Light for camping

[e_utopia]

Ok, there have been a lot of threads on lights and, quite frankly, I don't have enough free time to read through them all. So, I figured I'd just ask and see what responses I get:

I'm looking for lights for camping. They need to be at the very least water resistant (ie, splash-proof), and waterproof would be better. I'm thinking of a Krill lamp for area illumination, and an LED light of some sort for 'flashlight' use. I was thinking maybe one of those 'Infinity' lights, but I'm not sure how water-resistant they are. I do like that they use standard batteries, and that would be a big plus in any recommendations, but not actually a requirement.

--thanks,
JB

------------------
e_utopia@hotmail.com

 

[Joe Talmadge]

Well, for lights for camping, the uses I have are:

Long-lasting but not-bright area light for tent: Some of the photons work fine, a Krill might work. I sometimes use the Rigel LED light, since it has a dimmer. I'm not bringing extra batteries for this, so they should last.

Navigating and doing camp chores at dusk or night: This is my most important light, so this is key. I do not want this light to be too bright, and completely demolish night vision. A 2-AA maglight is bright enough, and while navigating with it, I retain enough night vision that I can still make out what's around me, even if it's not illuminated. I'm typically looking close, but I want this light to be able to throw the beam a bit, for occasional distance viewing. I also want the batteries to last a while, since I want to carry one extra set of batteries at most. I use the Maglight 2-AA, but the 2-AAA UKE-type lights should work (I think the 2-AA UKE-type lights might be too bright, not sure).

On the LED side, I wonder if there's any really good solution. LED lights seem pretty bad at throwing a beam, except for the PAL, which has such a tight beam that it's less useful for close-up work.

Super bright light: Why would I need one of these? I dunno, but I carry one anyway. UKE 2L is the best choice -- rugged, lightweight, incredibly bright, and can go a few hours on a single set of batteries.


Joe

 

[Brock]

I use the Krill as a room light, but your eyes must be adjusted to the darkness to really make it useful. I think most people use it as a marker light rather than a area light, but it works for me. It is about as bright as 2 of the same sort of glowing green night lights, so if you have any of them you could compare that way.

Depending on how much light you want I would suggest either a infinity or lightwave 2000. The lightwave uses 3 AA batteries and has a tighter beam, brighter than a standard 2 AA mag. It also has a burn time of over 24 hours. The infinity is about 1/3 as bright but also much smaller using only 1 AA cell. The infinity also has a life of over 24 hours constant on. I have dunked both of these lights in 2 feet of water and both kept working and when they were opened up neither had any water in them, so I would think they would work fine in rain or damp enviroments.

I have some more info and images of each of the light on my led sight.

Hope this helps

Brock - http://www.uwgb.edu/nevermab/led.htm