My first flashaholic camping trip

[kramer5150]

This is supposedly the same reason that pirates wore eye patches. So that when they went from the deck of their boats to the dark interior they just flipped the eye patch up and could see easily. (I watch Mythbusters)

Cool... I had no idea about that. next time I go camping I'm bringing my puffy shirt and an eye patch:twothumbs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLKGpAGCKl8&NR=1

 

[Illum]

I used to bring lots of lights camping.

Now, on the trail I will pack a Aeon and a Tikka in case it gets dark. I usually plan the hikes so that I return in the dark. For kicking it at the camp I usually have a red A2 or L2. A mini-mag white traffic cone fits on the L2 bezel and makes a pretty nifty tent light on low. I will pack a M6 but it gets very little use. My wife uses a Ion and a Tikka+.

the low on the aeon is beautiful isn't it

Cool... I had no idea about that. next time I go camping I'm bringing my puffy shirt and an eye patch:twothumbs

just get used to it while your on flat ground: around the house, etc. changing the binocular vision into a monocular could potentially result in having two left feet and a severe limitation in depth perception if your not used to it.

 

[bullfrog]

Cool... I had no idea about that. next time I go camping I'm bringing my puffy shirt and an eye patch:twothumbs

"...but I dont wanna be a pirate!..."

 

[KiwiMark]

I have been very vocal about this... Nice to see I am not alone. IMHO bright lights used incorrectly can hinder and impair vision more than improve it.

This is where I am pretty happy with my lights. Though I have a lot of lumen available I also have low modes on several lights.

For camping I have:
4D Maglite with Malkoff - great floodlight, lights up a huge area really brightly, no low mode, wont get used much.
Jetbeam Jet-I IBS with Q5 - I have programmed the first mode to be a very low (about 5%) output - fantastic light, will probably run over 20 hours on a 14500 or AA - Will be one of my main lights on camping trips.
Fenix L2D with Q5 - will run for over 40 hours on low, with loosened head it starts in low on the first click, another great light for camping.
Olight M20 Premium - will run for 20 to 70 hours on low depending on what type of batteries I use, remembers last setting so I can use it on low all the time.

For camping I currently have 3 lights that can come on in low mode with no night vision destroying modes to cycle past. The low mode also gives the added advantage of fantastic run times which is not a bad thing at all when camping.

On the way I have 2 more great camping lights:
Jetbeam Jet-I Pro EX - I will program that with a very low mode on first click and with 2 x AA batteries that will run for well over 40 hours.
Jetbeam Jet-III M - 2 modes selected by twisting head - full or programmed, I will set the programmable mode to very low for camping (I can always reprogram it for something else when using it in other situations). If I set the low mode to around 5% then it should run for 70+ hours on its batteries (even the default low on the Jet-III is good for almost 40 hours).

Both of my new lights will also be able to turn on straight to a very low mode. That will be 5 lights capable of making light that is good on my eyes and good on the batteries on the first click, all 5 are also capable of turning on straight to maximum output for blinding light. It's that versatility that is so great with modern lights, great for security but also great for camping - I can use these suckers anywhere and anyway I want!

Any flashaholic going camping should bear this all in mind and don't just take your most powerful lights with the best throw or flood:tsk:, take some good low mode lights with long run times :twothumbs (and of course fully charged batteries + spares). It is also handy to be using a low level light when the smart alec starts telling everyone about how much brighter his light is - "hmmm, let me just switch this tiny little AA (actually running a 14500) light to full" - :nana::hahaha: If that doesn't do it then I'll go grab my Maglite 4D with the Malkoff drop-in!

 

[hopkins]

Yo Kramer - nice collection of lights in your Youtube clip. Ready for Camping!
ot
If I may , some constructive criticism: as you held the lights for demo, they were way under illuminated for the camera. As if, here's this light expert who can't get enough photons on his demo peice to show details even with a table full of lights. Sorry.

 

[StarHalo]

IBS is the best thing ever! Being able to program 3 modes to whatever you want means you can have a light that outputs EXACTLY what you want for what you are using the light for. Sometimes lower output is better and the extra runtime is just a big bonus, I do like having the extra output available though - just in case I need it.

+1, once you have an IBS-equipped light that does everything, all the other lights you bring merely become backups.

 

[csshih]

darn. Must... Have.. I.B.S....

 

[carrot]

One word.... A2.

 

[Fooboy]

Put an F04 beamshaper on the L1 and it's a SUPER camping light.

 

[kelmo]

I have a Aussie Mini-Tower for my E1e. This is a great flood light that won't overwhelm your vision at night.

 

[mossyoak]

I spend at least 15-20 weekends a year in the backcountry, and i typically only take my zebra light and a thrower, which is usually my ex10, which is quite the light cannon is the woods surprisingly, but it get turned on min mostly and barely used at that, the zebra on low or med covers 90 percent of my lighting.

 

[Burgess]

Very interesting and useful thread here.

:twothumbs


Usually, a low mode is all that i need.


Until i hear a "whatthehellisTHAT" noise.


Then, a brighter light is much appreciated.


_

 

[LED_Thrift]

+1 for the Zebralight for camping and backpacking.

 

[mossyoak]

+1 for the Zebralight for camping and backpacking.

i could get by with just that, i really dont care what the noise is way over in the distance.

 

[SureAddicted]

A trick the army uses for keeping their night adapted vision is they sit in a dark environment (bush, forest, jungle) for about 40-50 minutes for their eyes to adapt. Using flashlights is a no no.

 

[sims2k]

When I went camping with friends and family a few weeks ago I brought a P7 with SF L2, SF C2 and MTE C3, Fenix L2DCE Q5 plus an LED lantern. It was fun walking to the bathroom after midnight or early morning with the P7 but my most used light was the SF L2 on low...anything else was too bright and using the bright lights around the 4 tents that we used was a definite no..no..from my friends and relatives. First night was fun playing around with bright lights but quickly got tired of hearing complaints from everyone else around the campsite. I gave three AA maglites with the Nite-Ize 1 watt LED in them to my family and they good enough for use inside the tents and outside sitting in front of the barbecue pit. I am buying Fenix E01 to give away for christmas this year....:twothumbs

 

[mossyoak]

A trick the army uses for keeping their night adapted vision is they sit in a dark environment (bush, forest, jungle) for about 40-50 minutes for their eyes to adapt. Using flashlights is a no no.

australian army? because my friends that are in the military use the hell out of their surefires.

 

[SureAddicted]

australian army? because my friends that are in the military use the hell out of their surefires.

Mainly regiments in the army, different units. Not so much the reserves.

 

[hopkins]

At a campground we saw some teen boys figure out that their dads maglite if
shone on one side of a tent would let them see the girls silhouettes on the other. The oblivious parents were in their RV while these little twinks took turns with the flashlight.

 

[Burgess]

_