Camping flashlight recommendation ?

[mcspadden35]

Hello all, I'm totally new to the realm of premium personal lighting devices and this seemed like a good place to start. I am looking for a solid, powerful flashlight to take on camping excursions. Any recommendations from experts like yourselves is much appreciated. My responses are bolded below.

Thanks!



1) How would you prefer to purchase the light?

____I would like to purchase the light from a brick and mortar store. I am located in ______________.
____I will be mail-ordering or buying online, so this doesn't matter.


2) Budget: An easy question, but you may change your mind after answering the rest! :-)

____Less than $25.
____Less than $50.
____Less than $100.
____Less than $150.
____Less than $300.
____I have no limit.
____I’m flexible, tell me what you gotJ.
____Other, please specify ________


3) Format:

____I want a flashlight.
____I want a headlamp.
____I want a lantern.
____I want a dive light.
____I want a portable spotlight.


4) Flashlight-specific format/size:

____Keychain size.
____Every day carry small (2-4 inches).
____Every day carry medium (4-7 inches).
____Holster carry.
____Big enough to need its own travel caseJ.
____I don’t care.
____I don’t know.
____N/A


5) Emitter/Light source:

____LED (known for efficiency, longevity, and compactness)
____Incandescent (known for superior color rendition)
____HID (known for max output, but often at the expense of size)
____I don't know.


6) Manufacturer:

____I want to buy a light from a traditional mass producing manufacturer that is ready to go out of the box.
____I would consider getting a light that is pieced together (for example a “host” or flashlight body from one manufacturer, and a “drop-in” emitter from another source). Under the right circumstances, this path can provide more options to the consumer to meet specific needs, and can often be easily upgradeable as technology improves.


7) What battery type do you want to use?

____I intend to use alkaline batteries (AAA, AA, C, D) (disclaimer, while it does not preclude all choices, these are not recommended for many of today’s most powerful lights)
____I intend to use rechargeable nickel chemistry (NiCad, NiMH, NiZn)
____I intend to use lithium primary batteries (CR123, CR2, Energizer Advanced/Ultimate Lithium AA/AAA)
____I intend to use rechargeable lithium (li-ion) chemistry. Feel free to specify a size if you know which size you want (14500, RCR123/16340, 17500, 17670, 18650, etc.)
____I want a light with an integrated rechargeable battery. (Note: these choices may be very limited unless you are looking at spotlights)


8) How much genuine out the front (OTF) light do you want/need? Sometimes you can have too much light (trying to read up close up with a 100 lumen light is impossible).

____I want to navigate a dark room or read a map (0-10 lumens).
____I want to walk around an unlit rural area (50-150 lumens).
____I want to illuminate my entire backyard or a campsite (150-300 lumens).
____I want to illuminate an entire field, the neighbor's front yard several houses down, impress my friends and neighbors, etc. (300-700 lumens).
____I want ridiculous amounts of lumens (800+ lumens).


9) Throw vs. Flood: At what distance will you be most likely to use this light? Select all that apply.

____Less than 1 yard/meter (reading, other close work)
____Less than 5 yards/meters (looking for something inside a dark shed/garage/basement)
____5-20 yards/meters (check out a noise in the backyard)
____30-50 yards/meters (I have a big backyard)
____50-150 yards/meters (I live in a very rural area/farm with wide open spaces)
____150+ yards (I want maximum throw possible)


10) Runtime: Not over-inflated manufacturer runtime claims, but usable brightness measured from first activation to 50% with new batteries (Measured on maximum output).

____Up to 30 minutes (I want the brightest [and potentially smallest] light for brief periods)
____30-60 minutes (I have plenty of batteries just ready to be changed)
____90-120 minutes (Runtime is moderately important, but still not critical)
____3 hours + (I critically need this light to run on max for extended periods in between battery changes/charges).


11) Durability/Usage: Generally the old phrase “you get what you pay for” is very accurate for flashlights.

____Not Important (A “night-stand” light).
____Slightly Important (Walks around the neighborhood).
____Very Important (Camping, Backpacking, Car Glove-box).
____Critical (Police, Fire, Search & Rescue, Caving, Survival).
____I don't care.
____I don’t know.


12) Switch Type and location (choose all that apply):

____I want a forward clicky (Helpful for momentary activation and signaling).
____I want a reverse clicky (For use with multi-mode/level lights).
____I want a momentary switch (Predominantly for use with signaling and short bursts of momentary light only).
____I want a twisty switch (Tighten the head/tailcap to activate, and the light will stay on until the head/tailcap is loosened).
____I want a body mounted switch (near the head, like on a Maglite).
____I want a tail mounted switch (found on the majority of today’s high end lights).
____I don't care.
____I don’t know.
____Other, please specify____________________.


13) User Interface (UI) and mode selection. Select all that apply.

____A simple on-off with only one output level is fine for me.
____I want 2 light levels. (Brighter/short runtime and Dimmer/long runtime.)
____I want multiple light levels. (Some lights have 5-16 light levels.)
____I want a programmable light.
____I want a selector ring.
____I want a strobe mode. (Blinks to show location.)
____I want SOS mode.
____I want a beacon mode.
____I don’t care.
____I don’t know.

