backpacking in cold weather flashlight

Hello
I just want your toughts on what is the best cold weather flashlight.

Prisewise, it should run between 30 and 100$

You can give you idea on the batteries to put in it.

Thx in advence

WH

If your in cold weather then you should probably run CR123 lithium cells.

Do you have any other requirements? If you fill out the check list it would help narrow it down
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb...2-Flashlight-Recommendation-Checklist-Updated!!

At the bottom end of your budget is the Fenix E15. If you want to spend a little more you could look at the Fenix PD series or if you want heavy duty the TK series.

The Zebralight SC31w might be a good option as well. They're really efficient and the UI is really useful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSN-UUorvgw

This will help a bit hopefully.

Lights that also work are the Zebralight SC60 models (Not in video but their on sale!) and Armytek predator (out of $100 budget depending on your country)

These lights use 18650 cells / AA lithiums, and AAA lithium primaries.

You didn't specify some very important features, such as battery size, runtimes, lumens, beam shape (flood or throw), etc.

If I were looking for such a flashlight, I'd first check if it works with lithium primary batteries (which are the best choice for cold weather). Then I'd go for this:

- a reputable flashlight maker
- IPX-8 (or better) waterproofness (better suitability for temperature changes and possible immersion in snow)
- very simple UI and body design that can be easily used with gloves on (no plastic preferably)
- 2-3 level with a good combination of flood and throw
- preferably a SOS beacon (hidden menu)

Just my EUR 0.02.

Cheers,

Tam

for batteries, i don't think you have to go CR123. Eneloops are supposed to be good down to -20 C, and if it's going to be colder than that, you can use Energizer L91 AA.

if there's snow and ice on the ground, warmer tints will help minimize glare.

there are a lot of AA powered neutral to warm lights. the best one for you depends on your preference and what you plan to use it for.

In terms of battery chemistry, does it really matter that much in the cold? You can just keep your flashlight in your pocket where it won't be freezing. Once you're using it the heat generated from the LED and circuit at higher levels will be enough to keep the flashlight's temperature above freezing, no? I guess that would depend on the actual temperature and flashlight, but the more inefficient ones will probably generate enough heat.

+1 on the neutral tint, SOS, and IPX-8 specs.

js82 said:

In terms of battery chemistry, does it really matter that much in the cold? You can just keep your flashlight in your pocket where it won't be freezing. Once you're using it the heat generated from the LED and circuit at higher levels will be enough to keep the flashlight's temperature above freezing, no? I guess that would depend on the actual temperature and flashlight, but the more inefficient ones will probably generate enough heat.

+1 on the neutral tint, SOS, and IPX-8 specs.

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youre probaly right about the heat generated... but, by experience, in snowy environement you dont need to crank up in output. The snow does a great job in reflecting the light.

For camping situations, I tend to favour a headlamp, since they obviously make you hands-free to walk, put up tents, cook, and wrassle bears etc- altho they can be annoying if you are in more of a handheld situation. Petzl makes pretty good headlamps, wide price range and available features. If you are in a really cold area, cold by Canadian standards let us say, then a headlamp with a battery belt pack is best since it's simple to keep the light outside and the batteries warm. Lithium batteries have the best cold chemistry (to -40 or more) but last I knew you can't use them or rechargeables in a lot of Petzl products (risk of overheating), so keep that in mind.

any weatherproof battery would do.. it would be more about the battery. Use a sheath for extra protection against the cold, when not in use.

Think about the aluminum body in cold weather It can draw the heat out of your hands really quickly. Years ago when I was a working Police officer we would wrap the surface of mag lites with electrical tape to keep our hands off the cold surface of the light. The Surefire G2 series was popular in cold weather with a lot of guys for this reason. My winter light in my truck is a Fenix LD40 with lithium's for this reason. and as Mr Bigglow stated above I keep a headlamp for hands free use, and find I use it for any extended need for light.

Surefire g2... polymer for lighter weight and easier to handle cold.. the 2 mode leds gives you the bright setting when u need it and low for long runtime.. uses the ligtweight and cold friendly cr123. High reliability also a big plus when youre way out.

Yeah, what these guys said...lithium, and nitrolon. Even though what was said about the light being in your pocket/staying warm, etc., the damage to the alkalines will occur when it's not in your pocket. Lithium Batteries, Nitrolon Body, LED.

Cold weather and altitude changes can lead to condensation in your light.

That is what killed my Fenix LD20. Circuits fried. (Also, beware of pushing too hard on the bezel when installing the Diffuser. This can apply too much current to the circuitry and kill it also.)

--

Any light that takes Lithium batteries and is IPX-8 (or above) water resistance should meet your requirements.

Surefire G2X Pro

G2Z

my favorite polymer light.

Well, from a fellow Quebecer and hiker... Bienvenue sur CPF!

Having been out snowshoeing just to have fun with my lights, let me share my direct experience and dissipate some misconceptions (I presume that by cold you mean Quebec winter cold)

My last experience in cold weather was that CR123, RCR123 and NiMh AA flashlights all tended to start dimming at about the same time, even if lithiums ARE rated for colder temperature (I did not test alkalines and expect them to fail sooner, but who knows...) Keeping your light inside your jacket will definitely help batteries stay warm, but could cause some condensation on the lens when you whip it out, which might not affect anything other than throw and condensation dissipates FAST on high modes. LED lights seem to take longer than incandescents before dimming down; could be simply because the driver compensates for the drop in voltage.


If there is snow around, light pollution and/or the moon are often enough to see the ground very well in open or slightly covered areas, so you might not use a light much or only low modes in general, depends on what you're doing / where you're going.


