Flashlight for backpacking/hiking

Hi All,
Been reading this forum for a good chunk of the evening, enriched myself with a wealth of knowledge Still need an advice, though.
I'm looking for a second (first being my headlamp) flashlight to take on a backpacking trips.
What I'm looking for is
- a decent throw (want to be able to see things, let's say, 50 meters away), but without a laser-like beam - some flood would be nice,
- a good run time, obviously, I'd say at least 4 hrs on high, 60+ on lower setting,
- decent construction, although that shouldn't be a problem to find.
I was thinking about 2 C-cell lights, but haven't found a single one. AA cells have fairly short run time, although, if they come close, might be worth just to take spare batteries, and save on weight. Don't really want to buy CR123-based lights as they're not always available in stores, and ain't cheap.
Found 2 lights with 3 C cells, Palm Blaze K23C, and Rayovac Sportsman Xtreme - anyone has experience with those ?
Well, if there are other options - any ideas would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

You're probably looking for a fenix L2D. The light output and runtime is about what you described and it uses 2 AA batteries. Cree, Rebel, whatever they are all nice.

I think your requirements (illuminate something 50 meters away with a flood beam for 4 hours) are unrealistic for anything portable enough for backpacking. Turt's suggestion of an L2D Cree or Rebel (make sure not to get the original Luxeon version) is probably about your best choice if you don't mind the slightly complex operation. It's quite bright for a small light and has a reasonably focused but not too tight beam. I think they sell a diffuser for it now. www.fenix-store.com is the usual CPF'er place to order these lights from.

Howdy Elt, and welcome to CPF,
I'll have to agree with both Turt and paulr, the Fenix L2D-CE, or any of it's variations would be a great hiking light, and outfitted with a pair of Energizer e2 lithium AA batteries will come very close to the specifications you outlined.

It has an excellent all purpose beam with both nice central throw and generous side spill. It's rugged, water resistant, and a fairly well proven, reliable light.... all at a reasonable price.

Also, carrying a spare pack of AA batteries is a lot lighter than a spare pack of C or D cell batteries.

I suggest NiMH rechargeables in this type of light. Alkalines will be terrible because of their limited current capacity. Lithiums will perform only slightly better than NiMH and will save you maybe an ounce of weight per pair, but they are not rechargeable. One exception is usage in cold weather, in which case lithium is really a lot better. Actually, in the L2D, lithium may not work properly at the low brightness levels (i.e. they will be too bright) because of the higher cell voltage.

In my experience, runtime at high intensity just isn't important for camping and backpacking. Every now and then it's useful to light up something far away for a few moments, but it's unusual to need to do that for hours. Long runtime matters more for short range lights such as headlamps. And the L2D at its dim settings on rechargeables should have ridiculously long runtime.

Do you hike at night? If not, you're probably heading off to your tent to get some rest. My last week-long trip was during the summer, so the days were long. At night I needed only the most minimal amount of light to find my tent and to read by. I used my gerber sonic AAA the most. It's very small and gives just the right amount of light for getting around.

This year I've been fond of the gerber FIRECRACKER. It's brighter than the sonic, and with the fancy optic throws farther. Its one AA battery lasts several hours, long enough for a good trip.

Even though camping seems like a good opportunity to use lights, it's also a great time to enjoy the light of the moon and campfires. Excessively bright flashlights are often un-needed and un-welcome.

Having ANY flashlight would be better than no flashlight at all. There's no particular flashlight that's best for camping; but camping is a great opportunity to try out your favorite lights. I don't like to take along anything that I worry about losing or damaging, so I just bring a few cheap and easily replaceable lights. However, it's always fun to have the brightest light in the group, just to one up the other campers. A highly focused light looks the brightest, and is least likely to 'blind' your friends with un-necessary spill light.

What colored LED lights are the best for camping?

greenlight said:

Even though camping seems like a good opportunity to use lights, it's also a great time to enjoy the light of the moon and campfires. Excessively bright flashlights are often un-needed and un-welcome.

Click to expand...

Very true. In my experience I've only used a bright light for the occasional distance spotting. The rest of the time I always wind up using the dimmest light I have. Usually a Photon freedom or something similar. Believe it or not, even the lowest level on the L2D CE is way too bright once my eyes adapt.

Im quite fond of the Streamlight Propoly lights..
3 c light... http://www.brightguy.com/products/Streamlight_ProPolymer_3C_LUXEON.php

4 AA propoly.. http://www.brightguy.com/products/Streamlight_ProPolymer_4AA_LUXEON_Div_1.php

both are safety rated, propolymer body, have a tight spot with useable spill..they are very water resistant plus the yellow is easier to see at night..they dont look expensive and are less likely to be stolen and both under 40 bucks..tho they are only 1 mode (high)..but most who have them, love them..

+1 for the Gerber Firecracker... especially if you dont want to blind anybody or wake someone up, tight spot, and not extreemly bright, but very useful, battery lasts a long while too..
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/157432

propoly reviews...
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_propoly_3c.htm
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/streamlight_propolyluxeon.htm

tygger said:

Very true. In my experience I've only used a bright light for the occasional distance spotting. The rest of the time I always wind up using the dimmest light I have. Usually a Photon freedom or something similar. Believe it or not, even the lowest level on the L2D CE is way too bright once my eyes adapt.

