Headlamp for backpacking

[u238]

I'm looking into getting a headlamp for backpacking. It should be lightweight, reliable have a reasonably long run time, and use cr123a batteries. I prefer a warm tint and a floody beam. Brightness is not as important as run time; I have an HDS 170T that I will also carry. I would prefer the UI to be simple, without any irritating modes ie., strobe or beacon, to stumble across when changing brightness. I am looking at the Zebralight H31Fw or the H31Fc. I'd like to get some input on those lights, and any suggestions of other lights that you guys might have.

 

[carrot]

How long are your typical backpacking trips and how long/when do you intend to use your headlamp?

 

[NoFair]

imho the flood ZLs have to little throw to be good for hiking. Perfect around camp though. The H31W is great for shorter hikes and the beam is a good compromise between flood and throw.

For longer hikes I'd get something bigger with more runtime.

 

[u238]

I should add that I don't plan on doing much if any night hiking. This light will primarily be used around camp

 

[Ian2381]

I would say that any of the two Zebralight you mentioned will do. I have a H51 used on most my backpacking/Mt climbing and I would say it perfectly suits my needs. Used mostly mine on Medium1 mode which is good for 8 hours, that's during night treks, medium 2 is bright enough around camp and would last longer.

 

[carrot]

Unfortunately I haven't yet come across a CR123-based headlamp that fits all my criteria as a backpacker and a hiker. I do a fair amount of hiking at night, so realize my needs may be a little different from yours, but I prize runtime, versatility, and usability in camp as well as on the trail. The Saint Minimus gets rather close, with an extremely balanced beam that looks rather floody but still has a bit of a punch to it, allowing you to see mid-distances pretty well but still get up close work done comfortably. But it doesn't have red output, which is something I really like having, the only ding on an otherwise phenomenal headlamp. I own a Zebralight H31Fw and I do like it but I find the Saint Minimus significantly better, since the H31 runs low on batteries without warning, and the beam is better balanced on the Saint for a wider variety of tasks.

So for me, two more traditional headlamps really stand out as matching my needs: Black Diamond Spot (or Storm) and Petzl Tikka XP2. Both run on AAA's unfortunately but AAA's are light (11.5g each) and both headlamps are quite compact as well as lightweight, maybe a little bigger than a golf ball. Both offer throw mode as well as a flood mode (the BD by switching LEDs and the Petzl by flipping up/down a diffuser), with the Petzl's flood being brighter and faster to access and the BD's being wider. Both also offer a red output mode, which I cannot stress enough on more social backpacking trips: red output has become the popular thing around here on the backpacking trails at night because it doesn't disturb other hikers who may be sleeping, allowing you to rummage through your stuff without bothering anyone. Where the BD and Petzl really differ, though, is that the BD can ramp down the output continuously, allowing you to pick precisely the amount of output you like (cool, but not something I use too often), and the Petzl supports an inline rechargeable, reprogrammable Li-ion battery pack (Petzl CORE).

 

[davidt1]

I'm looking into getting a headlamp for backpacking. It should be lightweight, reliable have a reasonably long run time, and use cr123a batteries. I prefer a warm tint and a floody beam. Brightness is not as important as run time; I have an HDS 170T that I will also carry. I would prefer the UI to be simple, without any irritating modes ie., strobe or beacon, to stumble across when changing brightness. I am looking at the Zebralight H31Fw or the H31Fc. I'd like to get some input on those lights, and any suggestions of other lights that you guys might have.

Great choice on those ZL lights. I have not read about legitimate issues from many many owners. The C version, from what I have read, is a lot dimmer than the W version.

 

[ryguy24000]

consider the Spark ST series.

 

[jmwking]

I got both an SC31w and a H31Fw this fall, and took them cubscout camping (car camping, not backpacking) a couple times. Both worked quite well.

The lows were low enough to navigate around the campfire and site without blinding people. The medium and highs were bright enough for everything else I wanted to do. The interface is nice, easily getting to low without going through high first when wanted.

And the scouts (and a few parents, too) loved the brightness of 'em!

I'll stay out of the discussion of the subtle distinctions between "w" and "c" - I'm partially colorblind! ;)

-jk

 

[snakyjake]

Here's something I don't like about cr123a (or any non-recharegeable) batteries. You are hiking at night and don't realize you have only 2 minutes runtime remaining. Battery goes dead. Hope you have spares, and don't mind changing them out during the hike. Or, you can always use fresh batteries each time you go out, but that adds cost.


Alternatively: If you have rechargeables, you can top the batteries off before your hike. You'll also have a real good idea of how much runtime you will have on your batteries. You can also charge from you car or take a solar charger with you.


