Backcountry Lighting Technology and Products: State of the Market Report and Gear Guide

[Ryan Jordan]

Companion forum thread to: Backcountry Lighting Technology and Products: State of the Market Report and Gear Guide

Comprehensive guide to backcountry lighting technology and products. Learn about headlamps, lumens, battery types, and the best models for hiking and camping.

[John Yates]

Note that all switch locks are not effective.  I had BD headlamp that had single button.  Pressing and holding the button for five seconds or so locked the light off.  Unfortunately, pressing and holding it for five seconds or so unlocked the light.  This happened several times while the light was in my pack.  I had to get a plastic soap dish to carry it safely in my pack.  My current BD headlamp has two buttons which you must press and hold at the same time to lock and unlock the light.  So far that has worked.

[Mark Verber]

Thanks for this.

I like the light bench number for aquick comparison and a measure of overall lighting ability. What helps me set correct expectations (and selection) are graphs of output level vs time at each intensity level the light supports. This is super useful because I typically use my light on 3-4 levels over the course of the trip.

One things which I have found very helpful are rechargeable headlamps which will run from external power.  If every rechargeable supports this it not worth calling out. But if not all of the recharables do passthru, it would be an attribute worth noting.

 

[David D]

The nu25ul supports this. I find the buttons non intuitive though.  It’s too bright red light is toned down to the same level as the nu20 classic by covering one red led with electrical tape.

For winter night time snowshoeing I use the nu25ul, it has a nice flood.  The nu20 classic has too tight a spot beam but it’s easy interface and rational red light make it my go to for camp use if I don’t expect to night hike

For deep cold use in the Adirondacks where ultra long battery life is a safety feature, I picked up a Fenix hm62-t.  4.4 oz but about 1 to 1.5 oz lighter than lights of a similar capability, due to it’s magnesium body.  150 lumens for 11 hours, but any LIo battery run time will be much less when temps dip below -10c so this reserve is a big factor for safety if stuck in the cold.  I also love that it takes cr123a Lithium batteries, which have the best cold resistance.  That’s a pretty unique feature and made it an easy decision over the swift rl2, for this specialized use

 

[tkkn c]

If you are going to use your headlamp in avalanche terrain, I suggest testing it with everyone’s avalanche transceivers.   You want to make sure the electronics in the headlamp do not interfere with the avalanche transceiver.   There have been a few headlamp “recalls” for interference.  Black Diamond used to test for interference, I do not know if they still do.    Does anybody know which companies currently test their headlamps for avalanche transceiver compatibility?

[karl hafner]

excellent article.   The human eye sees movement and has better depth perception in the same range as natural light.  This means that there has to be  some yellow in the light.  That’s the reason hunters prefer sunglasses with a yellow tint.  You do not need as much light if it is in the 4000 to 5000K range.  Beyond this the light has to be significantly brighter for the same effect on your vision.  Car manufacturers choose about 4700K for their lights for this reason.  MD,MPH

[Ross Bleakney]

I use the Petzl Bindi as my headlamp and the Nitecore Tube as my backup light. The Tube weighs about the same as Photon Freedom but it has a rechargeable battery. I find this much easier to deal with versus the coin batteries. It also puts out more light.

[Adam Kilpatrick]

Be nice to see an update to the Bindi, its now nearly 8 years old? The Petzl single button interface (that is now a couple of decades old across a plethora of models…) still beats anything I’ve tried from Black Diamond, Nitecore, or Fenix. Some of those interfaces are an absolute pain in the butt (Fenix OMG…current NU25 jeebus) and over-complication just for the sake of it.

Bring on USB-C and a miniscule performance improvement (can’t be hard with newer Lithium chemistries) to it and I’m sold.

[Steve B]

I feel fortunate to still have a CR123 Zebralight headlight (H32w).  CR123 batteries are 1550mAh, the tint is wonderful, runtime/weight is better than most lights, 6 brightness levels to choose from quickly, and it doesn’t stick very far off my head in usage.  If I really need a rechargable headlight, they make 16340 batteries that recharge by USB-C.  But the CR123 batteries are also used in my steripen.

[Adam Kilpatrick]

Nitecore HA11 might be an interesting one to put through these tests. It sounds like its reasonably popular amongst trail runners as it steps down to and then holds a reasonable light. Plus the price and weight are quite reasonable. Replaceable battery can also be a plus.

[David D]

Looked into the HA11 last winter and found some test results here taken with 2400mAh NiMh, not nitecores recommended 1100mAh rechargeable (in the field) LiI

2.2oz with battery

The spot is a bit tight, but it looks solid

 

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