Are there any holders or carriers for carrying spare cells, instead of having cells loose in your pocket or loose in your backpack etc?
I’m thinking maybe something like a plastic holder or case which holds individual cells separate from each other with the holder or case capable of being attached to your pants belt or similar? Also, it is preferable the cell holder/case be water/weatherproof.
I tested the one from Spicy and it was water proof. Plus an o-ring can be easily added to the screw-down top if you want to do that. There’s no belt attachment but there is a loop from the top to the body so you can add something to it to attach to your belt.
Offhand the only thing I can think of are the expensive overbuilt Thyrm holders. Your best bet may be to choose holders for cells and wrap those in ziplocks if need be, then put them in whatever belt pouch you like.
The old school plastic match cases will hold an 18650 with room for protected/usb cells (can add foam to the bottom/top to suit)…some of them will hold a 20700 but doubtful for a 21700. Pricing seems ridiculous for these on amazon but you may have a store that sells them for the pennies they should cost (they’re probably on aliexpress, too). They have some jumbo sized models now that look like they’ve probably hold 26650 but I’ve never had one of those in hand.
Similarly there are lots of aluminum edc screw-together tubes, too, which would get expensive and maybe noisy, but you can find those to suit and insulate with foam or the non-conductive padding of your choice.
Xtar has some somewhat oversized “ratchet” cases like tool bits come in and they’re actually reasonably sturdy and accommodate different heights well…and they dovetail together if desired. I got some for pretty cheap at Illumn here in the states. To make these waterproof you’d need to rely on good tape or ziplocs.
Shotgun shell holders might be an option. 12ga fits 18xxx cells with a little extra room and there may be something waterproof in that arena, not sure. Perhaps some other caliber holders would work for like 14500?
Loads and loads of other cell holders and boxes, all kinds, but it seems like only the boxes have a chance at being waterproof. Also, the popular little Pelican/Wix/clone copies/etc hinged waterproof cases may be an option if you want to custom pad those and put them in a belt pouch - they have one that used to be marketed for a pack of cigarettes that would work, without being huge. The cheap stretch silicone cell holders are actually pretty decent for cushioning the terminal ends of cells but by themselves they will let water seep in eventually in sustained drips, probably in a thoroughly soaked pouch, too.
You should just get one of those ammo belts like John Wayne or a strap for shotgun shells like you’re Arnold Schwarzenegger and carry around the battery tubes in there like the 18650 Terminator
Edit to add: I regret not buying a reasonably priced, compact, twisty, 18650 dive light from gearbest a couple of years back, which has since disappeared.
Would have been perfect for a waterproof cell carrier/backup light.
Yes, an alternative to carrying spare cells in a carrier or holster etc is to carry multiple (waterproof) lights. I did have this option in mind, but this is a more expensive option as it requires purchasing extra lights. However the advantage of carrying multiple lights is that if a light fails (for whatever reason), just grab the next available light on hand. It saves the time/hassle of swapping out cells (possibly in wet weather, which is not really the best time to change cells).
True…
Except Batman would have something like solid gold wire shorting the terminals, but with a switch or something in the middle, maybe attached to a fuse with a 2 second delay. Bad guys are coming, flip the switch, throw em at the guy. 18650 flashbang
I just carry the ones Vapcell gives you when you buy the batteries. I have at least three lights on me at all times. I have more than a dozen of those cases for 18650, 21700 and 26650.
I bring the fanny pack with me when I need to change out battery carriers that have their own set of batteries in it. I can also fit a couple extra lights on there besides three or four on my hips in holsters.
I keep the battery cases in my pocket or a fanny pack. I also bring an extra battery carrier for my x65 . I put that in a pill bottle with foam on the top to keep it from rattling.
I’ve been caught in torrential rain and they’ve never gotten wet. The case may have gotten a little damp but the batteries were fine.
The official name for that is a lumbar pack. I have herniated disc in my neck and my lumbar spine. This was recommended to me. If you put too much weight in there sure it’s going to bother you. But it doesn’t bother me and I’ve had injuries.
Just to add. I don’t use it every night. My guess is once or twice a week.
I’m still not really happy about what is available (as seen so far), most of the containers are not really waterproof or are too bulky. I had in mind something like a waterproof (plastic) carrier that has separate slots for each cell contained within it. The cells would be stored vertically and could be accessed via a top opening lid. And the carrier would be belt mounted.
Again, at this stage, it seems use of multiple (waterproof) lights might be the best alternative solution.