Pacific Crest Trail headlamp and battery choice

[Xris]

Wow, I'm getting overwhelmed now guys! :huh: Thanks for all the input, I'll try and respond a little to everyone's questions and comments.

As far a charging devices goes I plan on using one of cottenpickers custom solar charger set-ups from the cpfmarketplace (one of which is very similar to the Goal0 panel, and is worth a look for those in the market). The biggest power drain will indeed be my gps, it has ~24hr runtime, so I will need to have 2 AAs charged up for it ever couple days. My flashlight(s) and camera should only need occasional charging. The steripen will do ~30liters on a charge, and is really the only truly essential electronic device that would be difficult to do without - it should need a recharge every week or so.

I agree wholeheartedly with the advice on redundancy and no single purpose items (I think my camera is my only single purpose/luxury item). In addition to the steripen I will have chemical water treatment for about 120 liters of water and my stove. My stove is a MSR multifuel stove, so it is a little heavier than butane stoves, but I can run just about any fuel in it and it heats water very fast even at altitude or in the cold (I use a heat reflector/wind shield most of the time the keep fuel use down). Absolute worst case scenario I can build a fire and purify water the real old fashioned way!

I will be sending a few resupply kits ahead, but mostly I will be walking/hitching into nearby towns for resupply runs.

Good tip on the vitamin C, I will pass that one along to some friends; I have a feeling it might not stain water bottles as bad as coolade! I know and hate that iodine water taste so the chem treatment I have is ClO2.

One more plus for the Goalzero solar system is that you can buy it from REI, and with their amazing 100% customer satisfaction return policy you are just about getting a lifetime warranty on anything you buy from them.

 

[Xris]

For such a long hike, I suggest you take a few short trips with the gear you want to use first to make sure nothing fails. Break in new hiking shoes, try out your tent/tarp setup (on a rainy day), take a night hike with you headlight, test out your stove in different temperatures, practice with your filter or steripen, know runtimes of headlight and amount of water filtered per charge with the steripen (don't assume what's on the box is accurate when you're depending on it). Try out some of the types of food you plan to bring on your trip (Don't bring it if it makes you puke). You may have to adjust what you bring or fix gear before you leave. It's better for it to fail next to your car than 50 miles from civilization.

Hehe, believe it or not I have actually done a bit of backpacking, and I know the routine (anyone planning the PCT for a first trip out is more than a a little overconfident in themselves and their gear!).

I have used all sorts of filters over the years, and there are certainly pros and cons for every filter/purifier.

I will definitely look into that costco deal, thanks for the heads up.

 

[ryguy24000]

What part of the PCT are you doing? All? what about a candle(and holder) and some Iodine? Nothing is fail safe on the trail, but fire is your friend?

 

[leaftye]

I simply can't agree with this. You never know what's going to happen. A backup for emergency use can save your life.

A mechanical injury like a broken leg or ankle and no backup light is a way of asking for trouble, especially if you end up off trail as a result. Modern LED lights are so small and light now, it's insane not to carry an extra. If push comes to shove and you really want to be a gram-weenie about it, put a keychain light that uses coin cells like a Photon on a neck cord and wear that all the time, so you'll always have a light with you, because, again, you never know what might happen and when it might just save your life.

Hike all day. Sleep at night. That's long distance hiking. If you're the type to squander the day to hike at night without a light, you should stay at home in front of the computer & tv instead of hitting the trail.

 

[borrower]

I simply can't agree with this. You never know what's going to happen. A backup for emergency use can save your life.

A mechanical injury like a broken leg or ankle and no backup light is a way of asking for trouble, especially if you end up off trail as a result. Modern LED lights are so small and light now, it's insane not to carry an extra. If push comes to shove and you really want to be a gram-weenie about it, put a keychain light that uses coin cells like a Photon on a neck cord and wear that all the time, so you'll always have a light with you, because, again, you never know what might happen and when it might just save your life.

