Spare Headlamp?

[markuslively]

Two is one, one is none on lamps for me. Always have a second headlamp in my pack.

 

[dtrkyman]

I carry a little clip on hat light, takes a 2032 type battery, keep the battery upside down so it can’t turn on in the pack. Just enough light for most situations.

Main light is a Zebra and extra 18650


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[Tod osier]

I carry a little clip on hat light, takes a 2032 type battery, keep the battery upside down so it can’t turn on in the pack. Just enough light for most situations.

Main light is a Zebra and extra 18650


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If you are carrying a zebra light headlamp and an extra 18650 and a clip light, I gotta make the argument for ditching the clip light and adding a zebra light hand held (side clicky) with a spot light. Use the hand held as a holder for the 18650 and you will have a backup with a ton of throw compared to the headlamp (assuming floody) with less weight. The handheld has a clip.

 

[DrBeetleKill]

Yes, I always bring two and extra batteries. The spare and some extra batteries stay in the bino harness.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

If you are carrying a zebra light headlamp and an extra 18650 and a clip light, I gotta make the argument for ditching the clip light and adding a zebra light hand held (side clicky) with a spot light. Use the hand held as a holder for the 18650 and you will have a backup with a ton of throw compared to the headlamp (assuming floody) with less weight. The handheld has a clip.

Solid tip and I used to do that with the same logic, a second light/lamp/etc that uses the same battery is double protection... spare light and spare battery in one for minimal weight penalty.

 

[IdahoBeav]

I bring a backup and backup for the backup. The 3rd string one uses AAA batteries. I also pack a set of batteries for it.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

I had a mule deer down in the sage at the end of the day and had to pack half out, and go back for the other half, wore my Black Diamond, and set the red flashing light on the little Petzl (zipka or elight, not sure) at the meat pile to find easier in the dark.
Typically I carry a lighter, TP, and little Petzl in my pants pocket, and the bigger headlamp in the bino harness. I also have a small Olight with a clip that allows you to use it as a hand held or clip it onto the brim of your hat to replace a headlamp that sometimes finds its way into a pocket.

 

[Blowdowner]

Two in the bino harness at all times. Never turn back before sunset.

 

[Blowdowner]

Cool

I had a mule deer down in the sage at the end of the day and had to pack half out, and go back for the other half, wore my Black Diamond, and set the red flashing light on the little Petzl (zipka or elight, not sure) at the meat pile to find easier in the dark.
Typically I carry a lighter, TP, and little Petzl in my pants pocket, and the bigger headlamp in the bino harness. I also have a small Olight with a clip that allows you to use it as a hand held or clip it onto the brim of your hat to replace a headlamp that sometimes finds its way into a pocket.

cool idea how far could you see it and how long can it blink for?

 

[tall]

What I carry depends on how deep I'm going into the backcountry, and the time of year.

On a day hunt I'll carry as little as a single Nitecore NU20 which, by the way, has impressed me more than any other headlamp for it's low cost, light weight, tiny size, and surprising capability.

On overnight hunts, or ones where I expect a long hike out in the dark, I carry a bigger headlamp. I had a Fenix for a few years, and I'm currently testing the Peax. My backup is the 6-year-old Nitcore NU20. I've also carried a small 1x AAA penlight with a hat clip (ThruNite Ti3 V2). It worked well enough, but I generally prefer a headlamp as a backup. The best feature of the ThrunNite was a very dim reading light for those long winter evenings, and the peace of mind knowing I wasn't using up my primary headlamp's battery.

If I'm solo hunting overnight and more than an hour or so hike from the vehicle, I might also carry a backup battery for the Peax, but most likely not. There will be a fully charged spare in my vehicle.

My caveat is that I like hiking at dusk and futzing around camp without a headlamp. If I'm on a trail or fire road, I'll keep the light off as long as I can and enjoy the peace of the evening. Once the headlamp is on I feel like I'm walking through a tunnel. Plus, the woods are a bit more erie with the headlamp on because I can't see anything just outside of the beam.

As a last resort, there is a light on my sidearm that is very bright for 1.5 hours. Thankfully, I haven't had to use that one yet.

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Cool

cool idea how far could you see it and how long can it blink for?

It was DARK dark on my way back in. I could see it for a couple hundred yards. My guess is it was on for about an hour or two, but I think it would run for several hours. The website says the red strobe is : Visible at 100 m for 70 h

 

[Bignick612]

I've always just carried spare batteries in the pack and had a spare light at the truck or camp but some of the advice on here has me reconsidering.

 

[roosiebull]

Do you guys carry a spare headlamp/light in your pack? Going through my pack list and trying to decide if I need a spare headlamp or not.

I've been using a zebralight for ~10 years now and its been bulletproof, but for some reason I'm freaked out that its gonna fail on a hunt and leave me in the dark..

Edit to add: I carry an extra 18650 battery, so running out of juice is not a concern.. the spare lamp is strictly for a failure of my main light.

I always pack 2, my main 2 are the Fenix hm55&60, 55 in my bino harness and 60 in my pack, but have been using a sofrin a good amount this year just testing reliability, so packing 3 lately

2 reliable lamps always though, and make sure your spare isn’t easy to accidentally turn on in the pack

 

[iwearshorts]

Two headlamps, a flashlight, and spare batteries always.

 

[bowieknife6601]

I carry a Nitecore hc65 with an extra battery. And an extra handheld streamlight in the pack. For camping trips at least. I haven’t had the opportunity to do a multi day backcountry hunting trip yet.

 

[WyoKid]

You Roksliders run some high end headlamps. I have seen buddies with Nightcore, Sofrin, Peax and Zebra. While great lights with high output, IMHO they are a bit heavy. Carrying two or or a backup is a good idea - 2 is 1 and 1 is none. My personal preference is headlamps that run off AAA batteries so I don't have to carry spare batteries or worry about carrying a recharging pack. I like it simple and workable so my set up is:

Two Princeton Tech Headlamps (Remix) with AAA lithium ion batteries. If one goes out, the second is a backup. If one breaks, I can switch out batteries. One time, I had to loan my 2nd headlamp to a buddy because he only brought one and broke his on-off switch.

For around camp, a Streamlight MicroStream running on a single AAA battery as it has a dual clip you can attach to your ball cap. Also acts as a spare. Another time, while on a bivac I had to give it to a hiker that went on a hike with no flashlight and was trying to find his way back to the road in the middle of the night.

For inside the tent or general area lighting a Ozark Trails Min-Lantern from Walmart running on three AAA batteries.

Everything runs on AAA lithium ion batteries (which are required in extreme cold conditions as Alkaline will lose power when cold).

This minimize carrying a way to charge rechargeables and different batteries for different electronics. Of course, you could carry a solar charger but you might end up with overcast and rain for several days and it does add extra weight. I do have a solar charger but I leave it at the tent to charge during the day but I use it to charge my phone at night.

Everyone has their own preferences and ideas so this is just mine.

 

[dtrkyman]

If you are carrying a zebra light headlamp and an extra 18650 and a clip light, I gotta make the argument for ditching the clip light and adding a zebra light hand held (side clicky) with a spot light. Use the hand held as a holder for the 18650 and you will have a backup with a ton of throw compared to the headlamp (assuming floody) with less weight. The handheld has a clip.

Except the clip on light was probably 2 dollars, definitely less than 10, but I get the point.

I would not buy another Zebra, it's a good light but their CS is non existent and I still have occasional issue with mine even after sending it back, it flickers particularly on low power, with any battery I have ever tried and even after sending it to them when new, for the first year I owned it they had it more than I did!