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My experience is the same. While I need a light with long runtime and find a bright light useful, I certainly don't need a bright light with long runtime. The bright lights I carry typically get used for less than 10 minutes total on a several day backpacking trip. Actually, I avoid using them very often, because it trashes my night vision and then I need brighter light from my headlamp for a while afterward.

I backpack, and sometimes hike at night. By far my most used light is my Petzl Tikka+ headlamp. It's plenty bright enough for hiking (high or medium setting), using around the camp at night (medium or low setting), and reading (medium or low setting). And I seldom have to change the batteries even on a 3 day trip, unless I end up hiking a lot at night. But I do like to occasionally look across the lake or meadow at night, so I also carry a lightweight, small, bright light. My favorites are a P1D CE and/or D-Mini. The latter has a tight beam and a whole lot of throw; the P1D CE is floodier but puts out about the same total amount of light. Last time I went out I also took a P1, modded with a Seoul LED and with a piece of Scotch Matte Magic tape over the front, mostly as a spare battery carrier. It was really a nice surprise -- it lit up the whole camp area brightly. If there's ever a need to identify a bump in the night or quickly find where you set something down, that light is perfect. It'll be my "spare battery carrier" from now on.

A tight beam light like the D-Mini can be an advantage if you're trying to spot something in the woods as opposed to across a clear area. A light with a floody beam or a lot of spill lights up the nearby brush, making it harder to see something farther away.

c_c

Fenix L2Dce. :thumbsup:

Thanks for the input!
I don't _usually_ hike at night, but things happen, and it gets dark early now. So this is more for times when I need to see the next marker on a not so well marked trail, or find that campsite on a shore when canoeing, or go look for someone who got lost. Often I don't even use my current 2nd light (old 2 D-cell), but sometimes it comes really handy.
Oh, and the reason I wanted C cells - I won't need spare batteries, hence won't forget/lose them Not a big deal, really, more of a nice feature.
For the flood - I don't need a whole lot of it, just want to be able to distinguish what I'm stepping to without pointing directly under my feet.

Definately go with the rebel if you chose a fenix. I have found this to have the best tint for discerning detail at night(I hike often and long distance)although it is not as good as an incan. Have Fun!

I always carry a Gerber Infinity Ultra for backpacking, at least for a backup. It will run "forever" on 1 AA alkaline, and the latest version seems to be regulated. If I need throw, I'll also take a P1 or D-mini.

Richard

Fenix L2D REBEL looks good.. Anyone know what it's brightness curve is like ? It says 2.4 hrs on turbo mode - does it mean brightness won't diminish for that time ?

Elt said:

Hi All,
Been reading this forum for a good chunk of the evening, enriched myself with a wealth of knowledge Still need an advice, though.
I'm looking for a second (first being my headlamp) flashlight to take on a backpacking trips.
Thanks!

Click to expand...

I will add another vote for the Fenix L2D-CE (or L2D-R100, since the runtimes will be the same). It will run for DAYS on low, and will cut through 50m of darkness with ease on Turbo.

As you can see from the runtime curves found here:
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/fenix_l1dce-l2dce.htm

... Fenix lights are some of the best regulated lights out there, and do indeed deliver non-dimming light for extended periods of time.

However, for the best results, you should use either NiMH rechargeables (preferably low self-discharge ones, like Sanyo Eneloop) or primary lithium AA batteries (like the Energizer E2 Lithium), because alkaline AAs simply cannot provide enough power for the higher modes and will die VERY quickly.

For instance (copyright: flashlightreviews.com) the runtimes will be:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Lithium AA L91[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NiMH 2650mAh[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Alkaline AA [/FONT]

another link with pics, graphs, and good info camparing fenix lights(rebel and cree editions)

https://www.candlepowerforums.com/posts/2165456

I have a Litepro Teknolite that I use for outdoor knocking around. Cheap batteries, tritium locator, waterproof, and inexpensive so if I lose it it won't hurt as much. I also use either Fenix P3D or Olight T20 but they are C123 lights and not what you are looking for

The L2D-Rebel 100 would be great for your task, and you could also buy a L1D (1 AA) and P2D(1 CR123) body if the light if you want battery options. 8% off coupon for CPF users at Fenix store, coupon is "CPF8".

Most of the time around a camp site you would probably be using low or medium so runtime should not turn into a problem. Turbo will probably be used sparingly to either make people go wow, or to see further ahead.

:welcome:

Since nobody mentioned it, you might want to look at an 18650 light. These lights will run for hours on high, medium, or low. They typically have excellent throw. The cheapest high quality light is the Dereelight CL1H @$69 (do a search in this forum and also in the reviews forum). You'll also need a couple of batteries and a charger. Much smaller and lighter than a C cell light. About the same size as a 2 x AA light. With 2 batteries you'll have plenty of light to get you out of the deep woods. I might also mention that they are a kick to use and bring a smile to your face.