I was recently looking at a Fenix HL-55 headlamp. Does anyone own one and/or have any thoughts about it?

For the intended use you mentioned, I think these are the top two considerations. Something that can take lithium batteries might be preferable, whether AA, AAA, or CR123 since it sounds like this will be stored permanently with your 72 hour kit. With lithiums, you can leave the headlamp loaded with batteries, ready to go, and not really need worry about battery leakage from long storage.

While you could use it for other uses and then put it back in your 72 hour kit, chances are, when you need to grab your 72 hour kit, you'll remember that you lent your headlamp to your buddy a few weeks earlier to work on that plumbing issue he had and you'll be left without a light (unless you buy TWO, that is, or three...or four...)

The wilderness is very dark, so a super bright light is probably not necessary for navigating out in the bush on foot, setting up camp, etc. With dark adapted eyes, you need very little light to see by. Signaling? During the day? At night, against a dark wilderness backdrop, I would think any reasonably bright light would be effective.

Besides the other brands already mentioned, the popular backpacking/outdoors brands like Petzl and Black Diamond have worked well for me and I haven't broken one yet.

I just bought a Nitecore HC50 headlamp that I like a lot but haven't done more than play with it yet. It has a metal body for absorbing heat when it cranked up high and it feels like a beefy piece of equipment without being too heavy. Excellent beam pattern for my uses. Even so, it's a bit heavy for something I might need to carry a long ways through the bush, though, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for you.

I have never handled a HL-55, but if it is a Fenix, that's good news right there. It does appear to be a bit on the bulky side, and it is not lightweight.

A lot depends upon what characteristics you value in a "survival" light and its contemplated uses. "Survival" is just a marketing buzz-word, like "tactical" or "gluten free." At least the HL-55 is made of "all natural ingredients" -no added kryptonite!

The 18650/CR123 battery mode is interesting. I will be buying more 18650 powered lights in the future, probably starting with the ZL-602 - a lot of juice in a small package

My opinion is that the HL-55 would serve quite well. It is by no means unique in that respect....

I believe I have the flood version (the lens is absolutely clear). I am not sure the frosted version would make any meaningful difference. I am quite satisfied with it - probably will not be my last Zebralight.

It is compact,light weight, takes all varieties of AA batteries, and turns on and off dependably when requested The UI is, however, over complex and too complicated.

While I haven't used one myself, for something like a 72 hour bag a Petzl e+LITE seems to fit the bill pretty much perfectly. This is a headlamp designed specifically for this purpose (i.e., being tucked away for emergency purposes only).

i wrote this thread back in 2011 on "the most important [survival] flashlight i've ever owned" and today wouldn't change a thing:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/show...i-ve-ever-owned

wileycoyote, That's a nice looking flashlight and certainly seems to bomb proof from the description.

The fenix eo1 I normally carry bit the dust a short while ago and I've been looking for a replacement, the mako seems to fit the bill except for the price and availability.

Any suggestions for a similar flashlight in regular production for someone without a spare $100 laying around?

you got it:

the $10 E01 is almost as bombproof, puts out a useable 5 lumens or so, and an excellent buy, even if the beam is kinda nasty in color.

for a somewhat brighter 30-lumen light i like the $20 single-stage Fenix E05 (not so much the 3-level 2014 E05 edition).

fact is, i've had hundreds of AAA lights and eventually the chinese-made multilevels die when least expected, so carry a few of them.

i do have a bunch of single-stage Ultrafire E05 that put out 150 lumens on an alkaline AAA. available from DealExtreme www.dx.com/p/ultrafire-e05-cree-xp-e-r5-150lm-1-mode-white-flashlight-black-1-x-aaa-13445 for around $14, they made a great EDC light for city use where you need greater power to override the ambient light than we do here in the wilderness. in terms of quality, about one in ten of them are dead when i receive them, so definitely buy three to be sure you get a couple that work. and then plan on one failing after a while. :-)

but honestly, if you desire a super tough keychain light, then you should buy a custom (mako, spinner, arc Ti, sapphire, killer, et al) or a standard older arc if you can find one.

but if that's just too much money, then buy consumer 'lights in quantity.

The requirements of a "survival flashlight" vary from one person to the next. Is high output required or should you go with long battery life? Common everyday batteries or high performance lithium-ion rechargeables? Hand held or headlamp?

I don't own a "survival" flashlight, but I keep a FourSevens Quark Tactical QT2A-X in my truck's survival kit with lithium primary batteries and NiMH rechargeables. I also keep a single mode 1xAAA (think Arc AAA) w/ lithium primary in my Mission Wallet for pocket carry. (there are a lot more lights than that here from Fenix & FourSevens and headlamps from Princeton Tec & Black Diamond)

Different lights will be better suited to some situations than they are to others. My primary recommendation is to think about how you will use the light and what you will use for fuel. Lithium batteries have great shelf life and excellent operational life. These are great for short term survival such as your typical 72 hour requirement, but for longer than that think quality rechargeable NiMH in a size that works. For me, that means mostly AA with some AAA for the smaller lights and other small devices that require AAA batteries to be small.

Work out all those details and choosing a light becomes a bit easier.

i concur with Russ: lithium for long term storage, rechargeable NiMH eneloops for everyday use, and alkalines only in emergencies.