Lost in the wilderness, which lights?

[Spence]

TO: CAVE DAVE=
LOL...you got me good with that one, and I just took delivery last week.

 

[jankj]

... I was trying to build a case that for this scenario you don't need a lot of brightness or run time ( I think I had said 25 lumens for 8 hours )

I'd say 25 lumens is a gross overestimation of what you need when staying put in the woods. 2 lumens (zebralight on low) will just about suffice - you see where you put your feet and a couple of feet, but not much more. Excellent for seing what you're doing when making yourself comfortable in the camp, but not really made for walking. 10 lumens in a more directional beam profile (more throw, such as fenix L1D/L2D on low) will be more than plenty for slow walking in nice terraing, looking for firewood etc.


For safe navigation in rough terrain you'll probably want LOTS of light. But unless you really know where you are and what you are doing it will probably be a good idea to wait for daylight anyway. That being said, I find that my fenix L2D is really helpful for that kind of movement, except that it is not a headlamp. (On my wish list is a headlamp with similar characteristics, by the way - I just seem to be unable to make that choice.... ) But If I really need to, I can just improvise a makeshift headband with some duct tape (I always carry a small amount on my trips).


So what will I bring in case I really get stuck? I'd have to choose from my rather meagre non-flashaholic collection - but those few lights I have work really well. It will be a zebralight H50 and either a fenix L1D (lighter, smaller) or L2D (more runtime and more "punch" at maximum), but not both. If I find myself really stuck out there, the zebra on low is my worklight, and I'll turn on whichever of those fenixes only when I really need the extra amount of light. And I may toss in a photon II for extra backup.


Bringing anything more than 2 lights (and potentially a fauxton/photonlight) is overkill, IMO. If you're really stuck, your most important asset is what's inside your head - use THAT to make the most of what else you have with you, or what you find. This is much easier if you always carry a careful selection of some SMALL, handy items with you. If it is too big, it will be left at home when you really need it.


Of course, that does not exclude anyone from bringing along their hobby in the backpack as well.... I may very well bring a heavy "monster thrower" light just for fun, testing and playing - but it will never be permanent part of my pack.

 

[Flying Turtle]

I would surely have my Zebralight H50, L0D or E01, and probably something brighter like an L1 or LF3XT, plus at least one spare battery for each. These should hold me for a few nights. I'm sure I'd be able to start a fire, too.

Geoff

 

[saabgoblin]

Take an E1e..... and have plenty of extra batteries (they are light!)

BEFORE you actually go, just go into dark AND wet woods to see how bad a LED-based light actually is under these circumstances. Only when you have seen that black & white world a LED gives you, take out any decent incan, switch it on and.... WHOOWW!! NOW I can see what COLOR that tree has.... it isn't black at all, it's dark brown.... and the grass is green now!

Try it... and I'm sure even the most hardcore LED-supporter will (re)turn to an incan then


Timmo.

Great point, One time and ONE time only, I left my candle lantern at home to cut half a pound but using leds around camp at night is truly an artificial and unpleasant experience IMHO. The color balance of an incan is a beauty to behold although I have yet to use a Rebel led or one of the better balanced leds similar to the warm Malkoff and or Jetbeam, I have really started to fall back in love with my incans. Although it is a little heavier, I mnay prefer my E2d with the MNO2 bulb which to my eye is almost as bright as my 6P. I am still waiting to get a MNO1 for my Lego E1e but I think that I would prefer the throw of the E2d with it's convex lens, or throw that head on my E1e.

 

[cave dave]

In my early 20's I did more backpacking than I am likely to do for the rest of my life combined (unfortunately). Like every body else at the time I carried a Minimag incandescent and later a PT Solo headlamp. The Photon had not been invented.

Those are both about 10 lumens of ringy unregulated dimness. The PT solo gave 2.5 hrs of light with the bright bulb. 4 to 6 on the dim bulb.

The vast majority of us managed to survive

I do more bicycle touring nowadays (no weight on my back). One time I was about 20 mi from my destination and took a wrong turn. I guess you could say I was lost because I went about 45 min before I realized it. Then had to backtrack. No way I was gonna get all the way to my destination, before it got pitch black. I had a nite-rider system but it was already getting dark and it was much darker under the trees than I would of expected. The night rider might have allowed me to get all the way, but those halogen systems didn't have much run time.

So, I found a nice patch of woods with no houses around pushed my bicycle back in away from the road, set up camp, had a snack and went to sleep. Continued on the next day. See that's what you do when you have full camping gear. Shortly before it gets dark you use the last bit of light to find a good camp and you use a nice preferably floody headlamp to set up tent, cook yourself some dinner, read a bit of sci-fi and go to sleep.

Maybe I'm old fashioned, the last bike tour I did one guy was using his Archos player to watch law and order before he went to sleep. He ended up bailing out early because he couldn't stand being "disconnected", His I-phone couldn't get service most of the time, called his girlfriend to pick him up when we passed through a town. :duh2:

 

[saabgoblin]

Ah yes, reminds me of having my PT solo dim to practically nothing and then turning it off for a few minutes and then back on so you could try to plod your way until that incandescent drop off would die in about a minute and a half. I was so broke and cheap in those days that I could barely afford to buy extra batteries so unknowingly I drained and killed those batteries until it eventually killed my headlamp. I still have one solo left from a friend who is no longer with us, so long live the Solo, and it's not too bad with a EVERLED although the ringyness never really goes away.:candle:

Actually on a night hike with the solo, I had bats swooping over my head and flying through the light and I believe that they were picking off insects as they flew through the beam. That trip got me into night hiking, scared me to death at first but after I got used to them, it was pretty cool watching them fly overhead!!!

 

[OrlandoLights]

Zebra H50, Fenix L1D with the diffuser, 4 pack of Sanyo 2700, a red Photon Freedom. Those with a Swedish Firesteel, a knife, a source of water and the ability to build a shelter from found materials (branches, rocks, grasses, leaves, etc) would be enough for a comfortable few weeks in the wilderness.

 

[flashy bazook]

Or Surefire L1, on low has runtime between 40-50 hours depending if it is the oldest or the second oldest generation (latest generations have lower low runtimes).

Plus the Zebra H30 for another 25 hours or so on low. It weighs almost nothing more than the 1xCR123A cell it uses and can be attached as a headlamp or onto a part of your clothing around a string.

Both match the type of battery - you can even transfer it from one light to the other. You got the flood from the Zebra and a bit more throw from the SF, which is also pretty lightweight.

A couple of extra cells and you are good to go.

I have both of these and am quite pleased, the SF L1 I have in a red LED which might be nice to have around in the outside dark, but the poster who pointed out that monochromatic light has disadvantages as well was quite right. Some colors are not very easy to see when lit by monochromatic light.

 

[andrew123]

I'd take a nitecore d20. It has really good runtime on the low levels and that's all you need when your eyes are adjusted to the dark.