Backpacking light?

I'm looking for a light weight light with as many features of a lithium twin task as possible. Price is an object!

Any ideas?

JLJ

I can price being an object, but my question would be this...At what cost is the object of your price?

You mentioned backpacking. If I am backpacking in the back country, miles from anywhere and I hit the switch on my light after crossing rivers, climbing over things(and probably falling on my butt a couple of times), I want to know that light is going to spit something out the business end. For this I wouldn't have less than a twin task, and for the quality it would have to be my SF A2.

SF A2...if you can afford the best /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif SL TT line if you can`t.

Ken

This really doen't compare to the tasklight but for backpacking the CMG ultra-g is a great backup light. I've got arc aaa , aa, lsl-s, lsh-p, arc4, surefire e1e/kl1 ,l4 innova x5t and a few others. The cmg ultra-g (when what I paid for it is considered) is one of my favorites.

One of the nice things about it is it's "loseability". Meaning , that if I loose it in the woods it won't mess up my weekend. If I were to loose my Surefire l4 in the woods I'd be pretty bummed out.

You can get an ultra-g for 14.50 by going to the dealers corner and checking countycomm posts.

I would choose one of the lithium Twin Task lights, and probably the 1L for backpacking. I also would recommend a small 1 cell back up, and the Arc AAA or the Ultra AA would be my choice, but if you did not want to put that much money in it the Dorcy 1AAA is a great little light.

If you do have to wade rivers, then use a good waterproof bag for your lights. I doubt that many of us do that, although I did a couple of times in Alaska. I just used good waterproof bags. It is cheaper than more expensive lights.

Carry a couple of extra batteries in a waterproof match box.

Jerry

I would never take just one light backpacking. If that one light malfunctions, you're SOL. I'd personally take at least four or five unless I was going ultra-light, and even then I'd take at least three. When I'm backpacking runtime means a lot more to me than sheer power, thus I would be leaving my Surefire M6 at home (as well as my other Surefire Incans).

When going ultra-light, I'll be carrying at least a CMG Ultra-G on a lanyard arouind my neck or clipped to my pack, a Petzyl Zipka or Tikka headlamp, and a solar powered Swiss light as a backup. I consider a headlamp a must when backpacking or camping, and if I could only carry one light, it would be a headlamp of some sort. When pack weight is less of a concern, I'd add a Streamllight TL-3 LED and Inova X5T. I prefer LED's when backpacking so I don't have to worry about bulbs going out on me.

-Keith

Personally,for backpacking/climbing,I'm considering Arc's forthcoming headlamp--but it will be spendy.I have been using a Petzl Zoom with PALlight or Arc AAA backup for awhile,now. I,too, think a headlamp is a must for
wilderness activities. The new Princton Tec and Black Diamond luxeon headlamps look interesting and affordable.

next time i go backpacking i'm taking a Yukon HL made by Princeton Tec, my Elektrolumens FT3C (i've gotta try it out), and my Arc AAA.

(i would reccomend all these)

I'd have a couple Photon IIs and/or Arc AAAs because they are so light and handy. For more light, I would go only with an LED for longevity. An Arc4+ would be a great choice because it is small and light and you can run it on its lowest level, giving you useable light far longer than you would need. Plus it can be cranked up to brighter levels if needed.

An L6 isn't all that heavy, and it puts out a lot of light for emergencies. If you are going to be in remote areas, I would definitely take high-quality lights, even if expensive. They could save your life.

Ok,

Thanks to everyone! Let me give some more info. I have a Scorpion and a Pelikan M6. I also have a couple Dorcy 1 AAAs (I'll take one of these and probably a couple led keychain lights.) The Twin task lithium looked good to me because of the versatility, but there are all metal. Does someone make a TT type light that is polymer, etc?

JLJ

I don't know of a dimmable light made of plastic. If you like your Dorcy 1AAA's, you could get a bright AAA-powered light to go with it, like the PT Blast or PT Rage (2aaa or 4aaa versions of the same light). I like those lights a lot, especially the Blast. The Blast is very small and lightweight. Rage is quite a bit brighter. You could also look at the UKE 2L if you don't mind lithium batteries. It's just 2.5 ounces or so, and has pretty good runtime, at about half the brightness of your Scorpion.

