Best color LED for heavy rain?

Rossymeister

Flashlight Enthusiast
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May 4, 2008
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Does anyone have any experience navigating heavy rain in the wilderness?

I was using my Surefire C3 with Malkoff M91B this morning. At times i could only see 10ft in front of me.

Is there any specific color of led that would allow me to see further, and reduce the reflection from the raindrops?
 
The wider the beam the more water droplets neaby are being lit as they fall. The contrast of dark vs light is practically non existent. It's almost all bright light that can be seen nearby so your depth perception is greatly reduced. It's very similar with fog and smoke.

The narrow beam does not light up as many of those molecules close by so your depth perception seems better because the contrast between dark vs light is more narrow.

Another trick is to hold the light beside your waist or over your head to lessen the light near your eyeballs. I find I can see more details with it beside my waist but can see farther with it overhead.
 
To summarize:
-amber is easier on our eyes
-beam > flood - less information to process and more contrast
-lower beam intensity - too bright of a light reflects too much back at you
-reflected beam - reflect off the ground and/or objects around you vs directly at them. Reflected light will hit the 'fog' from an off angle less intensely and reflect back a more useable light to see with. You're more likely to see an object clearly when you shine the beam off the ground, off tree trunks, off buildings etc. by just a few degrees, than you are when you shine it directly at the object.

walk/ride/drive slower and more carefully
 
If what one wants to see in heavy rain has a heat signature, consider thermal optics?!

Dont need anything that serious. Just hiking, camping, and fooling around outside early morning.

Ive seen some nice thermal optics for rifles around here, but they are extremely expensive.
 
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