The perfect ultralight flashlight?

[chris smead]

Heya,
I'm on a quest for the perfect flashlight. Here's my criteria:

* 70 to 100 lumens
* Water proof (ipx 7 or comparable)
* Ultralight (2 ounces or less with lithium battery)
* Only uses one AA or AAA battery. (so I only have to bring one battery as a spare)
* Somewhat focused. Enough so I can see a bear about 75 to 100 feet away in the dark.
* Decent run time. 10 hours would be nice.

I currently use a little Gerber one I got at REI. It meets all my criteria, except that it's not super bright.
I use this as a spot light when under bear attack at night, as well as a nice little hanging light in my tent.

I know I'm kinda dreamin here with my criteria, but if you know of anything close, please let me know.

Thanks!

[Bob Gross]

I think you will find several at Zebralight that fit your criteria. It kind of depends on whether you want a flashlight or a headlamp.

–B.G.–

[chris smead]

I just ordered one :)

[Ultra Magnus]

I'll most likely be getting one of these sometime soon – http://www.countycomm.com/AAWORLDSMALLEST.html

Good EDC flashlight as well as for backpacking…

BM

[Diana Vann]

I ordered one recently, and took it on a five-day trip this past week. It's great.

I decided on the neutral option. Though it provides a bit less light, it's still plenty for hiking at night.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Chris,

You use a flashlight instead of a headlamp for backpacking?

[Charles Henry]

The zebralight h51 is the ideal light I've found. Choose the more natural warmth of light. The h51 meets all your requirements. It also seems bomb proof. Of course it will not burn at 100 lumens for 10 hours, that's probably impossible. You can use it as a headlamp and a flashlight.

[Bob Gross]

When I went down this path six weeks ago, I opted for the model H501.

The headlamp can be taken out of its silicone mount and used as a flashlight, but a flashlight can't be used as a headlamp without a head strap of some kind. A flashlight doesn't clip to a baseball cap bill if there is no baseball cap.

–B.G.–

[Ozzy McKinney]

I'm new here, but really? Nobody is going to ask about "being under bear attack" ?

[Wild Exped]

* Somewhat focused. Enough so I can see a bear about 75 to 100 feet away in the dark.
* Decent run time. 10 hours would be nice.

I havent seen a bear in the wilds, though i think i'd still be running long after that

[Paul Hatfield]

These are great:

4Sevens Quark Mini
Nightcore EZ

[Bob Gross]

The fur of a black bear tends to soak up just about every photon of light that you can throw at it. So, you need a little extra intensity if you are viewing these noble creatures.

–B.G.–

[Anonymous]

I love the Fenix LD01. I just hiked a 70 mile hike along the Colorado Trail and used it along the hike. It runs on one AAA battery and weighs around .5oz. Here are some specs:

Three output modes: 26 Lumens (3h8m) -> 3 Lumens (27h) -> 72 Lumens (1h28m)
Uses one 1.5V AAA battery (not included)
Dimensions
• Length: 75mm / 2.95in
• Diameter: 14mm / 0.55in
• Weight: 14grams / 0.49oz (excluding batteries)

Made of durable aircraft-grade aluminum
Toughened ultra-clear glass lens with AR coating
Premium Type III hard-anodized anti-abrasive finish
Waterproof to IPX-8 Standards
Capable of standing up securely on a flat surface to serve as a candle
Reliable twist-switch
Accessories: pocket clip, key ring and spare rubber o-ring

I hiked 27 miles through the night and it worked great. Give it a try, you'll like it.

[Justin R]

I am with surefire titan.

zebra are solid lights for sure.

[Dan Cherry]

I love my little titanium 4Sevens Quark Mini 123 with lanyard.

[Randy Martin]

Sorry, this is where I think you cross the line from being light and functional to just light. A flashlight that only has 1.5 hours of light for a single battery is just ridiculous. Give me a Mammut 3oz headlamp (weight includes 3 AAA batteries) that gives 50+ hours of light). I also don't get the idea of a flashlight by itself. So you hold a flashlight with one hand? Seriously? Again, decision points, light or light and functional.

