High Sierra Topix

my headlamp is in the outside mesh pocket, so i'd see if it automagically turns on. It's a petzl tikka about 10 years old. love it, and I don't have to chew the back end of an aluminum mini mag

Did find a good use for the mini mag after I retrofitted it with the LED option. Abalone diving. Find the ab, drop the light, get fresh air and dive back down and pick the ab. They are bright and waterproof.

I've had my newer, fancier headlamp turn on in the pack many times. It just takes a button push to do it and it has no auto-off. Not a very well thought out design. The whole thing is poorly designed, especially the user interface. Most headlamps I've looked at seem that way. On mine, getting to the batteries isn't all that easy so reversing them (while I have done it) doesn't work well as a regular routine.

Still have a older Princeton Tec, the On/Off switch is recessed which makes turning it on accidentally difficult.

I have two Lucis. The first one, the straps broke off. The second one, the valve doesn't hold air any more.

My complaint about the Luci is that when totally dark, I can never find the "on" button. It is flush with the bottom. After punching numerous spots I finally get it on. I never use the little plastic band- looks like it would easily break. I don't blow it up - just pull it open a ways. I never was any good at blowing on those valves that you have to pinch. My kids always had flat pool floaties.

the Luci lights are new to me. I'm not giving up my headlamp just yet, hands-free use is very handy in the middle of the night when seeking a spot beyond trees. but on a car camping trip with buddies, we like to hang around a small campfire on our fishing trips to chat after dark. we take a costco-purchased lamp, the size of the classic coleman to add light to a table or extra space beyond any campfire's throw. or without a campfire. with our current habits, this is would be a good option for backpacking into wilderness. particularly the Outdoor 2.0 model.

it seems like a diffused model would be best but is the diffused Luci Lux model they offer more of an accent light for mood? i'm picturing 3-4 people huddled around eating dinner way past dark... a scenario not quite unheard of

eric
fresno, ca.

WD, maybe a small dot of fluorescent paint would help enough. I've thought about doing that to mine for the same reason. Mine has a plastic band on both ends, I don't blow it up. I pull the straps pinch the valve and it inflates to within around 90% capacity. I don't like blowing it up because of condensation.

I carry a headlamp with auto-lock and a Luci. Headlamps are a bit of a pain to campmates, I like the headlamp for usual stuff and when nature calls. I like the Luci around the kitchen. During the search last week, we hung it from a tree branch to illuminate the kitchen. I've hung it from the counterweight hook on my tripod for custom lighting. Next time, I think I will try keeping it deflated and setting a full Platy water bladder on top as a diffuser. I've put a flashlight behind a 2 gal sparkletts bottle when car camping for ambient lighting. Same idea.

I can understand that strategy for your limited use situation. Will contrast that with my situation at the other extreme.

My backpacking flashlight system is involved in part because for years I have probably night hiked more than anyone else on this board. Besides hiking trail and routes carrying my pack at night, that also includes pre-dawn hikes out to photo locations and after sunset and dusk, hikes from late photo work back to camp. I generally retire into my tent as soon as dusk fades but am sometimes up for an hour making dinner and or in my tent looking at topos planning for the next day. Thus tend to use my lights more than others and hiking in the dark off trails requires a serious tool.

My dated Fenix HP11 headlamp with a 277 lumen max output and several output levels weighs 6.4 oz without batteries. It takes 4 AA NiMH batteries that weigh 1.1 ounces each thus a total weight of 10.8 ounces.

I also always take a Fenix E01 flashlight with a constant voltage regulated output that is always in my pocket. In fact I own 4 and one is always in my pocket during my workday and at home. It weighs 0.5 oz that takes a single AAA NiMH that weighs 0.55 oz for a total weight of 1.05 oz.

I also have this Sony CP-AH2R USB Portable Charger that takes 2 NiMH AA batteries:

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-CP-AH2R-Por ... B004CCRY6K

I use that to charge my SanDisk Sansa Clip+ MP3 player and if I take it as I might on short trips to run a GPS tracking ap, my Moto g smartphone. If those batteries drain, I coulds swap those out with a couple batteries from the HP11. The CP-AH2R will charge the MP3 player or smartphone much faster than any typical lightweight backpacking solar cell solution.

Dave, compared to you I do only a tiny amount of walking in the dark: the occasional pre-dawn start and once in a while a late season day that goes on longer than the light lasts.

One thing I always notice when I'm relying on a headlamp is that there isn't enough angle between the light source, the target (usually the trail several feet in front of me) and my eyes. As a result I don't see much shadow. This has caused more than one stumble as small rocks and roots sometimes blend right into the dusty trail without a shadow to make them stand out.

So about half the time I carry my headlamp in my hand.

Now maybe this is just a function of my (relatively) underpowered light, at least compared to yours.

Or is it a limitation of headlamps in general?

Just curious...

hmm. Not really backpacking, but when duck hunting, you have to hike a mile in the dark with your decoy cart, and then set up in the dark and fog at least a half hour before sunrise. The dogs didn't seem to have an issue. I love my Petzl.

Only backpack hiked out in the dark once in Trinity. It was a necessity, not a desire. I won't give up on the headlamp. If I'm wearing a rimmed hat, there is that shadow. I just look down more often.

longri wrote:....
One thing I always notice when I'm relying on a headlamp is that there isn't enough angle between the light source, the target (usually the trail several feet in front of me) and my eyes. As a result I don't see much shadow. This has caused more than one stumble as small rocks and roots sometimes blend right into the dusty trail without a shadow to make them stand out.......

I've experience that exact same thing. In July, I did a 2am to dawn hike from Isberg TH toward Isberg pass. What I noticed was during the first few miles, I was getting frustrated, tripping on every little rock and root. The trail was through relatively flat forest, so it was wide, sandy and seemed to blend right into the forest floor if I wasn't diligently keeping my eye forward. I reverted to knodding my head "yes" through the whole first few miles so I could keep my eye on the trail ahead and my feet. It didn't help. What did help was when the uphill travel started. I could see the trail and it's immediate features much better. An issue of enough contrast to differentiate between sand and stumble.