Camping flashlights - Streamlight Night-Com, TwinTask (or something else?)

I'm interested in getting a good multi purpose camping light as my son and I have joined YGuides and I am excited that both of us are going to learn a greater appreciation for the outdoors, as well as develop some useful skills. I have a pretty small range of lights given that I've slimmed down my EDC and general utility lights considerably to a Peak Pacific (mostly on a CR2 body), an HDS B42 (about to get some Seoul) and a Streamlight Strion (my bump in the night "free lumens" choice). I'm very happy with these three lights in their current jobs, but none seems like the ideal camplight. The Pacific maybe, but it seems a bit bright for most camp uses, the HDS is probably perfect but I don't want to risk losing it!, and the Strion is, but for fear of critters perhaps, much too bright from what I've been told in usual campsite uses.

So I'm picking up some inexpensive LED headlamps for both of us since those seem most useful. And perhaps a SafeLite or the like for my 5 yo son to hang on a lanyard, provide a lot of runtime and generally be an inexpensive foolproof light for him.

So that leaves a good multi use light for myself. I like the switch features of the Night Com and the red led version seems like a solid choice, with the option of a bit more oomph with the xenon. It is, however, a bit more expensive. The twintask series also seems practical, particularly the 1L that I can use with slightly discharged outcasts from my HDS, but I'm not as crazy about the switch operation (having to run through modes to get where you want to go).

I'd like to keep this under $50, or as inexpensive as possible, given the risk of losing it and the rough use it will take. I am pretty set on multiple levels as well, in a fairly straightforward configuration. I don't need a ton of levels but easy access to the ones you do have - I really, really like the HDS features and functionality both in the push button operation and the direct access to different levels and the fact that it comes on in the level it was in when turned off. A very low low seems like a necessity along with a reasonably bright beam for when you need it.

Any thoughts on these two lights, or anything else I should consider?

How about the Streamlight Propoly 4AA Lux? Durable, inexpensive, and works with either alkaline or NiMH batteries. The polymer body seems to be able to take a lot of abuse too.

The Fenix P1/2 D-CE lights are in your price range and cover a wide range of situations. The only problem is that low on these is really not that low - I find them too bright in many true dark situations.

The new SF G2L ( LED ) might just be a real winner in a trail follwing light but will be too bright for most tasks.

The HDS/NovaTac lights along with the SF U2 are the ticket for versatility but outside your price range.

In the $50 range look into the Fenix line, you will not be disappointed.

I'm sad to say that the SL Night-Com is not a light that I can recommend, especially not for camping.

The Xenon has not enough 'oomph', so to speak, and given that it is based on the Twintask 2x CR123A, I doubt that the Twintask is much better (I don't have a Twintask, nor do I want one). Any reasonable bright LED light blows the Night-Com away.

Also, some of the design choices Streamlight made for the Night-Com are not very robust, to say it politely. Which is pretty sad, since the tailcap and the body are quite nice and beefy, but unfortunately not the head and its innards. I doubt it's watertight (never tested it) enough for camping, and it does not appear up to abusive use, IMO.

If you do not really need super-brightness, as your post suggests, and want a red light, take a look at the Streamlight Sidewinder, which I consider the much better camping light. Pair it with the Strion for the high brightness tasks, and you're set.

If you need some brightness in one light, the already mentioned ProPoly Luxeon and any Cree or Rebel Fenix are much better choices.

Something form Dealextreme? You could almost get two Cree or Seoul ones for $50(not including batteries). The better ones should survive camping trips with no problem.

The Fenix P2D-Rebel 100 is exactly $50 at Fenix store with the "CPF8" coupon and the rest are a bit more.

If you want to stay around $50 and have both red and white LEDs you might think about the Photon Proton. Neither are really bright, but should give enough out in the dark. It's definitely tough enough.

Congrats on joining YGuides. I spent three years in it with my son about ten years ago, back when it was called Indian Guides. In fact, my screen name was my name in our tribe and my avatar in what I drew for our totem pole. It's a great organization and you'll have a lot of fun. Nothing but good memories.

