Recommendation for hiking flashlight

[wiiawiwb]

Hi Folks. Great forum. I've been doing a number of searches and am a tad confused so I thought I would ask for your help.

I am looking for a flashlight to have with me when I hike which I do alone most of the time. It would be there for emergency purposes in the event I am leaving late on the trail or, god forbid, in an emergency situation. Something that will adequately illuminate the trail right in front of me case I have to hike out in the dark

Here is my needs list based upon the Recommendation Checklist

1) Buying online is fine with me
2) Budget - up to ~$200
3) Flashlight
4) Everyday carry 4-7 inches
5) LED
6) Ready to go out of the box (I'm not handy and would lose pieces)
7) Battery type - I would be open to suggestions.
8) I want to walk around on a dark trail (50-150 lumens)
9) Throw vs flood ... 5-20 yards
10) Runtime - 3+ hours. I could be stuck in a survival situation in the woods.
11) Durability - Critical. I would want something bombproof. Rain, dropping, etc.
12) Switch type. I don't know and don't care. I would defer to your opinion
13) User interface - Multiple lights levels. Could be programmed but I don't necessarily care about that.
14) Material/finish - I don't care other than durability
15) Special needs - red filter for preserving night vision
I would really appreciate any recommendations you would have. :thanks:in advance.

 

[vizlor]

In case you don't allready have one, get a quality headlamp.

As far as flashlights go, considering your budget and needs, I'd say get a surefire.

You will probably get many widely different suggestions here unless you narrow down your needs a little.

 

[wiiawiwb]

Vizlor,

I'm a newbie and a bit embarrassed to say I don't know exactly what to ask for beyond what I outlined above. I've never owned a flashlight before other than the little MagLite you pick up in any store.

 

[wacbzz]

Vizlor,

I'm a newbie and a bit embarrassed to say I don't know exactly what to ask for beyond what I outlined above. I've never owned a flashlight before other than the little MagLite you pick up in any store.

Here you go...:thumbsup:

 

[Ian2381]

There are a lot of light you can get that fits your need. What I can also suggest is get a headlamp and a small back up light. The best backup light I could suggest is the Quark Mini AA Neutral, powered by single AA light weight, have multiple modes. a perfect hiking light. For you main light, since you have a budget to spend, get a Surefire flashlight for reliability or better yet get one of their headlamp, saint or minimus.

 

[mvyrmnd]

My "24-hour" pack, which I take hiking with me, has a Jetbeam Jet-III M in it. Has 2 modes, one is High, one is programmable. The programmable mode can be set at any brightness (ramps from 1% to 100%) or can be a beacon or strobe mode. You can set the secondary mode to be "just bright enough" to get you the most battery life that you can from the minimum brightness you need. It will run on 2xCR123 or an 18650. I carry a spare 18650, with a solar charger - just in case.

It's built like the proverbial kiln-fired ceramic block outdoor water closet, and it's waterproof.

Mine's an old, XR-E Q5 model and is bright enough, but the new XP-G R5 model is significantly brighter again, with all the same features.

 

[wiiawiwb]

Thanks for the checklist, it was very helpful. I edited my OP to include each item on the checklist.

 

[CarpentryHero]

I'd go two lights, surefire G2x or 6px pro. 2 mode 200 lumens and 15 lumens.
The second light a Quark Cr123 reg r5, good useable modes, takes the same batteries as the first light only smaller. Moonlight mode will last aloooong time.

Surefire are pretty much bomb proof and have a lifetime warranty, Quarks are very well made and great warranty and customer service.

 

[CarpentryHero]

Missed reading your checklist, I stand by what I suggest

 

[mvyrmnd]

Looking at your checklist, the Jet-III M does alright:

1) Buying online is fine with me - check
2) Budget - up to ~$200 - check
3) Flashlight - check
4) Everyday carry 4-7 inches - check
5) LED - check
6) Ready to go out of the box (I'm not handy and would lose pieces) - check
7) Battery type - I would be open to suggestions. - check
8) I want to walk around on a dark trail (50-150 lumens) - (XP-G will go from approx 3-300 lumens) check
9) Throw vs flood ... 5-20 yards - (XP-G with an OP reflector) - check
10) Runtime - 3+ hours. I could be stuck in a survival situation in the woods. - check
11) Durability - Critical. I would want something bombproof. Rain, dropping, etc. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82JLxaRvAAQ) - check
12) Switch type. I don't know and don't care. I would defer to your opinion - check
13) User interface - Multiple lights levels. Could be programmed but I don't necessarily care about that. - check
14) Material/finish - I don't care other than durability - check
15) Special needs - red filter for preserving night vision - I'm not sure about this one, but I suspect there'd be some way of doing it

 

[tandem]

+1 to the headlamp suggestions; one headlamp and one handheld light will prove to be the ultimate in flexibility plus you have a backup plan. You never know when you might need both your hands for something really important like fixing a meal, or something much more urgent.

Other than that, assuming you are hiking something like the Adirondacks rather than the Himilayas, pretty much any modern light will do and you'll get lots of suggestions.

Given your experience level rather than more exotic lithium ion rechargeable cells I would suggest sticking to either CR123 based lights using primaries (non rechargeable but can get expensive if you use the light a lot for other things too) or AA (and possibly AAA format for the headlamp depending on what you buy) format lights.

Good quality AA and AAA rechargeable cells like Sanyo Eneloop are in fact pretty good performers in cold weather and modern lights run better on NiMH rechargeables than alkalines from the corner store.

Welcome to CPF!

