[pct-l] Night lighting

[Eugene Leafty]

The days are short early in the hiking season, so unless you're fast, you
try to start hiking before sunrise.  I hike with a headlamp whenever it is
dark.  I can't risk hurting an ankle that's just starting to feel normal
again.  A headlamp is also priceless when nights are longer than days.

If you actually want brightness, there are three that I would consider.

Zebralight H51
Fenix HP10
Spark ST6

The first two use AA batteries are put out roughly the same amount of light
and cost roughly $60.  The Fenix has extremely long battery life, the
Zebralight trades that in exchange for being much lighter and more compact.

The Spark ST6 is actually a line of headlamps.  The weight is 50 grams
without a battery or head strap, and 150 grams with both.  The difference is
light output and battery life. One potential problem is that this light uses
a lithium 18650 battery or possibly a pair of CR123 batteries.  You need a
special charger for this.  Either you bounce the charger, or rotate
batteries back home to someone that's careful and attentive enough to charge
a battery that can be dangerous if overcharged.

That said, I usually try to set up camp before it gets dark.  That is
because good off-trail campsites can be hard to find even with a really
bright light.

-----Original Message-----
From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
On Behalf Of albert at survivalcrafters.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 11:24 AM
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] Night lighting


Do any of you carry any kind of flashlights or headlamps like the petzl for
the nights or do you generally try to get set up and settled down for the
night before it gets dark. 
I don't think I would try any night walking myself (even with a headlamp)
because the risk of a minor ankle twist or loss of direction would be too
great for me, but it seems like some kind of emergency electric light would
be a good idea, even if it's just to look around the tent or camp area for
some misplaced item. I've picked out a headlamp that weighs 2.3 ounces
including batteries but would like some ideas before spending the 40 dollars
and adding the weight that I may never use.
-Albert