What lights would you take camping?

[Stefano]

Here is an Anker 14watt panel as an example.
This one will deliver 2amps at 5volts in good sun and is pretty capable of charging up batteries in standard chargers like many of us already have and use.

(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@ezdog
Very beautiful
I've never seen an Anker like this (two-sheet only)
It is similar to an old Allpowers I own (4 sheets, 16 watts) this is the technology of a few years ago but they work great.

Edit post:
this is my Allpowers bought a few years ago. (16 watts 2 A)
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41iwssSPEbL._AC_.jpg

[Sos24]

I know the struggle of finding exactly the light to fit certain parameters. It can be a journey in and of itself.

One light I THINK might be close to fulfilling your needs is the Lumintop EDC05C. One click for the front facing flashlight, two clicks for the side light. It has the other annoying modes, but only if you hold down the button to purposely cycle through the different modes. I figure you can set it to the light output you want, and never worry about cycling through the other stuff.

http://www.lumintop.com/edc05c.html

That light looks really cool.  I almost thought you were going to have me buying another.  I don’t like that I can’t use AA primaries or NiMH, so I’ll probably pass.

[Sos24]

My camping lights at a minimum would be my normal edc HDS rotary with my diffuser cap (ZenToes gel toe cap), FourSevens Mini or Fenix E16, Olight H1 Headlamp, and Luci Pro Inflatable Solar Lantern.

The HDS goes with me everywhere because I love the UI and trust it.  This light gives me a moonlight mode up to 200 lumen.  With the diffuser cap, it could double as lantern if it had to.

The Mini or E16 are my normal back-up to my edc.  They are small lightweight lights that provide higher lumens than my HDS while also taking the same battery.  The Mini will most likely win over and possible even replace the H1 once I get the headlamp kit for it.

Having a headlamp for hands-free is always a good option when camping.  The H1 is nice because it uses CR123/16340 which is the same as my other two lights, so I wouldn’t have to worry about multiple battery types.  I have a FourSevens Headlamp kit coming and depending on how I like it, it may replace the Olight because of the versatility.

The Luci lantern gives me a camp lantern that has its own built in solar panel (or can charge via USB).  The lantern adds very little weight and takes up little space, but does provide a nice lantern. 

In addition to spare batteries, I would bring one of my small solar panels and a battery charger that could also double as power bank such as Nitecore LC10 or F1.

[zoidberg]

Vertical caving, rope access and all that, a few hundred meters deep underground. We mostly have vertical caves around here. But I'd love to one day come ti NZ and go caving with you. All the photos and videos I've seen of your caves are amazing.

Just give me plenty of notice so I can stop drinking beers in time, wouldn't want you to spend all day trying to kick me out of a squeeze.

[Stefano]

If anyone has any ideas of what I can look into, I would be glad to hear it.

I don't know if it can do for you but try looking at the Nitecore LR12

[enki_ck]

Just give me plenty of notice so I can stop drinking beers in time, wouldn't want you to spend all day trying to kick me out of a squeeze.

No problem, not my first rodeo I too got stuck once Got myself out too but it was an interesting half an hour

[Scorpion Regent]

Wow!  thanks for the advice, you guys really seem to know what you're talking about.  I'll scrap the solar lantern idea and get a solar panel. 

 

Is 28w instead of 21w worth it?

To clarify - I should get solar panels, and a separate power bank?   So it goes: panels to bank.  disconnect... then bank to flashlight/phone
Is that right?

A power bank can be converted into a flashlight.  Just get a USB powered goose neck LED lamp, the kind used with laptops. You can stick the power bank in your chest pocket of your jacket and run the lamp out so it shines near your shoulder so you don't need a head lamp.  If your power bank holds enough charge you won't even need a solar panel for a week end.  It's not as cool as a tactical flashlight, but it works and it don't cost much.

[Scorpion Regent]

For this scenario, let's say it is more than just a weekend camping trip. We will assume we are going to be camping for a week and you have the choice of two lights to take. Also, for this camping trip, you will be hiking to new campsites and need to be able to pack everything in your backpack.

So what would your top two choices be?

So top two choices of what I own would be a my Streamlight Sidewinder and my Petzel Tactika.   They don't take up too much room and they don't weigh a lot.  To be honest though for a week I might just take the headlamp and an extra set of batteries.  As much as I like the Sidewinder I really don't like carrying any more than I need to.  I have a lot more light options when I have a stationary base camp with solar panels.

[cody6268]

Definitely, a headlamp, a full-sized light, and a small keyring-type light for backup. What mistake I won't make again is bringing a Xenon/incandescent bulb light.  Too underpowered.

So, in terms of best of the best of what I own, that would be my Coast, LED Lenser PX6, and Olight i3EOS. A big D-Cell Maglite would be a good choice, as an emergency self-defense tool, tertiary to your firearm and knife.


My Sidewinder is a good light for its battery life, which is about 50 something hours on low.

[Scorpion Regent]

Definitely, a headlamp, a full-sized light, and a small keyring-type light for backup. What mistake I won't make again is bringing a Xenon/incandescent bulb light.  Too underpowered.

So, in terms of best of the best of what I own, that would be my Coast, LED Lenser PX6, and Olight i3EOS. A big D-Cell Maglite would be a good choice, as an emergency self-defense tool, tertiary to your firearm and knife.