Paul,

How do the Rage and UKE 2L compare?

Jerry

You might consider an Everled which can be used in any PR bulb flashlight. It will work with 2 thru 6 batteries. It looks pretty bullet proof. Several people have recommended using it with a Princeton Tec PT40 (4 AA's).

Here's another idea: the new Streamlight Jr. Luxeon. It runs on 2AA's and is said to be priced a little over $30 when it arrives, which should be soon. 30 lumen output with a tail clickie.
Streamlight Jr. Luxeon

The UKE 2L is a bit nicer than the Rage in my opinion. It's shorter (but thicker), maybe a little lighter, slightly brighter, has more throw (narrower beam), and has quite a bit more runtime. But it's a lot more expensive ($25 vs $9 at TTS) and it uses CR123 batteries (may or may not be an issue for you).

Black Dimond Super Nova headlamp, uses 4 AA(Lithium or Alk),6 brightness levels. 3 LED, 3 incandesant. Spare bulb for incandesant in battery compartment along with a small 6 v backup battery for LED. Long run time, very water resistant. Printon Tec Youkon HL. 3 low level LED's, 1 1W highoutput LED. Also very water resistant. One of these plus CMG Infinity or Ultra. Same batteries, long run times, reletivly low weights. Used an Infinity for years, great light. The others are new to me, but I used them this winter camping and so far they're great, especially the BD. With lithiums both performed well at low temps, -5f and above. Both headlamps are around 50$. Not bad compared to the SF's I have, and as a side note my 50$ HL has a whiter beam than my 100$ SF L1! Not really a big deal for the outdooors, but annoying none the less.

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NeonLights said:
I would never take just one light backpacking. If that one light malfunctions, you're SOL. I'd personally take at least four or five unless I was going ultra-light, and even then I'd take at least three. When I'm backpacking runtime means a lot more to me than sheer power, thus I would be leaving my Surefire M6 at home (as well as my other Surefire Incans).

When going ultra-light, I'll be carrying at least a CMG Ultra-G on a lanyard arouind my neck or clipped to my pack, a Petzyl Zipka or Tikka headlamp, and a solar powered Swiss light as a backup. I consider a headlamp a must when backpacking or camping, and if I could only carry one light, it would be a headlamp of some sort. When pack weight is less of a concern, I'd add a Streamllight TL-3 LED and Inova X5T. I prefer LED's when backpacking so I don't have to worry about bulbs going out on me.

-Keith

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I've got to agree with most of what NeonLights has to say. I personally would have one of the eternaLights with me for hundreds of hours of runtime & signal capabilities! I'd load it with lithiums!

You might consider the PT Attitude $14 plus PT Rage $9 combo.

You get two lights with identical bodies; both light, almost indestructable, compact and fully water proof (dive lights). The Attitude will give long runtime and is probably bright enough for all of your camping needs and many hiking needs. The Rage is REALLY bright if you ever would need that. If you never need the Rage's brightness...it serves as a compact battery holder for 4 spare AAAs for the Attitude. You can always throw 4 more spare AAAs into a plastic film canister if needed.

If price is important to you...you can hardly beat this combo. If price is no object...these two are still a great choice!

If you are going to do night hiking...you might want to consider a hands free headlamp; PT Aurora $19 is economical, highly regarded and shares the AAA batteries.

I take: Exped Skylight (Attached to hiking hat so it gets charge.),SF L1, and my cheap Eveready LED headlight.
If there is room, the PAL light goes too. It's always on feature makes it easy to find in the dark.
Scooterman

Have you looked into the EternaLights? They're like the Swiss Army Knife of LEDs. Hundreds of hours of runtime on the lowest setting, tens of hours on high, and everything in between. Waterproof, rugged, various signaling modes. Automatically shut off (in case of accidental activation). Great light.

ikendu has a nice all AAA solution, to which I would add an Arc AAA - 10 hours of high brightness from 1 AAA ($25).

If you choose to go with AA's, then get an Infinity Ultra - 10 hours of high brightness from 1 AA ($15).

The original Infinity's have super long run-times (80 hours on a lithium L91 AA), and you can get more brightness from the green or red, than from the white.