Good Night Hiking Light for about $30?

i want around 10 hrs run time.

Thanks.

First of all, welcome to CPF!

I really can't think of any lights around $30 that will give 10 hrs of runtime. A Surfire G2 with a 1 watt G&P LED drop in will give you about 6 hrs. Also you could try the new minimag LEDs...

Someone else who knows what they're talking about my have some better help for you...

AA Minimag with an SMJLED will give you 35 hours to 50% LO.

http://home.mchsi.com/~lambda_lights/smjled.htm

Toshi

The old UK eLED 4AA would give that much runtime. Not super bright but enough for walking in the dark. Not sure about the new-brighter model. There probably are old style ones still available somewhere.

Geoff

You could get at least 8+ hours on a Fenix L1T/L1S on low. They still put out a good amount of light on that setting. The L1S is just over $30 shipped from fenix-store.com.

The L1S is a good suggestion, and probably as close to your maximum price as you're going to get with 10 hours runtime requirement. If you could increase your maximum price range to $40-$50, you would open yourself up to many options.

Another option to consider is a headlamp. Headlamps are very useful for hiking hands free. There are a couple I can think of that will run for 10+ hours and are around $35 or less.

They are:

River Rock 0.5W LED headlamp, available at Target for $15:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/riverrock_headlamp.htm

Princeton Tec Quad for $30-$35:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/pt_quad.htm

The Quad is a nice light if you can afford it.

NutSAK said:

The L1S is not a good suggestion, and probably as close to your maximum price as you're going to get with 10 hours runtime requirement. If you could increase your maximum price range to $40-$50, you would open yourself up to many options.

Another option to consider is a headlamp. Headlamps are very useful for hiking hands free. There are a couple I can think of that will run for 10+ hours and are around $35 or less.

They are:

River Rock 0.5W LED headlamp, available at Target for $15:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/riverrock_headlamp.htm

Princeton Tec Quad for $30-$35:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/pt_quad.htm

The Quad is a nice light if you can afford it.

Click to expand...

thanks for the info.
i have a black diamond spot headlamp on order... i also needed a flashlight just incase the headlamp goes out.

do any of you guys have experience with the streamlight Twintask 3C?

Check out the LEDBeam (www.ledbeam.com) for around $24, shipping included. Heatsinked LuxIII in a nice 3C package. It does throw, but the spill is pretty bright. My buddies use them exclusively on night hikes and love them as they are pretty durable with long runtimes.

If throw isn't too important then I'd suggest the Streamlight Propolymer 4AA or 3C LED lights (not the Luxeon models). They give a good flood and run for a lot more than 10 hours on a set of batteries. The Oval Light LED light is another good one. If you don't mind wearing a headlamp, the Nuwai Luxeon & Photon Fusion headlamps are pretty good but they are a little past your price range; $47 & $58, respectively.

At Brightguy.com the
SL PP 3C LED is $35
SL PP 4AA LED is $25
Oval Light is $21

Hope this helps.

Since you have no other requirements other than the $30 and 10 hours of run time, one of the Mag D cell LED light should be more than adequate for your need and also provide good throw if you have a need to light up something at a distance. If you look around at web sites, you might be able to find a 2D or 3D for $30 or less. You can get a 4D from Home Depot for that price, but it's probably more than you want to haul around for a walk in the woods.

1200mk said:

i want around 10 hrs run time.

Thanks.

Click to expand...

UK 4AA led about 10 hours

Streamlight 4AA Luxeon about 6 hours on nimhs, much much brighter

2D Mag LED might do 10 hours, but not regulated.

You didn't specify if you needed lots of light, and whether or not you preferred spill or throw.

If you want a pocketable light with extreme run time(let's just say at least 40 hours), great flood beam for navigating and reading, and tough....then the Gerber Infinity Ultra http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/gerber_infinityultra.htm
will fill the bill. The IU is a highly regarded light, although many prefer the CMG http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/cmg_infinity_ultra.htm and early Gerber style to the new style. I have both and like both. Both offer about the same beam brightness and shape. The newer design will tailstand. The Infinity Ultra is available all over the Internet, and some retailers such as REI. You really should have one in your flashlight arsenal no matter what. They are essential as an emergency light and can be stored with a lithium battery for a decade or two. Incidentally, they run on a single AA battery of the Carbon Zinc, Alkaline, Ni-cad, Nimh or Lithium varieties.

