What do you all use for light around the camp? No one ever really talks about that, just flashlights?

For normal a normal utilitarian knife, the Fenix Cree LOD with it's single AAA battery is hard to beat.
You get 9 hours of low with a lithium battery that is brighter than all but the best 3AAA headlamps.

It's also much more water resistant and shock-proof than a head lamp and weighs just under an ounce.
It doesn't even compare to any of the other model Crees.
If you want a really sweet light, going with any of the other models will not do you wrong. Especially if you want to do any night hiking.
Ounce for ounce there is no headlamp out there that can even come close to the Crees.

I use a Petzl Tikka XP. Great, powerful light but be warned that it loses its maximum brightness pretty quick after putting brand new batteries in it. I've never used lithium in it, so that may porlong the maximum brightness. I also have a Princeton Tech Impulse Micro Light. The Tikka XP weighs 3.3 oz with batteries and the Micro Light weighs .5 oz with the hat clip on it.

If I wasn't a flashlight geek I just take a photon freedom button light except trips where I was planning to do a lot of night hiking in which case I would most likely bring a Princeton Tec EOS. But I am a flashlight geek so I bring other lights to play with / test. I have a list of recommended flashlights

For emergencies I have a Photon Freedom Microlight that is on a lanyard which never leaves my neck (along with my Swiss Army Classic knife and my whistle). For regular camp duties and night-hiking I carry a Black Diamond Spot headlamp.

I carry one red and one white photon freedom on a lanyard around my neck and use the clips to attach them to my hat at night. I use the red to read and do close-distance chores, and the white if I need to go somewhere. Sometimes I bring another white one if I plan to hike at night. Two white photon freedoms aimed in approximately the same direction is plenty bright for night hiking...

Edited by btomsky on 06/13/2007 09:58:20 MDT.

I've been using a PT Aurora and the free PT Pulsar (similar to the Photon) that came with it.
I keep the Pulsar on a lanyard around my neck with a whistle and small Swiss Army knife.
I keep the Aurora in my pack and, although its a great light, I find myself using it less and less. I've thought about getting the e-LITE or a real Photon to replace it to save some weight.

Adam

I use a Petzel E+Lite. It's great. 27 grams including batteries, 45 hour burn time low, 35 hour on high, it has strobes, super bright LEDs and a red LED. You can wear it on your head, wrist, hat, shirt, etc. I use it in my hammock a lot. Just clip it to the ridge line and you are good to go.

I second the Fenix LOD CE. Brighter than my tikka xp at half the weight, with fewer batteries and actually works with lithium batteries. Duct tape a Photon clip and voila, you have a headlamp.

Thanks for all the info

Princeton Tec EOS.

My Petzl Tikka Plus weighs only 2oz. It is brightest of all in a compact size (barely bigger than the three AAA batteries). I do not like the strap headbands and don't want to carry the weight. I took my old North Face hat, which is gore-tex lined with a rollable baseball brim, and modifed the adjustment strap in back to hold the light. The hat only weighs 1oz.and both the hat and light are water proof, so I just have to turn my hat around to have a light in any weather.

Edited by FredS on 06/16/2007 23:39:20 MDT.

Great "Tikka plus on the hat" idea. I love it!
Thanks.

I don't know why anyone would use anything other than Photon Freedoms. I carry two, one white, the other one emitting light that does not mess up your night vision (red, blue-green I think, etc). They weigh next to nothing, give plenty of light, and can be dimmed to whatever level you need.