My first flashaholic camping trip

[AlexLED]

... no ambient light, no light pollution, no campfire. ...

150 lumen C3/M30: Fun, but almost useless for nighttime tasks.

Yesss, fully agree !

...
For camping I currently have 3 lights that can come on in low mode with no night vision destroying modes to cycle past.
...
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:

...and fully agree with all of that as well !!! :twothumbs

During my last camping trip, I loved my Liteflux LF2x for exact those reasons. (Some 1 lm on low and 100 lm on max.)
Although I did use my WE M90 at times, when searching for distant animals.

Guess I will never buy any flashlight where the low levels are hidden behind higher levels. And yes, even 10 lm are rather too bright at night.

But still, for non-flashlight-alcoholics, an E01 is a very good compromise in my eyes.

 

[Illum]

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.

ahh, a practical use for maglites at last, you couldn't do that with hotwires or you risk burning through the nylon mesh

 

[DHart]

Yep... I guess that's always a great nefarious application for a potent flashlight in a campground!

More reasonably speaking, though, this thread of Kestrel's has really prompted me to round out my flashlight collection with a light or two which is really technologically advanced to provide great versatility in both wide output options (especially down to 3, 4, or 5 lumens or so) as well as ability to be powered by a range of power sources (123 primaries as well as the hotter RCR123 rechargeables).

Leads me to look for lights offering:

• dial down to super low power (for practical purposes & long running if needed),
• super long run times on low (for unforseen circumstances requiring this),
• ability to stand upright in candle mode (great practicality, especially in power outages),
• ability to run with primaries (long shelf life) AND with rechargeables (great for every day use)

a couple of options I'm considering include:

JetBeam Jet III-M
NiteCore

and I would greatly appreciate any suggestions as to other models which offer these features.

It would be awesome to have one light that can quickly go from 3 or 4 lumens while reading and camp what-not
up to a good 80+ or so lumens, with decent throw for checking out noises or possible approachers.

Thanks, Kestrel, for starting this discussion!

 

[qwopzxnm]

a couple of options I'm considering include:

JetBeam Jet III-M
NiteCore

and I would greatly appreciate any suggestions as to other models which offer these features.

selfbuilt did a great review of the Jetbeam III-M here:

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/211631

I personally have this light and it definitely seems to have everything you're looking for.

1) Dial down to super low is easy by twisting the head
2) Long run times on low
3) Can tail stand
4) Runs on C123's and 18650's
5) Easily goes from super low to highest setting with the turn of the head.

 

[DHart]

qw... thanks for the link... selfbuilt's reviews are always a great primary source for shopping reference! Looks like JetBeams are great, cutting-edge flashlights, agressively pushing the envelope! Gotta LOVE that! I hope this prods Surefire to get "closer to the edge!"

 

[curlyfry562]

+1 for the Zebralight for camping and backpacking.

+2 The zebra really is an amazing camping light.

 

[Armed_Forces]

+3 for the Zebralight, H30 variant!

That little sob should be included in everybody's arsenal of lights. Anybody that hasn't tried/used a headlamp ain't got a clue. For camping the low is dammned near perfect and with an 80+!! hour runtime you don't need to worry about packing a lot of extra batteries. Some of you guys really don't seem to care for 123 primaries, but in outdoor use away from civilization, they are really ideal because of their performance, safety and light weight. When I'm out hunting/treking/camping, all I carry is my H30 and a Surefire 6P w/ Malkoff M60L. I hadn't thought about it till now but I guess my Aeon should also be included since it's doing keychain duty and is an EDC now. That little ******* is amazing too, I'm still on the first battery! I never carry things in the wild that I wouldn't be perfectly OK with losing and to be honest I don't think you could do much better than that combo no matter the money.

 

[brucec]

I like the Tikka XP headlamp and use it almost continuously when in camp. The flood-spot usefulness of McGizmo's LS20 is available via the ingenious sliding flood-spot lens in the Tikka XP headlamp. I tried to use a Zebralight H30, but found that it easily ruins the night vision for everyone else. It's hard to talk to people when they are looking straight at the emitter, even from the side. I like the LS20 for a handheld light, but it is a bit on the heavy side. I also have a feeling that the AMcClickie Mules will be great around camp, especially the high CRI Nichia version.

 

[EasySt]

I carry a couple Coleman 4 AA Pack-Away lanterns in my

(GL1800A Goldwing) for general picnic table and tent lighting.

They pack small (Closed: 3.2" x 2.7" x 1.9" Open: 4.875" x 2.7" x 1.9"), run 12 hours on low and work well for this purpose.

My Surefire U2 seems to be my most generally useful camping hand held, with its 40 hour, 2 lumen mode, or up to 100 lumens when needed.

For spares and other camping fun, I usually have an E1B, an E2DL and a nice little 5mw green laser with me as well.

 

[1996alnl]

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

You took the words right out of my mouth!
Easily clips onto a hat too.

