Flashlight recommendations for camping

Hello,

First time here. I'm new to purchasing a flashlight besides those cheaps ones you find in random stores. So I did some search here but I feel I do not have enough time to really research much as I want to because I will go needing a flashlight for camping very soon. Taking the time to research and order might kill some time.

Hopefully this is where you veterans can lend a hand. Thanks.

I will be going up to Maine and I guess I need something that I can carry (Not headlamp, belt,etc), throw light long distance and cover a good angle, have low and very bright output, last few days on the same battery, I can't decide if I want chargable or regular batteries (maybe I can use both?), and not too heavy.

Suggestions please...
Thanks again.

You might want to add a price cap as well, since lights can range in price from a few bucks to a few hundred. There's no sense having someone describe and recommend a great $150 light, if your budget is $50. I'd suggest you start out being economical. Until you start using some lights, its hard to know what your preferences are. You might buy a light that's a twist on, and dicover you really prefer clickies, some people get very picky about the transition from spot to spill, some like heft, some like dainty. By having your first few lights be cheapies, when you graduate to expensive lights, you are less likely to buy something that never gets used. Plus, I now have lights that I can lend out, let my kids use, etc without risking the nice stuff.

I'd also suggest the AA battery format as its pretty easy to find regular cells, recharchables and lithiums, and they are universally available. Some Ma & Pa store in Maine might not have CR123's. If you end up getting a light that uses C or D batteries down the road, you can still use your AA rechargables in them.

Good luck. Let us know what you get and what you like and don't like about it.

My price cap would be around 100.
But if there's something that's pretty damn good, I would go up to 150.
As stated above, I just want something (if there's such thing) that can change between brightness settings, be able to focus on one spot or spread out, last few days.

welcome to cpf... and hold on to your wallet!

a Surefire L1 Cree fits the bill perfectly for under $100.
mint L1 come up all the time on B/S/T for $95 range.
Surefire has a no fuss transferable lifetime warranties.

An Arc AAA would be super nice too. $35 range

besides camping... both L1 and Arc AAA would fine EDC choices (everyday carry)

these would be my two choice for made in the USA world class lights.

then there's a slew of new high quality Chinese lights that would also fit the bill.

my take is ... if given a choice. go American. Also Surefire and Arc's traditionally have the highest resale values. so later after you've used them. sell em and recoupe most of your original costs.

then go buy some more lights...

bloodshot said:

My price cap would be around 100.
But if there's something that's pretty damn good, I would go up to 150.
As stated above, I just want something (if there's such thing) that can change between brightness settings, be able to focus on one spot or spread out, last few days.

Click to expand...

They look so small in the pictures I searched and found.
Do they throw light far distance and be able to see that distance clearly?
Let's say 300-500ft?
I like those powerful bright ones where it gose far and i can see clearly but at the same time, be able to lower the brightness when i'm in a enclosed area, like a tent.

Thanks..

you should consider placing a fenix L1D on your short list.... it uses AA batts, light weight, has a good low plus 3 more higher levels and tailstands. i would think the low would be great in a tent.

Every requirement has a cost associated with it, so you want to make sure its really necessary. For example if you are camping in the woods, withh trees all around, there isn't usually a 300-500 ft distance to shine a light. A light with that kind of power is going to be either big, expensive, a battery hog, or all of the above. If you do need that kind of power, you might want to get seperate lights for distance and inside the tent. Here's a few examples from Walmart's website for long distance options.

$45, 500 lumens, 2.5 hour runtime:


details at:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8187724

or:

$30, 6.5 million candlepower: ( this also comes in 10, and 18 million cp )


details at:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5127155

either of these options would leave you with enough to pick up a very nice, convenient light for inside the tent that you could also use when you aren't camping.

I don't think you should be considering a single light for several reasons. First is the question of backup, depending on your situation that might mean being in a group, or a coin cell key chain light, or one or more additional lights. Second is the "jack of all trades, master of none" problem. Trying to have one light do everything may compromise some function you'll want....

sappyg said:

you should consider placing a fenix L1D on your short list.... it uses AA batts, light weight, has a good low plus 3 more higher levels and tailstands. i would think the low would be great in a tent.

