Flashlight for SAR

I'm going to take a course and do SARTECH II, and I got a list of the required gear. Since I already have five or six headlamps and flashlights, of course I started thinking about getting more. None of the lamps/lights I have are strong, nor do they project very far. I picked them for longevity -- except for the lights I use for shooting. As I began looking at high lumen headlamps (I am guessing headlamps are probably best), I realize amidst the myriad choices, I'm not sure what features I should look for. Please advise, oh sages of ETS!

PS. We're advised to have backup lights, backup batteries, bulbs, etc. So I'm thinking of things like deciding what kind of battery to use for all lights (CR123 or AA), whether to have all headlamps or a mix, etc.

Bingley,

There are a lot of good lights out there. When the CERT I belong to is activated, a Nitecore SRT7 goes on my belt next to my multitool. While it's very versatile and there are a lot of things to like about it, there are better throwers in that form factor (1x 18650 or 2x CR123A with a big head).

For me, the performance gains from using 18650 rechargeables means that all of my larger high-end lights take them. But there are still a lot of options. What form factor are you looking for? Are you looking for big throw, a wall of light, or something in between?

Is a headlamp the right format or is this just personal preference?

You definitely want a headlamp as your primary light. While it is easy to hold a headlamp in hand when desirable, it doesn't work so well the other way around.

Battery compatibility is highly desirable, not only within your light array, but also within the team.

If I were going out the door right now, I would definitely carry my Zebralight 502 - light and bright. I would augment with a thrower - powered by AA batteries, in my case. In reserve I would have my EDC, small and handy, and just right for changing batteries, etc. (probably a Gerber Ultra Infinity)

Your light array will be an essential part of your gear. There seems to be some regulation or other that requires all SAR ops to occur in the dark. There weren't very many of the 450 or so in my experience that occurred exclusively in the daylight.

Considering how small LED light are these days, there is no good reason you could not carry more than three, but definitely carry the types I have indicated. You will use them a lot.

in attempting to standardize to AAs I chose a Black Diamond Icon with the battery pack in the rear and top strap... mine is the older version (got it on closeout) and does not have the red LED of the newer version... for a companion hand held a Fenix E21 ( only 120 lumens but very solid)... both powered by Sanyo AA Eneloops... for your needs, lithium

foreground of pic... Gerber Infinity on right

Thanks, but could you define "primary light" and "thrower". Thanks.

I like low-medium powered headlamp for close work where I need two hands and so I don't trip over things, but not a high powered headlight that would have the throw needed for SAR.

I totally agree on standardizing with AA batteries -- lots of lithium AA's.

Primary light == The light you use the most.

Thrower == A light that illuminates objects that are far away. Opposite of a floody light.

Although my flashlights are standardized on AA batteries, my headlamps are AAA batteries.

The great battery life on these is such that carrying a few extra AAA batteries makes up for slightly less weight and bulk of a 4xAA headlamp. To explain further. Most of the newer AA model headlamps, the battery pack typically sits on the back of the lamp head strap whereas the 3 AAA models, the batteries are enclosed within the light assembly itself.

There are also many headlamps that have Li-polymer or Lithium-ion however many of these have USB or proprietary chargers which presents compatibility problems when the batteries or chargers go south.

Whichever headlamp you purchase, make sure it has a pivoting light head which is very useful as compared to fixed mounted lights.

Waterproof headlamp, double AA with lithium backups.

Also a strong double AA handheld for holding at knee height when searching for tracks.

Glow stick an back of pack.

One thing about your headlamp. It will need to be attachable to your helmet, an item you will be wearing (or should be wearing) a lot...

There is a common assumption that you need lots of lumens for SAR. Well, yes and no. There are time when you want to light up the far canyon wall, so a focusable, variable output light with a turbo setting will be very nice, but more often you will use the lower settings. Helicopter pilots get grumpy when you blind them as they are settling into a hover overhead. Long run time and constant output are highly desirable. One of the days (nights, actually) you will be hiking until "rosy fingered dawn" arrives.