[BlackHatGuy]

"Again, decision points, light or light and functional."

+1

[Paul Hatfield]

Randy, I don't think you realize how much flashlight technology has improved in the last few years.

Anyway, check out the 4Sevens and Nightcore models that I mentioned in my previous post. Extremely light and powerful with variable intensity settings. There are other great brands out there, but Surefire's stuff is way overpriced, and Fenix offering's were not competitive the last time I checked.

[Paul Hatfield]

Takes a 123 cell, but so does my Steripen.

Quark MiNi X 123 Basic Specifications
* LED: CREE XM-L T6
* Max Output: 210 OTF lumens
* Material: Type-III Hard-anodized Aircraft-grade Aluminum
* Lens: Optical-grade glass lens with anti-reflective coating on both sides
* Reflector: Light "orange-peel" textured reflector
* Water resistance: IPX-8
* Battery: One lithium CR123A (3V) – do not use rechargeable RCR123As
* Seven Output Modes:
o Low: 1.2 lumens, 100 hours
o Medium: 45 lumens, 6.5 hours
o High: 210 lumens, 1 hours
* Special (hidden) modes:
o Strobe 2 hours
o SOS 4 hours
o Beacon (Hi) 10 hours
o Beacon (Lo) 50 hours
* Dimensions:
o Length: 2.3 inches
o Diameter: 0.80 inches
o Weight: 0.62 ounces (w/o battery)
* Included accessories: Lanyard, split ring for keychain attachment, spare o-ring.

[Marc Shea]

Waterproof, weighs under an ounce with battery, 3 led's and shock resistant. It has a clip to hang from the ceiling of a tent or tarp…only 6 bucks. Takes button batteries. Unsure about the lumens.

http://www.kikkerland.com/products/push-light/

[Josh Christensen]

Cool, I wanted to find a CR123 light but didn't want to pay $140+ for it. Tough to decide between the Mini and the MiniX though…

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Surefire is way overpriced because it has become the "Item" for military and police.
They most often get the short Surefires to mount on rifles and under pistols.

I think Maglite is coming out with some good competing models for a lot less – if you MUST have a flashlight.

[Simon Wurster]

+1 on the 4 Sevens Quark Mini 123, but only b/c I got the warm-tint LED. For backcountry use, the warm tint is soooo much better at differentiating natural color tones. It's like having x-ray vision: where the gray/brown rocks end and the gray/brown trail begins is very clear. Also, slippery leaves are contrasted well against non-slippery rocks. (I compared the Mini to my Fenix L1D, and the cool white LED in the L1D made everything looked washed-out.) Think of the warm tint as the benefit of holding a light at hip-height (vs. on your head) times 2.

I use Tenergy 900 ma rechargeables in both the Mini 123 and SteriPen Adventurer; you can get a recharging set with 4 batts. on Amazon.com for about $30. Figure half the runtime with a rechargeable (which is normal for Li-Ion), one battery can last 3-4 days in summer (~3 hrs on low, ~1 hr on medium, ~1/2 hr on high, per day). Weight with one battery is 1.25 oz.

One thing I don't like about the Mini is it tends to skip levels (low to high, when I just wanted medium). I only wish there was a headlamp version.

[Ken Thompson]

Many Maglites are not lithium compatible.

[chris smead]

Thanks everyone for all the great responses. To answer the question a few of you have asked, I use a black diamond Storm as my headlamp. Despite the fact that I'm an ultralight backpacker, i still love having a separate flashlight. I'm kind of weird that way.

And yes, I had not one, but two bears come after me once! Luckily they were just fuzzy California black bears and I was able to scare them off. They looked straight at me, walked toward me, and didn't stop until they were within about 15 feet. Don't worry I brought a spare pair of boxers. ;)

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