I just ran across this and had to share. If you were going on a sunset hike, wouldn't it seem like a good idea to carry some means of illumination? Luckily, SAR was on the ball.....

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/feb/16/sunset-hike-goes-awry-for-six-college-students/

lol ...and if you are hiking someplace to watch the sunset, the odds are good that it will be dark when you hike back



Sorta OT:
Speaking of walking around after dark, REI Outlet has the 2013 model Black Diamond Storm on closeout.

Cell phones but no flashlights. Yup. college students.

One thing about twilight. If you sit there and let your eyes adapt to the dark, you can see surprisingly well. Combine that with the ability of your feet to sense when they are on the path or off trail (there is quite a difference) and you can travel surprisingly well. If the moon is up and/or the stars are out, in some ways you are better off not using a light at all, or just using it sparingly. I have been able to read a newspaper on a clear night with a full moon.

My daughters often turn down the offer of a flashlight when going out night thinking its nerdy and, after all, their cell phones have a flashlight. I guess the concept of having a dead battery after a thousand texts or that a 50 lumen cell phone camera flash literally does not hold a candle to one of my Fenix or Olight tiny monsters.

Fortunately, these hikers lived to learn from their mistake.

Fully nighted adapted eyes can see remarkably well with moonlight. OTOH it's tough for your eyes to adapt to the dark when staring at a cellphone.

I've come across this before, especially from folks who are from suburban and city areas, (i.e. inside the M25 Ring road in the South of England it never really gets truly dark) when taking them into areas where there is no urban light pollution. Some folks have never seen or experienced true darkness being brought up all there lives in the city and suburban areas.

They tend to panic when this happens, when the bright fiery ball in the sky lowers beyond the horizon.

"Nightfall", by Isaac Asimov

That book alone is a excuse to buy a flashlight or 3.

The thing is, they weren't in full dark. I checked the lunar phase of February 15th, and it was a full moon that night. If they were hiking out under foliage or it might explain why they were having trouble seeing. OTOH, if they didn't keep their cells pointed down trail instead of their faces, their night vision has no chance to develop.

Ironically, I've found you only need about 9 lumens on a moonless night to navigate a trail. Most of our EDC lights will do that. You don't need a 100 lumen battery muncher for on trail night hikes.

Yeah, classic rookie mistakes all around. But that does remind me that I've been running the same battery in my EDC light for quite awhile. It's an Energizer Advance Lithium and not frequently used but it's probably better to change it out early and waste a little battery than have it die when I really need it.

I once tested my Zebralight H501 with 0.3 lumen moon mode in a dark forrest. That small amount of light was quite enough for walking and not stumbling around. Of course no running and walking carefully and I only saw a couple of meters ahead but still doable.

Yeah, those of our ancestors who had better night vision tended to survive and those who didn't, didn't.

I once read an article by some anthropologist (sorry, reference long since lost) who theorized that the average intelligence of "primitive" man was higher than the average intelligence of "modern" man. His reason: nature is brutal and the stupid don't survive.

Stories like this seem like they support his theory. . .

A good modern flashlight has a lot to commend it, and a spare is sensible just in case.

But it is worth remembering that until only a generation or two ago, that people walked around after dark with only a wind resistant candle lantern, or an oil hurricane lamp, and managed just fine.

My hiking light back in the day was a PT Attitude with a 70 hour runtime. I changed out batteries on a annual basis, even though they were still servicable.

If your EDC light is like mine (Fenix E01), and doesn't have a dimming grace period after the regulation drops out (with Li primaries), it might be a good idea to change it out periodically. Otherwise, you might be better served by just keeping a spare battery handy.

Invalid post ,disregard.

Excellent battery choice. 10 year shelf life and usually three times the runtime of alkalines. But they are pricey. Rather than just throwing them out when they have been there a "while", why not invest in a good battery checker like the ZTS and just check them periodically. Even if you confirm plenty of life left, carrying a spare as suggested above is a great idea and there are some great containers out there. Regardless of the life left in the battery in the light, an accidental activation left unnoticed for a couple of days will kill any battery.

That's a good idea. I should get a good tester.

I recommend this one: http://www.batteryjunction.com/zts-mini-mbt-r3.html . Most battery testers just check the voltage. Only a pulse-load tester will give you an accurate reading.

No affiliation with Battery Junction or ZTS except as a customer.

This is proof that Darwin was right.

I'd buy a cheap multimeter before buying a dedicated battery tester. A multimeter is more versatile, and you can get the testing done just as good. Here's a Youtube video to show you how to do this correctly with a load:

http://youtu.be/HcikzMG7mMU

That is very interesting. But would you not need to stock different resistors with proper loads for different voltage and mAh batteries? I've used the ZTS and it seems to allow for these issues.

One resistor of 100-300 Ohms should get the job done for all the batteries in the video. One resistor is a few pennies. A pack of many resistors is a few bucks. I have a multimeter and test batteries fine. I have even identified dead car batteries accurately. I can also test to see if a power outlet is hot and generally check house wiring. There are many other uses for a multimeter that costs about $15.

I'm sure battery tester works fine. I'm just saying what I would buy if I did not already have a multimeter.

Many good (and some cheap -- i.e. free from Harbor Freight with a purchase) multimeters include a battery test function that uses a load cell. I highly agree that a multimeter should be on everyones list.

Respectfully,

Jerry