Hike all day. Sleep at night. That's long distance hiking. If you're the type to squander the day to hike at night without a light, you should stay at home in front of the computer & tv instead of hitting the trail.

B0wz3r's advice is sound, in my opinion. You've done nothing to credibly disagree with that, except posture a little. I'd hate to think that your opinion is given weight by people just getting into self-supported hiking. (I'm fond of the Petzl e-lite as a backup: 28 grams and includes a whistle.)

 

[B0wz3r]

Hike all day. Sleep at night. That's long distance hiking. If you're the type to squander the day to hike at night without a light, you should stay at home in front of the computer & tv instead of hitting the trail.

I'll bet a month's pay I have more outdoors experience than you do. I've done 10 day trips in the Wind River mountains, including summiting Wyoming's Gannet Peak, been to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back, to the top of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Lassen, Shasta, Mammoth, Bryce, Zion, and more. I've seen professional guides (with ten years of experience in Alaska) make mistakes, fall, and break an ankle. I doubt you know more about outdoorsmanship than a professional guide from Alaska.

I'd rather not get into this kind of BS with you, but if this is the attitude you're going to have in these forums, I'll be happy to report your behavior to the mods and let them deal with you.

 

[leaftye]

B0wz3r's advice is sound, in my opinion. You've done nothing to credibly disagree with that, except posture a little. I'd hate to think that your opinion is given weight by people just getting into self-supported hiking. (I'm fond of the Petzl e-lite as a backup: 28 grams and includes a whistle.)

I have plenty of long distance hiking experience on the PCT. There's little to figure out. You walk during the day, sleep at night. What do you need a light for while sleeping? Maybe to relieve your bladder on a cloudless night. Otherwise a nice light is just a comfort item unless you plan on putting in extra hours when it's still dark. Since there's more than 12 hours of daylight throughout the thru hiking season, either you're really putting in serious hours or poorly managing your time. As I stated before, the latter is foolish and very possibly dangerous.

I'll put out the light recommendation again. If you're only hiking during daylight hours, you really don't need a light, but a coin light would be nice to have to get out of your shelter at night to relieve your bladder. If you will hike when it's dark, the a spot is far better.

 

[leaftye]

I'll bet a month's pay I have more outdoors experience than you do. I've done 10 day trips in the Wind River mountains, including summiting Wyoming's Gannet Peak, been to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back, to the top of Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Lassen, Shasta, Mammoth, Bryce, Zion, and more. I've seen professional guides (with ten years of experience in Alaska) make mistakes, fall, and break an ankle. I doubt you know more about outdoorsmanship than a professional guide from Alaska.

I'd rather not get into this kind of BS with you, but if this is the attitude you're going to have in these forums, I'll be happy to report your behavior to the mods and let them deal with you.

The guy asked for lighting recommendations for the PCT. I have thousands of miles under my belt, not including many hundreds of hours of trail maintenance. I'm well known within the PCT hiking community. I know what's needed to hike.

Note that I haven't recommended against carrying a light at all, just that it's strictly not necessary. What I did recommend against is carrying a second full light. There's absolutely no need to carry more than a coin light as a spare. You claim to have lots of experience, yet you're proposing a scenario that involves hiking without a light at night, which is a situation that an inexperienced hiker should not be in, and most thru hikers shouldn't be in either.

I really don't like hiking into the night even with a light because that makes tripping harder, makes the trail harder to recognize, makes it take longer for sweat to dry off, makes finding a campsite that much harder, and also makes it it harder to light up animals at night. Most of that is worse with a light with a floody beam. Floody beams are great if you'll be spending a bunch of time in camp, but long distance hikers don't.

 

[B0wz3r]

The guy asked for lighting recommendations for the PCT. I have thousands of miles under my belt, not including many hundreds of hours of trail maintenance. I'm well known within the PCT hiking community. I know what's needed to hike.