My personnal testing has proven so far that there is no really better flashlight in the Quebec cold... just better size. Bigger lights seem to last longer before batteries start getting cold, but that is a double edged knife: they will probably take longer to get warm as well. Keeping your flashlight directly in your hand helps the batteries stay warmer for a little longer (so flashlight length could be part of the equation) and it won't make your hand cold faster; last time around, the back of my hand was definitely cold enough to put my gloves on, while the inside of my hand felt warm enough not to (and my light was on low, so no heat being generated there.)


Plastic type (actually, polymer) lights will not feel as cold if you leave them out, but I'd be surprised if you went out there without gloves, so polymer or metal only makes a difference in weight, although the batteries in your polymer flashlight will take an extra 5 minutes to freeze (no, polymer is not very good at insulating a tube with a big metal head and glass opening on the front.)

I personally carry -and would recommend - a bulkier Fenix HP20 headlamp (15$ over your budget) on winter hikes because the battery pack (with an eternal runtime on low) can stay in the jacket AND you have a remote that is easier to use with gloves on. This also has the advantage that I don't have to unzip my jacket in rapidly dropping temperature (brrrr...), which reminds me to warn you that temperatures do drop drastically after the winter sunset (just in case you haven't noticed ), so always test your setup beforehand if you'll be out hiking.

Another tip: carry a spare flashlight and keep your spare batteries inside you jacket or in your pant pockets at night... nothing worse that a light going out and replacing the batteries with good batteries that are no better than dead.

Cataract said:

Well, from a fellow Quebecer and hiker... Bienvenue sur CPF!

Having been out snowshoeing just to have fun with my lights, let me share my direct experience and dissipate some misconceptions (I presume that by cold you mean Quebec winter cold)

My last experience in cold weather was that CR123, RCR123 and NiMh AA flashlights all tended to start dimming at about the same time, even if lithiums ARE rated for colder temperature (I did not test alkalines and expect them to fail sooner, but who knows...) Keeping your light inside your jacket will definitely help batteries stay warm, but could cause some condensation on the lens when you whip it out, which might not affect anything other than throw and condensation dissipates FAST on high modes. LED lights seem to take longer than incandescents before dimming down; could be simply because the driver compensates for the drop in voltage.


If there is snow around, light pollution and/or the moon are often enough to see the ground very well in open or slightly covered areas, so you might not use a light much or only low modes in general, depends on what you're doing / where you're going.


My personnal testing has proven so far that there is no really better flashlight in the Quebec cold... just better size. Bigger lights seem to last longer before batteries start getting cold, but that is a double edged knife: they will probably take longer to get warm as well. Keeping your flashlight directly in your hand helps the batteries stay warmer for a little longer (so flashlight length could be part of the equation) and it won't make your hand cold faster; last time around, the back of my hand was definitely cold enough to put my gloves on, while the inside of my hand felt warm enough not to (and my light was on low, so no heat being generated there.)


Plastic type (actually, polymer) lights will not feel as cold if you leave them out, but I'd be surprised if you went out there without gloves, so polymer or metal only makes a difference in weight, although the batteries in your polymer flashlight will take an extra 5 minutes to freeze (no, polymer is not very good at insulating a tube with a big metal head and glass opening on the front.)

I personally carry -and would recommend - a bulkier Fenix HP20 headlamp (15$ over your budget) on winter hikes because the battery pack (with an eternal runtime on low) can stay in the jacket AND you have a remote that is easier to use with gloves on. This also has the advantage that I don't have to unzip my jacket in rapidly dropping temperature (brrrr...), which reminds me to warn you that temperatures do drop drastically after the winter sunset (just in case you haven't noticed ), so always test your setup beforehand if you'll be out hiking.

Another tip: carry a spare flashlight and keep your spare batteries inside you jacket or in your pant pockets at night... nothing worse that a light going out and replacing the batteries with good batteries that are no better than dead.

Click to expand...

"15$?" My, your dollar sign inversion shows you ARE from Quebec aren't you?

I didn' t notice the OP was as well or I would have specifically recommended a Petzyl Myo headlight WITH battery belt pack from the Mountain Equipment Coop. They sell them, otherwise these seem to be hard to find in warmer climes. EDIT- at least MEC did sell them- looking on their website they no longer list much Petzl at all. Their Soviet-style supply system triumphs again!

Mr Bigglow said:

"15$?" My, your dollar sign inversion shows you ARE from Quebec aren't you?

Click to expand...

Yep

Mr Bigglow said:

I didn' t notice the OP was as well or I would have specifically recommended a Petzyl Myo headlight WITH battery belt pack from the Mountain Equipment Coop. They sell them, otherwise these seem to be hard to find in warmer climes. EDIT- at least MEC did sell them- looking on their website they no longer list much Petzl at all. Their Soviet-style supply system triumphs again!

Click to expand...

I haven't seen anything with a detachable battery case at any of our outdoors stores in well over a year. I also noticed a lot of changes in the headlamp section at most of these stores - almost like they finally realized that manufacturers don't carry the same stock for decades. They still carry the same variety of Petzl headlamps as the last few years in store (most being newer models)... maybe they're getting rid of some old stock??

Mr Bigglow said:

Their Soviet-style supply system triumphs again!

Click to expand...

And they're one of the best we've got! :shakehead

Sometimes I walk in the MEC where I live and the barren shelves remind me of Moscow store scenes from the 1960s, or for those born after the Cold War, the drugstore in the occupied town in Red Dawn, which latter thing was a depiction of the former. And I truly believe the cause is the same. It's a pity because they do really good things for outdoors people, just not always very well. They sure love to buy from Viet Nam though.

Backpacking implies light weight. I would suggest an ITP A2, Olight i2, Xeno Eo3, or Fenix single-AA lights. Plenty of light for hiking and long battery life in a bind. Lithium AA are readily available.