Travel and camping lights of choice

Buck91

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Feb 26, 2007
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USA
So topic of the day for me is what light or lights to bring for general purpose travel and camping for a minimal pack. I'm not real specific on the trip itself I just know that I normally over pack on all type of gear... being CPF I also over pack lights. If I'm trying to trim all the fat, so to speak, what light or light combinations would you pick?


Myself, I always have my 1xAAA light on my keychain, currently a lumentop worm as. In addition to that I think my thrunite th20 headlamp would offer a good combination of utility and output vs runtime. Although its hard to leave something with the nice beam of my nichia 219 modded fenix L2T or 6p... or m31w C3....


What would be your minimum packing travel light?
 

seery

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USA
For me it would be the Fenix HL55 headlamp and 10x CR123's.
 

gurdygurds

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I just took a camping trip to Yosemite for a few nights and only took an E01. Worked just fine for general lighting and I put a green chapstick cap for late night in the tent.
 

tech25

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Near the Big Apple
At the very least it would be a Zebralight H600fc. However, I would carry a spare battery in another light and a spare for that... 😁
 

parametrek

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Apr 3, 2013
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Just a Zebralight H53c with a Photon Freedom as a backup. I can easily get 5 days of camping from 1xAA. Double that if I'm using an L91 instead of an Eneloop.
 

Poppy

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Dec 20, 2012
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Northern New Jersey
If not camping I might leave the headlamp home, but if camping... it is definitely coming!

So... Crelant CH10 neutral XML2 18650 460 lumens high/low, and both are ramping programmable.
Convoy S2+ XPL Hi with biscotti firmware set to include 0.1 % moonlight for use with a short 2 inch white lantern diffuser. This also acts as a spare 18650 battery carrier for the headlamp.
A single AAA DQG mini to carry at dusk just in case it gets dark enough to want a light before I get back to my pack.

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Timothybil

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The great state of Misery (Missouri)
I would add a Nitecore LA10 as an area light for my tent/campground. Small, bright enough to read by if desired, yet at 8 lumens dim enough to leave on all night. With a weight of 43 grams plus the AA cell, it adds a negligible weight to your pack compared to the amount of light it can produce.
 

808tim

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Jul 18, 2018
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Recently I got to handle a Nitecore LR12. I found that in the lantern position it was a nice area light. It be nice in the tent or on the picnic table while camping. It also worked fine in the flashlight mode.
 

Sos24

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Jan 18, 2018
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508
If trying to trim down the lights:

For camping I would do a headlamp that also allows taking off a using as a flashlight, like Olight H1 Nova. Then bring plenty of extra batteries. I would still have a backup flashlight which preferably takes the same type batteries as the headlamp (2 is 1 mentality).

For travel, the Nitecore SRT3 (or another similar). Because of its ability to use CR123s and AA, I have more options if looking for batteries.
 

reppans

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Mar 25, 2007
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I'm a minimalist UL camper and traveler and pursue preparedness via extreme versatility and multitasking. Headbands are too bulky/single purpose for me so I just clip/roll a light into my shirt collar (or use a cord) as a 'neck lamp' and business card from my wallet as a photo bounce card 'lantern'.

AAA Preon Revo SS, Quark Click running a 16650, and Nitecore F1 USB battery charger/meter/powerbank is my preferred UL lighting travel trio. Quark is programmed as a 4 mode ~0.5/3/20/250, with memory and a moonlight/low toggle (90% of my usage), or about the same I like my HDS programmed. The Quark is very efficient, so the 16650 runtime is way overkill for my typical low lumen usage, but it's another important option (with NC F1) to charge my iPhone and Inreach satcom, and also the 16650 tube will fit/run perfectly on any chem AAA/AA/CR123-sized cell; and in pinch, I can rig it to run on any battery (eg, 9v, D, 18650) with tinfoil/paperclip I keep in my wallet. The Revo is also easily rigged to run on any size alkaline/NiMh battery. The NC F1 not only makes a good 1oz travel USB Li-ion powerbank, charger, and battery meter, but it also provides the option to charge important USB devices from 3xNiMh or alkalines (AA, C or D).

Yeah I'm admittedly over the top, but there were a couple times (backpacking and big city blackout) where we had enough lights and batteries to scrounge, but unfortunately they did not match-up well. This just provides a lot more options to shift power around in a pinch, no matter what batts you can manage to scrounge up.
 

blah9

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Mar 10, 2011
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I usually bring two 18650-based lights, each with a battery inside. One of them is always my headlamp (Armytek Wizard Pro Warm), and the handheld light has rotated many times among different lights. My current favorite general-purpose handheld light is the Fenix TK09 for multiple reasons, but I understand why people would prefer plenty of other options for that and the headlamp.