Note that I haven't recommended against carrying a light at all, just that it's strictly not necessary. What I did recommend against is carrying a second full light. There's absolutely no need to carry more than a coin light as a spare. You claim to have lots of experience, yet you're proposing a scenario that involves hiking without a light at night, which is a situation that an inexperienced hiker should not be in, and most thru hikers shouldn't be in either.

I really don't like hiking into the night even with a light because that makes tripping harder, makes the trail harder to recognize, makes it take longer for sweat to dry off, makes finding a campsite that much harder, and also makes it it harder to light up animals at night. Most of that is worse with a light with a floody beam. Floody beams are great if you'll be spending a bunch of time in camp, but long distance hikers don't.

For someone with supposedly "thousands of miles" under your belt, you're saying exactly the kinds of things most rank amateurs who have just a little bit of experience and confidence say. Right before they go out underprepared, fall, injure themselves badly, and if they're lucky end up getting medi-vac'ed out. Those are the kinds of people who spout off arrogantly and claim their opinions are facts, just as you're doing here.

The fact that you would provide advice to someone who doesn't have a lot of experience that they don't need any kind of back-up light, let alone a light at all, shows how little you actually know. I for one would rather provide sound advice for someone who genuinely needs it, and who can make good use of it, than be irresponsible and give them advice based solely on my own needs and experience. If you want to do that, do it, but make it clear that what you're saying is your own opinion and not fact the way you are claiming here.

You are not only refuting advice from myself and others as invalid simply because you disagree with it, rather than there being anything factually incorrect about it, and being irresponsible by giving so-called advice to someone without a lot of long distance experience that could be potentially harmful to them. That would be like someone who's never gone bear hunting before asking what kind of gun to use, and you telling them a .22 handgun is going to be fine for it.

Grow up, and get a clue. If you're not going contribute constructively, and responsibly, and you're going to have this kind of attitude, you'll quickly find yourself unwelcome here.

 

[leaftye]

@Xris

As you can see, there's disagreement here. You would do well to get on the PCT email list where there are others that actually have lots of experience hiking on the PCT.

Also, are you making it to the kickoff this year? There will be at least one shop selling lights there, the main one being Adventure 16. This would allow you to wait until kickoff, talk to others in person, try out their lights, and then get the one you like. The folks at Adventure 16 will pick up what you need from their shop if they don't already have it in their stand. If you stay with a PCT trail angel in town, you'll probably find that they're happy to talk gear and take you to REI or Adventure 16 to pick up what you need or help you order one to get delivered to a town along your hike.

 

[MY]

I would suggest that you consider using an Aquastar UV filter rather than the steripen. Having used both for the past 8 years on long distance hikes, I can say that the Aquastar is a much more useful tool. Unfortunately though, it only takes 3.0 and not 3.6 V 123s.

 

[borrower]

@B0ws3r

... Give one good example of why you need two full flashlights for that kind of hike...

@leaftye: Since I assume B0ws3r is tired of this thread, I'll answer in the clearest terms possible. You need two lights (not necessarily "full" flashights -- you invented that straw man) because one can malfunction and leave you with only one. You need one because it gets dark at night and you might have some sort of an emergency involving you or other hikers that requires light.

 

[Kestrel]

Three posts have been deleted. leaftye, being excessively argumentative is not helpful for this discussion.
You have expressed your point of view, please leave it at that.

For the purposes of getting this thread back on track, I am quoting post #1 below:

I have been agonising over what headlamp to buy for a couple months now, so I thought I would turn to the collective knowledge of this forum for some help.

Here's the situation; I am planning on hiking the Pacific Crest Trail this summer, so I need a durable and reliable headlamp for the trip. I will be using a gps with AA batteries and a Steripen water purifier with RCR123A batteries, so I would prefer a lamp that uses one of those battery types (I am planning to recharge them with a portable solar charger). I would also like the light to be stable and comfortable for use at a jogging pace.

