Oct 28 2007
Gear Essentials: The Headlamp
In past years, today would have been the end of the traditional hiking season. We would all have set our clocks back an hour last night and darkness would have descended upon all of us early this evening.
Thanks to Congress, however, we have an extra hour of sunlight for another week. We don’t change the clocks until the Saturday after Halloween. And we’ll get several more weeks of evening light in the late winter because the time change occurs on the second weekend in March instead of April.
This makes a big difference and I’ll explain why. Tonight, sunset happens at 6:36PM. I am a teacher and on most nights I can usually pull myself away from grading papers long enough to get a good, healthy hike in prior to 6:36. If the time change had happened, a 5:36 sunset would make a possible hike a bit more sketchy.
And it will only get worse. We are still a month and a half away from the winter solstice. Minutes will drip away from the day on a regular basis between now and then. Lake-enhanced cloudcover compounds the problem.
Fortunately, we live on the far western side of the eastern time zone. Those who live in the eastern parts of the central time zone - like my in-laws in Wisconsin - will see regular winter sunsets prior to 5PM in December.
But there is a way to cheat the night a little bit.
Inexpensive, LED headlamps have revolutionized camping and hiking. Instead of carrying a heavy traditional flashlight with enormous batteries, it is now possible to strap on a headlamp that weighs only ounces.
For years, I have used a Petzl Tikka. It has a row of three LEDs powered by three AAA batteries. The headlamp has an elastic strap that I can place on my head or over a hat. The headlamp gives me enough light to read with in a tent. And it lights a fairly wide area with an almost fluorescent style light.
Headlamps can extend comfortable daylight. Given that civil twilight lasts for about a half hour after sunset, a headlamp can ensure safety during that time. And the headlamp makes it possible to do some night hiking. Sometimes it is just incredibly fun to hike through a completely dark forest. These places sometimes come alive at night:)
There are several things to consider when purchasing a headlamp:
1) Bulb type and number: The LED is hard to beat as a light source. It does not generate heat. Some units have one LED. Others have three, four, five and more. The more LEDs, the more light. However, additional LEDs can reduce battery life.
2) Battery type: For the most part, this is personal preference. My Petzl Tikka runs for 120 hours on three AAA batteries. Others run on clock and watch batteries. Still others have rechargeable batteries. Generally speaking, the less weight dedicated to batteries, the better. I can stow my Petzl in my Gore-Tex jacket pocket and forget about it. And I can purchase AAA batteries pretty much anywhere.
3) Filter strips: One of the drawbacks with white headlamp light is the fact that bright, white light robs a hiker of night vision. Sometimes it is better to hike with a red, blue or yellow tinted light. An area is illuminated, but night vision remains. This is especially popular for hunters tracking game.
4) Headlamp configuration: Just this past week, I picked up a $5, five-LED unit from a gas station counter. It has five LEDs in a row and clips to a baseball cap. My Petzl has a strap and gives a straight-ahead beam. Others have LEDs attached near the ear. The proper unit really depends on the type of activity that is intended.
5) Reflectors and settings. Lately, headlamp makers have started to place reflectors behind the actual LED beam. These reflectors can intensify and shape the light produced by the LEDs. Sometimes, headlamps can produce both a narrow, focused beam and a wide, broadly illuminated area. Some also have color settings, emergency flash capabilities and options to choose quantities of LEDs used.
So, selecting the proper headlamp is a personal choice. What kind of light do you want? What uses will you have for the lamp? What kind of durability do you need? How much weight can you take?
The answers will determine which type of headlamp to purchase. Better yet, purchase several and try them out. Costs can range from $5 to over $100. But a perfectly good headlamp is possible in the sub $30 range these days.
Here is a page from the Cabela’s online catalogue to show some of the options. Good internet searches can reveal great deals on these things:
This is the Cabela’s advice page about headlamps. It will give more detailed purchasing tips:
Use the link below to calculate sunrise, sunset and civil twilight for your location: