Looking for a hiking light.

[KLowD9x]

I am in the market for a light that has just a couple of basic requirements.

The light must have at least two brightness levels and a strobe mode.
The light must run on one or two 18650s.
The light must be very reliable.

I am going on a hiking trip that will span across a few days and I will need a decent light that will also be very reliable with a long run time.

I have been looking at the Fenix TK35 and the ThruNite Catapult V3. I don't like the fact that the head has to be loosened on the ThruNite to access lower modes so as of right now, the Fenix is winning but I would like to hear your suggestions.

My Yezl Z1X is perfect for hiking as it has an incredibly floody beam but I worry about something happening if I were to drop it as the quality is not great and the body is very soft.

 

[Z-Tab]

Whatever you get, I would strongly recommend looking for warm or Hi-CRI lights for hiking. Compared side-by-side, cool white LEDs look terrible next to warmer options when you're out in the woods.

 

[KLowD9x]

Whatever you get, I would strongly recommend looking for warm or Hi-CRI lights for hiking. Compared side-by-side, cool white LEDs look terrible next to warmer options when you're out in the woods.

That was the one thing that was appealing to me with the ThruNite as it is available with a neutral white XM-L.

 

[robostudent5000]

no headlamp?

 

[aivn]

Olight M20: use 18650 and is bulletproof. May be wait for the XM-L version that is expected to be 400+ lumens 🙂

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

If you want bulletproof and reliable, not to mention built like a tank, I would suggest the Wolf Eyes Guider. It has a side clicky, and the tactile feel is GREAT.

The light includes a very stout lanyard, and has a compass on the back.

Internal construction is top notch.

Link

Side Note: Wolf Eyes lights are made extremely well, and in my opinion, are a brand that gets seriously overlooked. You don't see many postings on CPF about them, but they are among the best made lights I have ever held. They should not be discounted.

 

[Fireclaw18]

I suspect Wolf Eyes lights aren't common on CPF due to their relatively high cost and because there don't seem to be any American distributors. If you want one you have to order from Australia or Europe.

 

[LEDAdd1ct]

Surefire lights have a "relatively" high cost, but are extremely common on CPF. I would say construction is equal to Surefire in most regards with the exception of some of the Wolf Eyes clickies.

It is unfortunate that the sole U.S. dealer is no longer stocking them. :-(

Another option is a P60 host. You can install whatever dropin you like and customize it however you like. If you want a hiking light with generous spill, use a dropin with OP reflector—if you want throw, go smooth.

 

[B0wz3r]

For hiking you really should consider a headlamp. The Zebralight H51w is one of the best ones on the market right now. It is less than most of the 'premium' brand headlights such as Petzl, Princeton Tec, etc., and puts out more light on a single AA than all but the most expensive 'mountaineering' headlamps do on 2 to 4 AA's or 123 cells. It's also quite light and is an overall excellent headlamp.

There's also a new Spark headlamp out with a neutral white XML running on an 18650 that will do 460 lumens OTF and has good throw. You could get both the power of some of the lights you mention above, plus the convenience and hands free use of a headlamp that way.

I always find I need a handheld light to go with my headlamp for hiking; my H51w is very floody (I have diffusion film on it) and a small throwy handheld light for seeing things further away. I never hike without both my headlamp and a handheld light anymore.

For handhelds, Spark just came out with a new flashlight, the SL740NW with a neutral XML emitter that does 740 lumens out the front, and has both side and tail clicky switches, so you can hold it either way you like.

 

[gcbryan]

I think a headlamp is the best choice for hiking as well. Depending on the type of hiking that you are doing however I see no need to have a headlamp and a flashlight.

Some of the headlamps mentioned may require the use of a flashlight but to me that just eliminates them as a good choice for an outdoor headlamp.

There are many headlamps designed for outdoor use that have both flood and spot capability. Unless you are caving or biking/running you don't really need anything brighter than 100 lumens or less IMO.

Light weight (plastic) is also a positive rather than a negative again IMO.

 

[Woods Walker]

One is none and two is one. I use a headlamp most of the time but also like a little backup flashlight (1XAA/AAA) just incase.

 

[B0wz3r]

In addition, the advantage of carrying a handheld light in addition to a headlamp is that in some conditions, rain, fog, and even condensation from your breath, a headlamp can be problematic. Having the light on your forehead means you'll get the maximum amount of reflection and diffusion in what you see in those kinds of conditions. A handheld light works much better in those situations because you're not looking straight down the beam, being blinded and not able to see what your light is shining on because you're not looking into all the glare from the fog, smoke, rain, etc.

 

[Double_A]

Danger contrarian opinion coming....skip if your not looking for practical advice

A bright light will kill your night vision. It isn't needed either for hiking or around the campsite or searching through your pack.

I hiked Mt. Whitney (highest Mtn in lower 48 states) a few years ago. We spent a few days around camp to acclimate and then started at 12:30 AM as our permit would only allow 24hrs on the mountain. I had a Surefire E2e and a Black Diamond Headlamp with me. All I needed was the two 5mm low light side LEDS. During actual hiking I needed nothing after 30 minutes as my eyes adapted.

