I love me both of my Ultimate Survival Technologies LED lanterns. (The 10 DAY 6 AA battery model is so bright that it’s replaced my 4 D battery lantern even for car camping.)

What I don’t love so much are their super-sensitive press switches. I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve opened my pack or drybag to find the lantern had squeezed against other cargo and turned itself on, wasting hours of battery life. I needed a fix.

First, I tried wrapping little sleeves of neoprene over the switches, but that didn’t prevent the auto-on in the pack problem. I considered creating hard cases out of short lengths of PVC pipe, but that would have negated two of the things I like best about these lanterns: their lightness and compactness.

The correct solution turned out to be dead simple: a barrier strip of non-conductive fabric cut to fit inside the battery compartment. The strip lies across two battery ends and prevents conduct unbecoming while the lantern jostles around inside a pack. To use the lantern, just invert it, pop off the battery cover, pull out the strip and replace the cover. It takes just seconds, even by touch in the dark.

I used PVC-coated fabric because it’s durable and because as a hacking/modding geek I have that kind of stuff around the house. But you could cut strips from old bike inner tubes or wide rubber bands — any material that’s non-conductive and thin enough not to squash the “push” out of the springs that complete the battery circuit.