Jake

 

[u238]

Unfortunately I haven't yet come across a CR123-based headlamp that fits all my criteria as a backpacker and a hiker. I do a fair amount of hiking at night, so realize my needs may be a little different from yours, but I prize runtime, versatility, and usability in camp as well as on the trail. The Saint Minimus gets rather close, with an extremely balanced beam that looks rather floody but still has a bit of a punch to it, allowing you to see mid-distances pretty well but still get up close work done comfortably. But it doesn't have red output, which is something I really like having, the only ding on an otherwise phenomenal headlamp. I own a Zebralight H31Fw and I do like it but I find the Saint Minimus significantly better, since the H31 runs low on batteries without warning, and the beam is better balanced on the Saint for a wider variety of tasks.

So for me, two more traditional headlamps really stand out as matching my needs: Black Diamond Spot (or Storm) and Petzl Tikka XP2. Both run on AAA's unfortunately but AAA's are light (11.5g each) and both headlamps are quite compact as well as lightweight, maybe a little bigger than a golf ball. Both offer throw mode as well as a flood mode (the BD by switching LEDs and the Petzl by flipping up/down a diffuser), with the Petzl's flood being brighter and faster to access and the BD's being wider. Both also offer a red output mode, which I cannot stress enough on more social backpacking trips: red output has become the popular thing around here on the backpacking trails at night because it doesn't disturb other hikers who may be sleeping, allowing you to rummage through your stuff without bothering anyone. Where the BD and Petzl really differ, though, is that the BD can ramp down the output continuously, allowing you to pick precisely the amount of output you like (cool, but not something I use too often), and the Petzl supports an inline rechargeable, reprogrammable Li-ion battery pack (Petzl CORE).

Good info, thanks. I will look into those lights.

One thing that concerns me is the simple headband style of many headlamps. How well does the light stay in position when you are moving around?

 

[carrot]

Good info, thanks. I will look into those lights.

One thing that concerns me is the simple headband style of many headlamps. How well does the light stay in position when you are moving around?

You simply adjust the headband so that it is a bit tight, but somewhat loose enough that it is still comfortable. It is surprising how easy it is to achieve, and I have never had the light slide around on my head. You may need to experiment a bit to see where the most comfortable part of your head to wear it is but I like the band just above my ears and the lamp itself about 1" above my eyebrows.

 

[robostudent5000]

One thing that concerns me is the simple headband style of many headlamps. How well does the light stay in position when you are moving around?

simple headbands stay in place just fine as long as the headlamp isn't too heavy. the magic number for me is 3.0 oz total (headlamp, headband, batteries) and the Zebra H31 weighs less than that.

 

[Qoose]

I've been using my Zebralight H30 on every trip I've been on, which says a little bit of how long I've had it. It's been with my on the summit of the top three mountains in SoCal, Big Sur, Sequoia, Mammoth, Yosemite, and various other trips. These trips ranged from 3 days to over a week. There are many trips where it might be the only light I turn on (The ultralight in me occasionally wants it to be the only one I bring).

But again, I do not hike much at night. Even when I do or have too, I would probably be using my handheld thrower to be finding trail landmarks, but would still be using it sparingly to save my night vision. The one time I had to hike hours after dark, I was lucky to have a bright moon. So this means most of the time, my lights never get used on anything higher than their lowest level, save for the "I hear a noise and I thing I see eyes" moments in bear country. This means that I pack primary spares, but my lights are loaded with full RCRs when I leave, and I have only done one battery change in the field.

Another nice thing about battery life and Zebras. If your light does go out (which it will without warning) it will usually turn back on at a lower level. I find the electronics in the Zebras great for that reason. Plus I love the UI on my SC30. New zebras only make me jealous, but I should be happy with what I have. For now :whistle:...

 

[NoFair]

I own a Zebralight H31Fw and I do like it but I find the Saint Minimus significantly better, since the H31 runs low on batteries without warning, and the beam is better balanced on the Saint for a wider variety of tasks.

My H31W will show clear signs of low battery and will restart after being turned off even with a nearly dead cr123. I do agree that the Saint is better balanced beam wise than the H31Fw, but the normal beam H31W is a good compromise of flood/throw.

In it's size category I've yet to find anything that works as well for me as the H31W. I mostly run it on rechargeables and keep cr123s as spares. I try to standardize on cr123s when hiking (HDS, Arc6, ZL)

 

[skidad]

Spark SD6-500CW (SD6-460NW) take 2 CR123's or an 18650 battery http://www.sbflashlights.com/Spark-Headlamps/Spark-SD6-500CW-p138.html

Spark ST6-500CW series (ST6-460NW) http://www.sbflashlights.com/Spark-Headlamps/Spark-ST6-500CW-p106.html and you can add a frosted lense for more flood if you wish http://www.sbflashlights.com/Spark-Headlamps/Spark-Headlamps-Frosted-Lens-p117.html

 

[Henry50]

I'll drop my 2 cents into here. If you just need a headlamp to unpack bags, go to the toilet etc, then just grab a small cheap one that runs on 2 or 3 AAAs. The benefit is, if your battery or charger fails, you can barter with mates for their batteries, or go into town and purchase disposable ones. My headlamp from black diamond was $60, (i've seen similar models for $30-40 now :( ) and it is ok for small tasks. It's not heavy on the head either.