Talking Headlamps Here....

[WapitiTalk1]

Man I've been through the headlamp inventory over the years (well, since they came around not that many years ago). My current headlamp arsenal is a Zebra Light flood beam (takes one AA battery), not the rechargeable type, which works really well around camp and for close up work....and, an inexpensive ExtremeBeam headlamp that a sports a cool spotlight feature for zooming in/concentrating the beam to see what that sound is on the trail way above me on the rockslide as I hike out in the dark; the Extreme Beam takes three AAA's. Side note, I always use the lithium batteries in my headlamps (as well as my GPS)... yep, they cost more but last much, much longer than the standard batteries.

What do you cats carry/use for your headlamps in the elk woods?

IMG_3941_JPG.jpg (156.88 KiB) Viewed 11479 times

[T.B.]

I usually just go with a $20 wal-mart headlamp and keep an extra in my pack.

[>>>---WW---->]

Never did care all that much for head lights but that is just me. I like the little ones that clip on to the brim of my hat. They are plenty good for a walking light and general camp chores. Long as you don't lose you hat!

I got a couple of those little tactical lights you see advertised on TV all the time. Kinda impressive! I can easily see the flag pole up on the hill behind the house that is 160 yards away with it when I go to the zoom feature,.

[Freebird134]

I've been running the same black diamond spot for >6 years. I just picked up a new one on Amazon for $23. Hard to beat!

[N2mywake]

I used to spend some bucks on headlamps, but now I get the maroon Energizer brand that has two buttons (one for toggling between brightness and a separate button to turn on/off red). I carry two (one for camp and one for walking) and always run ultimate lithium batteries.

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[N2mywake]

∆∆∆*two buttons (can't edit from my phone)

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[olympushunt]

I have an LED Lenser. Very bright and tough. I've had it for at least 5 years and have put a lot of hours on it. 3 AAA batteries...and super lightweight!

[wawhitey]

Man i have tried tons of different headlamps, never happy with any of them. Finally tried a fenix headlamp (cant recall the model at the moment) and i have 0 complaints. Never thought id find a headlamp that i liked. Been using it for a year or so now and still happy with it, thats a definite record for me. Runs on 1 cr123a battery.

[Brendan]

Zebralight here too. I use two of their single-AA lamps, one in white, one in red. I have one of their 18650 flashlights too, which will pretty much turn night into day For all of the zebralights, I love the fact that there are 3 different beam strengths - i usually use low or medium, very rarely high...

I keep this in my pack for emergencies - only weighs a couple ounces. Petzl e-light:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B008AUBOTS

[DBLGBL]

Led Lensor here as well. I use the single AA model. have a bunch of years on them and they are tough. I use it on a lanyard around my neck. A spare and two batteries are always in the pack.

2Gbl

[Tigger]

Costco carries some and I cant remember their name right now but they work great and are 2 for $20 with batteries. I have had a Cabelas one for awhile and that works good too but the buttons are finicky. regular batteries until hunting season. then lithium.

[wewarev]

I use a Fenix also. Many different settings and it lasts a long time on one charge. Love it!

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[Beendare]

I like the light dual beam HL's that have a spread beam for hiking in/back in the dark...but then also a spot.
Mine are Princeton tec but older models.

We were backpacking in on a Marbles bear hunt in the dark and I accidentally grabbed the spot beam EOS lamp I keep in my truck.....I was sick to my stomach after a 3 hour pack in with that thing.

[husky390]

Costco carries some and I cant remember their name right now but they work great and are 2 for $20 with batteries. regular batteries until hunting season. then lithium.

I second this on the Costco headlamps. I bought a set for my nephew when I took him hunting and ended up buying some for me. I'll be using them for camp duties while the zebralight gets used for trail duty.

Same practice with the batteries too.

[CurlyTail]

I am very opinionated about headlamps.

You see, I have a bit of a headlamp fetish. I own literally more that 20 LED headlamps. I lose them and buy them at unheard of rates. It is a bit of a family joke that I always want another headlamp for Christmas, and I have one (or two) in every vehicle, one or two in every junk drawer in the house, one or two in every pack I own, and one or two in most every blind bag or jacket I own.

I have been on the LED Headlamp bandwagon since they first came out, and I was astonished and delighted at the improvement over the fragile, battery sucking, unreliable flashlights I grew up with. All of a sudden, I could actually see what I was doing in the dark, and the batteries or bulb did not need replacement prior to every use. You could actually use them for more than 5 minutes, and not drain your batteries.

