Headlamp for OT Night Hiking

Thanks zeke.  Many many years ago I carried a headlamp with 4 D cells for climbing and hiking.  My last one was a 4 C cell lamp.

edit: I don't climb anymore so can get away with less.

The Black Diamond Spot is I think about 100 lumens and forty bucks. I got mine for night searching with SAR and it's been a pretty good one.

I have pretty much every brand and flavor. The only thing I look for is waterproof and shock resistant. Lumen-wise, I consider anything 80 lumens or better useable and I night hike off-trail all the time.

Most dedicated headlamps one finds in backpacking and camping stores like REI tend to be too wimpy for offtrail night hiking. Their audience is people that don't night hike offtrails but rather use a headlamp about their camp for use inside tents, for cooking late, or like typical chores. And occasionally will be used going down trails in the dark especially if they are simply following someone else that is actually leading the way. To really cope off trails at night one needs to go to sites serious night enthusiasts use like spelunkers and outside night workers like highway police. Then one finds a whole world of advanced flashlights and headlamps that have risen up with the rise of LED technology.

For the last decade plus I've been buying Fenix headlamps and have gone through 4 generations. There are other brands. Currently have an HL11 that puts out a maximum of 277 lumens. All these high end flashlights use regulated voltage to create several light levels thus even if one has a powerful flashlight, one can set use it a lower light, lower power drain settings. The negative issue is these tools are heavier because they require larger batteries. I have a bag full of high end AA NiMH rechargeable batteries for a list of gear and try to buy equipment that uses them. The below uses those AAs.

www.davidsenesac.com/2016_Trip_Chronicles/summer_2016-13.html

www.fenix-store.com/fenix-hl50-led-headlamp/

www.fenix-store.com/fenix-hl35-high-performance-led-headlamp/

www.fenix-store.com/fenix-hp15-ultimate-edt-expedition-headlamp-iron-grey/

I night hike quite a lot. My last backpack a few weeks ago hiked up Pine Creek 2200 feet vertical between 9pm and 1am before tossing down the sleeping bag. It was all on trail and I used a low setting slowly climbing the steep trail because I was pretty much just looking down in front of my feet. But on another day got up early dawn and hiked a half mile off trail in the dim dawn in order to catch warm sunrise light on 13k peaks. When rambling about off trail in the dark I use a mid level mostly but am occasionally changing light levels to see things further out.

Once above treeline my light source of choice is the moon.

Otherwise I've a smaller Fenix.

Oh yeah. One memorable New Year's Eve I was on a guided Nordic skiing trip run by the Yosemite ski school into the Mariposa Grove staying at a building used for maintenance crews in the summer. Skiing down through the sequoias at midnight was simply amazing.

Huh, hadn't thought of that trip for a while. Thanks!