What to do when your headlamp gets dim?

I use a Petzl 3-AAA headlamp and carry an extra set of 3 AAAs in case I need to do a nighthike and need fresh batts and the brightest light.  Otherwise, I have found the headlamp to work well on its first set of batts for at least two weeks into the trip.  Usually around Day 15 or so I’m ready to replace the batteries, and this includes many many hours of reading inside the tent at night.

When you say you don’t want to “waste the remaining energy” of your used batteries, well, why not just use them until very dim and replace them with new batts? (And discard at the first available trash can?).  Save you the weight of an extra headlamp since you’re still carrying the batts.

While headlamps can stay lit and dim for seemingly months, at some point you want to say enough is enough and put in fresh batts.

How long is your trip?  You can get 4 days of run time at the L1 level.  I put in a fresh battery before I leave.  For backup in case I accidentally drop the light or leave it on, I bring along a Photon Micro-Light.

I bring spare batteries for whatever I take as my “main headlight”, but also take a small one that I have as backup and for in the tent.

If my main one goes out I have enough light to change out the main batteries,.

I agree with both Stephen and Kenneth:  Start the trip with new batts in the headlamp, a no-brainer.  Carry spare batteries.  Carry a tiny backup just in case the headlamp dies permanently, but big enough to survive at night with tent set up etc.

I purposefully opted for headlamps that took 4 AAA batteries because they have a longer runtime before I need to worry about doing something with the batteries.  As a bonus, the brightest setting is brighter than a 3AAA headlamp, though we almost always use them at the dimmest setting.  I view the slightly increased weight as worth the tradeoff.

Furthermore, I use rechargeable batteries, and carry a USB battery charger which is pretty lightweight that I can use to recharge the batteries on the go with the USB Power Bank that I carry anyways, which I also use to recharge an iPod and GPS in the field when needed.  On a long trip, I will carry one set of extra rechargeable batteries so that I have spares ready to go.  If the headlamp gets dim, I don’t have to worry about wasting the remaining power in the batteries, I just swap them and recharge them – they simply won’t consume as many mAh from the power bank if not completely dead.

I use 3 AAA with Lithiums.  They last about a year.  It gradually gets dimmer until I finally replace them.  I don’t use it a lot, like I don’t do long night hikes.  There’s never a need to replace batteries in the dark, I just wait for the next day.  I usually carry a spare set of batteries, but don’t really need to.

I also have a coin battery light as backup.  It’s pretty weak, not good for hiking or anything.  I could use it to replace batteries in the 3 AAA light.

use rechargeables …. and recharge em later …

and practice changing your bats when its pitch black …

one of the disadvantages of zebralights (and other similar ones) which ive pointed out before to little avail is that

• its very difficult to change the bats in the middle of a rain storm without the risk of getting water in the internals
• one can easily drop or loose the cap (put reflective tape on it) when its dark

the petzl style lamps are much easier in that the main compartment is totally separate from the bats, and you can change em with practice even in the dark in the shower with practice and itll still work

or get a USB rechargeable lamp (tikka RXP) and problem solved

;)

I purposely use a headlamp that takes the spent CR123 cells from my steripen.  My lamp is also voltage regulated so it doesn’t go dim, it just goes out once voltage drops below 0.9 volts.  My back up is a Photon Freedom.

My Photon Freedom doesn’t work good when really cold.  At least it didn’t, but then it worked again when warm.

I have another coin battery lamp.  You just squeeze to turn on, let go and it turns off.  I noticed that all it has is the battery and the LED bulb with a resistor in one of the leads, so there is little to break.

I don’t like rechargeables with headlamp.  At least the 3 AAA light.  Hard to open up and replace.  Regular Lithiums are lighter weight.  And since I only have to replace once a year not a big deal.

Currently I’m loving the Princeton Tec Vizz.  Great UI, BRIGHT, accepts lithium AAAs (3), and is regulated. After I have a couple trips on a new set of batteries, I also pack a replacement set. Also carry a Photon for “disasters”.

You have many options here: i will give three off the top of my head.

The Photon Rex (or equivalent) allows you to recharge the coin cell from an external battery. I think you can set this up while the torch is lit. Of course, the rechargeable coin cell battery has a finite life, but it is very light.

You could take a Steripen Opti for water treatment and use the LED light on that while you replace the batteries in your main headlight.

You could use a Sunrei headlamp. These have a tiny backup rechargeable battery inside the case which illuminates the INSIDE of the battery compartment when you open the back to take the main batteries out. This solves your exact problem. Talk about ergonomic! (Very cheap, from GearBest on the web.)

