Recommend a camping flashlight (larger size)

[tyler582]

Okay, here is my situation. I like to do a lot of canoe trips into the bush. Ive already got a PT Eos headlamp (which I absolutely adore), but I would like to purchase something a bit more powerful for spotting animals in the dark and spying out over the water.

I am thinking of something about the size of a 4D Maglite. My main requirements are that 1) it be signifigantly more powerful than my Eos headlamp but also 2) have a good battery life. If it is something like the Maglite and it requires honkin' big batteries, then they need to last long. If the batteries are more compact and reletively inexpensive then I would also consider something with a shorter life.

I should add that I live in Manitoba, Canada and would like to keep the cost around $100 or less. I am open to modding a light, but nothing super complicated.

Question: Regarding the Maglites, I like the size/shape of the 4D size, but not the quick brightness drop-off of the incandecent version. Is there an LED or alternative version of this lite with a better situation with regards to holding a brightness?

Question: Is HID a consideration here? I really am out of the flashlight loop.

Thanks,
-Tyler

EDIT: I dont know if its clear that these trips often last days on end (3 nights to a week), hence I cant be carrying a lite that only works for a few mins. Also, I realize theres otehr threads about camping on here, but most focus on smaller flashlights... I dont mind something bigger and more heavy duty (not a spotlight tho).

How about the 3W LED maglite 4D?

 

[defusion]

I see 3 options:
HID: perfect, but you will need to upgrade that budget ($400, 2000+ lumen)
Mod: ROP mod, pretty much perfect. Less efficient then a HID, but alot cheaper (under $100, 500 lumen).
rechargeable spotlight: larger then what you want, but cheap to run, and lotsa output ($50-$100, they don't usually give lumen ratings for these things. 10-50 million candlepower)

 

[cdosrun]

I don't know if they would be powerful enough (and have no personal experience of them yet), but what about something like the Lumapower M1 or the new MRV?

I think they have quite good run-times on Li-ions and the cells are small.

Andrew

 

[fishx65]

Sounds like it may get wet and take some abuse. A couple of 4AA Luxeon Pro-polys might fit the bill. AA batteries would be much lighter and easier to come by. I would think that lugging a big four D around would be a hassle. The C Pro-poly would also be a good option. These are not Crees but they are pretty darn bright with great hotspots and are very durable.

 

[tyler582]

Hi guys, thanks for the quick replies. I am sort of leaning towards a 4D or 3D Mag-LED based on what Ive been reading this afternoon. I acutally like the idea of a large size because I will probably never loose it.

I will think of an HID but I may as well buy the maglite anyways (ie as well) if Im looking at $400.

I will look into this "ROP mod". I dont understand what it is, but Ill do some searching!

-Tyler

 

[william lafferty]

In my own camping experience, weight has always been a consideration, and for that reason, the Maglites would be my last choice. I like them. In fact I have four 3-D cell Mags, two of them leds, but they're too heavy.

Also, I suspect that the original poster is not familiar with recent developments in lights and assumes that the size of the D cell Mags means they are brighter than smaller lights. Not necessarily so.

cdosrun's earlier suggestion of the Luma Power lights, I think, is a good one. I have the M1 (running on two 123 cells and costing $80.00 or so) and it is bright. The new MRV (MVR?) promises to be even brighter and costs just over $100. Extra batteries are light (unlike extra D cells) and the light itself is big enough (about seven inches long) that it doesnt easily get lost.

I think the AA suggestion was a good one too. I am not familiar with the light mentioned, but I do have a 3Watt led Maglite which runs on three AA batteries. It is surprisingly bright and has a surprisingly good throw, but it may not be bright enough as the only light on a canoe trip. On the other hand, three of these lights, sometimes used together, costing about $25 apiece, might be a possibility. One good thing about them is they are light (no pun).

