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08-20-20, 07:25 AM

#7

Wiggle

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN

I prefer headlamps that use AA or AAA batteries. Then when my headlamp batteries are low, I can swap them and have light again in a minute. Many of my trips do not offer any recharging options from a 110v outlet for over a week, I am reliant on the batteries I brought from home. Thus, I want to be able to swap out low battery(s) as needed since I can't just plug the light into an outlet each day.

My favorite headlamp is one I got on a free shelf in Iceland four years ago. Kathmandu, with some help from Google it is the model Raven 26 and no longer listed on the company website. It uses a single AA battery. Most other AA or AAA headlamps take three or four AAA batteries. I like the Kathmandu because it is very light weight, provides adequate light in campsite or tent, and with only one battery it is easy to swap a low battery.

Couple of thoughts:

I agree that single AA is a better option than 3xAAA. The triple cell lights often lack regulation, are more annoying to do cell changes, cost more in battery expenses and have roughly the same amount of energy as a single AA light.
USB chargeable lights can be recharged off a battery bank. A good one will get so much runtime that on low or medium modes you would have no trouble running it several nights typical use without a recharge.
Look out and try to get a light with a nice floody beam pattern. I have seen some that are quite spot-like. The wider pattern is much more useful for most camping tasks. Also a warm colour temperature (4000K or less) is well suited to camping where there the greens and browns of a campground become more muted and flat under cooler coloured lights.

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