Light for dog walking

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outofgum

Newly Enlightened
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Jan 10, 2006
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I've taken to walking my dog at night through dark, lightly wooded areas. He has no problem seeing in the dark, I need some light.

Currently the lights that I'm bringing are my Wurrkos TD01C and WK03, both in 5000k. Love both the lights, however the TD01C is too throwy (and uncomfortable in a pocket) and the WK03 too diffuse and has no tail switch (accidental activation in a bag).

Is there something that has a decent amount of flood and throw, tail switch, 5000k color, usb-c charging, and a nice UI (TD01C with tail switch and button is perfect). Budget is $100 though lower is obviously better. Would love to bring just one light as these walks can be over an hour long. Doggo doesn't usually stray more than 50 ft but I do want to be able to keep an eye on him at that distance or a bit more. Also need some flood so I don't trip while walking.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: Sorry! Realized I posted this in the wrong forum. If a mod could move it, would appreciate.
 
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If I were in your shoes, I'd grab my Thrunite TT20.
Right around $80.oo, with an excellent combination of throw and flood. I'd say leans a bit towards flood. Nice white output. But I can easily make out what it lights up in front of me. I do like its unique User Interface despite looking like a conventional flashlight with a tailcap and side-switch. When the tailcap is pressed, the side-switch is disabled. Meaning you cannont accidentally go into a much lower mode if your pinky makes unintended contact with the side-switch button. Amazed that literally no other company offers such a U.I. on their lights.

Turbo setting gets extremely hot after a few seconds. But there are lower settings that still put out a fantastic amount of useable light for sustained amounts of time. You can program the side-switch too. On mine, hold down the side-switch from off for moonlight mode. Quick press it for a just under Medium mode output. Tailcap switch is for Turbo. Instant access to three separate modes on one light. Literally none of my other lights can pull that off.

Also, don't go out with one light. One of the biggest topics from back in the day was about situations in which CPFers had their main light fail on them, and needed to rely on their back-up light. I even posted how one time my Night-Ops Gladius utterly failed on me when the patrol vehicle I was in (1st Gen. Ford Escape SUV) shutdown on me completely and refused to start up again. I was off-site with permission to get something to eat at a 24/7 deli after agreeing to work a double shift that night on zero minutes notice. Thankfully I had found a parking spot before exiting the vehicle. Ended up calling the in-house Security sergeant who sent one of her guards out to help. Looking underneath the hood, dude didn't have a light on him. Used my Gladius. After a few seconds it crapped out on me! Used my back-up light. A Fenix L0D with a Rebel 80 emitter. (Thankfully not one of the defective emitters that was released that year.) Found the issue. Some idiot mechanic worked on the vehicle before my shift and hooked up the red to the black, and vice-versa. Jump-start later, we got her up and running. Entire gauge cluster was completely non-functional though. Even the needles didn't move.

But yeah, don't rely on one flashlight. Especially if you're intentionally putting yourself in a very dark setting where you need a good deal of light. There's a reason why so many CPFers say "Two is One. And One is None."
 
jon_slider said:
I dont have a dog, but I think you do. ;-)

What light do you like to use?
Click to expand...
Emisar single emitter to get the medium throw, beautiful cast we need for our terrain.

I’ve thought I heard you talking about Wurkos and thought maybe you could help this longtime member get his goldilocks tool. You know anybody else can help out?
 
A popular introductory 18650 light is the Wurkkos FC11C. It has an efficient regulated driver and comes w a good 519a LED..

but I defer to your actual dog walking experience

another member here who uses flashlights while walking his dogs is @vicv , maybe he can suggest something for the OP... Here is one of his posts in a Recommend a Dog Walking Light thread
 
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Wurkkos TD05 has good midrange throw (34,000 cd) and nice spill around the hotspot. Uses a neutral white sft40 and efficient buck driver. Double tap the tail switch for turbo, single click for memorized mode
 
Thank you for all the replies.

I'm currently looking at:
Thrunite TT20
TD05, TS26S, FC11C

Often when I go out I take 3-4 lights, but it's a lot to carry in pockets over 3-4 miles. I always have my emergency olight i3 with a disposable lithium aaa on me as well.

Other than that I've got everything from fenix to Jetbeam to surefire. Actually I think my favorite light in terms of throw/flood is the old school streamlight propolymer but it's not adjustable, takes AAs, and isn't quite pocketable.

Checking specs and reading reviews isn't for everyone but I've been having fun.
 
I do a fair deal of night walking/hiking when the days are shorter. Often for hours at a time. Sometimes with a dog. Usually on fire roads or trails. The best system for me involves two lights. A flood (mule prefered) on the waist and small thrower in the hand or pocket. Details:

First, an efficient mule on a waist belt can remain continuously on. Positioned low in this way, it casts distinct shadows for uneven terrain and lights the immediate area in front. For this I like the 4000K Zebralight H503C with a Fenix 1.5v 14500 battery + USBC charging port. The headband the ZL comes with will fit around a 34" waist if opened up all the way. However, I usually opt for a simple 1" webbing belt (a tie down, really) with the headband silicone holder mounted on it. If dead set on a 5000K, the H604d in 18650 would be a great belt mule. I sometimes use an Emisar DW4 mule for this but consider it overkill.

Second, a small thrower. Since you like tail clickers, a Lumintop Tool with a 3V protected 14500 (with USBC port) makes and excellent thrower for $20 + battery.

The combo here works well for long walks. The ZL is super efficient. It can stay going for hours on one of the brighter stepped down settings. Does plenty to light the ground/area 15' in front but not so much as to completely destroy night vision. The Tool with a 3V battery doesn't need to be on all the time when you have the flood going, but is very bright and efficient enough for liberal use whenever warented.

I see ZL raised it's prices again, and no more free shipping. The set described would run about $120 brand new.
 
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I'm on the outskirts of the city, near canyons and such, so coyotes and mountain lions can be around at night (even the day recently).
This soda can size light is a beast!
It's a dual led setup, 4500k and 6000k.
1000037058.jpg
 
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