So far I have been favouring the Spark headlamps with their robust waterproof design, and three strap headband, but I am uncertain which model would best fit my needs.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ryguy24000]

I poached(mountain bike) the PTC just the other day and my Spark ST5 worked just fine! I think any AA or 123 light from Zebra or spark or one that you buy at rei would work just fine.

 

[eh4]

Hooked on Fenix, Thank You for the Micropur recommendation, I'm sold. I have never liked the iodine taste, it's just Old Reliable to me. I'm going to check out Micropur.
FWIW, I believe that iodine "could" harm someone's thyroid after several weeks, and I equally believe that it wouldn't happen to me, I've used iodine for weeks and weeks at a time, boiling when possible, using iodine whenever it was more practical, no trouble, but it might be a different matter for someone with thyroid issues.

 

[Xris]

What part of the PCT are you doing? All? what about a candle(and holder) and some Iodine? Nothing is fail safe on the trail, but fire is your friend?

I will be attempting the full US portion of the trai, Mexico to Canada.

You reminded me of a cool trick for a candle/handwarmer that could come in handy for some of the camping folks here! Take a foil wrapped vaseline gauze bandage (like this), make a slit in the middle and pull out 1/4" to 1/2" of gauze, light it on fire. You now have a handy oil burning lamp! When you are done with the lamp, fold it in half and you now have a nice little hand warmer.

 

[Xris]

Ok, back to the original topic. I am going with the spark ST5, I will post a mini review when I get it to let you all know how I like it as a night running light. If there is interest I can also do a full review of how it fares on the trail.

I plan to start a blog where I will keep a journal of my travel adventures (beginning with gear selection and planning for this summer), I will post a link once it is online for those that are interested. Thanks for all the various advice everyone!

 

[Hooked on Fenix]

Looks like a decent choice of headlight by the specs. Doesn't seem to have been around very long, so I assume you're going to thoroughly test it before the trip. Good choice on the stove. MSR makes good stoves that can be taken apart and repaired in the field and many towns carry spare parts (not just kits of parts). The most often broken part on MSR stoves is the fuel pump. Luckily, with a stove that uses butane as well, you can switch to butane if it does fail. You're going to be overwhelmed by the awesome views you'll get to see. While I haven't done the PCT myself, I have been through much of Mt. San Jacinto, the San Gorgonio Mountains, and all over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. If you're going south to north, you're going to want to begin soon. The desert section will be nice this time of year as long as there aren't any flash floods. Mt. San Jacinto gets snow, but it goes away quickly. The San Gorgonio Mountains retain snow longer but would probably melt by the time you got there. The High Sierras will be a challenge as some of the snow doesn't melt until June, sometimes as late as July or early August. You may need snow shoes for this section. Cross country skies would be fun to try out instead. YMMV. You'll use the headlight more in the mountains than the desert. I know from experience backpacking in the high Sierra Nevadas in August that the sun drops behind the mountains around 4 P.M. As you'll probably be traveling earlier than that through this section, expect to use more power for your headlight and have less charging time with solar power. Your rechargeable batteries (Lithium ion) may or may not work in the cold, Eneloops and lithiums will. You'll pass so many great spots you may want to take notes on what areas to explore on future trips. The John Muir trail is part of the PCT and is a hike I've thought about doing myself (if I ever have the money). For a resupply point along the John Muir trail, check out Florence Lake. They will cashe your supplies at a ranger station for a price, and have a post office for mailing supplies. I envy you. Good luck and have fun.

 

[YoSeKi]

Has anyone here completed or attempted the PCT? or the AT? or any other long distance trail?

 

[B0wz3r]

Has anyone here completed or attempted the PCT? or the AT? or any other long distance trail?

I've done longer sections of the John Muir Trail over the course of a few days, north, south, and through Yosemite, but never tried the whole thing. My wife is planning on a 60 mi. stretch of it this summer though.