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neek
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PostFri May 22, 2020 7:47 am 
Riverside Laker wrote:
If you carry too much light, does it get heavy?
Yes! Light (energy) is proportional to mass, as Einstein discovered, so carrying too much (or any, really) is incompatible with uberlight philosophy.

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80skeys
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PostFri May 22, 2020 8:05 am 
Cyclopath wrote:
I'm curious what other people do wrt light. How many lumens, how many lights, what type of lights (hand or head), and what do you do about battery power?
I only carry head lamps, and I carry a few spare batteries. I usually go backpacking with one other person, between the two of us we have three headlamps. I don't know what amount of lumens they are, and I don't recall the model of headlight, but they are quite bright. I don't see the point of carrying handheld flashlights or penlights. They're awkward and cumbersome, you're either holding it in your mouth to free up your hands or holding it in your hand.

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slabbyd
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PostFri May 22, 2020 8:53 am 
Family of four, multiday backpacks in the summer. One headlamp with fresh batteries and a small tent lantern with same. Lack of lumens hasn't been a problem in fact we rarely if ever use the headlamp.

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Riverside Laker
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PostFri May 22, 2020 10:15 am 
neek wrote:
carrying too much is incompatible with uberlight philosophy
How can you be uberlight and not have lots of light?

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Cyclopath
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PostFri May 22, 2020 11:16 am 
80skeys wrote:
I don't see the point of carrying handheld flashlights or penlights. They're awkward and cumbersome, you're either holding it in your mouth to free up your hands or holding it in your hand.
First time I did the Enchantments as a day thru hike, I went with a buddy, and we took our time. We enjoyed the lovely evening light in the lower basin, and came down the rebar just before sunset. Until you get to Snow Lakes, it's a game of find the next cairn. Easy terrain, you don't need your hands. As it got darker, the bike headlight worked really well here.

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RumiDude
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PostFri May 22, 2020 11:49 am 
Though I have done a fair amount of night hiking in the past, I was never a fan of it. Now that I have lost so much of my vision, I don't do it at all. So now I carry a headlamp Princeton Tec EOS, with about 120 lumens or something like that. I only use it if I have to get around the campsite at night. I also have a little Princeton Tec Eclipse that clips onto the bill of a cap. I use that in the tent. I don't carry spare batteries for either, I just make sure I have good batteries before I go. Last year on the 450 miles over 22 days on the PCT of Oregon, I only used my headlamp a few times. for only a few minutes each time. The EOS is really rugged and I don't have any worry about damage to it. It is dead simple to use, so there is that. Rumi

"This is my Indian summer ... I'm far more dangerous now, because I don't care at all."
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rossb
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PostFri May 22, 2020 1:37 pm 
Advancements in flashlight/torch technology has to be one of the biggest improvements in backcountry gear in the last twenty years. Here is an ad for a high end Black Diamond LED light from 2010. It takes three AAA batteries. The maximum output is 75 lumens. This thing puts out 45. It is rechargeable, and weighs 10 grams. That is why I don't carry an extra battery -- I carry an extra flashlight (that weighs less than a AAA battery). The Bindi weighs 35 grams (with internal battery) is a real headlamp, and can generate 200 lumens. To put things in perspective, the Maglite incandescent flashlight -- standard issue for law enforcement -- takes four D batteries and puts out 100 lumens. It is great for whacking someone over the head, yet it is wimpy compared to a high quality, extremely lightweight LED headlamp (let alone a bigger LED flashlight). To be clear, the old flashlight did an excellent job of lighting things up and was very effective in temporarily blinding someone. The same is true for modern flashlights. They are overkill for regular use, in my opinion. I can see why you would want a bike light while biking. Your average teeny-tiny headlamp (like that Bindi) is way more powerful than what any bikers used twenty years ago. But when biking, I would want more. But to get up in the middle of the night and go pee, or find whatever you are looking for inside your tent (or even outside it), that much illumination is ridiculous. It is overkill. I know I'm on my soapbox here, but I feel like the really powerful light should be saved for when you really need it (like caving). Otherwise, keep it low.

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veronika
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PostSat May 23, 2020 5:22 pm 
Kim Brown wrote:
2 head lamps, no extra batteries. No special brand, I just went to the store and bought Headlamps. Lumens? who knows. I just want some light, and Headlamps give light.
Here, here!

Take risks not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping I may not have anyone rocking my world right now but, I don't have anyone messing it up either.
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Bedivere
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PostSun May 24, 2020 9:26 pm 
I carry two of these. So light my scale doesn't even register them. I get the "covert" option and the hands free clip so I can clip them to the brim of a hat and not get any backscatter in my eyes. I've hiked at night a lot but never off-trail. These suffice for on-trail hiking and use around camp. https://www.photonlight.com/flashlights/photon-micro-light-ii-pro-led-keychain-flashlight/

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Cyclopath
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PostMon May 25, 2020 8:30 am 
I'm seriously overdoing it compared to everyone else! confused.gif One of my flashlights is 1,600 lumens which is 2x as bright as typical high beams. Obviously has lower settings too, but I wanted to be prepared. (3oz with battery.)

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Backpacker Joe
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PostMon May 25, 2020 9:28 am 
Twice Ive hiked thru the night to get somewhere. Alone its an interesting experience. You certainly get tunnel vision staring at the abll of light in front of you. That and you hear A LOT of strange sounds.

"If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide." — Abraham Lincoln
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Navy salad
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PostMon May 25, 2020 11:35 am 
I've done a fair amount of walking in the night, but to be honest I don't trust my ability to navigate in the dark, mostly due to how different things look illuminated with a flashlight vs daytime. I find it surprisingly easy to get lost!

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ejain
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PostMon May 25, 2020 12:06 pm 
- Black Diamond Icon ca. 2011 (3xAA) - Fenix L1D-CE (1xAA) in first-aid kit - 3xAA spare batteries The Icon is slated for replacement with something brighter and less bulky, plus having red or green light seems like useful feature...

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Cyclopath
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PostMon May 25, 2020 12:41 pm 
Navy salad wrote:
I've done a fair amount of walking in the night, but to be honest I don't trust my ability to navigate in the dark, mostly due to how different things look illuminated with a flashlight vs daytime. I find it surprisingly easy to get lost!
There's a camp at Nada Lake, with paths to the spots and bathroom. I walked down the wrong one in the dark doing the thru hike and then it took a couple circles to find the right way.

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williswall
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PostMon May 25, 2020 1:18 pm 
I use a headlamp 90 percent of the time I hike, as I usually start real early or go into the night. I tossed my BD Spot....no lock out; I pulled it out to find a camp spot late on a Glacier Peak circumnav and the damn thing was dead, got turned on somehow. PIA. I now use a Petzl Actik and a Petzl Zipka. The Zipka (which has a retractable lanyard) can be used on the head but is perfect for running at night...I use it on my middle two fingers down low and it casts shadows on the trail. It was a go to for ultra running. The Actik has a good high spot but I use it mostly one notch down for on trail with poles. It is bright enough on high to navigate off trail at night. I just bought an extra rechargeable battery for it on the REI sale in anticipation of fastpacking the Wonderland where I'll be night hiking for hours, just as a backup. Also, I use a Nightrider on my bike, good enough for 30 MPH and it lasts a long time.

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