>>881627I've been moving towards USB for everything for a while now. It's not just about charging from home (though that's super-convenient).
In the field (or while traveling), if you use micro USB for everything, then you don't need to have separate cables for every device, and the extra cables you do carry can be swapped out for one another as spares if one is lost/damaged.
You can get a battery pack and charge all your gear off it. Usually those only have USB ports. Some are rechargeable and some you put 1-2 AA batteries in for an emergency charge. Some people do solar, and again it's more efficient to charge the battery pack all day and then use the battery pack to top off your devices at night. Some compromise devices have solar but not enough-- but those are still useful since they have big batteries. You fully charge them before leaving on your trip and they have a few charge's worth of power, with the solar extending that time still further.
This replaces the old advice of trying to consolidate on AA-using devices only, and for many of the same reasons.
IMO the best flashlight has <10 lumen moonlight mode, 30-50 lumens for ordinary use, and 200+ lumens for intense use in nighttime. Most lights are regulated, these days, but avoid an incandescent or unregulated LED. More just burns power to little benefit unless you're doing something "tactical". I've never had a use for flash modes or other fancy stuff. CountyComm's light has a diffuser cap that lets you use their light as a lamp; the diffuser and a ring around the reflector are glow in the dark-- useful if you drop the flashlight or cap at night.
IMO charging ports need not be a threat to water resistance. You just have to have a design that puts the charger inside the light's body instead of under a rubber cap on the outside.
