These are a bit tricky to find - I've found 3packs at Auto Zone.


My shot - they make a hellish uniform light.



Picture by Ashes in the Snow, of Vasco de Gama.

Flares are extremely bright and they burn for a few minutes. As long as you aren't hanging out in the smoke you won't run into trouble with them. They often drip molten metal, so don't hold them straight overhead - hold the up, away from you, and tilted out. Fun in drains.


My shot, Ashes in the Snow

The single color makes autofocus and metering tricky. Backlit drains and tunnels look particularly hellish. The main challenge here is finding the things; where have y'all seen them?

Posted by AnAppleSnail The main challenge here is finding the things; where have y'all seen them?

I've found several of them abandoned along major roads. Although, one really needs to keep their eyes open.

www.galls.com Every now and than they go on clearance- a box of 70 with a 20-30 min burn time for around 50 bucks.


Totally worth it, and not the piss poor "consumer" branded ones either, these are the police/fire/ems versions.


You can also try fleet supply stores, trucker supply stores, etc.

Just remember, they cannot be put out (in any sense of easy) and are considered an explosive of sorts. Stable, but still classified as an explosive.


If you "have" to put one out, scrape the burning end completely off on pavement/cement/etc and allow it to burn out detached from the rest of the stick. Make sure there is no more embers burning on it. Can be relit if you have a hot enough flame, or another burning flare. (still a pain in the arse to relight thou)

Snuffing it out into dirt/water does nothing short of piss it off.


Also these are heavily used in the pyrotechnic business/display fireworks business.

hello all!

snail, i got a 4 pack at walmart for $20. only difference is mine were marine flares not road flares...though i doubt theres any difference worth discussing.

I prefer marine flares if I have to hold them. They last for 5-15 minutes, but they have a place you can grip without worrying about bbq-ing yourself.