Ultra-Lightweight Light for Mountaineering/Hiking wanted

Hello all,

ultra-lightweight hiker here, glad to be here :thumbsup:

I already have

• Fenix L2D + 2 backup batteries: 177 g
• Zebralight H50-Q5 + backup battery: 103 g
• Fenix P1D + backup battery: 74 g

but I want to know if there are lights lighter (!) than the Zebralight with backup battery and maybe the same run time.

I found these questions in another thread so I copied them here.

• What will you be using it for?
  
  Mountaineering, camping, hiking at night. I mostly walk on trails at the moment but that might change into mountain terrain sooner or later. I occasionally have to run/jog to catch trains. :green:
  
  I already have a Zebralight and while it's good I think it could be a little more lightweight. Also, I like handheld lights better.
  
  
• Do you only want high output or is runtime a concern?
  
  Runtime should be at least 1:30, output more than the Zebralight, so 65+ Lumens or so.
  
  
• Do you have a preference for battery type?
  
  I would prefer AA, but they are not as lightweight as AAA. But then, I can buy them everywhere if I have to. :duh2:
  
  Well, anything as long as I can buy a few spare batteries.
  
  
• What type of beam do you like, floody or tight/throwy?
  
  The Zebralight is pure flood. I think it's fine as long as there is a trail. The Zebralight is a bit overwhelmed when running through forests (hard to make out details).
  
  
• Do you want single level or multiple levels hi/med/low?
  
  Two levels would be nice, not sure about more than two levels, probably not.
  
  
• User interface (UI) do you want simple hi/low or a complicated programmable UI?
  
  Simple is good :thumbsup:
  
  
• What kind of switch: twisty, side click, rear click, forward/reverse?
  
  Doesn't matter.
  
  
• How much $$ are you looking to spend?
  
  Boutique is ok, I do it all the time.
  

Thanks for all suggestions.

Get a jackstrap for the L2D and eliminate the Zebralight. You won't find a lighter light for that size and brightness and runtime than the L2D.

BTW, which Zebralight do you own, the H30 or H50? The H50 would allow you to share batteries. You could then also eliminate the P1D

Marduke said:

Get a jackstrap for the L2D and eliminate the Zebralight. You won't find a lighter light for that size and brightness and runtime than the L2D.

BTW, which Zebralight do you own, the H30 or H50? The H50 would allow you to share batteries. You could then also eliminate the P1D

Click to expand...

Thanks, it's the H50. I edited my post.

Your can save a few grams by using lithium or lithium-ion batteries. But your have to find lights that can use these batteries.

not_waterproof said:

Thanks, it's the H50. I edited my post.

Click to expand...

In that case, you would be hard pressed to find ANY 1xAA light which is any lighter than the H50 for a headlamp.

I would recommend dumping the P1D and carry two extra AA cells instead. Energizer e2 lithium (L91's) should keep things lightweight.

Oh, and :welcome:

Marduke said:

In that case, you would be hard pressed to find ANY 1xAA light which is any lighter than the H50 for a headlamp.

Click to expand...

Again, it doesn't need to be a headlamp. Willing to check out anything that's lightweight and bright.

Marduke said:

IOh, and :welcome:

Click to expand...

Thanks, awesome response times here :wave:

In that case, you might want to check out the Photon Proton Pro. It has a feature which allows a fully adjustable red beam, which can help you keep your night vision while still using a small amount of light so you don't trip on anything. It also has fully adjustable white, with some LONG runtimes (>230 hours white, >500 hours red, at their dimmest). It's quite lightweight.

HKJ said:

Your can save a few grams by using lithium or lithium-ion batteries. But your have to find lights that can use these batteries.

Click to expand...

Just to illustrate my point, I put a few batteries on the scale:




Replacing your L2D with a P3D (It is a bit smaller and gives more light):
P3D(49 gram) + 4*RCR123 (4*18 gram) -> 121 gram


Using primary batteries, would be a bit less and give even longer runtime.

Or you can just use AA Lithium cells. But you may do that already.
I'd second the Proton Pro suggestion. It isn't incredibly bright on high, but it does offer some other great features.
A twisty will likely be the lightest thing you can find if you're counting grams, but I don't know of any quality twisty AA lights being made aside form Peak lights.
My Liteflux 5XT is likely one of my lightest AA lights. But I'm not sure if it is lighter than the Fenix.
Personally I wouldn't go down to AAA for a primary light. You just lose too much potential. Not sure if I'd want to carry another type of cell for a backup light, I'd rather have everything take the same cell.

The NiteCore D10 is kind of a twisty. It at least has an extremely small form factor since it doesn't have a mechanical switch. It also has a low low and bright high, so it's another worth looking at.

