which light will you use in snow whiteout?

[smokinbasser]

Having attempted to drive during white out conditions I would have to say any lights used should be to let other people see you. White out conditions render flashlight output to just past the flashlight lens. Your doing good to see past your windshield.

 

[Blindasabat]

Good call on the colored LED, but I'd take amber or yellow. Cyan is too blue and would reflect back as well. Blue is the bad part of the spectrum that will reflect. But you would have to have the colored LED just for that use, and know you had possible whiteout conditions to be carrying it. Good for northern climates.
This is also one place a handheld light has a distinct advantage over a headlight. You want to be able to hold the light as far away from you and as close to what you are looking at as possible for minimum reflection off the snow. The A2's floody LEDs work well held low pointing down to walk with long run time. Then pointed far ahead for a few seconds at a time, the incan cuts through the snow allowing you to see far away and be seen.

But if I were to be caught outside on foot, say on a mountain ridge...

high powered LED, tight beam, cyan color. White would simply reflect back terribly. Incan would work great, but may not run long enough to get me out of such a situation.

 

[winny]

I would choose an red LED, an underdriven incan or possibly high pressure sodium if I where in the mood. The last one is actually marketed as being better at penetrating fog, snow and such. I don't know how it does that yet but if you watch a mercury vapor lamp sitting next to a sodium one on a lamp post on a foggy day, the MV will just be souronded by glare whereas the HPS actually does its job well... Therefore, as yellow/red as possible.

 

[Sub_Umbra]

Filter, schmilter. Everyone who said "narrow beam" gets to split the prize.

In whiteouts the snow poses very much the same problems that smoke does. THE best approach is the most powerful output with the narrowest possible beam. Hold the light at your side with your arm right next to your body, unbent. That will put the light as far away from your eyes as you may possibly hold it -- about crotch height.

The power will maximize penetration through the falling snow. The narrow beam and the lowest hold at a level farthest away from your eyes will mimimize the blinding reflection back into your eyes from the falling snow right in front of your face and let you see the target at the greatest distance.

Beam color may make a difference but it will be very minor compared to beam shape, power and where the light is held in relation to the eyes.

Sleetmute Kid

 

[nc987]

Forgot to mention my KL3 or E2L. Both are bright with narrow beams, perfect for penetrating snowfall.

 

[Ging]

This Christmas just gone I was walking in Scotland during a white out at night. I was using my Gemini and I found the yellow incan to not glare as much and have the power to cut through some of the snow fall.

 

[voodoogreg]

Good call on the bright, narrow lights. I would imagine HID guys would be
Seeing a lot better then most And yep blue would suck for cutting the
Snow or anything, one reason it's used in the music/theater stage is it's diffuse
Characteristic's, it makes thing's blurry without snow or smoke etc. Burlesque
Show places and similar "adult entertainment" industries learned this long ago. Hence, the term "bluelight" district's". VDG

 

[Lee1959]

I actually found out last winter in an ice/snow storm that both the 5 C Cell maglight at its tightest beam and my X03 worked well. I was surprised that the X03 worked as well as it did but it cut through pretty well. I liked the X03 because I could pocket it when I had to.

 

[jayflash]

A tightly focused light will work in fog & smoke but nothing will work in a real white out. A white out will likely disorient you anyway. Snow is a great reflector and a bright light will blind you. Wisconsin white outs are a towing/wrecker service's financial friend.

 

[chmsam]

The only thing that really helps is keeping the angle of the light source low. It keeps the reflection down to a minimum.

I've driven in (and even more interesting, navigated in) road rallies in whiteouts -- couldn't see past the hood of the car and knew cars were coming on the route behind us.

Walking in them is also pretty funky.

 

[jason9987]

If I'm near a road in a white out I'd want super bright flashing or rotating amber or yellow so others might see me trying to use a flashlight so you can see would be useless, but if you just mean alot of snow and hard to see but not a true whiteout I'd say I would take my Amondo tech HID with a amber/ yellow filter not a strong one, just enough to take out the blue and a maybe black construction paper around the light sticking out about 6 inches to block sidespill, a streamlight survivor light would be a great choice because of its "smoke cutter optics" they have vey litte sidespill with a tight hotspot it is what makes them great in smokey enviroments like a fire. If you want to use an LED I've heard the River Rock 2xAA is very good for fog/smoke or anything that reflects alot of light back. and like Sub_Umbra said hold the light as far from your eys as possible.
I would probaly choose a Maxa Beam with a sharp cutoff filter(blocks all sidespill) and an amber filter if I had 2-3k to drop on a light

 

[InfidelCastro]

The snow will blow on your guys flashlights and then melt and short it out or freeze and cover the lense when you do a battery change.

 

[C4LED]

I was going to suggest the RR 2AA as well - it's worked well in fog for me w/it's spotlight beam. This has also been mentioned in other threads.

If it's not snowing, but only covering the ground, I've found that a Dorcy 1aaa is plenty of light if any is needed at all.

If you want to use an LED I've heard the River Rock 2xAA is very good for fog/smoke or anything that reflects alot of light back.