I'd ditch the Surefire the next time and take my new Petzl headlamp and for backup I'd take Fenix L01 or possibly my Preon two AAA, everything powered by Energizer AAA lithiums. These lithiums would power my lights for a week and do so in freezing weather. Your only going to be gone for a couple days?

Sorry i know you wanted a new toy.

 

[mbw_151]

For hiking and backpacking, I carry a Surefire Saint Minimus and an HDS EDC. You definitely want to be able to dial the brightness back most of the time. However, if you are out on the trail after dark, sometimes you need a light with good throw and lots of lumens to assess a situation and/or pick a direction. Generally this takes a few seconds on high, not hours. The HDS works great for this because it's got four output levels. There are less expensive options like Zebra and Quark that will work well but aren't quite as physically robust. I thought about sticking to AA cells for better potential availability, but I really don't use up a lot of cells on trips. I like to be in camp by dark and I carry a tube with four spare cells. Oh and all this stuff weighs less than a TK35 or a Catapult.

 

[Double_A]

Good points. My brother who does much more hiking (and hunting) than I loves his Saint Minimus, he swears it is all he needs in a outdoors light. As you said he can dial it up or down to whatever he needs.

 

[Double_A]

One thing I might add, have you ever sat quietly in the forest in the dark taking in all the sights, scents and sounds?

Also I love flashlights ever since I was a little boy. Searching for the ideal light is what brought me here.

But, sitting by the light & heat of a campfire is a gut experience, primitive and wonderful. Pack your lights but enjoy the experience.

 

[BringerOfLight]

I hiked Mt. Whitney (highest Mtn in lower 48 states) a few years ago. We spent a few days around camp to acclimate and then started at 12:30 AM as our permit would only allow 24hrs on the mountain. I had a Surefire E2e and a Black Diamond Headlamp with me. All I needed was the two 5mm low light side LEDS. During actual hiking I needed nothing after 30 minutes as my eyes adapted.

I'd ditch the Surefire the next time and take my new Petzl headlamp and for backup I'd take Fenix L01 or possibly my Preon two AAA, everything powered by Energizer AAA lithiums.

What's your point? The trail is incredibly easy to follow, largely open area (you get moon light) and very heavily used. Sure, for something like that 1 Lumen (or nothing if the moon is out) is more than enough.

However, if you encounter a spotty trail or get lost, you will be extremely happy if you were prepared and brought a flashlight with decent brightness and some throw (not just some AAA toy).

IMO, a headlamp sucks for hiking (unless you really need your hands free). Having the light close to your eyes means you won't get shadows and will need a ton more light than if you were to use a hand-held flashlight (not to mention glare/backscatter if the air isn't clear).

You really don't want to rely on a single flashlight. Instead of buying some expensive replacement for your Yezl, get some decent backup light. A good 1AA with a L91 lithium AA can be had in 2oz (I have seen way too many reports of failed/drained CR123s to trust them).

(Having done hundreds of night hikes, I have some idea of what I'm talking about.)

Double_A is entitled to his opinion which may differ from yours.
Not a great way to start out on CPF.
Norm

 

[KLowD9x]

One thing I might add, have you ever sat quietly in the forest in the dark taking in all the sights, scents and sounds?

Also I love flashlights ever since I was a little boy. Searching for the ideal light is what brought me here.

But, sitting by the light & heat of a campfire is a gut experience, primitive and wonderful. Pack your lights but enjoy the experience.

I have actually and I love it. I don't plan on hiking in the dark, that will be done during the day and camp will be set up while we still have daylight. The light will be for night walks to gather supplies like wood or to relieve myself away from camp. I think I have settled on the Thrunite Catapult V3 with the neutral XML because as another user said, I want a new toy too. When I go to Atlanta next week I plan on picking it up from the goingear.com physical store.

Unless the head feels like crap when loose, then it will probably be the Fenix TK35.

 

[Outdoorsman5]

Both the Catapult V3 and the Fenix TK35 are great lights, but for a hiking trip these are huge lights to lug around. If you're talking about backpacking in & out of the woods then I'd recommend much smaller lights for sure. My first pick would be the zebralight H51 or H51w (neutral tint) headlamp that runs on one AA. I'd also recommend the Quark Turbo X as your handheld as this is a really small light with amzing throw. The Turbo X is as bright and has similar throw to my EagleTac M3C4 XM-L on level 4 (not max, but one below max.) It runs on one 17670 Li-ion rechargeable or 2 RCR Li-ion rechargeables or 2 CR123 primaries.....increble light, and small enough to lug around for backpacking.

If you are not going to be lugging everything in & out then I'd recommend the Fenix TK35 over the Catapult. I was in Atlanta 2 weeks ago, and went to goinggear's store....what a great time that was. I handled both these lights among others, and was surprised at the size & throw of the Fenix. It is smaller than my EagleTac and definitely smaller & lighter than the Catapult plus the Fenix has multiple levels which is very useful in low light conditions. The Cat will be blinding once it's switched on; where as the fenix can be used at really low levels. Also, the Cat's nice, but quite heavy. I would not want to go backpacking for long distances with that heavy thing, but for short trips it would be fun.

 

[Norm]

unnecessary quotes removed.
Why quote the post immediately above your post? and if you do need to quote, you can edit leaving just the relevant information.
Norm