Travel and camping lights of choice

[reppans]

...Biggest take away for me was the neutral tint and low output was key for around camp and even when out walking. The brighter lights and settings in a weird way made it harder to see overall because it takes away your night vision and lights up the area you're pointing it at so much, that everything else is even harder to see ruining the overall experience. This trip made me more of a low output and sub lumen can thsn I already was...

Hehe, he 'sees the light'..... again.

Side benefit - no additional batteries required.

 

[jorn]

Have been spending every weekend from may to september this year in a tent.
In all kinds of crappy weather. Fishing season for me. But most of this period, I need no light. Use my keychain light sometimes to look in the bottom of the backpack. Got to love the midnight sun:tinfoil: But when the nights gets darker i bring my zebra h600. Backup is whatever is on my keychain.

 

[gurdygurds]

Hey! I never claimed to be a fast learner Uncle Reppans! I forgot to take my warm yuji Photon Freedom to try out. Probably would've done a great job.

QUOTE=reppans;5248863]Hehe, he 'sees the light'..... again.

Side benefit - no additional batteries required.[/QUOTE]

 

[drexter]

I always bring my Thrunite TH20 NW. Very useful, lightweight and comfortable to wear.

 

[PiperBob]

For travel I usually have a Thrunite Ti3 in my pocket.

For (car) camping, I use my Fenix HL10 the most. I have a 3D maglight that I take. I don't use it much, but if I need light because like someone dropped a contact, then I've got it. I don't backpack anymore.

I just got a Streamlite Sidewinder. I haven't used it for much yet, but I expect it's going to become my general purpose go-to light. It fits well in my hand, it stands up, the head rotates, it's durable, and has good battery life. I think it's going to be great camping. On my last trip I lost two AAA lights. Just too small to notice when they end up on the ground I guess.

 

[Berneck1]

The Nitecore EA42 is quickly becoming my go to light for just about everything. It has a great range 1-1800 lumens, excellent throw, and good run times. Runs on 4 common AA's. My EDC light is the newly released Eagtac D3a, stepping up from the D25a Ti. 354 lumens on a single AA!

 

[ZMZ67]

For travel I usually have a Thrunite Ti3 in my pocket.

For (car) camping, I use my Fenix HL10 the most. I have a 3D maglight that I take. I don't use it much, but if I need light because like someone dropped a contact, then I've got it. I don't backpack anymore.

I just got a Streamlite Sidewinder. I haven't used it for much yet, but I expect it's going to become my general purpose go-to light. It fits well in my hand, it stands up, the head rotates, it's durable, and has good battery life. I think it's going to be great camping. On my last trip I lost two AAA lights. Just too small to notice when they end up on the ground I guess.

I really like the Sidewinder line from Streamlight. There are several different models according to your needs and I find the selector ring/switch to be one of the better UIs I have encountered in a multi-mode light. The switch does have some parasitic current draw but it is minimal especially on the 2AA models. The colored LEDs are a nice add on if you need more discreet output and I was able to add some filter material to "warm-up" the main LED more to my liking. I think the Sidewinders get overlooked due to their modest output but it is fine for utilitarian use especially in areas without ambient lighting.

 

[Charlie Hustle]

Lightweight 18650 lights are probably what I would choose for camping.




Convoy C8 XM-L2 T6-3B Textured/OP reflector
Emisar D4 XP-L HI V2 3A Floody 10623 optic
Fenix TK47

 

[klrman]

Sofirn sp32a v2.0 nw 18650. Very nice beam pattern and so light.

 

[carrot]

I'm currently re-working my travel and camping lights of choice. The Pak-Lite 4K is ideal for most casual flashlight and lantern needs in these situations because the battery lasts so long. It makes a great pairing for any more powerful flashlight as a backup or nightstand light. If I am going to bring a favorite light as my main light, the Pak-Lite always makes it into the bag. But I wouldn't be very happy if I had only that to navigate with (even though it's totally doable).

On trips where I'm trying to pack even lighter and only carry a single flashlight, lights with in-body recharging like the Surefire Sidekick have a big advantage. Then again, if USB power isn't guaranteed... AA or AAA lights are even better... I'm currently evaluating the Titan Plus, Malkoff MDC AA, and Zebralight SC53 for my needs in that respect.

Easy replaceability is also a huge advantage for travel: I wouldn't want to sour a good trip by losing an irreplaceable favorite EDC.

 

[marshc12]

Are more traditional outdoor head torches not well respected?

I lean towards my petzl tactikka or black diamond icon.

 

[Sambob]

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?

O.K. the head lamp Is a given I have a Th10 and there great,pack 2 spare battery's DONE.
Next an Atactical A1 In my pocket all day every day put In fresh battery's before I leave and I'm off.

 

[offroadcmpr]

Are more traditional outdoor head torches not well respected?

I lean towards my petzl tactikka or black diamond icon.

I've owned multiple petzl and black diamond lights in the past, but I have boughten anything recently.

Petzl Tactikka = I hate 3xAAA lights. It's a harder to charge in sets of 3. And 3 AAA batteries has roughly the same total capacity as 1 AA, so why not just go with the AA and keep things simpler?
BD Icon = total capacity is better than a single 18650 light (roughly 3xAA = 1x18650). The external battery pack helps weight it on your head better, but the exposed wire can be a weak point. Throw it into a pocket or bag a bunch of times and you might start having issues. I had that happen to a similar BD light. It's still way more bulky than a zebra light with a spare 18650.

The platic housing can be more susceptible to damage. And the plastic housing doesn't make a great thermal conduit. So you are a bit limited in how much heat the LED can generate.
Ive found the zebra light style headlamps to be smaller and brighter and easier to charge than the more traditional.

 

[grizzley1]

The family and I usually car camp because my youngest girl is too young to do much more than that right now. Wife and kids all have their lights and I usually bring the following three with me...

Olight S2R Baton
Petzl Actik Core HL
Nitecore TM11

 

[thermal guy]

Flashlights imo are pretty easy to carry and don't take up a hell of a lot of room so when I travel or camp I bring a few. Always a Malkoff MD2 and a few hds lights. Never know what's around the corner ya know?

 

[Monocrom]

Lightweight 18650 lights are probably what I would choose for camping.

Those are only good if you pack a fully charged battery-pack. An extended stay in a remote area, you're going to be better off with AA or AAA primaries.

 

[Joseph08]

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?

I typically carry a survival LED headlamp. Easy usability and long lasting battery life and that makes it great for camping or hiking. [h=1][/h]

 

[Uroboros]

Same as my EDC for the last 5 years which is an EagleTac D25C Clicky. A great single CR123 that does everything I need it to do and has a great UI. I always keep it set up to start up on turbo if I need it in a pinch but with a twist I have access to the lower modes. I also bring a Fenix LD01 - a single AAA light that I clip on my hat for tasks.

 

[Kels73]

My Fenix PD35 serves as my primary camp light. I also have a Streamlight MicroStream AAA that I use for poking around in my tent at night.

 

[cl0123]

Recent (a couple of years only) convert to the Zebra H600 neutral white headlamps. I carry it with one spare 18650 cell in a small cordura zipper pouch. Very lightweight with long run-time. If traveling, I may replace it with a Black Diamond 3 AAA headlamp because I can purchase more batteries. If I really needed something extra, sometimes I may slip an old trusty Surefire G2 or even a C3 into the backpack.