Hello, all!
I've been lurking here for a while, but don't think I've ever actually posted before. I do a lot of camping in all types of weather, and I'm looking for the "perfect" combination of headlamp and battery. Quite often, I find myself setting up in the rain, snow, cold, and dark. Moreover, I'm frequently forced to hunt for dry wood in said conditions. I need a lighting solution that is up to the task.
Here are some of the things that concern me, when hunting for this so-called perfect solution:
1. Reliability (remote wilderness locations for up to a week):
- must withstand some cold, rain, snow, and possibly being dropped in a puddle
- must not have driver issues
- low parasitic drain
- reliable switch for turning on/off/cycling modes
2. Beam profile:
- from what I've read, hot spot with strong flood sounds ideal for camping/hiking/finding poorly marked trails. i.e., mix of good flood and a bit of throw.
3. LUMENS!!!
- I really need something that can beat back the darkness and allow me to distinguish between a false trail and the true path (it's easy to get your head twisted around following what you "think" is the correct path.
- Something with a high in the hundreds of lumens, yet with a mode that will provide 100+ lumens for hours.
4. Battery life!!!
5. Price (would prefer not to go over 100 bux for the headlamp--unless, maybe, the headlamp was the light of God)
Given those considerations, I think the ZebraLight H600w XM-L might be the way to go. Possibly also the ultrafire knockoff, the spark, or the Princeton Tec Apex. I'd really like something that can outperform the energizer advanced lithium headlight.
So, the questions:
1. Thoughts on this choice of headlamp? Better suggestions?
2. If I do go for the Zebra, which battery to I nab for it? After reading the battery summaries, seeing the different voltage curves for different batteries given specific current draw, I'm really confused. The way I see it, you can get one battery that'll do really well on the low settings and not so well on the highs, and vice versa. How do I select a cell that will give me performance very close to (or exceeding) the specs for this light, for all the different modes? Price, here, is an issue. I'll not consider anything that costs more than 15 bux/cell (Sorry, Callie's Customs, but you're hosing your international customers). If this question is completely wrong-headed, please let me know.
I've been lurking here for a while, but don't think I've ever actually posted before. I do a lot of camping in all types of weather, and I'm looking for the "perfect" combination of headlamp and battery. Quite often, I find myself setting up in the rain, snow, cold, and dark. Moreover, I'm frequently forced to hunt for dry wood in said conditions. I need a lighting solution that is up to the task.
Here are some of the things that concern me, when hunting for this so-called perfect solution:
1. Reliability (remote wilderness locations for up to a week):
- must withstand some cold, rain, snow, and possibly being dropped in a puddle
- must not have driver issues
- low parasitic drain
- reliable switch for turning on/off/cycling modes
2. Beam profile:
- from what I've read, hot spot with strong flood sounds ideal for camping/hiking/finding poorly marked trails. i.e., mix of good flood and a bit of throw.
3. LUMENS!!!
- I really need something that can beat back the darkness and allow me to distinguish between a false trail and the true path (it's easy to get your head twisted around following what you "think" is the correct path.
- Something with a high in the hundreds of lumens, yet with a mode that will provide 100+ lumens for hours.
4. Battery life!!!
5. Price (would prefer not to go over 100 bux for the headlamp--unless, maybe, the headlamp was the light of God)
Given those considerations, I think the ZebraLight H600w XM-L might be the way to go. Possibly also the ultrafire knockoff, the spark, or the Princeton Tec Apex. I'd really like something that can outperform the energizer advanced lithium headlight.
So, the questions:
1. Thoughts on this choice of headlamp? Better suggestions?
2. If I do go for the Zebra, which battery to I nab for it? After reading the battery summaries, seeing the different voltage curves for different batteries given specific current draw, I'm really confused. The way I see it, you can get one battery that'll do really well on the low settings and not so well on the highs, and vice versa. How do I select a cell that will give me performance very close to (or exceeding) the specs for this light, for all the different modes? Price, here, is an issue. I'll not consider anything that costs more than 15 bux/cell (Sorry, Callie's Customs, but you're hosing your international customers). If this question is completely wrong-headed, please let me know.