 

[RobertM]

One word.... A2.

+1

Nice low for preserving your vision and a beautiful incan. high for those, "What the heck was that over there?!?!"

 

[D-Dog]

+1

Nice low for preserving your vision and a beautiful incan. high for those, "What the heck was that over there?!?!"

Or... this is fun...

 

[Woods Walker]

A little light goes a long way in the dark dank woods.

 

[kz1000s1]

The A2 is nice for camping, but sometimes it's too bright. My most used light is my Novatac 85P. It's set to turn on at at 15 lumens, then I can double click for the lowest level of .08 lumens which I use alot. Sometimes I wish it could go even lower. Another favorite is my CMG infinity with a lithium AA worn around the neck. Also have some of the Energizer small folding LED light with 4AA and 2 levels.

 

[KiwiMark]

The A2 is nice for camping, but sometimes it's too bright. My most used light is my Novatac 85P. It's set to turn on at at 15 lumens, then I can double click for the lowest level of .08 lumens which I use alot. Sometimes I wish it could go even lower. Another favorite is my CMG infinity with a lithium AA worn around the neck. Also have some of the Energizer small folding LED light with 4AA and 2 levels.

I always take my Jet-IIIM with me when I go camping, I have many other lights I can choose, but 2 Lumen minimum is really good. Jetbeam claim it will run for 200 hours of a 18650 on minimum, this may or may not be true, I certainly can't be bothered testing it. But it really does have a low minimum output and the battery would run forever at that level. Full output (only a head tighten away) is pretty good for whenever you need more light on the subject. For even more light or anything in between the minimum and full - I always have other lights with me.

The last time I went camping I had about 6 lights with me - I know what you guys are thinking, but it was only overnight so I didn't need more than that. I had output options from 2 Lumens to ~4000 Lumens and both LED & Incan. The one I used the most was the Jet-IIIM on low followed by my Maglite 2D ROP Low (about 500-600 Lumens of Incan goodness). I had my ~4000 Lumens Mag623 on hand in case I wanted to light a camp-fire.

 

[angelofwar]

Ditto...I only have one real thrower (C3/KT2) which is my "search light"...all my other lights are low to medium out-put. When I go, my E1e/L1 w/ F04 get the most use.

 

[DHart]

The last time I went camping I had about 6 lights with me - I know what you guys are thinking, but it was only overnight so I didn't need more than that. I had output options from 2 Lumens to ~4000 Lumens and both LED & Incan. The one I used the most was the Jet-IIIM on low

Funny... I sometimes carry two, three, four flashlights with me just from one room to another.... to play with mostly, though. Yep.... flashaholicism for sure! When I came upstairs to the bedroom tonight I had five lights in my hands... my wife looked at me and cracked up!

Since my last post in this thread I have added a Jet III-M and LF3XT (among other great lights).

On a camping trip, I would no doubt take five or six different lights... and the Jet III M would be one of them for sure. (Great throw, super long run time on low, tailstand feature, quick two level switch.) Though I do find a light which has ramp up/down instantly available much more useable... there are needs for numerous levels of light while camping-and really quick adjustability to varying levels (more than just 2) is useful... here's where I think the LF3XT really shines (the LF3XT is perhaps my most useful light) whenever the light is running you can instantly go to min (2Clicks) or max (Click-PressHold) or ramp up/down (PressHold).... this easy versatility is wonderful. Awesome beam, good spill, tailstands, it's low low is reaaaally l-o-w.

And I agree with others that a multi-level headlamp would also be extremely useful to free the hands while doing things.

 

[KiwiMark]

Since my last post in this thread I have added a Jet III-M and LF3XT (among other great lights).

Though I do find a light which has ramp up/down instantly available much more useable...

Yep, got one of those with me too. My Olight Ti Infinitum has only one mode, but can ramp up/ramp down very easily.

The LF3XT sounds pretty good, I might have to think about getting one of them.

 

[DHart]

KiwiMark... if you've read the reviews on the LF3XT, you'll understand what a great light it is.

There's one more light I would DEFINITELY have with me on any road trip or camping trip... the MTE SSC P7. Last night I needed to investigate a barking dog on an adjoining 5 acre property. I went out with my LF3XT on low low for seeing my way to the fenceline. Once there I turned on the MTE SSC P7. Unbelievable light for throwing a brilliant wall of light covering a huge expanse and carrying out an unexpectedly long range for such a light. OMG... you have to see this light to believe it. For $38 including shipping, it's a must have for me. In any kind of tactical or investigatorial situation this light is like turning on the sun with the click of a switch. And instantly blinding to any eyes which face it. The large and deep reflector gives this super floody light a central brightness and throw you wouldn't expect. It's one of my most important lights for sure and one I would definitely have with me in the wilds or on the road at night.

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12623

 

[kaptein america]

I have found this thread very useful in guiding me toward my first real torch.
I'm curious about these colored filters green, red, blue; where can I hear more about them? Thanks