Actually, I remain a closet fan of the carbide lamp. Back in the 1970's, even with all their peccadilloes, they were far more reliable than any available electric headlamp. They kept your hands nice and warm when hiking along a trail, and fire starting will be trivial. I have retired mine (reluctantly) because dealing with calcium carbide has just become too much of a hassle.

One final thought. Be sure that you can switch your headlight readily from head to hand and back again. You will do this lots on a typical operation.

I agree with what hikermor said.

A reasonable level of light and long run time are probably the most important factors. Most lights now will let you change levels (low for battery life and high when you need lots of light). Other things to look for are robust construction and water resistance. I like to standardize on plain old AAA batteries, since it is easy to carry spares, share with others in your team, and you can find them at any gas station or convenience store on your way to the field.

I also agree with hikermor and AKSAR. I have a set of 3 (headlamp, regular use and high power) in both AA and 123. Choose which one depending on the others in the team or specific situation. Back up with a Ritter EQ2 headlamp (coin cells) and a AA from County.com for when Murphy is in good form. The last two remain in my day pack at all times, no matter what other lights I have with me. They even stay there when I am in the Arctic and have 24 hour sunlight.

For the NASAR exam, take exactly what is on the list. Do not skip anything. Even if you take spare flashlights take the required spare batteries as well. Then when you finish take what you and your team think is necessary. Don't throw out any item required by NASAR until you have thought about it carefully, but their list is outdated IMO. It has several things I can do without and is missing several things that I consider critical. Again, it is up to you and your team to fit the pack to YOUR skills and YOUR situation.

AKSAR,

Did you mean AA or do you use AAA as your standard?


Respectfully,

Jerry

I probably didn't word that very well. We don't really have a team standard. My current personal headlamp is a Princeton Tec Quad Tactical. Runs off three AAAs, and has a flip up red filter. Waterproff and robust. In winter, when a headlamp is most essential, I'm usually also carrying my avalanche tranciever, which also runs off of AAA. I always have at least one spare pack of AAA's in my pack. In the bottom of my pack I also have (winter and summer) a little bitty Princeton Tec (can't remember what it is called) that runs off of flat (2032?) batteries. Tiny, and lightweight, it is there for when Mr. Murphy shows up. I think that model light is now discontinued.

Sadly, I also have to carry AAs, since my GPS uses them. For winter use I've been thinking of upgrading my headlamp, possibly to a Black Diamond Icon. Might work better in the cold, but heavier. Still considering the tradeoffs.

The Black Diamond Icon or Icon Polar are great headlamps. If I were to go a 4XAA headlamp system, the Icon, Icon Polar or the Princeton Tec Apex would be my 3 top choices.

I don't need a headlamp for SAR but have been pleased with the Black Diamond Storm for a couples years on the trail or for late night DAT calls for the Red Cross. Important features include modulating between very bright ~90-100 lumens and a far more face friendly low lumen output. And a red LED setting that I'll use when completing paperwork but for some reason freaks out fire victims, so low lumen for them. Waterproof and runs on 4xAAAs and accepts Eneloops and has a very nice time to discharge - I haven't run out of power but I also switch to fresher batteries before each rotation. What I like especially about the Storm though is that it fits on a lapel for my Red Cross vest which I can direct down and switch on and off without having the slightly dweeby headlamp on my forehead while I'm interviewing clients. Handsfree is very nice when you're taking notes, snapping pix of fire damages etc. I might also attach it to webbing on my pack shoulder strap but so far have only used it in headlamp mode. I got by with 20th century lights until I bought the Storm and I've been impressed with the thought and features with this 21st century light. I see the 2014 Storm has slightly better specs and retails for $49.95 while the 2013 Storm is on closeout for $34, its mighty tempting to purchase the 2014 and get a 2013 as a reliable second backup. Lights are like potato chips after all, you can't have just one or two.

