Indeed .... but then, I am not in a life vest floating in the open ocean, and if I was ... i would ditch the bicycle and there goes the light.

I use Cygolite Hotshots, in a few different intensities .... none of them weigh as much as a single AA battery, all are rechargeable via USB.

When I started using lights, the options were weak generator lights which rubbed the tire, exceedingly expensive generator hubs, and double-D-cell low-efficiency lights, which are what opted for. II rode every night for more than an hour, and often did two night rides a day (second shift, odd hours.) I found the headlights to be very bulky and poorly performing. Regular batteries were only really bright for the first hour or so, and eventually had to be discarded while they still had life in them because they just weren't bright enough. Rechargeables (back in the day before Li-Ion and such) were bright for an even shorter time, and wore down quite quickly. The only safe solution was to bring four or six D cells (two in the light, and spares, and back-up spares in case the primaries died early in the ride to work and the secondaries faded halfway through the ride home.)

Yeah ... when I can get 35, 65, 05 100 lumens out of a rechargeable light which weighs less than an AA battery, I can forego the 7-mile range. As I noted, I rarely ride on a road which is straight and flat for seven miles anyway, so the range is moot. (And I never ride in the open ocean ... )

Further, seeing as I have more than five decades of in-traffic cycling experience, and am still alive, I kind of have to figure that regardless of whether what you do works for you, what I do works for me. We wouldn't be having this conversation otherwise.

As a side note, plenty of riders have been hit despite having superior lighting, because people who aren't paying attention simply don't see what they don't look at. But that is besides the point---I use good lights regardless. When my time comes, lights won't save me---but they might lessen my difficulties before that day.

Anyway ... maybe this didn't come across, but I was not criticizing you, nor disagreeing with your system. I said it might be great for you but didn't suit me, but I never said you shouldn't do it, or that there was something wrong with you because that was the system you chose. Not so sure why you feel you need to defend yourself ... but that's cool.

I could say, if it was such a great system, why not Still use it? But the fact is, so long as we are both ridding and liking it and staying alive I really don't care about any of that.

I find your system interesting, but not suited to my specific needs. I hope that doesn't upset you.

Ride on and enjoy the ride .... and know that if you choose to do otherwise, I will be riding and enjoying it anyway.