For outdoor use a headlamp is beyond utter useless IMHO
tried all kinds of tints a couple of days back but when it is warmer and there are insects the last thing I want is attract them to my head, keeping light in the hand means some on your hand, easy to get rid of and a fast motion removes them from the lens.
Like really, indoors it might be useful hands free (yet tail standing or using a magnet or tripod on a normal light does the trick for me)
I placed a few lights on a table, from 3000K to 6500K, all in the same brightness
after a few minutes there were little insects on and in front of each, a little less on the warmer tints but still so much, having them crawl over your head and in your hair is really really annoying.
Not to speak of the occasional big insects smashing into you ( Cockchafer - Wikipedia )
no headlights for me for sure
Well I love headphones, while working i have a bluetooth over ear thing, it keeps out noise from the tools I work with and adds a bit of music to work easier with.
But those flies moths and beetles on my head and in my hair, brr
I never thought about that so I obviously never used a headlamp that way. Just thinking back to a summer I spent in Minnesota (the land of 1000 lakes and a billion mosquitoes) having a headlamp on in the woods there would have been out of the question. It’s nowhere near that bad where I go camping/hunting here in northern CA but that reminds me to have a backup plan if I do decide to bring the headlamps.
Thanks for the heads up (crappy pun was unavoidable, sorry)
A headlamp isn’t something I use often, but I’ve definitely had occasion before where it was the perfect tool for the job. There’s really no better way to get lots of light right in front of me, where I need it, and keep both my hands free to do whatever activity I find myself doing in the dark. I love my headlamps when I need them.
When you need to do stuff with your hands and it’s dark a hands-free light is a must, and a headlamp is the best choice. I’ve been in some pretty buggy areas and I have not recalled the headlamp being a problem. But I also don’t tend to have it turned on just sitting still.
I’m not sure but a red or green ligh might attract less bugs. Also try putting up an uv light in the neighborhood where you work so the bugs go to that instead of your head. Don’t know but there must be a reason they use UV lights in those mosquito trap things
My life is $h*t without a good headlamp, can’t do without one.
Headlamps are good when you need two hands. Last time I used one I was cutting down a couple of big trees with a chainsaw after dark. Try that holding a flashlight.
my experience with headlamps thus far has been hiking and camping. they are really essential when hiking at night and doing chores around the campsite. i never really noticed insects being a problem. i would say that hundreds of thousands of hikers would disagree with your assessment The Miller. however for you, if it does not work it does not work!
We used to use a yellow light bulb in outdoor lights so it wouldn’t attract bugs. Not sure how effective that is/was.
It would be nice to see which colors or tints attracted more bugs and avoid those when manufacturing headlamps.
One of the benefits of living in the SW US is that our desert does not have a lot of bothersome flying insects. Most of those need standing water to breed and we don’t have a lot of water standing around. Even inthe mountains around us we’re not bothered. Our mountains are drier than many; one reason we have large wildfires from time to time. No bothersome flyers though.
I use headlamps in almost any occasions whenever I need portable handsfree lighting indoor or outdoor.
The only time I don’t use HL on my head outdoor is when it’s too foggy, since I the light will be reflected back and haze the vision.
As for the bugs… rub citronella oil on your forehead and cheeks, or any good insect repellent. When they’re are too many, I simply switch to my handheld until the swarm gone. Alates mating season is indeed very annoying and tasty (they make for extra protein at the basecamp)
1: Snow blowing. Bugs are not an issue then… Typically I have to do the snow blowing and shoveling before or after work, and its almost always dark. I usually clip my Jetbeam RRT-0 to the visor of my hat. Normal headlights almost always get blocked by the hood of my jacket or sweat shirt.
2: Burning brush in the summer. I will either use the Jetbeam as above or a cheap Fox Outfitters headlamp I got for free. Never really noticed an increase in bug attacks though. But in Maine, if the smoke dont keep them away, bug spray is used
Well sometimes I use a Thrunite TN12 on my cap or a On the Road i3 with Olight clip
In winter while chopping up wood, the S70 is handy on its strap
Maybe it is a season for some bugs but I so many yesterday night
I have these bands for up to 3 lights but like clipping one on a cap better
But still working in tight dark spaces i rather use lights pointed at where I need light then something on my head.
I’m not far from you The miller, it really depends on the time of the year, in the hot months flying creatures make it incredibly irritating to use a headlamp outside but there are a good 7 months when it’s perfectly fine, i use mine ( neutral white zebralight h602) every evening of these months to walk my dog and it’s a great luxury not to have to hold my flashlight arm in the same position for an hour, not that it’s tiring, but tedious. and uncomfortable.
Of course there also have situation when you need both hands where headlamps are a must like fixing cars, holding a beer and a samich or strangling cats.