I don't mind the extra weight for lights so I love the runtime of 18650 lights as well as high output possibilities in case a situation ever calls for more lumens than is typical. Plus it's fun to play around and one of my favorite things to do camping is play with lights. If I'm being completely honest I usually bring a monster light along as well but don't use it other than just showing off with friends.
 

gurdygurds

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Feb 7, 2014
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Oh I believe it. Although I'd take a few Ti3 as I've had some poop out on me for no reason. Hence the E01.
Thanks. Would you believe that there is a chunk of the ultralight crowd that takes only a Thrunite Ti3 (clipped to a hat) with their phone as backup?
 

xxo

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Apr 30, 2015
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For travel, I like the dual fuel Streamlight 1L-1AA - a good pocket light with great tint, a S clip that can go on a hat brim for use as a headlamp and it will run Cr123's or AA's or even AAA's in a pinch.

For minimalist camping/hiking, the Inova X1 is real nice; lightweight and will run near forever off a AA in low mode.
 

LEDAdd1ct

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Joined
Jul 4, 2007
Messages
3,557
Location
Hudson Valley
Primary:

Jetbeam RRT-2 With Cree XM-L2 3500K 80CRI + 1x18650

Perfect blend of making woods colors (browns, tans, dirt, trees, rocks...etc...) look "right" with decent efficiencies.

Used primarily on low, but medium and high a single-handed twist away.

The LED is cheap and readily available from Mouser.

My favorite beam, a nice juicy hotspot with great exterior flood and limited throw.


Backup:

Malkoff M61N in MD3 Tube with 3xCR123A and high/low switch with custom shaved head and custom shaved tail.

Used in low most of the time.

A little too narrow a beam for me but a great package overall.


Backup to the Backup:

Surefire L1 Digital LumaMax with 1xCR123A with Single Mode XP-G3 S5 Cool White Driven at 350mA

Cool white is not my cup of tea, especially when hiking; but, at the end of the day, lumens are what matter most!

Takes a single CR123A cell and lives in the same back pocket of my hiking pack as the other two.

Produces 191 lumens of floody emergency light for about two hours.

Exceptionally floody, great for making it back to the car or when the other lights fail (which they never should). :whistle:
 
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mcease022

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Joined
Aug 7, 2016
Messages
34
Minimum would be my Zebralight [FONT=Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif]SC600F Mk IV Plus - no need for a headlamp because it clips to my hat. I just got my hands on a CL30R lantern that I am excited to use. I never try to be a minimalist with lights. :) [/FONT]
 

Poppy

Flashaholic
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Messages
8,359
Location
Northern New Jersey
I'm a minimalist UL camper and traveler and pursue preparedness via extreme versatility and multitasking. Headbands are too bulky/single purpose for me so I just clip/roll a light into my shirt collar (or use a cord) as a 'neck lamp' and business card from my wallet as a photo bounce card 'lantern'.

AAA Preon Revo SS, Quark Click running a 16650, and Nitecore F1 USB battery charger/meter/powerbank is my preferred UL lighting travel trio. Quark is programmed as a 4 mode ~0.5/3/20/250, with memory and a moonlight/low toggle (90% of my usage), or about the same I like my HDS programmed. The Quark is very efficient, so the 16650 runtime is way overkill for my typical low lumen usage, but it's another important option (with NC F1) to charge my iPhone and Inreach satcom, and also the 16650 tube will fit/run perfectly on any chem AAA/AA/CR123-sized cell; and in pinch, I can rig it to run on any battery (eg, 9v, D, 18650) with tinfoil/paperclip I keep in my wallet. The Revo is also easily rigged to run on any size alkaline/NiMh battery. The NC F1 not only makes a good 1oz travel USB Li-ion powerbank, charger, and battery meter, but it also provides the option to charge important USB devices from 3xNiMh or alkalines (AA, C or D).

Yeah I'm admittedly over the top, but there were a couple times (backpacking and big city blackout) where we had enough lights and batteries to scrounge, but unfortunately they did not match-up well. This just provides a lot more options to shift power around in a pinch, no matter what batts you can manage to scrounge up.
reppans my friend,
you are amazing!
Do you carry a stripped out USB cable? How do you connect 3x D batteries to the Nitecore F1 so that they can charge important USB devices?
 
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