light for walking dog in snow

I have a 6p, and some smaller lights - NuwaiQIII, Fenix L2P, L2T.
You don't need much light around here to walk the dog at night, and the L2T on low is fine...in the summer.

I wonder what would be easiest to use in the ice when the temps go below 20F? It is normally dark in my neck of the woods.

We get some 5 degree nights around here, and I wonder if I need another CR123 light that I can hold and use with gloves on. The heavy gloves will be a problem with smaller lights.

I am sure that the 6p would work OK, but it will go through batteries really fast.

Any suggestions? I don't really want to spend more than about $75 or so.
I've already spent enough on lights.

Hello arty and welcome at CPF

In snowy conditions you will need a little more throw. A few cheap and good lights are the SL PP Lux4xAA, 3C and a Magled 2 or 3D.

You can try the 4xAA with nimh's, if it's too cold you could use Lithiums. I don't know which rechargeables cells you own but with one LiIon 18650 in a 3C or D (with adaptor)for example you will have a nice source for colder conditions.

Best regards

____
Tom

I would consider a good headlight.

In that price range, the Apex would probably be my choice.

Your hands are free, then, gloves are no problem.

If you want a new flashlight, I would consider a MagLed, since the larger size seems easier to handle.

Bill

A headlight would heat up my head nicely, under my hood.

I was hoping for something that is somewhere inbetween the 2D size of a Maglite (I have a Steamlight twintask 2D) and a 5" light.

I assumed that you needed more flood - on ice or snow.
Why the need for throw?

It has been warmer than usual in flatlands, but we have had nights where it is below zero. It would be handy to be able to use one hand on a button - as on the maglite or Streamlight. I just wondered if they could handle the cold.

I was thinking of getting the Bugout Gear 3W led for the 6P, but didn't know how well it would work or how reliable it is.

arty said:

A headlight would heat up my head nicely, under my hood.

I was hoping for something that is somewhere inbetween the 2D size of a Maglite (I have a Steamlight twintask 2D) and a 5" light.

I assumed that you needed more flood - on ice or snow.
Why the need for throw?

It has been warmer than usual in flatlands, but we have had nights where it is below zero. It would be handy to be able to use one hand on a button - as on the maglite or Streamlight. I just wondered if they could handle the cold.

I was thinking of getting the Bugout Gear 3W led for the 6P, but didn't know how well it would work or how reliable it is.

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In a white landscape with a floody light, f.e. the SF L4, a lot of light will be eliminated, also if it's snowing, the angle of a floody beam is'nt not as good like a throwing beam (the same negative effect will have a headlamp while snowing). You said for walking with your dog, when I walk with my dogs and let them run, they will not always be in my directly near, so if I want to see them in a distance about 50meters, I need a little throw.

The place of a switch on a light is a personally taste, so with gloves in winter my Mags always worked good.

Don't worry about the batteries at a temperature of about zero or a little less.

Best regards

____
Tom

There's recently been a thread on glove-compatible lights. You might find some suggestions there.

Personally, I would use my trusty Gladius, but that's outside your price range.

I would second the already made suggestion for SL ProPoly Lux. I have the 4xAA version, and it's definitely a light I would use in the winter. The plastic body is nice for colder temps. You can run AA lithiums in there.

If you want to stay with CR123s and Incans, I would also suggest a Falcata 6V, which should be able to be had in your price range. Works nice with gloves with its Kroll clicky and the rubber sleeve with the 'wings'. The beam should be similar to your 6P, maybe a little floodier.

Oh, also make sure you can use a wrist lanyard. I tend to lose grip on my lights with gloves...

Thanks for the info. My dog is never more than 6 feet distant. He can't be trusted off the leash. Poodles think that cars are for running under, and bunnies are for chasing...as are female dogs.

I worried about the use of regular batteries. It rarely gets much below 0F around here, but it does go to -5 or +5 pretty often in the winter.
I'll check out the gloves link.

would an LED light produce to much "white light" for the snow....maybe an incan

SL ProPoly Lux 4xAA is a great light and now for some other Dog related considerations (more for safety) the Glo Leash


Poly Brite

The LED leash is a good idea. Much of what I use a flashlight for is making sure that cars see me at night. It is very dark here, and the city does not have streetlights in my neighborhood.
I also need lights for lighting my way when people don't bother to replace the burned out bulbs in their yardlamps.

