What light do you use walking at night?

I have start walking for some exercise to battle some high blood pressure and right now my schedule means my walking will be done at night around 9 or 10 pm.

I live in one of those 4 gazillion home master planned communities so we have alot of sidewalks and being in Florida they are shaded by conservation areas which means dark at night.

Question is I have the usual assortment of lights with multiple lumen output levels so I don't need a brand/model/battery recommendation as much as I'm looking for practical use experience.

Do I keep a low light level on all the time during my walk or just when I need it? There is some ambient light from streetlights and sky but other places are like a forest. I'm not real worried about crime as I will be in possesion of other tools that can assist there. More safety from walking hazards, checking on noises from active wildlife, etc.

Thanks for any recommendations .
Bob

I have a couple of favorites for night walks; a SF A2 Aviatrix with white LEDs and a HDS EDC 60. I like these because you can use the lower power to make sure where you are going and you have access to high quickly. Just in case you need to bring the other tools into play a good bright shot of light in the eyes could give you the second you need to get said tools out.

I use an L2D with multiple levels. I have more street lighting then you where I walk, but there are some sections that are dark. I use low or medium during a couple sections when crossing streets where the pavement has some imperfections, or a curb is barely visible. There is another strip along a main road where oncoming car headlights shine in my eyes, but I need a high or Turbo setting on my L2D to see the sidewalk where the concrete is uneven. The lower levels get washed out, so i need a higher setting to light up the sidewalk.

Turbo also comes in handy to quickly spot a dog.

In summary, the multi-level light allows me to use the correct level of light for my needs.

I rotate through a lot of lights, depending on my mood. The most used of the bunch is the Waion VB-16 (4th Gen.) because it does 18650 cells and has a bright, beautiful beam with a lot of punch. Next in line is the Fenix T1, followed by an Inova X5 that has been modded with Nichia GS LED's.

I use a Surefire Milky ML-1 with a smoothie reflector.

Works great to illuminate the entire walkway out front.

:twothumbs

I like to use a Surefire L1 or L2, and keep it on low. Then all I need to do is push the button when I need a blast of brighter light. Only takes one hand, just my .02 cents.

I love my TK11 and Nightcores, but you have to turn the Bezel to get the brighter blast of light. Which requires 2 hands.

Thanks everyone, I forget about my A2 so I'll start with that one with a brighter blast when I need it at the push of a button. That is of course if you can call 50 lumens a "blast"

Bob

Katdaddy said:

I have a couple of favorites for night walks; a SF A2 Aviatrix with white LEDs and a HDS EDC 60. I like these because you can use the lower power to make sure where you are going and you have access to high quickly. Just in case you need to bring the other tools into play a good bright shot of light in the eyes could give you the second you need to get said tools out.

Click to expand...

So you are going to blind the person trying to fix their bike before offering to help with your tools?

For night walking there's nothing better than an L2. It has a wide, bright beam with two levels. I keep mine on low, bursting to high when needed. The low is quite bright. The high is astounding. The switch is perfect.

The A2 is also good BUT its low is much lower than the L2 and so is better suited to truly dark walking e.g. in the woods.

W.

A Glock 26 and a M6....sometimes a Glock 26 and a Glock 17 and a Titan in my pocket since my hands are full of Glocks...

Seriously..usually a single cell SF.

I primarily rely on two flashlights on my nightly walks:

Novatac 120P w/ 17670 extension tube _ White with a hint of warmth, wonderful lows, 4 user-defined settings, great UI, floody beam, very good runtimes.

HDS Ra Twisty 100 w/ 17670 extension tube _ White with a slightly green tint, wonderful lows, 3 user-defined settings, floody beam, very good runtimes, well-balanced and easy to hold.

And I always carry at least one backup (Fenix L2D, Nitecore EX10, X2000, Olight M20, LedLenser P7, Bitz, Lumapower Incendio - just to name a few).

I'm still looking for that right combination of floody beam, range of brightness, superior color rendition, good runtime, and ergonometrics to best fit my needs.