14)Material/Finish/Coating

____Plastic/composite body (this may limit your choices significantly).
____Anodized Aluminum – either type II or III (Hard Anodized) (Aluminum, specifically HA, is the most common material/finish for today’s flashlights).
____Stainless steel (durable, but much heavier than aluminum)
____Titanium (durable and nearly as lightweight as aluminum, but can be moderately to significantly more expensive).
____I don’t care.
____I don’t know.
____Other, please specify____________.


15) Special Needs/extras: Is there anything else you want or need that hasn't been mentioned? Select any below.

____Red filter (for preserving night vision).
____Other filter colors (Amber, Green, Blue, _________).
____Dedicated R/G/B secondary LEDs.
____“Hybrid” light (bright incandescent combined with long running LEDs)
____Pocket/belt clip
____Holster
____Wrist/Neck Lanyard
____Crenulated bezel
____Non-sparking Intrinsically Safe (IS) for use in explosive environments

 

[Ezeriel]

ok... full disclosure, I am Fenix biased, and I only use AAs.. lithiums make me cringe.


So for camping, you need a nice floody light for use in the 1-50 foot range. A headlamp works well. Like a zebralight, or a Fenix HL21.
Either one will give you a nice low, low that will run for a very long time. I like the HL21 more since it has good throw and comes with a diffuser.

For throw it's all about the CD or Lux a light has; the higher the number the better.

My current thrower is a Fenix E40.. it says it's only 200 lumens.. don't let that scare you off, at the 30 lumens setting,
it throws light as far as my other 2AA lights at 150 lumens. It's just a smaller hotspot, which is good for looking at a distance.


... you could get a Fenix LD41, and get a bit of everything. Nice low, very bright, decent throw.

 

[TEEJ]

Your specs seem to be saying you want a very powerful light...you chose the max out put choices, and throw, etc.

For camping, most of the time, you use a light to go to the latrine w/o waking others (Very low light), to see trails or tie knots/wash dishes w/o stepping on snakes (more light to see better), or sweep it about to see what was out there that made that noise...(Max out put), or, around the camp, when every one is shining their lights through the campfire smoke...the "who's light is better" thing (Insane max out put...) :D

A floody beam, that shows more at a time with a fatter lit up area...is generally more useful camping, as camping involves tasks, and task lighting is better with a flood (Hence the above head lamp recommendation).

For showing off...most people prefer a throwy light, as the further the beam goes, well, the larger it makes their shoe size seem to them...

If you want something that can do some of both, IE: Throw a wall of light pretty far...You could look at the Thrunite TN30, the Xtar S1, the Niteye30 or 40, The Jetbeam RRT-3 XML, The Crelant 7G9, etc.

:D

 

[Gunner12]

Humm, the Olight SR91 is just in your price range. Not sure if you can get a red filter for it though (and a filter will dramatically cut down on output). If you are camping, a light with lower outputs are probably better, and then have a bright throwy light for times when you need it or want to show off.

As the above poster said, a multi-emitter light would give you a good amount of throw and also a wider beam in one light. They will be a bit big and definitely require a holster unless you have huge pockets.

For $300, I'd get a Thrunite TN31 (throw/high output light) or similar, and a Fenix LD series, PD series, Zebralight, 4sevens, Olight T series or S series, Jetbeam RRT-0, Sunwayman's smaller lights, etc. for around the camp use.

If you really want lots of throw and don't mind some modding, get a large spotlight and a HID kid for a car and do a HID mod. Probably the best throw for the buck you can get. (Note, I have yet to do one myself)

:welcome:

 

[reppans]

I camp quite a bit and it's usually very dark to pitch black with night adapted eyes. IMHO, long runtimes, a good selection of low lumen modes (as in single digit, and sub lumen), and a floody even beam in neutral white, and common easily found AA batteries, works best. Keep your night vision intact, and you'll be able see more than just the light cone.

 

[bushmattster]

Olight SR91 and Quark mini 123. You can get both for $300

 

[weez82]

kinda sounds like you just want to impress your friends. Thats cool and all but, it's not the best for camping, imo. This is what works for me: I always bring 2 lights (always a good idea, if one fails you'll have a backup), a FourSevens MiNi ML and a Fenix LD10 with the Fenix diffuser cone to turn the light into a lantern. I also have the Fenix headband for when I want a headlamp, I just pop one of my lights in the headband and Im good to go. And both lights still impress my friends, mostly because they still use old D-cell mag lights or cheap $7 no name headlamps. And the Fenix LD10 with the diffuser cone on even beats their big and heavy Coleman propane lanterns for the most part.

 

[herosemblem]

Ive never been able to enjoy my bright lights/bright modes when camping. They either destroy my night vision, are too bright for tasks (tasks are performed when camping), or offend other campers.
With this, you can now make a better decision.

 

[Samy]

Dang, $300? Get a neutral Zebralight headlight ($70) and a Fenix TK41 for showing off and long range throw ($130) and then spend $100 on a bucket load of AA eneloops and a charger.

cheers