Geoff

I've recently bought many LM301s from LumaPower and fallen in love with them for general purpose stuff. They are simple 2 level 1xAA powered lights that utilize the new Seoul P4 LED. Build quality is great, ~$30 each makes em a decent value as well. They make great EDCs and I have used them for camping and all sorts of tasks. They are easy on batteries, low mode will last many hours and provides enough light for close up tasks like in a tent or rummaging through gear, high mode is surprising, it's not the brightest 1xAA out there, but the drive level is the ideal balance for good runtime on a variety of cell types, runs great on NIMH, Alkaline, or lithium primary, output is enough to light up the woods around you pretty well....

warning: my opinion is biased, (because I own them, without much else in this class to compare to)

VB-16 has a good range from bright to low enough, I would take that camping and leave my HDS home, if there was risk of loosing a light. It's a bit big and heavy, but can be carried in pocket.

Surefire A2, keep reading, for just 80 dollars I won one on ebay. White leds. Might be worth a try, I have fallen in love with this light. I just got back from fishing with it, and I really think I used it more than my spotlight for catfish floats. It will be with me for my camping trip next week!

I own the Streamlight Twintask 3C and while the concept and the price point is appealing, I was never really happy with the incans beam nor the led output. So now the light just sits and is considered a "Loaner" light.


I have taken snips from your post (out of context) to hopefully shed a little light (pun intended).

Peak Pacific (mostly on a CR2 body), an HDS B42 (about to get some Seoul). I'm very happy with these lights in their current jobs.

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Both are very nice lights in terms of output and tint, and because they perform the way they do, you enjoy using them. I imagine because of the proven quality of these lights that you would not be concerned taking them Out in the sticks where lives may depend on a good light in an emergency situation.

The Pacific maybe, but it seems a bit bright for most camp uses.

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This is very true, people tend forget when it really gets dark you only need a very small amount of light to preserve their night vision.

The HDS is probably perfect………

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IMHO the B42 is perfect - I own and use mine all the time. You will find the lower levels and the runtime excellent around the campsite. I too, worry about losing nice lights, so my B42 rides in a belt sheath and have trained myself to never set it down and always put it back in the sheath or at least my pocket. A lanyard system would be another option, but I would loop it around my belt and keep the light in my pocket.

Get something that is dependable and you trust to get you out of a jam if needed. The price point should not be your first concern.


For your 5 year old, make sure the lanyard is a safety breakaway type lanyard.





Bill

First post here although I have been lurking here for a little while now. I too have gotten bitten by the flashlight bug over the years. I have gone on several camping trips here in Riverside county, California this year. I have found the Fenix L2D CE(I would buy the Rebel version if I did not already have the cree) to be an excellent camping light. The turbo mode is bright enough to be useful around the campsite and the lowest setting is dim enough to not bother everyone else in nearby campsites if you need to walk to the restrooms in the dark. I also own other Fenix lights including the brighter P3D CE and Rebel as well as some from Lumapower, Huntlight, and Surefire, but I like the use of AA batteries for this task. I bring extra batteries for my Nikon flash anyway not to mention they are readily available at just about an convenience or general store.

For more throw I use a Lumapower MRV or a Streamlight Ultrastinger but just purchased a Tiablo A9 which has yet to go on any trips yet. Maybe next weekend it will get it's first real use outside of trying it out in the backyard. I wind up taking so much extra along on these little camping trips that I have settled on these lights. Every activity deserves a specific flashlight that you feel is best to get the job done.

Oh by the way, hello everyone. I have learned a lot more about lights, especially LEDs from this forum.

Gatsby,
What is it exactly that you expect from a camping light?
Will you be navigating at night? Do you need lots of throw.
Or will you be setting up camp mostly and doing tasks?

My camping light combo of choice is a Petzl Tikka XP along with a Surefire G2. The combination is pretty light and covers what I need.

The XP is the workhorse for most everything and the G2 is a rugged light with a good throw for when I need to spot something a little farther away.