Aside from big box or discount stores, which sell cheaply made, heavy and unreliable AA headlamps, good quality double AA headlamps over here, are rare. I cannot recall the last good quality 2xAA headlamp on the market in the last 1/2 dozen years or so.

Big manufacturers here such as Princeton Tec and Black Diamond mainly sell 3xAAA or 4xAA models. There are also some 2xAAA models such as Black Diamond Gizmo but I cannot see the point of having one of these as a comparable 3xAAA lamp only has a slightly bigger battery casing.

I have a Princeton Tec, but now that I look, the new models are aaa.

Most of my SAR stuff was on skis, in wet weather, so most of the Black Diamond offerings weren't weathertight enough. The PTech stuff works well. A small handheld in a vest pocket is great, for when you need to change batteries on the headlamp as well as using at a low angle for tracks.

Is the Fenix HP01 considered a good quality headlamp? It runs on 2xAA batteries. Only IPX-6 so you can't swim with it. I don't have one just saw it the other day and remembered it used less than 4 AA batteries.

Could not tell you as I have no experience with them nor do I no anyone who owns one. The headlamp seems to be a fairly new model so time will tell on it's quality. One thing I did notice, the lamp assembly seems bulky considering that the batteries are in a separate case on the back of the head strap.

I also do not like the battery cable that is hanging loose from the head strap. I can see that getting in the way and snagging on a tree branch or worse.

I don't know if they're "SAR grade" but I've had good luck with my headlamps from Streamlight.

Given Streamlight's general high quality, I would imagine their headlamps would work adequately. "SAR grade" is not really that high a bar. The principal requirement is that they light up reliably when you mash the button.

I keep a small Streamlight LED lamp (an Argo maybe?) loaded up with lithium batteries, stashed in my glove compartment.

I was following a link from ETS once and ended up on an SAR web site for down under; New Zealand I believe. The article noted that their kits have standardized on the LED Lenser H7. I bought one and have been quite pleased.

Mine is 3 AAA, 200 lumens, dimmer switch down to 3 lumens, and a focusing and tilting lamp head.

The current version is the H7.2. Four AAA, 20 to 250 lumens.

http://www.ledlenser.com/880002.html#start=5

From your supplied link, I followed to the HR7.2, which is a rechargeable version, or you can slap in 4 AAAs. Now that is an attractive attribute! Frankly, there are just oodles of very fine headlamps on the market today - quite a refreshing change from the "bad old days."

Thank you for all this information! I didn't expect my inquiry to be so fruitful. Some of the issues you mentioned were unexpected. Now I'm thinking I should probably consult with you on some of the other equipment I'm getting/upgrading. Perhaps in a different thread…

Some of you encouraged me to consider volunteering for SAR. I'm still not sure about it, but you've gotten me to go as far as getting the training for it. Thanks!

Encourage you to volunteer for SAR? Now who would do a thing like that?

REI Outlet has the 2013 model Black Diamond Storm on closeout -- Good lamp, good price. I had the BD Storm on my shortlist so this looked like a good option. I like the 2013 Storm performance numbers more than the 2014, but that may be a function of how the numbers were measured. They've got the same max beam distance (throw), but the older model has better runtime -- go figure. One thing is that the 2013 model is polycarbonate while the 2014 indicates "plastic". Is polycarbonate plastic? Dunno...

Doesn't really matter, I was more interested in the low beam performance so I don't trip over things, I have more than a couple handhelds that can reach out. Both units are rated IPX7 so they can handle water, which goes to reliability in the field.

> Is polycarbonate plastic?

Yes, polycarbonate it is a very high strength plastic.

Yeah, but if the 2014 model were polycarbonate the spec sheet should indicate polycarbonate. With the spec sheet just saying "plastic" my thinking is that the good engineers at BD are cutting manufacturing costs and decided PC was not needed Don't know.

