Recommendations for camping: two needed

[bryguy42]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BL-3D1W-BLK
Buy Now! Blaster III (Note: Blaster III is upgraded version of Blaster II), black anodized. Three 'D' cells, 1 watt Luxeon Star, 30mm optics. Expect 24 hours of super intense bright light. Regular Price $69.99

Sale Price: $54.

Here is what I recommend... Why mess around... get the best... plus these last for 24+hrs...

(no worrying about kids wasting batteries...) not to mention they are on sale!!!

www.elektrolumens.com

 

[Joe Talmadge]

[ QUOTE ]
paulr said:
I'd say stick with less expensive lights.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, agreed, though I'm not sure where "less expensive" ends. These are Scouts, spending a little bit on a light they'll use for years may be okay. Also, I agree with the folks who said to stick with common battery types (no 123A!). In addition -- and I know there won't be agreement on this -- since it's easily possible to get good brightness from small lights, and lightweight camping is one of the things you may be coaching, there really is little need to go with C or D cell flashlights, unless the price is the overwhelming factor.

My top recommendation is a PT Aurora, or something with the same attributes. It is, most importantly, a headlamp, which means hands-free use for cooking, walking/hiking at night, etc. It's got adjustable modes, from bright enough to night hikes, to dim enough for book reading, so all of that is covered. And the light angle is adjustable. Not married to the Aurora, if someone wants to buy a Streamlight Argo, it seems to have the same features, only more so.

The above light really handles everyone's needs, so anything else is gravy (or backup). You might also suggest an inexpensive handheld with a little more ooomph to it, like a 4AAA incandescent such as the Princeton Tec Rage. Batteries interchangeable with the AAA headlamps, more light when that's necessary, tough enough for camping, and very inexpensive. I would want the chaperones to have something at least as bright as the Rage, and maybe something brighter (like a UKE 4AA), just in case.

You can find the Aurora for $20-$25 (plus shipping) if you look. Expensive for a non-light-nut, but a very appropriate piece of equipment for Scouts. You can find the Rage for under $12 (plus shipping). UKE 4AA takes you back up to $20-$25.



Joe

 

[Bill.H]

No need for two, get a SL Twin-Task.

The 3C would be best, but there are smaller ones. The 3C will last through a weekend, probably a whole week, on easy to get C cells. If they all have the same light it's nice to have an inexpensive box of spares. They won't need the bulb all that often, but it's there when things go bump in the night. Using the LEDs will handle 90% of their needs. They can't break them! If they do figure out a way to, however, they're guaranteed. As long as they don't lose them, they'll have them until they're all fathers, maybe grandfathers.

I gave one to my daughter to take on a (college) camping trip last fall, she thought it was perfect. Also, it was the hit of the camp as everyone had to hold it and play with it.

 

[RebelRAM]

I was a Scout awhile back.... I guess it's been close to 15 years since was with the troop. The minimag was the best light for scouts to carry. In a velcro belt holster or on a lanyard was the best mode of carry. AA batteries can be found just about anywhere. I was one of the Patrol Leaders so I was one of the ones that had to deal with problems when the Scoutmaster or Assistant Scoutmaster wasn't around. The most common problems we ran into were dead batteries or lost lights. Some of the scouts I threatened to permanently tie their lights to them.

We've come a long way in the development of good flashlights since then. I would say your best bet is to show your scouts a selection of lights and let them pick what they like best. Then provide them with the info of how to acquire the various lights (websites, store names, etc.) Also standardize on AA or D cells. The reason I say this, is you never know when a group may run into an emergency and you need their batteries to be interchangable. Chances are the parents will be the ones paying for this equipment, so they won't want to spend much, but they will probably be willing to spend more than $2 lights. Encourage your scouts to pack extra sets of batteries for their lights. Trust me, scouts are notorious for running down a minimag within a few hours. At that age they haven't learned how to conserve battery energy.

Also something you may want to think about is purchasing flourescent lanterns for your troop. I recommend those over the old coleman fuel mantle lanterns. Mainly because scouts through inexperience can be dangerous in handling those. But if you like propane is a little safer around scouts. The main thing I remember from scouting and being a Patrol Leader is that most scouts are inexperienced outdoorsmen. So you want a lot of learning going on in your troop. Fortunately in my troop we had 1 or 2 dads with lots of outdoors experience. Some kids were patient enough to listen and learn, others were just out there to go wild and weren't concerned with anything.

Good luck and have fun on your camping trips.

--Jason

 

[nullandvoid]

Maybe an eterna light? derringer?

