Ever needed two headlamps (or lights)?

[Sanbu]

I read on another thread where someone always carries two lights. Now I'm thinking of doing the same for solo hiking.

Please share *real-life* stories where a second light saved the day. Also, what folks recommend for the second light. I assume the first would be a headlamp.

I used to hike with a guy who never carried a light, even on multi-week backpacking trips. Insane to my way of thinking. I marveled at what he could accomplish with minimal light. Total darkness put him at serious disadvantage of course.

 

[DayTrip]

I read on another thread where someone always carries two lights. Now I'm thinking of doing the same for solo hiking.

Please share *real-life* stories where a second light saved the day. Also, what folks recommend for the second light. I assume the first would be a headlamp.

I used to hike with a guy who never carried a light, even on multi-week backpacking trips. Insane to my way of thinking. I marveled at what he could accomplish with minimal light. Total darkness put him at serious disadvantage of course.

I always carry multiple light sources when I hike and know I will be close to dark or walking in the dark (I hike alone as well but even in a group I wouldn't rely on someone else). I have a primary and a secondary headlamp, a small lightweight flashlight and 1-2 of those light sticks you crack and use. My main headlamp uses rechargeable batteries that are the same size as my GPS so I always have an ample supply. My secondary headlamp is USB chargeable. The lightweight inexpensive flashlight is in my hip belt for quick "emergencies" like the headlamp suddenly going out so I can get into my pack or pocket for the back up and I could also give it to someone unprepared if I came across them. The light sticks are really just if I get stuck in an emergency situation to help flag my location to searchers or as an absolute last resort light source. They stay lit for like 18 hours or something and weigh basically nothing. I usually have a cell phone as well so that could be used too. So I guess I have 5 sources of light on most hikes.

I can't say I've ever had a life saving story related to lighting but I'm not willing to put myself in that position. Visibility is one four basic categories of risk for me so I have redundant gear to provide it because I have no one else to depend on.

 

[TCD]

I usually carry two headlamps, and sometimes three. They are inexpensive and lightweight, so it's easy.

I don't usually have a hand held flashlight when hiking, but sometimes they are helpful around camp.

I have been on some long hikes where a partner slowed down a lot, so we were in the woods basically all night. Even the LED headlamps wear down and become a little dim after enough hours, and it was nice to get out a fresh one and have a good bright light for the last couple hours. Sure, you can change batteries. But the headlamps are so small and light it's easier to just get out a fresh one.

Also, most of my headlamps are cheap enough (Walmart, $6 for the really cheap ones) that I can give them away when needed. I have done that a couple times. Once a couple adults with two very small kids (4 year olds) were stumbling down a local mountain in the dark. It was about 45 minutes "daylight walk" to the road. They would have been out for a long time and perhaps would have gotten hurt or lost. I was happy to give them one of my extra headlamps. Another time, a couple folks were starting up a local mountain with about 2 hours of daylight left. I asked them if they thought they could complete their hike in daylight, and if they had lights. They had no lights and had not thought about it. Again, I happily gave them a light.

 

[richard]

I always carry a headlamp, LED flashlight and spare batteries.

 

[Ramblings]

I carry extra batteries for my primary headlamp plus a Petzl e-lite as backup.

 

[nartreb]

Ditto to everything TCD said. Two at all times, three or more if I'm planning to be out at night. Different lights for different tasks, too: extra throw if I expect to be route-finding or looking for technical anchors, extra-soft glow for easy wooded terrain or for map-reading.

There have been plenty of times where I had to use the second lamp: first one got switched on in the pack and is out of juice, or I just forgot to change the batteries, or I lost / damaged one in a fall. It's never been a life-or-death issue (certainly not on a hike, though I've had a couple hairy descents while on technical climbs) since I'm always equipped to bivy, but it sure makes those long, dark descents go faster.

 

[Nessmuk]

Carry the second light source so you can change the batteries on the first. Ever try to find batteries in the bottom of a pack and then open a headlamp to change batteries in total darkness?

 

[TCD]

This is a good point. Before LEDs made headlamps so cheap and light and long-lasting, I used to practice changing batteries with my eyes closed. It was a good skill to have back in the day.

 

[psyculman]

I always carry 2 lights. If in the dark, one headband mounted and one around my neck so if the headband jolts off and opens up, the second one can be used to find it. Yes, that happened once. And always new battery's.