Cheers

That’s a great idea Roger on using the Steripen light, I do wish it had a dedicated light switch rather than the wrist movement activated option.

When my headlamp gets dim it is ready to go dark… Lithium Ion batteries tail of rather quickly. So. I replace my batteries.

billy

I’ve yet to buy a Zebralight to know how well/poorly it performs with Ni-Mh batteries, but I’ve been pretty happy with the Eneloop Pro rechargables.  I’d just bring as many as you’d need for your trip and top them off when you get back home.  If that doesn’t work for you, pay for the increased performance and lighter weight of lithium batteries and just write off the battery when it no longer has enough juice to hike with.

I hike with my iPhone so that’s my backup flashlight.

The Eneloop Pro is designed for high drain devices and does not work as well in low-drain devices like headlamps. I did side-by-side comparisons with both in identical headlamps, and the standard Eneloops provided higher light output and longer runtime than the Pros. The difference was significant. The standard Eneloop recharges more times as well.

LED lights put out some light for so long, it’s easy to forget how bright your light used to be back when it had fresh batteries.  Having observed that a few times on trips, I now replace the batteries automatically before a trip, test the existing batteries with a voltmeter, or swap for new batteries and qualitatively judge the difference.

Rather than bring two Zebralights, I’d either:

1. Put a fresh battery in and have a tiny squeeze light as a back-up or
2. Bring an single battery, likely a lithium (half the weight), that I might not use

I’ve had my Zebralight get turned on in my pack, so now I always store it with the screw lid a half turn from fully closed.  That prevents it from being turned on but still seems waterproof.

I’ve tried to go with AA lights and other devices, rather than AAA because the batteries cost the same, but the AAs have twice the energy stored.

As far as throwing away “useable batteries” when the light goes dim, don’t fret about it, you’ve used 85-90% of the energy in the battery by that point.  Dump the weight as soon as you can.  The way to extend to extend battery life is to avoid any bright-level use (except for a few seconds of route-finding or orientation) and minimize medium-level use when low-level would suffice.

If you use a headlamp that is voltage regulated (like a Zebralight) then there’s not that much power left when it blinks and drops to a dimmer setting. Yes it can run for a while like this but the total amount of power left isn’t much.

If you combine a regulated light with rechargeable batteries then there isn’t any good reason to chase the last few percent.

I write numbers on my rechargable AA batteries and then use them in order so it’s easy to tell which ones are charged and which aren’t. The simplicity of using a single AA light is one of the many reasons why they’re better than a 3 x AAA light. It’s easy to change a Zebralight in the dark, although I do worry about dropping the cap. It should be on a leash.

Why don’t you like the H52? I have both but the H52 is the more natural white LED which I find much nicer at night.

I have the h51 because among other things, the ability to lock out the cap to prevent accidentally having it on, single AA for efficiency and ease of back up battery, and fort being able to change the battery in the dark.

In my experience of using it several times a week and many battery changes, one extra lithium is great as a backup when I’m unlikely to need more than one battery and one extra eneloop of I think I’ll need more than one for a trip.

In the rain, it is very easy to change the battery and keep stuff dry.  Just need to be careful.   I have thought about adding a keeper to the cap just like I mod my grigris to include a keeper. However, after hundreds in changes, I have decided to just be careful and not drop the cap.

Thanks for the replies, everyone.

I’ve given the H52 up for lost so I’ll use the H51w with a Photon Freedom around my neck.

If I had both zebralights in hand I’d be tempted to take them, even if I could carry three extra lithium AAs for the same 1.5 oz.. I admit I’ve occasionally used the second light as a “watchlight” to illuminate the darkness surrounding my campsite….More practically, I like having a light on the waist and one in the hand or the forehead while moving.

Anyways, running two lights on a long trip is probably excessive. The Photon light will work just fine as backup.

To address a few specifics… I expect to be out for twelve days, seven before I resupply. I’m now realizing that since the trail is poorly marked I can’t walk much at night, so that will save some battery juice.  I tend to use the dimmer modes around camp.

Even not foreseeing heavy use, I plan to take ~10 AA lithium batteries with me for the first seven days.I’ll probably mail Eneloops for the second half of the trip so I can conveniently pack them home.  I worry about being stuck in the dark and bored each night. I’m sure I’m overcompensating, maybe ridiculously so.

To answer Dan  “Why don’t you like the H52? I have both but the H52 is the more natural white LED which I find much nicer at night.”

My H52w is distinctly cooler than my H51w. I would argue it’s not warm but neutral, a letdown for me. It also flickers on the lowest setting and the battery rattles around when shaken.