 

[Big_Ed]

I agree with RebelRam. Take along a selection of lights for all of them to look over and try out to see what each one likes, or needs. There's no way to go wrong with those $1 Countycomm lights. Each scout should have one as a zipper pull on their jackets, or backpacks/bags. They're cheap enough so that if lost, broken, run till batteries are dead that it's no big deal.

As for other lights that I would suggest, I like the CMG Infinity Ultra for a low level light. For something with a litle more punch, I personally like a 4-D MagLite with a xenon bulb. Yeah, it's a bit heavy and big, but durable, bright, good runtime, and has a spare bulb in the tailcap.
The Tec 40 seems like another good choice. Just carry a spare bulb, and some AA's.

 

[fracman]

[ QUOTE ]
bryguy42 said:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BL-3D1W-BLK
Buy Now! Blaster III (Note: Blaster III is upgraded version of Blaster II), black anodized. Three 'D' cells, 1 watt Luxeon Star, 30mm optics. Expect 24 hours of super intense bright light. Regular Price $69.99

Sale Price: $54.

Here is what I recommend... Why mess around... get the best... plus these last for 24+hrs...

(no worrying about kids wasting batteries...) not to mention they are on sale!!!

www.elektrolumens.com

[/ QUOTE ]

Uh --- if you are going to place an ad, maybe the product should be in stock. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Seriously, I would like one -- any idea when they are back in stock?

 

[Josey]

Lightwave 4000 because it is pretty much bulletproof, waterproof, bright and it will stay bright the whole camping trip.

 

[jbrett14]

I agree with a couple of the others who suggested a headlamp. Both PT & Petzl make very nice lightweight LED models. I tend to prefer the Petzl. These have become my most used lights. I was never a scout, but I have to believe that more than 50% of the time when you will need light, you are using your hands. Chopping wood, building fires, setting up tents, cooking, reading, etc. all involve the use of our hands. What better light to use for these activities than one that you do not have to hold in your hand. I realize some of these tasks are done during daylight, but you never know. As far as a general handheld light with any decent throw, I don't know of any that would be within a reasonable price to the average person who thinks $15 is too much for a light. I love my SL 3AA Luxeon TaskLight and would highly recommend it, but at $35, I doubt many would accept. If I were a scout, I would want a light that was relatively small (no C or D size)with good runtime, where the bulbs would not fail (LED), and the batteries were inexpensive and readily available (AA or AAA). It looks like I have narrowed my choice down to a SL 4AA 7LED as my choice of general light, but we are still talking $24. That's a tough purchase for one on a limited budget. You need to consider the fact that some of the parents probably do not have a lot to spend. Maybe something by Dorcy would suffice.

 

[paulr]

The Princeton Tec Blast is a nice little light (2aaa incandescent) and it has a pocket clip that can attach to a hat brim. That's a reasonable substitute for a headlamp. There are also those Nite-ize headbands for the Minimag.

Eveready makes a decent headlamp called Essentials which is $12.50 or so. It's not very waterproof, but you can switch it between two white led's or one red one, which is nice.

Petzl headlamps start around $30 which is way too expensive for this, IMO.

 

[BentHeadTX]

I used to be an assistant scout master around 17 years ago. My two sons used to be scouts until last year so I have a little experience.
The big rule on scouts with flashlights is, they will drop them, they will throw them, point them into each others eyes, they will lose them and might hit each other with them! My scouts were the toughest kids in Montgomery, Alabama but had a hard life. Scouting was good for them.
From what I remember, they would go out in groups with one flashlight and somehow break the thing. On more than one occasion a lighter got them back. CMG Infinity Ultra with lanyard would solve most of the problems. Around their neck so they would not lose or drop it and waterproof/shockproof so it will not break.
Let one of the leaders of the group bring the higher powered light. The "what was that" light handled by the group leader would cause the kids to generally stick together. The 3 watt Blaster series would work well in that capacity, uses normal batteries and would have a loooong run time if they got lost.
The Infinity Ultra w/lanyard for all the scouts at $15 is a good deal. Have the scout funds get the group leaders the Blasters and you should be covered.