I don't have the knowledge of many on this forum re: lights but I do have over thirty five years experience doing actual mountaineering, both high altitude and here in Colorado and in the western U.S. and my recommendation is a lightweight headlamp rather than a hand held flashlight.

Been using the Princeton Tec EOS headlamp and this is all one needs. Frees up the hands and arms for doing real climbing, holding onto trekking poles, ski poles, cooking, reading, you name it.

I carry three extra AAA batteries and that and the EOS are all I need.

+1 for the EOS. It has recently been upgraded to a Rebel l.e.d. and they frosted the optic for a wider beam. It has about the same throw as the original, but three to four times the floodlight. 50 lumens on high, 20 on medium, and 5 on low. Runtimes have not decreased from the original. Brightness has tripled (The original was 17 lumens, not 25. The new one is a solid 50 lumens.) I've been using it on night hikes and it's my new favorite. It will work with lithium batteries to save weight.

Climb14er said:

...here in Colorado and in the western U.S. and my recommendation is a lightweight headlamp rather than a hand held flashlight.

Click to expand...

Right. I have nothing against headlamps, just that I want to explore other, more lightweight alternatives. I hike without trekking poles so "losing" one hand is not a problem.

What would you think about something like a Lummi Raw? Would that be too extreme for hiking? Too expensive? Not enough runtime?

not_waterproof said:

What would you think about something like a Lummi Raw? Would that be too extreme for hiking? Too expensive? Not enough runtime?

Click to expand...

They are using very small LiIon batteries, i.e. not much energy, that means less light for each battery.
Another problem is that the batteries are without protection and if your run a battery dry, your will damage it.

Except for this they are very nice lights (I have both a raw and wee). At high power they are mostly for short flashes of light. The raw can be used for "longer" time at low.

I'm also into lightweight hiking, and have done quite a few night hikes as well (I know it's stupid. LOL).

The L2D and the Zebralight H50Q5 was my setup the last time I went as well. It really is almost perfect. My only complaint is that the Fenix has a reverse clickie, and I often times want to use it just for a few short seconds.

Have you looked at the Nitecore D20? It's a little more feature rich (no SOS/Strobe though) than that L2D, and the lowest output level is super low and will give extremely long runtime! It also has a momentary mode.

www.light-reviews.com

Check that site out for a review of the D20 and many others you might like.

adirondackdestroyer said:

Have you looked at the Nitecore D20?

Click to expand...

120 g!

Seriously, less than 50 g would be cool.

not_waterproof said:

Right. I have nothing against headlamps, just that I want to explore other, more lightweight alternatives. I hike without trekking poles so "losing" one hand is not a problem.

What would you think about something like a Lummi Raw? Would that be too extreme for hiking? Too expensive? Not enough runtime?

Click to expand...

That's fine... sounds as if you're simply taking a walk.

You mentioned 'mountaineering' and that's where you need your hands and arms free. And using a hand held light simply doesn't work for mountaineering.

Climb14er said:

You mentioned 'mountaineering' and that's where you need your hands and arms free. And using a hand held light simply doesn't work for mountaineering.

Click to expand...

Exactly. Most of the time in the dark is spent on trails where I don't need both hands.

Climb14er said:

That's fine... sounds as if you're simply taking a walk.

You mentioned 'mountaineering' and that's where you need your hands and arms free. And using a hand held light simply doesn't work for mountaineering.

Click to expand...

I would imagine most of the climbing is done in the daylight hours???

ETA: beaten by the OP by a few seconds.



ETA2: To the OP, if you are really not concerned with the cash outlay, you really should consider Lithium 123 primaries. Their energy to weight ratio is great. You stated a concern that you couldn't find them anywhere. You're right that they are not as readily available as AA or AAA, but they are to be found and many stores (bloody expensive, though unless ordered online).

Maybe keep your zebra lamp, and one/two backup batteries for it, and then swap out your single cell fenix for a surefire E1b 79 grams (I'm not sure if this is with or without the 17gram lithium 123 primary cell).

Actually, I know the numbers don't look like it on paper, but the fenix L2D and the Surefire E1b have about the same amount of light coming out the front. Maybe this has something to do with bulb lumens vs. out the front lumens? So technically you could swap the 2 cell Fenix for the E1b. They can still be had (I think) for $110 if you search around a bit. They are $149 most places.

P220C said:

I would imagine most of the climbing is done in the daylight hours???

Click to expand...

The headlamp is used for the very early morning approaches to the peaks... 2am- sunrise. It's also used on the descents which can sometimes be after sunset. The headlamps are also used on bivouacs when one cannot get off the peak safely after the sun has set. This is one of the main reasons why headlamps are preferred over hand held lights.