battery; it runs on muscle power. By turning the handle for a minute or so, it charges the internal battery and gives power to the small light bulb.

A hand crank flashlight is often built with emergency devices, like an AM/FM radio or cellphone charger, all of which are powered with the same cranking motion. These flashlights are used when events such as natural disasters or a civil war disrupts regular power supply. It is also used in some places where batteries are expensive or the main supply of power is unreliable. People also bring these flashlights along when traveling to remote locations.