 

[juancho]

Hi! You are currently reading what you think is a posting from a guy called Juan C. In reality, I'm his son John Charles. My father has been introducing me to the forums and I have found them interesting so far, and when he saw your question about the lights for the scouts, he called me over to see if I would like to say something or another. In reality I don't know too much about flashlights, but I just wanted to relate to something, and being that your question spawned from the Boy Scouts, I got a bit interested. I am a Senior Patrol Leader of Troop 229 of Long Island, and I also received a new batch of graduating Weblos and a whole horde of parents questioning me on what their sons need for the troop. When it got to the topic of flashlights, I went very simple; I saw that their main preoccupation was expenses, and I also thought about how the new Scouts enjoy fooling around at campouts and being a bit irresponsible sometimes. Myself, I have a Princeton Tec Attitude as a light to rummage in my pack, organize my sleeping bag in the tent, walk around in the cabin, etc. My main light, or the one I use for hiking on the trails, moving the wood for the fire, setting up equipment and tents, etc., is a Princeton Tec 40. I also sometimes carry larger lights, such as MagLites, but those are really the troop's. In truth, however, I wouldn't suggest a PT 40 for the Weblos; instead, something a bit cheaper, more inexpensive, but something with enough brightness to light the immediate path ahead of them. On hikes, I never find distance a problem because we are usually in groups, and the only real illumination is just for the ground so you can watch where you are stepping. I prefer a bright white light that doesn't give me the false illusion of things being there when they're not, caused by the yellow lights. But these are just my experiences; needless to say they can vary from troop to troop. For example, I picked up an incandescent clear plastic light, one of the very cheap ones that ran on double A's, and it served me perfectly for about seven months before it finally was involved in an accident and was broken. Now, for perhaps more serious, responsible scouts that are involved constantly in activities and setting up around camp and need both hands (cooking, setting up flies and tents, getting firewood, etc.), I think a good light would be the Princeton Tec Aurora headlamp. My ASPL has a headlamp and besides the fact that he looks a bit like a geek or a miner, it has served him perfectly (it also has two modes; can't be sure of the type of light it is). So, basically, I told the moms to get a cheap incandescent that throws a bright white light, one of the nice cheap ones. If they think they can handle it, then they are welcome to buy the greatest light they can purchase, but at the expense of their own wallets and frustration. It really all depends upon the potential of the Scout. Again, I am no expert, but I just wanted to share my experiences. Thanks, and good luck in your hunt.

John Charles

THE END.

BUT NOT QUITE THE END…

FOR JAMES BOND WILL RETURN IN…

THUNDERBALL!

 

[JonSidneyB]

I like 123 powered lights but if I was to do some real camping and backpacking. I would go with the ARC AA and a good AA headlamp/

 

[jbrett14]

I think John Charles post here sums it up. Very good advice from someone who has the experience first hand. I know when I was younger, had I been a scout, my mom would not have spent more than $5 or so. This is not an area that most parents want to include in their budget, unless of course the kid is a flashaholic like many here.

 

[pedalinbob]

want inexpensive?

dorcy 1AAA LED for $6.

add a dorcy boss 4AA: has a lanyard and a spare bulb. tough, not too huge, GREAT beam, very bright. about $6.

bring some extra bats and you are all set!

two great lights for $12.

for a headlight, you could tape the aaa on a hat brim.

Bob

 

[Mark_van_Gorkom]

Another vote for a headlamp. I never go camping without a Petzl Tikka or Tikka plus. Wheatherproof (haven't tried dropping one in the soup yet, but it will survive a LOT of rain) and very tough (I drop it on a concrete floor from head height once a week or so). Not real cheap, but for those kids that cycle to school (anybody still does that in America?) it makes a great safety light.

 

[haley1]

I've been taking by kids camping since they were born, backpacking since they were 7, they're now 19. A couple of the few things they were never able to destroy was mini-mags and infinity's. Not the lights I choose today, but worked well for years and fairly cheap. Those lights with a nightize headband will work for most tasks. And when the bats die in the MM put them in the infinity for reading in the tent. This would work well for the AAA mini-mag and Dorcy AAA LED also, although I'm not convinced how indestruclable the AAA dorcy is. More money available, PT lights and infinitys. Even more, headlamps are great. Just depends on how much you want to spend. The AAA mags + dorcy would only run about $12 though.

 

[Brody]

I am surprised that nobody has recommended any lantern style lights. I would recommend an Eveready folding Flourescent light. It will light up a fairly large area for quite a long time. Office Depot has them on sale for $15.09 and they are excellent for camping. For looking in the backpack, I would go with one of the $1 Countycom lights.

 

[fracman]

Thanks for all the help. I bought two dozen of the county.com lights (along with a titanium crowbar, several more lights, blades, etc.) with the intention of giving them to the Scouts.

My wife took them ALL to give to an early AM (6:10 AM M-F) Old Testament class she teaches to High School freshmen. Hey, 160 of them show up in the building every AM way earlier than I would dream possible so I can;t argue. I guess I just order more. A LOT more.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Fracman,

I guess you will just have to keep walking toward the light...

Tom