This sentence seemed surprising to me. Is it really preferable to remove a headlamp (which could be mounted to your helmet in some way) multiple times than to use a separate handheld light instead when the situation calls for it? For example, if one were to come across some tracks in the dirt, it seems much faster and more convenient to pull out the handheld light, turn off the headlamp, study the tracks with oblique light from the handheld lamp, and then turn the headlamp back on and be on your way than to be fiddling with the headlamp. Are we just assuming a single headlamp as THE lighting source in this scenario?

A lot of the time when hiking at night, SAR situation or not, I prefer to hold the light in my hand, generally at waist level or perhaps below,in order to see the ground relief, whether or not I am looking actively for footprints. I will shift the light to my head or helmet when I need to use my hands - actively climbing, rendering first aid,or whatever.

Occasionally I have walked on a trail with the light on my head, losing all shadow relief and becoming quite disoriented. This happens quite noticeably on wide, smooth trails - like the Bright Angel Trail at Grand Canyon. I had absolutely no sense of where the ground was. Once I had the light at a lower angle, everything was better.

I did this a lot when using a carbide lamp, and a secondary benefit was nice warm hands. I imagine this might be true also with some of the more powerful LED lamps.

I routinely carried at least two additional lights (old caver's rule - three independent light sources) - and there are certainly times when you want to light up the distance - so usually one was a powerful thrower. I always found it more convenient to just shift my headlamp around from head to hand as circumstances warranted. This may vary,depending upon how you have the headlamp mounted...

Ah, gotcha. Handheld is how you mostly use your light, not the headlamp. Now your commment makes sense.

I agree that headlamps can be a bit difficult when on the move. Things flatten out and it's easy to miss changes in terrain without shadows to highlight them. Many headlamps have a small, intense hotspot which tends to promote tunnel vision. It's like playing "follow the bouncing ball."

"It is easier to hold a headlamp in the hand than to hold a flashlight on the head" - old proverb (at least ten minutes old)

I have found it easier to track at night because you can change the angle of ambient light that to track during the day, especially at high noon.

When I use headlamps it's typically for relatively close work so I have an Petzl E-Lite for minor tasks like that. If you are using a headlamp for your primary light as you indicate I would agree something more capable would be in order.

This may not apply to you, but I switched to 18650 as my standard battery for a variety of reasons. Aside from the initial cost, the idea of "guilt free" lumens made the switch a no brainer -- I use the flashlight like crazy, as opposed to sparingly when I had lights that used CR123 primaries. I don't know how many half empty CR123s I have laying around because I like to go into situations with a full charge so I used to swap more than I needed to.

My current setup is a Zebralight SC600 Mk II for my EDC light, and a Blackshadow Terminator as my "larger" handheld light. Both ran $75-100 with another $20-40 in batteries, but they are amazingly bright. The Terminator isn't designed to throw but at 3,500 lumens it does anyway! The SC600 isn't very tactical, and I miss my forward clicky tactical style lights, but it does have a variety of options from very bright (900+ lumens) to less bright but with great runtime (5+ hours).

It seems silly but I would encourage you to delve further into your inquiry, not just asking here but browsing flashlight oriented forums. There is a lot to learn... and with so much out there, "buy once cry once" is the order of the day, otherwise you wind up with an extensive collection (which might happen anyway!)

Because you are doing search and rescue work I would suggest getting something with a high CRI and neutral or warm white instead of cool for truer color rendition.

I'm not Bingley, but this was a useful topic --thanks to all. I went with the 2013 model Black Diamond Storm thru REI Outlet because it was a good deal and so far I like it. But I was in REI yesterday and saw/played with the Princeton Tec Vizz headlamp -- another nice headlamp.

One of my going in requirements is that a headlamp be waterproof, and both the BD Storm and the PT Vizz are rated IPX7. Unfortunately they take AAA batteries, so I'll need to expand my battery stock somewhat, but it's NBD. AAA lithiums were already in stock and I picked up some AAA NiMH rechargeable batteries -- good to go.

The Vizz is going into my truck's FAK. The BD Storm is going into my County Comm Gaffer's bag which I use as a collection point for stuff that's not EDC but that I want readily available at home.