Click to expand...

I think this is a good choice as a "do it all" light, or even a one of several light. (There are others, with similar features, I don't have experience with, which sould fill this roll too. EX10 being the newest "fave".)

Let me offer a different selection as a example:

First a Fenix E01. It runs on 1AAA and is small enough to fit in your pocket so you have it at all times. It runs, with enough light, for a very long time and it's only about $15. It comfortably does 90% of what I would do camping.

Next a headlight is very useful, especially for in camp tasks requiring both hands. The Zebralight H50 sounds about perfect for that task, though it seems to have some supply problems and I don't have it yet. It is one AA and versatile enough to use for other tasks. (E.g. emergency hand held light, tent light, etc.) In a large camp, e.g. with a group, a lantern could cover most of these primary tasks.

Last I might add a third light. Which would depend on the trip and my expected needs. This is where the L1D would often be my choice. Some throw, for "bumps in the night", many modes, to serve as a backup, and shares batteries with the Zebralight, in case I run short of batteries. Honestly, this third light is the one that would vary most depending on what I expect of the trip.

I can see many substitutions here depending on your collection, specific camping environment, and of course your personal preferences. Plus, if weight isn't a concern I might pack "toys". We have fun with markers, e.g. Glo-toobs, Nite-Ize LED Wands, etc. An HID spotlight might be fun on some trips (though I don't recall any trip where it would be necessary.) If you have specialized interests that may suggest different or additional lights.

Plus remember backup batteries. (For my typical camping trip, I'd have a fresh eneloop in each of the lights, a backup eneloop for each light, and a Energizer lithium for each light. I'd expect to maybe get into the 2nd eneloop for the E01 and not use the rest. But who cares? They're small, pretty light, and I can recharge the eneloops and the lithiums have a huge shelf life.)

SureFire A2 with the LEDs for close up tent use and the incan for distance to spot your campsite in the dark or checking for skunks.

Maybe something like this - two in one:

LeefGear 1x 18650 C/C Body; uses 18650 Li-Ion rechargeable Battery or 2x 123A Lithium batteries with Surefire Z44 Bezel head and Surefire Z41 twisty switch or Z48 (Z49)/Z58 (Z59) clicky switch.
1x 18650 battery: Surefire P60L or similar Drop-in LEDs or Lumens Factory D26 EO-4 3.7V incan lamp
2x 123A Lithium battery: Surefire P60L or similar Drop-in LEDs, Surefire P60/P61 or Lumens Factory D26 sized 6V incan lamp
+ FM34 wide angel diffuser lens

18650 Battery charger 12V/110/240, spare 18650 battery, Surefire SC1 with 6x 123A Lithium batteries, P60/P61 incan lamp or P60L LED lamp.

AA-light: Mini Maglite with TerraLUX TLE-5 Drop-in LED, Fenix or an headlamp...

Dereelight CL1H V4 w/ 3SD Q5 + SureFire FM34 Beam Diffuser. Small, pocketable, throwy, floody and offers 110 minutes on high off a single 2200mAh 18650 cell .

I like the Dereelight.
Looks like you can do different modes and have it preset adn then attach the FM34 Beam Diffuser for wider throw.
How bright is the Dereelight? I coudln't find that info.
Does it depends on which "Pill" I geT? Confused...

bloodshot said:

I like the Dereelight.
Looks like you can do different modes and have it preset adn then attach the

FM34 Beam Diffuser for wider throw.
How bright is the Dereelight? I coudln't find that info.
Does it depends on which "Pill" I geT? Confused...

Click to expand...

It does depend on the pills, but all of them are very bright.
Most high power flashlights uses a Q5 @ 1A, but the Dereeelight also has a Q5 @ 1.2A, i.e. slightly overdriven, this will be a little bit brighter than other flashlights.

