Desert flashlight

I am on a base in the desert in southwestern Afghanistan and need a new flashlight. I have been using the small Mag-Lites which are fine for in the tent but I recently went on night shift and need something brighter to keep an eye out for Saw scaled vipers. The mouse population has been increasing and Saw scale vipers are only about a foot long and extremely poisonous so I want something very bright. It needs to fit in the flashlight pocket on Tactical 5.11 and Northface Paramount pants. I have rechargable AA batteries so an AA flashlight would be nice but not necessary. I am mainly looking for high output. I have done some research but I don't think lumen output is a good measure of what I need. I need a very bright and fairly wide beam. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

How many cell lights are you looking for? Does your base provide cr123a's?

My personal favorite edc is the Jetbeam RRT-0. It runs on a single cell cr123 and puts out a fairly wide ~250 lumen beam.

If you look to identify those rather brownish snakes on sand background, you probably should consider a neutral-white/warm/high-CRI light, as with a cool-white flashlight it could be harder to see snakes, even if it is much brighter than a high-CRI.
See here for a related story: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?285868-HDS-high-CRI-clicky-saved-us
And for outdoor High-CRI beamshots: http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...lickies.-Mainly-High-CRI.-**PHOTO-Intensive**

I don't (yet) own a high-CRI light, but i'll always choose neutral over cool-white, it renders those reddish/brownish colors much better that cool white.

Malkoff M61W 3700K Iin a 6P or Z2

:wave:
Jetbeam RRT-0 is a nice light and runs on AA cells as well with the extender.
Even so, it's quite big for a AA flashlight.

Check out the Xeno E03.

http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?251654-NEW!-XM-L-Xeno-E03!!!-500LM-AA-14500-Pocket-Rocket!-%28CW-NW-WW!%29

Very good quality for a nice price.
Cree's latest XM-L LED, aviable in cool white / neutral / warm white.
Runs on AA Ni-Mh (Up to 200 lumen) and Li-ion (Up to 490 lumens), although I assume it's hard to find Li-ion's where you are right now.

Anyway, wish all the best for you guys in Afghanistan!

Living in the desert for several years, I've found that warm or incan-like lights are a bad idea for this scenario; the problem is that most everything in the desert is a brownish/tan color, and if you use a yellowish/orangish light in these conditions, it causes colors to sublimate and everything just looks sand-colored. A cool light makes sand look gray, and causes other colors to stand out better.

I would second the recommendation for the Xeno E03 XM-L, I've used this particular light extensively in the desert and find that its combination of brightness, near-neutral white hotspot, and broad beam is ideal for sandy environs, particularly areas you may not know well or may provide surprises.

I will second the Jetbeam....but thanks for fighting for our country!!!!!