 

[weatherman]

All good points. Every time someone gives me a headlamp for a present (they are cheap and make good gifts and many family members don't hike, so I've found one in my stocking on numerous occasions), I put it in a box. I probably have about 10, and so on any given hike I'll have at least 2.

Just one occasion where multiple headlamps were needed: planned winter night hike above treeline (don't ask, but we did all survive). Sudden decreased visibility and temporary loss of trail dictated a quick huddle and inventory among the 6 of us. We had lots of lights. The leader took the brightest, and found the trail as a result. The second strongest took the second brightest lamp. Everyone else stayed together, and within sight of one of the two leaders. Result was finding the trail faster than we would have.

 

[peakbagger]

Need ? Wanted, definitely. I was with a friend in early winter one day on Rocky Branch Trail hiking out from Isolation. The sun went down and it was dark on the top of Engine Hill. My friend took out her headlamp and we started hiking, we went about 5 minutes and her headlamp bulb failed. We had to walk out to RT 16 with one headlamp. It was quite dark with no moon. The terrain was a mix of ice snow and icy rocks. I handed my headlamp to my friend and she would walk along while I walked behind hopefully missing the big rocks. It took us 2 1/2 hours to make it out to RT 16.

Prior to carrying a spare I was with a small group heading up Katahdin and over the Knife Edge. A couple of folks were very slow and we ended up at the summit with sunset rapidly approaching. We made it to top of the Saddle past sunset and once we were off the open slide it was pitch dark. Out of the group of four we only had two working headlamps. We made it down to Chimney Pond around 11 PM due to slow going due to lack of adequate lighting.

I carry a spare Petzl that uses a lithium coin cell,it puts out plenty of light to get out, is basically indestructible and the coin cell is good for years in storage.

 

[wardsgirl]

At an absolute minimum, I carry two headlamps and one flashlight, any time I head out for a hike.

I'm a late starter, usually not putting boots on the trail before noon.

And I hike real slow, much less than 1 mile per hour.

Most hikes finish well after dark, and I like it that way!

Right now in my pack I have a LED flashlight, a Petzl Tikka, and a Black Diamond loaded with Lithium batteries for winter.

 

[Sanbu]

What’s this about cheap headlamps? When I check REI they start at $30 or so and up. Are cheapies from Joes Sporting Goods or Walmart any good? Heavier? Less reliable?

 

[iAmKrzys]

What’s this about cheap headlamps? When I check REI they start at $30 or so and up. Are cheapies from Joes Sporting Goods or Walmart any good? Heavier? Less reliable?

REI primarily sells the two of the most respected brands (at least in my opinion): Black Diamond and Petzl and there is a premium you have to pay for these flash lights in addition to full price REI charges for the comfort of no-questions-asked return policy and "gear bucks" that are "paid" back to REI members. I have Black Diamond Spot for my primary headlamp and I think I paid around $40 at REI while it can be bought around $30 on Amazon. I use rechargeable batteries for my headlamp and it seems to work pretty well. I also carry a tiny 1 oz Bright Medic FireFly head lamp https://www.amazon.com/FireFly-Ultralight-Headlamp-orange-On-Sale/dp/B00K1JKDHU - the advantage of this is that I can always keep it in my pocket and I have a fallback should I have trouble finding my primary headlamp in the dark or if I needed to change it's batteries. Also the backup light uses lithium batteries, so it may be a bit better in very low temperatures should I ever get stuck in really cold weather.

Looking around on Amazon I see some headlamps that sell around $10 and I think this is what other posters mean by "cheap". They may perform just fine but not everyone wants to entrust their safety to some unknown brand.

 

[Raven]

2 headlamp minimum, three if I plan to night hike. Always an extra set of batteries. I night hike with $6 headlamps that are perfectly effective and have very few issues. I carried three two weeks back on a night hike up East Osceola.

Like numerous commenters, I've given them away to other hikers headed up who had a lot of enthusiasm and maybe not as much time as they needed. Usually, it was a case of me doing trail maintenance and getting asked questions about Washington or Monroe. I'd start asking a few questions (Oh...got an extra light? It's a long hike). For $6, they can have one. Last time I gave one away was two years back, early spring, two strong looking female hikers headed up Ammo Ravine on relatively dry trail at the base. They were going to hit deep rotten snow without snowshoes in the woods at elevation and were considering the 10 mile Ammo/Jewell loop. I would guess they changed their plans. They seemed reasonable, but could have been better prepared.