 

[qqqqqqqman]

Sunwayled M40C has some great reviews....600+ lumens with a floody beam (MC-E emitter) to walk paths, 3 modes of low//med//high, red and blue leds also, waterproof, rugged.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=296559


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=287297


Or, if you want to go with AA batteries, they have the corresponding flashlight M40A


**

 

[CPFBiology]

This would be out of your range, but when I go hiking, I carry:

1) HDS High CRI Clicky (in pocket)
2) Surefire 6P bored for 18650, plus Malkoff M61W
3) Jetbeam III-M R5
4) Fenix lights x2

It is important that your lights work if you are in the dark, hiking alone in the woods. Durability and reliability are paramount. I would make sure to have at least a Surefire or HDS (or both in my case). It is probably worth it to extend your budget, since this will be a one time purchase (maybe not one time since you are a CPF'er). It is a long term investment since these durable lights are built to last a long time. And over time if you do get more powerful lights in the future, you can still keep these as backups.

 

[RWT1405]

Malkoff MD2 (2 level) w/ a M61L. ALL you'll ever need.

My .02 FWIW YMMV

 

[jslappa]

Maverick..."If the government trusts me, maybe you could too".

Many Marine companies use HDS clickies. As a former Marine, I have had the opportunity to use Henry's lights in just about the worst situations I could possibly dream up. The HDS Clicky meets all your requirements...and then some.

One of the most functional features of an HDS Clicky is the ability to program the light for a locator flash. While turned off, the Clicky will blink once about very four seconds. On a fresh battery, it could last for 3 years or more! If you order a $7 Nitecore or 4sevens headband, you can mount the light on your head and it will work as a headlight too.

hdslights.com. $140 to $180ish. Lifetime warranty and fantastic customer service.

 

[Tiresius]

I'd go with the Surefire E2L Outdoorsman. I bought that light myself and only had one chance to use it. Then my older brother borrowed it and never seem to part with it. That jack-off needs to bring me along on his fishing expeditions.

The E2L proved to be a good companion for camping and overnight fishing. It lasted a good 5hr before it started dimming on high mode with just two CR123 primaries. By the time the light's dead, it's daytime.

I have to get it back or have him give me $100 for it even though I paid a little over $130 for it. I need someone to swallow up the bill so I can buy two lights for upcoming Christmas gifts.

 

[tandem]

HDS, SureFire and other well-regarded rugged durable brands have great reputations for a reason. Field proven. If you have the budget for them, go for it. If you don't, there are dozens of solidly built lights out there that will do the job.

More important than buying that first light is buying the second. I completely disagree with buying/equipping with just one light, because an uber-reliable light is totally useless to you if dropped in a crevasse, down a raging river, off a Burma bridge (remember two hands are freed with a headlamp), lost at a rest stop hours ago, over a cliff or in any other number of not impossible to imagine scenarios you may lose access to a light while hiking.

Thus a backup is important. And if you have a backup, buying the worlds most rugged light(s) suddenly becomes less important too. There are literally dozens if not hundreds of models of light which will do the job being asked of them here.

I started mountaineering way back in the 1970's and have survived countless solo night hikes and, my favourite, night back country ski trips in the BC coastal mountains. When I started I was armed with what today would look like toys even though then my incandescent flashlights and headlamps were sort of state of the art. I just always had more than one.

Two lights, or at least two lights, remains my recommendation. A headlamp and a flashlight I personally find to be a good mix, and of the two the headlamp tends to get used for longer on most trips, particularly multi-day trips. Or instead of a headlamp make one or both of your at least two flashlights suitable for loading into a headband such as has been discussed by another here.

 

[wiiawiwb]

I use a flashlight sparingly. Maybe 4-8 times per year. That means whatever battery type I choose it will be lying around unused for most of the time.

Which battery source should I be choosing to power the flashlight?

1) AA
2) NiMH
3) Lithium ion

Should I go choose a rechargeable battery or not?

 

[tandem]

Unless you have need of rechargeable cells for other AA or AAA powered devices (radios, game controllers, remote controls, toys, whatever...), then you should probably just go with disposables, also known as "primaries".

AA is a size, NiMH, lithium, and lithium ion are chemistries available in different sizes.

Given your usage pattern you don't appear to need rechargeable cells and instead could use either:

• *lithium* AA sized cells (not rechargeable - i.e. something like Energizer L91 cells) but be sure your flashlight is known to work well with them.
  
• *lithium* CR123A sized cells, often found in photo shops but cheaper via the internet. Lights that are designed to support this size will certainly be designed for the higher operating voltage they deliver

Personally I like the AA format because you can always use a regular store bought alkaline cell in a pinch but a CR123A might not be available at the gas station just before the trailhead, should you happen to leave without a cell or a spare.

Headlamps are frequently AA or AAA size though, so if minimizing the type of cell you need to stock and carry matters at all, you may wish to lean that way if considering headlamp and flashlight route.

Either way, you are likely to be very happy with any light that supports either of these types of cells.

 

[B0wz3r]

Personally I like the AA format because you can always use a regular store bought alkaline cell in a pinch but a CR123A might not be available at the gas station just before the trailhead, should you happen to leave without a cell or a spare.

+1!

Now days there's no reason not to choose AA's over 123's. Modern primary AA's hold just as much as 123's, are far more common, and much cheaper. L91's are also significantly lighter than other chemistries in AA format. They're even cheaper too, unless you're buying lots of 50 or 100 123's online, but even then, they're not that much cheaper. You can always buy larger quantities of L91's online too. Also, the voltage difference between AA's and 123's is also a non-issue for lithium ion rechargeables; AW 14500's and 16340's have exactly the same energy density. So, there is no reason to think AA's aren't as good as 123's.

For ultimate flexibility you could get a light that comes with an adapter that will let you use either AA's or 123's; the Dereelight C2H and the Jetbeam RRT-0 both can do that, and they can also use lithium ion rechargeables as well.