The cost is about $20 or less, and unless you need lots of throw for spotting far away objects or blinding a bear, the IU is a great all purpose tool. No true flashaholic can exist without at least one of these.

There are some others in this class of light that are excellent as well. From Advancedmart.com, there is a AA "twisty". http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/amart_1aahw.htmThey refer to it as a keychain light, but its actually too large for that. It has more of a broad hotspot type beam, but is very useful, and its only about $12. The runtime is great, but nothing close to approaching the IU.

There are other highly regarded lights with good runtime that are a bit larger. One would be the River Rock 2xAAA from Target for $10. It produces a very nicely shaped beam with a hotspot and throw, and produces about 12 lumens @ .5w. http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/nuwai_tm-311h_2aaa.htm
These lights are manufactured by Nuwai, and other lights from Nuwai can be found @ Advancedmart.
http://store.advancedmart.com/fllipr.html

Another source for Nuwai is here:
http://www.j2ledflashlight.com/specials.html

Welcome to CPF!

NutSAK said:

The L1S is not a good suggestion,

Click to expand...

Jesus, I'm losing my mind. I meant to say that the L1S IS a good suggestion. Sorry....



EDITED ORIGINAL POST

Hello and welcome aboard the CPForum steamer, where info discussed here will leave you elightened and a lighter wallet :wave:

what your asking is a bit....high on the criteria

hiking:

1. Weight is an issue, meaning either use smaller alkalines [less runtime/ brightness] or stick to lithium lights...which will bump over the $30 restriction
2. Night time hiking means you'll have to illuminate not only where you are standing but whats ahead you and maybe whats above you:candle:...dont want to get by a low overhanging branch now do ya? 5mm led lights usually provide long runtime and is suitable close distance illumination, Perferrably a luxeon I for medium to long distance illumination at minimum [reason why i did not suggest a incan is because no incan I can think of will last anywhere to 10 hours while sticking to +/- 50%]
3. For close distance flood over throw would be the effective approach, you could try a thrower flashlight with some 3M magic tap:naughty:e on the top and bottom of the bezel, this diffuses the light and doubles the use of your flashlight [not recommended for incan since melted tape on bezel is a @#$% thing to cleanup
4. Hiking will mean a rugged terrain...sometimes potholes, drops, and mud are common, meaning whatever you decide to bring with you must sustain possible drops and knocks to a certain degree without a high probability of failure. Furthermore, your dealing with mother nature, make sure your light is water resistant .

Personal suggestion: buying a hybrid of some sort...low beam for closeup, high beam for distance illumination. A headlamp would albe a good idea, especially if your hiking trail has steep paths where having one hand occupied with a flashlight wouldnt be such a good idea.

Inova X0... It'll run ya about $40.

Check out the Inova X series lights.

The Inova X5 is a great hiking light available for under $30. Run time to 50% should be about 6.5 hours, with an advertised burn time of 20 hours.

If you are hiking in true darkness, the little Inova X1 will do the job and is available for under $20. Inova says up to 10 hours of non dimming brightness.

I'd stretch my budget another $13.50 and get a Fenix L1T. With a Lithium AA cell you will most likely get over 10 hrs on low (which is plenty of light for most situations) and have the higher output when you need it. Carry one spare Lithium AA cell, as they weigh very little, providing you with a total of about 20 hours of light. BTW, the Lithium battery will not be affected by cold temps the way most other cells are either.

1200mk said:

thanks for the info.
i have a black diamond spot headlamp on order... i also needed a flashlight just incase the headlamp goes out.

do any of you guys have experience with the streamlight Twintask 3C?

Click to expand...

Would you really want to carry a 3C cell flashlight hiking... too big and too much weight! You need a single cell AA light with a Lithium AA to pinch some grams and reduce bulk. A Fenix L1T or L1S would fit the bill and give you about the runtime you need on low power. I'm not sure why NutSAK downed the L1S which is a good light in your price range.

Edit: Looking back, I see that NutSAK meant to recommend the L1S... and I would second that. I usually carry an extra 4-pak of Lithium AA cells if I'm doing some serious hiking...because they are so light. Granted they are about ten bucks for a 4-pak!

it seems like the l1s is the pick of choice...

is it available locally (i live in so cal.)

the l1s looks real tiny....

would this be a suitable light to get me back safely if i had to hike in total darkness (pitch black)?