 

[Sub_Umbra]

For canoe camping it would be hard to beat the LumaRay FL-6-2006. It uses a high tech array of individually focused Nichia CS LEDs for lots of throw with very long runtime. It is a 3C light that is tough, waterproof and actually has REAL lanyard holes for use around water. Without being too big, it would be hard to find a better light to fill the 'big light' niche in canoe camping.

Check out Zelandeth's LumaRay FL-6-2006 review. Don't be distracted by the very spacey look of this light -- it was designed from the ground up with rugged reliability and efficiency as primary considerations.

LED Museum's LumaRay FL-6-2006 review

Imago Metrics' LumaRay FL-6-2006 review

 

[Patriot]

Without having a price range it kinda opens the door for all sorts of advise, but the first thing I thought of was a rechargeable Vector spotlight. They're available at Target for about $30 for the one-million cp version. The run-time may be a little bit short on high...about 45 minutes with intermittant use... but longer at lower settings. It will out throw nearly every light under $100. This is by far the most bang for the buck.

The 4D mag is also a great idea with lots of runtime. You can purchase a Terralux SSC P4 drop-in LED here: http://www.batteryjunction.com/index.html
Another huge upgrade for any mag is an Ultra Clear Lense from here:
http://www.flashlightlens.com/item--UCL%AE-Lens--UCL_Lens.html
You'll want the 52.1mm x 1.90mm. It alone will increase light output by 8% - 9% I have them on every one of my mags. Just remember that even this LED mag isn't going to throw like the Vector spotlight. You can get both lights for about $100 dollars though.

If money is no option then go for the HID. These are in a league of their own. The Wolf-Eyes Boxer24W is nice the AE PL24 is nicer, the X99O is the $400 dollar champion and probably more light than you'll ever need for any reason.

 

[KuoH]

These two are excellent suggestions. Durable, bright and long enough runtimes to go almost all night on standard alkalines. 4 AA or 3 C spare batteries are also pretty easy to pack with just about any camping gear. Both are brighter than any standard Mag you could get at a store, and with a $100 budget, you could have 3 of these.

KuoH

Sounds like it may get wet and take some abuse. A couple of 4AA Luxeon Pro-polys might fit the bill. AA batteries would be much lighter and easier to come by. I would think that lugging a big four D around would be a hassle. The C Pro-poly would also be a good option. These are not Crees but they are pretty darn bright with great hotspots and are very durable.

 

[PJ]

Here is a link to Flashlightreviews.com ratings on the MagLED's with output and runtimes.

Check out the graph towards the bottom of the page, it shows the relative output compared to a 3D Mag incandescent.

I also second the Streamlight ProPolymer Luxeon, either 4AA or 3C. Great throwers with at least a dunkable rating.

Look around the Flashlightreviews website. I think you can click on the columns at the top of review charts and reorganize columns to your liking.

 

[defusion]

Hi guys, thanks for the quick replies. I am sort of leaning towards a 4D or 3D Mag-LED based on what Ive been reading this afternoon. I acutally like the idea of a large size because I will probably never loose it.

I will think of an HID but I may as well buy the maglite anyways (ie as well) if Im looking at $400.

I will look into this "ROP mod". I dont understand what it is, but Ill do some searching!

-Tyler

And ROP mod is a very easy to do maglite mod.
It basicaly consists of a replacement lens, reflector, and bulb. In most cases it also means a "special" batterypack, because it needs a higher voltage then a regular 2/3/4d cell light. There are many battery options you can consider, and i wont go into that here. For the most part it's just replacing some items in your maglite with heavy duty stuff, and you won't be needing to do anything really complicated.

