If (or rather, when) civilization finally collapses within our lifetimes, we will need to be prepared. This will mean stocking up on non-perishable food, fresh water, weapons, ammunition, and various supplies to help us withstand whatever catastrophic event that’ll knock us back to the stone age.

One of these essential pieces of kit is a good thermal imaging device. A Pulsar Axion boasts a battery life ranging from 7 – 11 hours, much longer than the couple of hours of light provided by some survival flashlights on the market. Paired with its chargeable battery pack, this makes it much more viable than a regular flashlight for long term emergency or survival situations.

In the event of a societal shutdown or large-scale urban emergency, a survivor might encounter some hostile undesirable elements such as looters or angry protesters. In such a scenario it would be best to deal with them through stealth, guile, or force if the survivor is left with no other option. A thermal device would be an invaluable tool for those who want to sneak away from harm.

The best time for evasion is at night under the cover of darkness. A flashlight would be a dead giveaway to any parties looking for the survivor, so thermal vision would be great for skulking about in the night. Armed with thermal, a survivor would never need to stick to the lit pathways everyone else uses. Aside from this, thermal also gives them the capability to track everything from people to animals in all conditions and times of the day. Fog and rain mean nothing to a thermal camera. People leave heat trails on surfaces for up to five minutes, and fresh animal droppings radiate heat as well.

Outside of a survival situation, thermal has wide applications in the hunting world as well. An animal’s blood will leave colored outlines when viewed through the lenses of a thermal imaging system, and no animal’s camouflage coat or dense foliage would be able to save a hunter’s prey. Thermal is especially helpful for looking for smaller game or pests like squirrels or birds that camouflage themselves in the treetops, normally obscured by dense leaves.

Even outside of a hunt, thermal devices can help reveal hidden objects such as faulty electronics which glow hot due to their irregular heat conductivity. They can also trace wires hidden behind walls or – when on vacation – help detect hidden cameras and spy electronics in hotel rooms.

Interestingly, a thermal camera can also be used in a kitchen. If a cook already owns a thermal device, there will be no need to purchase a kitchen thermometer if he knows how to accurately read his camera. Through thermal, a cook can determine if oil is ready for frying, if water is ready for boiling, how cooked a piece of meat is, or where the hottest places on a grill are.

If someone’s kitchen catches fire, thermal comes to the rescue yet again. Firefighters use thermal imaging to find the safest paths out of burning buildings, since thermal vision ignores smoke and shows the coolest paths leading them out of the room.

Whether it’s for survival, hunting, or search and rescue, thermal has applications all across the field, and if you have the money, it would be a good idea to invest in a device now, because as they say, it’s better to have one and not need it rather than need one and not have it.