The thing I like most about a LED headlamp is the diffuse and dim light it puts out. I did not like the dim light initially, until I realized that although dim - I could actually see everything just fine, and still retain some degree of night vision, so that the night itself was not so completely black, and I could vaguely see objects not directly in the light beam and avoid them.

I am seeing a disturbing trend among "modern" headlamps to make them just like the flashlights of yesteryear - super bright, and more focused - thus losing many of the advantages I have experienced with the less powerful LED bulbs, and sacrificing battery life.

I prefer a LED headlamp with 3 or 4 white LEDs, and a couple of red. I do not like any heavy or bulky 'head' pieces. If it requires a heavy duty strap, or more than just a simple headband type strap - that is too much. If it has a separate battery pack in the rear or at your waist - no good. I don't like to toggle through multiple "modes" and hate it when they have a strobe light feature. Simple on and off is adequate. Maybe a high and dim feature I can live with. I do not like a big "spotlight" LED like so many have - a step back in time if you ask me. I like the red LEDs for reading maps in the dark and hiking close into elk in the pitch dark without risking injury on some unseen obstacle. I will run white LEDs most of the time when I am not in any type of stealth mode and for around camp and in the tent. I will run totally dark while hiking when possible, and light moonlight is often just fine - I like my night vision - and often that is enough.

Headlamps should be cheap and easily replaceable. They should be sold in 6 packs. They are not an heirloom item to be passed down to future generations with a lifetime guarantee. You WILL lose them, and a replacement should be readily available. I actually feel sorry for anyone who owns less than 5 headlamps. But I have a fetish.

Here is an example of the type of headlamp I prefer. I you can find it in a 6 pack, so much the better

http://www.amazon.com/Rayovac-14-Lumen-Headlight-Batteries-BRS5LEDHLT-BB/dp/B007NCCDH6/ref=pd_sbs_468_27?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B007NCCDH6&pd_rd_r=FNYJJ3WNQG032N2D1SPZ&pd_rd_w=hRhHF&pd_rd_wg=OmICp&psc=1&refRID=FNYJJ3WNQG032N2D1SPZ

[Lefty]

4 years back I bought the Costco set 3 for $16.00 ( on sale from$20:00) I had an $12.00 Energizer.. the banding stretched out, and even the 4 year old technology is nothing like the $13.00 Ray o-Vac .
Two little AAA batteries.
My Daughter has a Diamond Storm $34.00,.. brighter and easier to use than he Ray-o-vac, I can loose, run over, forget , three for that cost.
A buddy does some serous mountaineering and has a few very top end head lamps,.. but has the Costco lamps in his vehicles.

[Elkduds]

I have several, mostly generic energizer? More than once I've looked @ my pants pocket to see the light turned on, just from walking. So now I flip one battery backward in the case. Then I have to correct it to use the headlamp, usually in the dark, which is a pain. Anyone else deal w this issue?

[Backyard]

I like the Petzl Tikka.
It has a high and low, is very light, small, and doesn't ever turn on accidentally.

[Wahpeton]

My 2 cents.

An 18650 battery Zebralight is tough to beat. You get what you pay for and if you pick up a few 18650 batteries, your'e set.

[WapitiTalk1]

My 2 cents.

An 18650 battery Zebralight is tough to beat. You get what you pay for and if you pick up a few 18650 batteries, your'e set.

Agree that the Zebralites (I have a flood that takes one AA) are top notch quality but I still have a tough time considering models with batts that you gotta recharge. What is the life of those batts? Oh, welcome to the forum by the way sir . RJ

[Wahpeton]

Thanks for the welcome. Neat forum. I've been scouring a lot of the different forums and posts. A lot to learn here!

The 18650 cell is what's in your cordless drill battery or in the battery in your laptop. So they will last for years of charge/recharge cycles.

I don't get a ton more runtime out of my 18650 zebralight than the AA zebralight I have, but that's because I end up using the 18650 light on higher power a lot more.

If you use one of the lower lumen settings like the AA, then it's like 3x the runtime.

Zebralight website reference for the following:
AA max lumens is 270 with .9 hours runtime.
18650 set at 350 lumens is 3.9 hours runtime.