The one I enjoy most now is the EagleTac T10C2. Beautiful wide flood and great throw on low and a light up the neighborhood high setting. Everything you need, nothing you don't.

THe Eagletac is a nice light...just got one a few weeks ago...

I have a small ever ready light I can wear on my head when walking but I always have my e1b in my pocket ready for whatever. Keeps my hands free and it has a red mode so i dont spook game if I am hunting, or 2 modes of led lights.

NotSoBrightBob said:

I have start walking for some exercise to battle some high blood pressure and right now my schedule means my walking will be done at night around 9 or 10 pm.

I live in one of those 4 gazillion home master planned communities so we have alot of sidewalks and being in Florida they are shaded by conservation areas which means dark at night.

Click to expand...

I walk nightly, too, but the area is different than yours. This is a rural neighborhood without any street lights or sidewalks.

One of the roads on which I walk has a 55 MPH speed limit, so drivers must be able to see me walking at roadside from 1/4 mile away. (I wear an ANSI standard class 2 reflective vest.) I also want to see animals at least 50 feet ahead of me.

I carry 3 or more flashlights:

(1) 2008 Inova T1-MP for floodlight
(2) Surefire E1L or E2L Cree or 2006 Inova T4 for longer distance

(3) 1AAA Peak Matterhorn 3-LED or Arc AAA-P for a backup light

I often carry a different flashlight when I want to evaluate its performance.

Tonight's walk consisted of an HDS basic 42 with a Surefire E2DL for throw if needed.

Last night was Milky L1 and Tiablo A9.

parnass said:

I walk nightly, too, but the area is different than yours. This is a rural neighborhood without any street lights or sidewalks.

One of the roads on which I walk has a 55 MPH speed limit, so drivers must be able to see me walking at roadside from 1/4 mile away. (I wear an ANSI standard class 2 reflective vest.) I also want to see animals at least 50 feet ahead of me.

I carry 3 or more flashlights:

(1) 2008 Inova T1-MP for floodlight
(2) Surefire E1L or E2L Cree or 2006 Inova T4 for longer distance

(3) 1AAA Peak Matterhorn 3-LED or Arc AAA-P for a backup light

I often carry a different flashlight when I want to evaluate its performance.

Click to expand...

That Inova sounds good.

Do you have rechargeable CR123a?

If you do, then the G2 might be good for you - 65/120 lumens.

I use an Elektrolumens 1D Blaster for my night walks. The 1D puts out about 40 lumens with some side spill. I like this light because I only have to replace the one D-cell about every 40 days and it has a side switch. I walk for about 40 minutes every night if it is not raining. I have used this setup for about two years now without any problems. BTW the size of this light would be like a 7/8 scale of a 2-cell mag.

I live in a conventional subdivision with LP sodium vapor lighting. There are some dark areas and although you can navigate without a hand light, I prefer to have one with me to check the path every now and then. I also walk regularly late at night with my chihuahua and the light is handy to check on her.

I used to carry a 6 cell Mag-lite but it became too heavy so I switched to a Winchester 2D xenon. It was too bulky and really too bright for just a walkabout.

Today I got me a Smith & Wesson 12 LED multi-color and it is just right as it has a fairly bright and wide white beam and a really good red and blue alternate. I like it cause it's pocket able and not too heavy. It's the 3AAA version so batteries will not be painful on the wallet. It says it has a 30 hour run time on white.

The Alliance said:

That Inova sounds good.

Do you have rechargeable CR123a?

Click to expand...

No, not rechargeable CR123A. The Inova T4 (TIROS version) contains a special rechargeable battery. I use USA-made CR123A primary batteries in the other lights. Bought a lot of them cheap from a few places, e.g., Best Buy closeout sale.

I purposely selected the E1L and E2L Cree and Inova T1-MP flashlights due to their long run times on primary CR123A cells.

Walking (or bicycling) 7 days/week for 7 years. Love those endorphins.

Thanks for the tip about the G2.