Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

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Chip Down
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by Chip Down » October 9th, 2020, 7:18 pm

Don Nelsen wrote:
October 8th, 2020, 1:41 pm
Chip, thank for the comment: Were you on the east side of Adams on the 6th?
Yeah, 6th and 7th. Funny, I had a headlamp problem. It went to full brightness on its own, then went dead. A recharge seems to have solved it, but made me nervous. I carry three light sources, but two are really emergency-only grade.

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Don Nelsen
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by Don Nelsen » October 10th, 2020, 10:43 am

Webfoot wrote:
October 9th, 2020, 5:29 pm
Don Nelsen wrote:
October 7th, 2020, 6:29 pm
I got my light out and turned it on and it glowed so feebly that it barely made a difference. I had checked it out before leaving, just in case, and it worked fine. I shook the battery case, and voila! It worked!
What kind of light do you use?
This is the one I had for that hike. It's been very reliable in the past but I haven't used it for awhile aside from checking it prior to my hike. Perhaps the contacts were a bit dirty. Works now, so all is good.
Image

dn
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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Don Nelsen
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by Don Nelsen » October 10th, 2020, 10:46 am

Chip Down wrote:
October 9th, 2020, 7:18 pm
Don Nelsen wrote:
October 8th, 2020, 1:41 pm
Chip, thank for the comment: Were you on the east side of Adams on the 6th?
Yeah, 6th and 7th. Funny, I had a headlamp problem. It went to full brightness on its own, then went dead. A recharge seems to have solved it, but made me nervous. I carry three light sources, but two are really emergency-only grade.
Yeah, multiple sources are a good idea. I always have my cell phone as backup but I took so many photos and videos on that trip it was nearly done.
"Everything works in the planning stage" - Kelly

"If you don't do it this year, you will be one year older when you do" - Warren Miller

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Chip Down
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by Chip Down » October 10th, 2020, 6:11 pm

Don Nelsen wrote:
October 10th, 2020, 10:46 am
Chip Down wrote:
October 9th, 2020, 7:18 pm
Don Nelsen wrote:
October 8th, 2020, 1:41 pm
Chip, thank for the comment: Were you on the east side of Adams on the 6th?
Yeah, 6th and 7th. Funny, I had a headlamp problem. It went to full brightness on its own, then went dead. A recharge seems to have solved it, but made me nervous. I carry three light sources, but two are really emergency-only grade.
Yeah, multiple sources are a good idea. I always have my cell phone as backup but I took so many photos and videos on that trip it was nearly done.
I carry a big powerbank that I can use to charge my phone, my tunes, my headlamp, whatever. And it has an LED on it too, so counts as an emergency light source.

This is no longer a TR, belongs in the equipment forum :D

Webfoot
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by Webfoot » October 11th, 2020, 12:35 pm

Don Nelsen wrote:
October 10th, 2020, 10:43 am
This is the one I had for that hike. It's been very reliable in the past but I haven't used it for awhile aside from checking it prior to my hike. Perhaps the contacts were a bit dirty. Works now, so all is good.
Image

dn
If it works, it works, but I see that style of light as inherently less durable than a single-tube design. The separate battery pack and wire introduce additional points of ingress, the wire is susceptible to snagging, and the plastics on outdoor-gear-brand headlamps I've handled at REI don't appear to be particularly rugged. I'll never depend on a single light where it really matters but I chose a Zebralight over the REI options. HTH

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retired jerry
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by retired jerry » October 11th, 2020, 1:23 pm

I like USB chargeable internal lithium headlamps

Before going on a trip I make sure and charge it

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retired jerry
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by retired jerry » October 11th, 2020, 1:33 pm

Like the black diamond iota, which I think has been discontinued, but still available. $30

Webfoot
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by Webfoot » October 11th, 2020, 6:58 pm

retired jerry wrote:
October 11th, 2020, 1:33 pm
Like the black diamond iota, which I think has been discontinued, but still available. $30
That checks cheap and light weight but it is only IPX4; cf. ZebraLights are IPX8. What do you do when you need more runtime?

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Chip Down
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by Chip Down » October 11th, 2020, 9:43 pm

Webfoot wrote:
October 11th, 2020, 12:35 pm
...The separate battery pack and wire ...
I too thought that was odd. Back in the pre LED/lithium era, headlamps were heavy, and it was impractical to have everything on the front (headlamp would tend to slip off, sliding down the forehead). They're so light now, the battery can go up front with the lamp.

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retired jerry
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Re: Mt. Adams, Stagman Ridge Oct. 6th, 2020

Post by retired jerry » October 12th, 2020, 6:44 am

I have never used up my Black Diamond Iota battery on a one week trip, but I carry a USB battery pack to charge my phone if I did.

The Iota runs for about 8 hours, but it gets fairly dim after a while. I mainly just use it in my tent.

If you were doing lots of night time hiking where you wanted a bright light for long periods, maybe the Iota wouldn't be the best. The Iota only weighs 2 ounces.

There must be heavier, more powerful USB rechargeable LED headlamps. I like the USB rechargeable because you don't go through batteries. And I hate having batteries that are partially discharged, I'm not sure how much, so I have to bring a spare set.

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