 

[scottaw]

As a kayaker myself im gonna throw in my 2 cents. A 4D mag is way to big and bulky, especially if you want to use it while in the canoe. Also pack size isn't that great. I recently got the DealExtreme Drop-in CREE for my surefire 6P, and it's plenty bright for seeing deer at any range your eyes work at. If you need more for binoculars....still might throw that far. But you could find a 6P on ebay for $40ish, and the cree is 12.50. This setup it pocket-carry size, waterproof (hey you're in a canoe, things happen), should run about 2.5 hours (haven't fully tested mine yet) and carrying extra batteries will be easy b/c they're small. So, it's not as big as you originally wanted, but small, easy toc arry, and should fit the bill, have fun paddlin'

 

[yellow]

Fenix L2D-CE ... still no competitor when it comes to size / brightness / runtime / diversity (mulitilevel) / price <--> value ratio

anything plastic from Underwater Kinetics / Streamlight if it absolutely has to be submersible

imho several of the lights mentionned (ROP, HID and such) for this application is not a good advice --> RUNTIME !!! and useable output
... thats where the lower levels of Fenix and similar newer "intelligent" lights kick in.

 

[TORCH_BOY]

Have you looked at the 4D MAGLed, also the Terralux drop in Led bulbs are quite bright

 

[Lighthouse one]

Try the ledbeam..and mod it with a Seoul P4 led. This is a 3-c cell flashlight. It is half the weight of a mag...and very powerful. With the seoul mod- it gains 40 percent more throw and spill.. With 3 coppertop batteries it pulls 1 amp and is powerful....good light to 100 meters-and a strong spill. The Led is very easy to change. Sticks up on a pedestal- which is the heatsink. pop the old 3 watter off...and Artic silver epoxy the new one on. Led's from Dx- if the site is working yet! http://www.ledbeam.com/

 

[Minjin]

Fenix L2D-CE, SL ProPolymer Luxeon (4AA or 3C), UK 4AA eLED ZOOM

You can't go wrong with any of these. I wish SL and UK would both update their lights to cree or seoul, but they are still excellent.

 

[Radio]

Boy is this your lucky Day!!!!! I just got back from a three day camping trip up in the mountains of New Hampshire. I brought an arsenal of lights but the one that got ALL the attention was my AE PL24 HID. I have three batteries and a spare bulb and car charger. Every person that saw it wanted to know what it was and where to get one. The thing that surprised me the most was that they DID NOT balk at the $300+ pricetag. Here is a link to the review AE PL24

 

[TorchBoy]

I'd just go for something like Eveready Dolphin.

Inexpensive, rugged, waterproof, reasonable battery life with alkaline, and you can set it to point where you want without having to prop it up wih rocks/twigs. It's a practical mix of spot and spread. NZ$19 is about CAN$15.50 and a good 6V alkaline lantern battery is another NZ$15-ish on top, so less than CAN$30 total.

With the rest of your $100 budget you could get an LED conversion. Original bulb is probably rated 4.8V, 700mA.

 

[tyler582]

So I got a bit excited and went over to Canadian Tire where I purchased a 3D-Cell Mag-LED for $50. I hadn't even read all your guys' responses... and now Im starting to agree with those of you taht commented on the weight of the Maglite. It is heavy which makes me sad when I remember what a 75lbs pack felt like last year.

On the other hand, the light does provide a strong beam (which Ill try 2nite on some houses across the way). That beam will last for 24 hrs before starting to loose power; another big + .

Of the lights that you guys recommended, these catch my eye: the Streamlight Propolymer 3C (Impressive 6+ hrs battery life) and the Lumapower M1 Hunter. I guess I have to think about returning the Maglite... or I dunno. Some thinking to do anyways.

That AL PL24 kinda scares me, but in a good way. I dont know if I could get over the $400 + shipping + extra batteries + charger all in US funds which probably means well over $500 for me . Some day when Im a doctor Ill buy that, haha.

I really am looking for a long throw here when Im in the bush and, according to flashlightreviews, the Maglite does have a far throw compared to overall light emission. Im a strong young man, I may just put up with the extra few pounds in my pack, lol.

Thanks again guys,
-Tyler

 

[william lafferty]

I noticed in the link given for the AL PL24, some concern was expressed about water tightness. Water and lithium batteries are not a good combination. I would be concerned about this in a canoe.