The actual lumens can be found in the data sheet for the Cree XR-E led:
Q5 is 107 lumen at @0.35A
at 1A your must multiply with 2.2 (from curve in data sheet), i.e. 107*2.2 -> 235 lumen

Your can expect about 70-80% of that coming out the front of the flashlight.

If you are hiking, weight is a consideration. In that case I'd opt for a fenix - I like the P1Dce (cr123 battery) for backpacking. It's not a monster thrower but throws far enough for routefinding and has a low setting capable of maybe 20 hours. Beam spill is decent as well. I'd couple that with a photon freedom (red or white led with extra batteries) for tent and chores.
If you're car camping, take as many lights as you can find! Deree or Tiablo for throw, a Zebra H50 for flood, tent and chores.

Many of the above suggested lights are good.

I'd suggest a few lights within your price range. The Fenix E01 for a longer running small light for backup/loaner/lower light usage. the 8% off coupon from Fenix Store only works for orders totaling over $20 but I'll tell it anyways, "CPF8".

The next light would depend on what batteries you would like to use. For AA, the Olight T25 is the best stock 2 AA light that I know of(Coupun at Batteryjunction is "CPF2006"). For CR123s, the Dereelight CL1H is a good choice(I'd expect 170-190 lumen out the front), the Fenix T1/TK10/TK11 is another good choice. Both have their pluses.

18650 batteries are 18mm wide, 65mm long 3.7v Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries. If you plan on buying some, most would recommend AW's batteries.

:welcome:

I've never used a spotlight camping, ever. :thinking:

If you are going to read, cook, set up a tent after dark you will need a headlamp. Zebralight H50 is perfect for those activities. you will need something with more throw for other things though.

I have never used a spotlight camping either, but he said he was looking for something that would throw 300-500 feet, and be good for inside the tent, and stay under $100. Given those parameters, a spotlight seemed like a good choice.

You left out one important bit of info: are you backpacking, where size and weight is critical, or are you car camping? I personally do the latter, and here, the sky is the limit. Based on your 'loose' comments, I assume you are also talking about the same thing.
You seem to be describing two different and imcompatible torches. For long distance spotting (i.e. hundreds of feet) and ability to de-focus and give good, strong area light you are describing the traditional M*glite with optional xenon bulb (and these are battery hogs: if you plan to use it for more than a few minutes a couple of times, carry lots of spares). For long battery life, soft area lighting for your tent, and good reliability (several hours each night for several days), I always use the 'Sylvania Mini-Lantern'. I have other such small lanterns, but the Sylvania is clearly superior.

I'd recommend the newest Surefire L1 or E1L. If you want a clicky switch, the E1L wins, but I think the L1 has a brighter high. Just depends on what you want.

Many of the Fenix and Nitecore lights would work well for you for a little less money, but I personally like the surefires.

the only lights that will throw 300-500 ft with enough lumens to see that distance clearly and stay within your price range are HUGE.

unless your definition of camping is waay... different than most.
what you want is lights that can be EDC. camping would then be just another use of your regular carry lights.

again... you cannot go wrong with Surefire L1 Cree. world class quality... a total bargain for what you pay.

over the last few years... all the surefire lights that I've invested in has done real well. have been able to recoup ALL the funds spent on Surefire. some have gone up in value, some have gone done slightly.

keep in mind I've avoided buying new surefire unless I want a new release real bad like Titan. almost all surefire I've purchased has been from B/S/T. some have been mint, others with loads of wear.

if I'm going to be using a light hard... preference is to find a surefire with wear .... price is cheaper and I'm going to put a few nicks anyways. best of all... if it breaks Surefire has a no fuss warranty.

bloodshot said:

They look so small in the pictures I searched and found.
Do they throw light far distance and be able to see that distance clearly?
Let's say 300-500ft?
I like those powerful bright ones where it gose far and i can see clearly but at the same time, be able to lower the brightness when i'm in a enclosed area, like a tent.

Thanks..

Click to expand...