I recommend the Nuwai/FavourLight HLX-712L. It's a 2xCR123A (2 Duracells included) SE LuxI with 3 output levels, a wide beam, and good seals. Battery changes are also a LOT easier than with the similar SL Argo HP, which I don't like nearly as much. The SL seems to get accidentally activated far too often, and loosening the cap is ineffective, so a difficult battery change (or removal/replacement) is basically required. YMMV.

The 712L is also cheaper. If you get it from amondotech.com, search for "712L" and you'll find a version offered with eight (8) extra Titanium CR123As. I have one of these headlights, and I've ordered two more.

Just don'r use a yellow LED or you'll never figure out where it's safe to walk.

nikon said:

Just don'r use a yellow LED or you'll never figure out where it's safe to walk.

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That's totally hilarious. I'm still laughing here.

I am not worried about the yellow stuff in the snow!

It is the other color that I am more concerned about.

arty said:

Thanks for the info. My dog is never more than 6 feet distant. He can't be trusted off the leash. Poodles think that cars are for running under, and bunnies are for chasing...as are female dogs.

I worried about the use of regular batteries. It rarely gets much below 0F around here, but it does go to -5 or +5 pretty often in the winter.
I'll check out the gloves link.

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From experience, white poodles are extremely hard to spot in snow. Light the dog, not the whole area around - as in attach some sort of light to the dog.

Black ones are easy to find in snow but rather hard in the dark when it's not snowing. The two I used to look after fairly regularly (both now expired from old age)

were not used to cities so I always attached lights to them when I let them out at night.

Much easier to find them that way. Fauxtons work to way below the temperatures usually encountered round here (2F is as low as it gets apart from really bad years - the worst I've ever come across is -28F). Molly (the black one) did often manage to escape though, and then the light on her came in real useful in spotting her.

I have a chocolate poodle-easy to see against the snow or ice.

Look at the Huntlight FT02x. It comes with a 1xcr1223 tube AND with a 2AA batt tube so you can run NiMh AA's in it. It's bright and in 2AA mode plenty long enough to hold easily. Also has a handy glow-pig QD neck lanyard!
JSBurleys has them for under 60$ shipped.

I'm sure this is flashaholic heresy, but to make you visible to traffic I recommend 2xAAA LED bike winkie lights, which in Canada can be had for as little as $4, including 2 AAA alkalines. Clip one to your dog's collar, and one to the top of your boot or to the back-of-wrist strap on your mittens.

Try the following link:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...older_id=2534374302692895&bmUID=1157785001423

For seeing where you are going, the Petzl lamps are well-regarded here, particularly the Tactikka, for its flip-down red lense so that you don't lose your dark-adapted vision.

LED's are so low-drain devices that I haven't had any low temperature problems even with pretty feeble nicad AAA's down to (gulp!) -40C/-40F. Even after an hour at -30C, the amber and red winkies go a bit dimmer, but they still work!

White Scotchlite reflective tape on ankles and wrists is the polar standard, 10cm/3inch wide if you can get it!

enlightenment!

nikon said:

Just don'r use a yellow LED or you'll never figure out where it's safe to walk.

Click to expand...

Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow.

To continue with the Frank Zappa/dog theme, "The poodle bites, the poodle chews it..."

For cheap and easy (my favorite qualifiers for many, many things!), either a 2D MagLED or even a AA MiniMagLED are good choices, and I'd opt for the 3xAA -- long enough to hang onto easily. If going with the AA lights, lithiums can be used for low temps and long idle with little or no worries, and at relatively low cost. I'd also recommend a NiteIze Grip-N-Clip to let you hang onto the light better (the neoprene can help to keep the cold at bay), and also to let you clip the light to your coat if necessary. They're available for both the AA and D size Mags.

Another option is using pipe insulation for a AA, C, or even D cell light. Cheap and gives you a more comfortable hold on a metal light when the temp goes for a nose dive.

Other light options are Princeton Tec lights like the Attitude. Sort-of-cheap plastic lights with pretty good throw and brightness are a joy at any time of the year.

Lanyards are great in cold weather and for dog walking, too. Makes for one less thing to chase or find in the snow and cold.

And, yes, one more vote for a light on the dog. They really do make them easier to find when they run off.

Remember, too, that especially in Winter, it is very important to not only see but to be seen. Drivers are not looking for pedestrians and animals on days with good weather, let alone in snow and slush. Give yourself every edge you can to not only stay alive but to avoid being drenched.