My Sidewinder is a good light for its battery life, which is about 50 something hours on low.

You would actually carry all of that in a back pack for a week?  A ounce at home weighs a pound on the trail.

[cody6268]

You would actually carry all of that in a back pack for a week?  A ounce at home weighs a pound on the trail.

That would likely be what I would carry for car camping or doing hiking on the farm. If weight was an issue (which it would definitely be, given 30 pounds was the limit for  big hiking trips we were given in Scouts), probably just the headlamp or Sidewinder. Heck, I think even the i3EOS would even do well.

[spudley112]

That would likely be what I would carry for car camping or doing hiking on the farm. If weight was an issue (which it would definitely be, given 30 pounds was the limit for  big hiking trips we were given in Scouts), probably just the headlamp or Sidewinder. Heck, I think even the i3EOS would even do well.

I have my Imalent headlamp and I thing I would take either my Thrunite T1 or Thrunite Neutron 2C as a handheld light. I have an Olight I1R that I keep on paracord around my neck. I know that might seem overkill, but I like having backup when it comes to certain items.

The one common thread with these lights is the fact that they are all usb rechargeable which I definitely want. The idea is to be able to charge on the solar panel during the day. The headlamp on 1 lumen provides 15 days of light, and the Thrunite Neutron at 1 lumen gives me 49 days (advertised run times). It is enough light that I can move around the campsite, read or do other tasks.

The Neutron and Imalent also have the ability to dial in the exact amount of light that I need. The Imalent has a dial, and the Neutron has a ramping UI. I like these kinds of lights because I can keep my power consumption low while choosing just enough light for the task at hand. I am not as concerned about lighting up the whole campsite (I CAN if I need to) as I am about making sure the lights still turn on when I need them the most.

Many people that rarely get out in the woods do not understand what deep darkness really is. Where I camp there is no ambient light whatsoever. You cannot see any signs of humans in any direction. On a moonless or overcast night, one cannot even navigate to the "bathroom" without some kind of light. A few years ago we had a really bad dry spell here and I was not able to safely have a campfire. It was like being in a cave...I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. In those conditions, as the eyes get truly adjusted to the dark, a 1 lumen flashlight will eventually seem like it lights up a large area!

[nate j]

Many people that rarely get out in the woods do not understand what deep darkness really is. Where I camp there is no ambient light whatsoever. You cannot see any signs of humans in any direction. On a moonless or overcast night, one cannot even navigate to the "bathroom" without some kind of light. A few years ago we had a really bad dry spell here and I was not able to safely have a campfire. It was like being in a cave...I literally could not see my hand in front of my face. In those conditions, as the eyes get truly adjusted to the dark, a 1 lumen flashlight will eventually seem like it lights up a large area!

Good point, Spuds.  I do wish more lights were available that had moonlight mode/a truly low low mode, which should correlate to ridiculously long run times.  The lowest brightness on many lights is still painfully bright for dark-adjusted eyes, which seems particularly silly on modern lights that often have 3-5+ brightness levels.

[spudley112]

Good point, Spuds.  I do wish more lights were available that had moonlight mode/a truly low low mode, which should correlate to ridiculously long run times.  The lowest brightness on many lights is still painfully bright for dark-adjusted eyes, which seems particularly silly on modern lights that often have 3-5+ brightness levels.

I think that is a big reason I like ramping UIs or lights with a moonlight mode that lasts for a very ling time. I was talking to Stefano about getting the Armytek Elf C2 recently. This model interests me because its moonlight mode advertises 200 days runtime!

[Stefano]

Good point, Spuds.  I do wish more lights were available that had moonlight mode/a truly low low mode, which should correlate to ridiculously long run times.  The lowest brightness on many lights is still painfully bright for dark-adjusted eyes, which seems particularly silly on modern lights that often have 3-5+ brightness levels.

It's nice to have so many bright options but I think light manufacturers have to make efforts to give the user as many levels as possible with easy-to-use interfaces.
I think that every light should have at least 6 light levels (or even more) the ultralow levels and the strobe can be "hidden"
The Zebralight system is very good and has many options and possibilities to customize but it is covered by a patent.
The Armytek (Hedlamp) system used in the Wizard Base and the ELF mentioned by Spudley is also good, it has two hidden low levels and a Turbo that can be reached with a double click.
Ultra-low lights are comfortable on EDC and Headlamp but I find them out of place on powerful or large torches (2000/3000 lumens and more) in those cases I would like that instead of a Firefly there was an extra light level to be exploited on the range medium/high

[ElevenBlade]

It's nice to have so many bright options but I think light manufacturers have to make efforts to give the user as many levels as possible with easy-to-use interfaces.
I think that every light should have at least 6 light levels (or even more) the ultralow levels and the strobe can be "hidden"
The Zebralight system is very good and has many options and possibilities to customize but it is covered by a patent.
The Armytek (Hedlamp) system used in the Wizard Base and the ELF mentioned by Spudley is also good, it has two hidden low levels and a Turbo that can be reached with a double click.
Ultra-low lights are comfortable on EDC and Headlamp but I find them out of place on powerful or large torches (2000/3000 lumens and more) in those cases I would like that instead of a Firefly there was an extra light level to be exploited on the range medium/high

It would be nice if more strobe modes were hidden.  I have the mode on the light I have been using lately.  Cycling through it even for a second is a pet peeve of mine.