Non regulated lights that just switch off must cause a little bit of panic, huh? (thanks for the correction)

Non regulated lights that just switch off must cause a little bit of panic, huh?

non regulated lamps dont just switch off … they get dimmer until its basically no more than moonlight …

its regulated lamps you need to watch out for … there may not be too much “warning” …

on a side note …

Anyone want to do the shower challenge?

change the bats on your headlamp in the shower in the dark?

Of if yr gonna film it, blindfolded

shower on full facing it head on, no turning the other way

simulates driving rain at night

i would be most interested to someone do it with a zebralight

ill do it with my petzl but theres no way im trying it with my fenix

;)

“shower on full facing it head on, no turning the other way”

I’ve been in some rain storms where a building was a pretty good rain block because the rain was so sideways, that the lee of the building was out of the rain.

A trick from women: if they can extract one arm out of a bra strap, unfasten the hooks, and then pull the bra out of the other sleeve – all without removing their blouse – anyone ought to be able to pull both arms into their rain jacket and fiddle with their flashlight inside their jacket with both hands.

And a trick from photographers, back in the day of film cameras: a jacket is a dark room.  Zip it up, twist up the hood and waist with your camera inside, reach in through the sleeves and adjust the film, etc, inside the jacket.  You’ll be doing it blind, but calmly and carefully, because the open camera is in complete dark.  Of course, doing it in the shade or under a tarp adds an additional level of light protection. Just like do any of these tricks behind a tree or under a poncho is even drier and safer for working on your gear.

david …

on rappel retreating in a storm … there isnt too much cover, and its pretty exposed … not to mention the entire rockface can easily become a waterfall

with “alpine fit” hardshells these days, and while wearing a pack on rappel … i guarantee that you wont be able to pull your arms back through your sleeves

if your on a climb or scramble there might not be much shelter … if your on a rock face even much less so, you probably arent staying dry despite the best gear

from some patagucci athletes during the day … imagine this at night trying to change a headlamp bat …
Rappelling from 16 pitches down a big wall – with huge bags, in a downpour – can have its challenges. The whole situation gets problematic when the line of rappels traverses (because you’re no longer just going down; you’re also going to the side). Out came our Patagonia rainwear: Caleb wore a waterproof/insulated Nano Storm Jacket, Mark sported a Rain Shadow and I busted out the M10.

Apparently, the Hollow Flake wasn’t done with us quite yet. While rappelling with one of the large haul bags, the ends of the rappel ropes managed to get stuck in a crack up to the far right and well out of reach. Instead of running straight down the wall, the ropes I was rappelling now made a big “U” shape. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until it was too late – the ropes turned from a “U” to a “V” and I could no longer get slack to continue my descent toward the next rappel station. What makes this situation noteworthy is that the Hollow Flake area acts as a giant funnel during a storm. The 15 minutes that followed – as I tugged in vain on the stuck rope – reminded me of whitewater kayaking. However, I wasn’t stuck in a huge rapid, I was pinned in a waterfall with 1000 feet of air underneath me, with water gushing into the hood and cuff openings of my rain jacket. Normally a climber in this position would simply use prussic cords to ascend the double rope rappel lines. However, this doesn’t really work when you’re weighted down with a heavy haul bag. Numb hands, chattering teeth, lightning crashing on the adjacent wall. It’s times like these when we have to balance thinking very objectively with pondering, “What would Indiana Jones do?”

http://www.thecleanestline.com/2010/10/product-testing-getting-soaked-on-el-cap.html

which is why you practice changing headlamp bats in the COLD shower … an in the dark … because you may well have to in real life while slightly hypothermic

just make sure youre using a Petzl-type lamp with a separate compartment and have a GREAT warranty ….

or get a lamp (18650) where youre unlikely to have to change the bat because of the sheer run times

if youre walking along sheltered trails with nice big trees, or not too much rain … none of this applies of course

anyone interested in the shower challenge? (make sure you have a great warranty first!!!)

;)

“on rappel retreating in a storm”

I didn’t see that in the previous post.  If I was discussing headlamp choices for caving, rather than UL backpacking, we’d probably be in closer agreement, although instead of a light you can change in any conditions, I’d insist on two lights, each fully capable of easily getting you out of the cave.  Plus some back-up light with which you can tend to gear and, in a pinch, could exit the cave with.  And, if it was a long trip, extra batteries. While caves are often very wet and sometimes you go for a swim, there are always dry places at which to change batteries. Pleasantly, a “long trip” with LEDs is now a lot longer than it used to be.

And spare bulbs – remember when we all traveled with spare bulbs?  I love that we don’t need to do that, anymore.