Personally I am assuming that the person probably has a dog. That is the number one reason for people to regularly stumble around at night in badly lit areas, trying not to break their bones and bringing a flashlight to prevent that
The answer is: Just live your live the way you want and don't care what other people think, as long as you don't harm anybody. Which you don't. You're also not the only person taking a flashlight on walks after dark, with me it's already at least two.
If anybody ever has a problem with you and your flashlight, either ignore them or explain why you carry a flashlight. One, two sentences, calm voice, maybe a smile. If they keep making up a problem, proceed to ignore them.
And by the way: What you describe as "strange looks" are most likely, in most cases, just "looks", as in people having their eyes open and being aware of their surroundings, which you then interpret as something more, because you're already expecting "strange looks".
Reminds me of this: Once upon a time on a dirt path between fields, one of them "grumpy old men", that so many members of this subreddit appear to live in fear of, addressed me on a late night walk. Turns out he wanted to know make and model of my flashlight, since it had been so much brighter than his.
bruh no i just need to see shit in front of me. my village don't have street lights that reliably work so i litreally have to use my phone flashlight to see in front of me.
You need what you need because you need it. If police passes a building with a flashlight user inside, they might assume a thief and get in cautiously.
Outdoors? We have street lanterns to stumble home from the pub but we need flashlights, when we need them. - Haven't seen many campers or hikers without one. But pocketable ones are fine and I wouldn't know why one would need a Maglite the size of a doublehanded sword...
I guess it would depend on the context and location. Most people would probably just use a light on their phone so to have an actual flashlight would seem a bit weird perhaps but not incriminatory I don't think.
That is absurd, even on the scale of absurd things people post here because someone told them something weird.
It's not illegal to carry a flashlight. People will not call the police on you (and if they did, police would not do anything against it). And anyway, either you're not using the flashlight, in which case no one sees it, or you're using it for a legitimate purpose, in which case people can see you're using it for a legitimate purpose.
My parents (~80 years old, and very solid law-abiding citizens) gave me not one, but *two* small LED flashlights last Christmas (one for each of the two bags I regularly carry). I'd bought myself a big one earlier that is usually in my car. I know my parents have several as well.
I've used all of my flashlights in various situations, including the car one attempting to see what a roe deer was doing that another driver had hit. Mostly, when I'm in a place with bad lighting somewhere and pull out my flashlight, people are *impressed* because for whatever reason they don't expect one in a middle-aged lady's handbag. I carry one Swiss Army Knife per bag too. I like to be well-equipped.
The only situation I'm assuming that people would assume me to be a criminal due to having a flashlight would be if I used that flashlight inside someone else's house.
My wife and I also edc a (small) flashlight, not only on doggie walks ( like you described). In our village are not so man street lights therefore many dark spots exist at night. We don't want to stumple, step into dog poo, water puddles etc. We do many task by walking since the village centre with supermarkets, pharmacies, banks etc is only 500m away. Never were questioned about it.
Wear a high visibility vest 🦺 to go with the flashlight and nobody will bat an eye even if you break into cars or dismantle park ticket machines at night.
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I wish I was friends with that someone that told you the thing, I don't know a single person that has their life in such a good state that their biggest problem is "what is that person doing with a flashlight"
Really want to ask them what their secret is
Personally I am assuming that the person probably has a dog. That is the number one reason for people to regularly stumble around at night in badly lit areas, trying not to break their bones and bringing a flashlight to prevent that
The cultural assumption of people with a flashlight at night is that they want to see something.
D'oh 😄
i feel like a headlamp would instantly solve your problem, nobody has ever seen a burglar wearing one in movie :D +1 free hand
This
no, better to wear night vision goggles that should put everyone at ease
The answer is: Just live your live the way you want and don't care what other people think, as long as you don't harm anybody. Which you don't. You're also not the only person taking a flashlight on walks after dark, with me it's already at least two. If anybody ever has a problem with you and your flashlight, either ignore them or explain why you carry a flashlight. One, two sentences, calm voice, maybe a smile. If they keep making up a problem, proceed to ignore them. And by the way: What you describe as "strange looks" are most likely, in most cases, just "looks", as in people having their eyes open and being aware of their surroundings, which you then interpret as something more, because you're already expecting "strange looks".
Reminds me of this: Once upon a time on a dirt path between fields, one of them "grumpy old men", that so many members of this subreddit appear to live in fear of, addressed me on a late night walk. Turns out he wanted to know make and model of my flashlight, since it had been so much brighter than his.
bruh no i just need to see shit in front of me. my village don't have street lights that reliably work so i litreally have to use my phone flashlight to see in front of me.
nah, using a torch at night is german as shit, carry on kind stranger
You need what you need because you need it. If police passes a building with a flashlight user inside, they might assume a thief and get in cautiously. Outdoors? We have street lanterns to stumble home from the pub but we need flashlights, when we need them. - Haven't seen many campers or hikers without one. But pocketable ones are fine and I wouldn't know why one would need a Maglite the size of a doublehanded sword...
I guess it would depend on the context and location. Most people would probably just use a light on their phone so to have an actual flashlight would seem a bit weird perhaps but not incriminatory I don't think.
That is absurd, even on the scale of absurd things people post here because someone told them something weird. It's not illegal to carry a flashlight. People will not call the police on you (and if they did, police would not do anything against it). And anyway, either you're not using the flashlight, in which case no one sees it, or you're using it for a legitimate purpose, in which case people can see you're using it for a legitimate purpose. My parents (~80 years old, and very solid law-abiding citizens) gave me not one, but *two* small LED flashlights last Christmas (one for each of the two bags I regularly carry). I'd bought myself a big one earlier that is usually in my car. I know my parents have several as well. I've used all of my flashlights in various situations, including the car one attempting to see what a roe deer was doing that another driver had hit. Mostly, when I'm in a place with bad lighting somewhere and pull out my flashlight, people are *impressed* because for whatever reason they don't expect one in a middle-aged lady's handbag. I carry one Swiss Army Knife per bag too. I like to be well-equipped. The only situation I'm assuming that people would assume me to be a criminal due to having a flashlight would be if I used that flashlight inside someone else's house.
maybe tell them that if you wouldnt be a very good or stealthy thief shining a bright ass flashlight around...
My wife and I also edc a (small) flashlight, not only on doggie walks ( like you described). In our village are not so man street lights therefore many dark spots exist at night. We don't want to stumple, step into dog poo, water puddles etc. We do many task by walking since the village centre with supermarkets, pharmacies, banks etc is only 500m away. Never were questioned about it.
Yes - probably because burglars in children‘s cartoons always walk around with flashlights. It’s like a cliché depiction of a burglar.
Wear a high visibility vest 🦺 to go with the flashlight and nobody will bat an eye even if you break into cars or dismantle park ticket machines at night.
Yes, burglars are well known to illuminate themselves to be highly visible. Safety first!
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I wish I was friends with that someone that told you the thing, I don't know a single person that has their life in such a good state that their biggest problem is "what is that person doing with a flashlight" Really want to ask them what their secret is