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#249074 - 07/27/12 01:50 AM Re: Thinking about EDC/backup lights for the wild [Re: Alex]
Russ Offline
Geezer

Registered: 06/02/06
Posts: 5357
Loc: SOCAL
Too much ambient light and your natural night vision will never develop. Ambient light also causes shadows; a light is very useful for reaching into dark places.
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Better is the Enemy of Good Enough.
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#249076 - 07/27/12 03:43 AM Re: Thinking about EDC/backup lights for the wild [Re: Denis]
Lono Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 10/19/06
Posts: 1013
Loc: Pacific NW, USA
My Mountain Hardwear hiking pants have a zippered compartment in the right pocket, I always put a Fenix 1xAA, Ritter MK1 knife, and matches in a waterproof aluminum case there. I carry a whistle on paracord around my neck, with a P-38 can opener attached (for luck, and in case I encounter a nasty can of beans on the trail). That's how I roll - I once forgot the whistle and nearly turned around at the TH and went home, but found a spare whistle in my pack so I put that in my pocket. Its funny how repetition shapes our lives - I feel naked without pocketing these things on the shortest day hike, and more than likely will turn around if any of them are missing. OCD?

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#249085 - 07/27/12 12:51 PM Re: Thinking about EDC/backup lights for the wild [Re: Denis]
7point82 Offline
Addict

Registered: 11/24/05
Posts: 478
Loc: Orange Beach, AL
I may have mentioned it before but I purchased several Olight i3 single AAA lights for my boys. The lights are very small in diameter, weight about half an ounce and have a pocket clip. If you clip them to a pocket next to a knife you are likely to forget it's there. I don't remember if they are regulated but a quick visit to their website shows the output at 70 lumens for almost 45 minutes, 20 lumens for 90 minutes & 2.5 lumens for 20 hours. We've had no problems with them and they were just over $20 each.

No affiliation; just a happy customer.
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"There is not a man of us who does not at times need a helping hand to be stretched out to him, and then shame upon him who will not stretch out the helping hand to his brother." -Theodore Roosevelt

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#249168 - 07/29/12 12:46 PM Re: Thinking about EDC/backup lights for the wild [Re: Denis]
Brangdon Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/12/04
Posts: 1204
Loc: Nottingham, UK
Originally Posted By: Denis
Is simple on/off functionality enough? How useful would different modes (e.g., flashing) be to you?
The main "extra feature" beyond on/off is being able to trade battery life for brightness. Sometimes there's no substitute for a lot of light; if, for example, you are trying to do first aid, or looking for a dropped tool. On the other hand, more often having a lot of light is at best unnecessary, and having a battery life long enough to last the crisis is more important. How long that is is a judgement call, I suppose. Unless you are really diligent about keeping your batteries charged, you should maybe allow for the light being perhaps 75% flat when the crisis starts, so you need more duration than you might think. That said, you can often spend most of the dark hours sleeping.

Variable brightness is one way to manage that trade-off. I think it's good to have.

Flashing is another. I guess it's useful mainly if you are using the light as a beacon for others to find you: to be seen, rather than to see. Some lights can flash SOS automatically. I have trouble believing this is important. For me, flashing is a dispensable feature.

I guess the main thing now is that LED torches are so good you don't have to compromise. My Nitecore PD is a few years old now, and varies between about 2 lumen/50 hours, and 120 lumen/1 hour. Its piston-drive switch is very reliable, and I don't feel I've given anything up for the flexibility.
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Quality is addictive.

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#249441 - 08/03/12 10:09 PM Re: Thinking about EDC/backup lights for the wild [Re: Denis]
wileycoyote Offline
Enthusiast

Registered: 03/01/11
Posts: 309
Loc: north central west TX
for wilderness lights, i believe reliability, runtime and having it on one's body are most important (verses brightness, flash/strobe modes, clickies, throw, beam color...)

i have spent a lifetime looking for the right light and the closest i've come is the custom-made Mako 1xAAA.

here's a link to a thread i started about the Mako, listing what i require of a wilderness EDC 'light and why so few lights meet my needs:

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

although the Mako is kinda hard to come by, the concepts discussed in the thread may offer you additional insights into what might work best for you.

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#250287 - 08/26/12 10:59 PM Re: Thinking about EDC/backup lights for the wild [Re: Denis]
Denis Offline
Addict

Registered: 01/09/09
Posts: 631
Loc: Calgary, AB
I ended up coming across a little light that I think fits the bill nicely for neck lanyard use - the Princeton Tec Impulse.

Here it is shown on a lanyard along side a Fox 40 Sharx whistle:



It uses 2 coin batteries, is waterproof (IPX4), and has 3 modes: High - 12 hours, 12 meters; Low - 36 hours, 6 meters; and Flash - 48 hours. Just to note, this mode information is different than found on either the MEC page I linked to or the Princeton Tec page; the specs have changed but the websites still reflect the previous model information.

Also, the clip shown above can be removed and exchanges with a hat clip if desired.

I've used it on a couple trips so far and am pleased with it, especially given the $10 price tag.
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Victory awaits him who has everything in order — luck, people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take the necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck. Roald Amundsen

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