 

[peakbagger]

Unless you plan to be caving or plan on night hiking, IMHO, a cheap LED headlamp is probably a good compromise although the details factor in. The high end lights use an electronic chip to do all sort of extra features like different colors, brightness settings and flashing. They can also stretch battery life. I would suggest avoiding these features and sticking with a basic LED with a slide switch that has positive detents in the off position. I would not go cheap on batteries, buy a name brand and if the light is not used consider changing them out yearly. I rotate them through my TV remote control, when I swap batteries on the remote I take them out of my flashlight and put the new ones in the flashlight. For winter conditions or long term storage in the pack, hard to beat lithium batteries. I cant recommend rechargeable batteries unless you have a backup. Doug Paul has done extensive research on batteries and rechargeable in the past and maybe he will weigh in.

 

[jniehof]

Lower Cave, Carlsbad. I had the Park Service helmet + headlamp with brand spankin' new just purchased alkaline batteries, which is what they tell you to do, and also carried along my regular hiking headlamp with freshly charged rechargables, which they tell you not to do. The brand new alkalines failed in about twenty minutes and I was very glad to have my headlamp.

 

[Nessmuk]

Lower Cave, Carlsbad.

Wow, I was in there way back in 1972, on a college research and exploration project. Got down to Carlsbad's lowest level, "Lake of the Clouds" with authorization of then park ranger Jerry Trout - I 'm sure he is long gone now. Then did some vertical long drops into the likes of Cottonwood, Black, Spider, and others. Just missed finding the entrance to then yet unknown Lechuguilla cave by yards during our search for others. Those were the days of carbide lamps as our primary light source (Watch out for the flame hitting on your rope!).

 

[DougPaul]

For winter conditions or long term storage in the pack, hard to beat lithium batteries. I cant recommend rechargeable batteries unless you have a backup. Doug Paul has done extensive research on batteries and rechargeable in the past and maybe he will weigh in.

You called?

Lithium primary (non-rechargable) cells have the lowest temp limits (nominally ~-40F) and the best shelf life (~10yrs). NiMH and LIon (lithium ion, rechargable) are next best (~-20F), alkalines next (~0F), and leave your carbon-zinc (dry) cells at home. (These temps are approximate--in practice the actual temp limits vary according to the details.) Lithium primary cells are also lighter than the other types of cells.

FWIW, I carry 2 or 3 headlamps and spare batteries (particularly when doing through-the-night ski trips... ). I have dropped batteries in the snow while changing them, it can be hard to change batteries with cold fingers, and lights can fail. And, as jniehof noted, a new battery can be defective or discharged. A second light can also be helpful when changing the batteries in the primary light. For day trips, I generally carry fully-charged NiMH cells. My spares are NiMH or lithium primary.

I only carry lights with field exchangeable batteries.

Lights can get turned on (and the batteries drained) in the pack. If a light does not have a secure switch, reversing half (1 is sufficient in a 3-cell LED light) the cells can ensure the batteries will not be drained even if the switch is turned on.

LED lights are generally more efficient, more tolerant of weak batteries, and more reliable than incandescent lights. I switched to LED years ago and haven't looked back.

Water-resistance can also be helpful if you need to use the light in the rain, may get condensation in it (eg putting a cold light in a warm, humid pocket), or drop it in the snow or water.

Doug

 

[jniehof]

Water-resistance can also be helpful if you need to use the light in the rain, may get condensation in it (eg putting a cold light in a warm, humid pocket), or drop it in the snow or water.

One caution is that Black Diamond is starting to make lamps with a sealed bulb compartment but an unprotected battery compartment. So water will get in and ruin your batteries but the headlamp will work once you find new batteries and a hair drier to dry out the battery compartment. The Spot, Cosmo, and Ion are of this construction. The Storm has a protected battery compartment, as does my old Zenix IQ.

Nessmuk: You probably saw far more of Lower Cave than I, as I was just on one of the guided tours. Still nice to get off the paved, lit path, and had a small crawl. I never did get back for Spider or Hall of the White Giant and it looks like they don't lead tours there now. Spider might have been a bit too tight for me.