I just back from camping. I have a pretty cool selection of lights but the ones I usually always gravitate to are my Arc AAA-P, Tikka+, and E2e w/MN02 LA. Really bright lights are cool but they really are not practical. Waking up at 3am to use the bathroom and using a 100+ lumens will give you a headache.

The Surefire E1e is close to perfect. Nice output, incandescent, not annoying to others, easily pocketable, tough, and decent run time.

Get a good headlamp. you can get plenty of decent headlamps for your price point. I favor the Tikka series.

kelmo

+1 Headlamp. Everything else is just fluff.

whats wrong with keeping it simple? buy a few Mag LED's and call it quits. the 2d and 3d models are superb..


i've used them on many camping and hiking trips. they are solid and reliable. bright enough to light a hiking path, and still maintain respectable run time. good spot, good throw, very sturdy.

and god bless that ghost ring flood light its perfect for those 3 am **** trips to the bush where you dont want to get blinded by the hotspot.

LK5GB7 said:

if budget is a problem, why not consider mag light? The LED models are superb;' especially for camping. they are reliable, sturdy, good run time, spare incandescent bulb, easy to find batteries, water proof, etc.

i've used many different lights camping but ive learned that mags are probably the best in this case. i bring a 2d and 3d LED and have NEVER needed anything else.

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I've been camping, hunting and fishing for over 30 years. I've used almost every kind of light made, Mags, 6 Volts, Lanterns, Spotlights etc. However, I have never used a more useful light then a headlamp. Once you use one, you'll NEVER stop. Try it, and you'll see.

Gunner12 said:

Something form Dealextreme? You could almost get two Cree or Seoul ones for $50(not including batteries). The better ones should survive camping trips with no problem.

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I am a lurker here but I wanted to reply to this. I just got back from a camping trip where I carried 2 Cree Ultrafire lights to a campground for a weekend. They were by far the brightest of any of the lights in our group and brighter than anything I saw in the campground for 3 nights. I was constantly lending them out to people and no one would use any of the many incandescent lights that rested on our picnic table all weekend.

The problem with these lights as you mentioned is that they are complete overkill for most of the tasks they were used for. The lights I had were only 2-mode so the batteries went pretty quickly too. After getting back, I ordered a new light with a low mode which I think will be much more useful. My 2 cents.

LK5GB7 said:

whats wrong with keeping it simple? buy a few Mag LED's and call it quits. the 2d and 3d models are superb..


i've used them on many camping and hiking trips. they are solid and reliable. bright enough to light a hiking path, and still maintain respectable run time. good spot, good throw, very sturdy.

and god bless that ghost ring flood light its perfect for those 3 am **** trips to the bush where you dont want to get blinded by the hotspot.

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Guess it depends on what you call camping. I guess if your car is 30ft away, you don't worry about bulk/weight. For that kind of camping, a MagLED would suffice.

I'd never consider carrying a bulky, heavy MagLED 2D or 3D when I have to backpack it in over 30 miles in several days. The largest size light I would consider carrying on one of my camping trips is a Fenix L2D CE. And like said above, a headlamp on a camping trip is better than ANY flashlight/torch.

Try setting up a tent after dark and try sitting a flashlight on a nearby rock to try and light up the tent stake you're trying to drive in. Then try that task with a headlamp and you'll wonder why you even need a flashlight on a camping trip.

BlackDecker said:

Guess it depends on what you call camping. I guess if your car is 30ft away, you don't worry about bulk/weight. For that kind of camping, a MagLED would suffice.

I'd never consider carrying a bulky, heavy MagLED 2D or 3D when I have to backpack it in over 30 miles in several days. The largest size light I would consider carrying on one of my camping trips is a Fenix L2D CE. And like said above, a headlamp on a camping trip is better than ANY flashlight/torch.

Try setting up a tent after dark and try sitting a flashlight on a nearby rock to try and light up the tent stake you're trying to drive in. Then try that task with a headlamp and you'll wonder why you even need a flashlight on a camping trip.

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I'm still waiting on a CLIP for a Fenix, NovaTac etc. that will clip to a ball cap and have the ability to point down. i.e. hinged