Help a noob? Hiking light

I'm in need of full on advice, very new to this so try and keep it simple if at all possible.

I've recently got really into my walking and have been considering starting overnight hikes, but would like to be able to keep moving for some time after sunset. This obviously requires some kind of flood, but due to the terrain one with good throw on would also be a benefit.

I think the flood is probably most important due to sticking to trails and having gps.

Budget is as low as possible, (thinking £50 so $80 all in including decent battery's and a charger)

Does anyone have any recommendations or pointers I should be looking for?

Oh and I'm UK based, so no US sites if possible....unless they ship here of course.

I would suggest some XM-L based light, like one of the following:

1. KD C8
- good combination of throw & flood
- 1 x 18650 -> shorter runtime, but safer

2. Trustfire Z5
- zoomable: great flood, but also ok throw if needed
- 2 x 18650 -> longer runtime, but you need to know how to handle li-ions..

Been hiking a lot and done several night climbs. I suggest get a headlamp and a thrower light, The KD C8 XM-L(1x18650) is a good recommendation for throw with good spill. For a headlamp Been using a zebralight H51 but there are a lot of other options for sure. I think Fenix HL21 (1xAA) is also good, it really depends on what battery format you prefer.

With that kind of money you can get some pretty good stuff. The http://www.kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=11097 is a great light for the price and is well respected by most around here. I have the 3 mode version and its great.

For chargers I would say anything in the X-tar line. They seem to be the best chargers for the money. A lot of other brands are really hit or miss. I have an ultrafire WF-188 I really like it but it runs pretty hot so I cant really say I recommend it.

I think the best value battery right now is the X-tar 2600 their based on the sanyo battery (very good battery) I would say their a mid priced battery and should be very reliable. There are lots of fake re-wrapped batteries on the market so you may want to ask before you make your final decision. (EDIT i have never seen any fake x-tar's I was referring to fake ultrafire/trustfire ect batteries)

EDIT I havent done any price checking latley but I have ordered from this seller and was very happy with them... http://www.ebay.com/itm/XTAR-MP1-USB-Charger-2pcs-18700-2600mAh-3-7V-Kit-/390291688565?pt=US_Batteries&hash=item5adf328c75#ht_4687wt_760 This is their cheaper charger but they still work great for doing 1 battery at a time.

This is another pretty good deal, http://www.ebay.com/itm/XTAR-18700-2600mAh-protected-battery-WP2-Car-Charger-/160551285693?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25619a33bd it comes with plug so you can charge them in your car. A lot of these sellers have or will swap out plugs for you depending on what country your in.

and make sure you order a couple battery holders http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-x-18650-123A-plastic-Battery-Storage-Case-Box-blue-/150638239575?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2312bd1f57#ht_2686wt_860 Their pretty handy

If it's based on a sanyo I'll be getting those, I'm into photography and exclusively use sanyo eneloop batterys.

Thanks everyone so far for the recommendations and advice.

I'm in London so here's a tip re ordering. Do separate orders for each item. Remember most major suppliers ship free of charge and the ebay suppliers have a fixed shipping cost for each item so you don't save by placing one big order there either. By buying each item separately you won't have one big weighty expensive parcel coming through customs. Small orders are, in my experience, never held up at customs and no import duty is ever added.

Yeh I'm already aware of customs and that side of things, just didn't want to be linked to sites that only ship to the USA.

Are there any good ones out there not using Li-ion batteries? I have no problem with using them but do already own a stack of rechargeable AA, C and D batteries. I've no idea how this would impact on output though...

it depends on how much light you need. if you're fine with 200 lumens or so, 2xAA should be fine. if you need 300+ then you'll need 18650's.

Cheers, certainly going to need over 300. Thinking I'll go with the KD C8 and pick up a cheap headlight.

I personally think headlamps are over rated lights maybe one good one in your arsenel.

For hiking I like a solarforce with an xpg

Dirt trail walking or terrain hiking? If you're walking, then yes, headlamps are not needed. But if I'm hiking, I like my hands to be free to brace myself. If I'm carrying anything with my hands, it'll be my stick. Doesn't mean I don't have any flashlights on me of course...:)

For hiking I use a Zebralight H51f (headlamp) at $64 using 1 AA Eneloop and an Ultrafire BJO8A for more throw than the headlamp using either 1 AA Eneloop or 1 14500 Li-ion (bright output in that light).

It's a pretty light weight combination. I don't find that you usually need a lot of throw for hiking so just a little more than the headlamp provides is about right. That particular headlamp is also convenient for around the house/yard or anywhere where you might need the use of your hands.

If you want more throw and care less about the weight (for hiking) just get any P60 sized host with an XR-E R2 drop-in. At that point you will probably be talking about a 18650 li-ion as the battery.

Get a headlight and torch that use the same batteries. I would suggest a KD C8 XM-L ($25) for the torch and an Ultrafire UF-H3 ($34) for the headlamp. They both run on 18650 cells.

All summer long i keep going back to the xpg farka p60 7/ 70 and 300 lumens with a slightly warmer tint that straight up cool white . Or the neutral / outdoor white xpg modded D-10 nitecore . the xpg was better in the woods than I expected ..A nice combo of light both flood and throw. teh neurals numbers of times had me stopped and staring at the awesomeness of colors .fern moss pines and tree trunks just came alive.No matter what the light is i'm suggesting the xpg and neutral .

There really is so many choices it would be hard to pick a really winner. Honestly the KD C8 is probably going to be way brighter than you ever need but IMO its nice to have the option and you can always run it on medium or low. Have you checked out the review on it? https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/939

If you really want to spend the $80 you could go with the....

KD C8
X-tar charger and 2 2600 batteries
+ have $10-15 for a little 18650 backup light like this

http://www.ebay.com/itm/270684246507?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_7310wt_1018

and as a side note don't get too caught up on lumen ratings. Some are fairly accurate but some are just a joke. Every once in a while there is a really cheap light that preforms better than It should for the money. The KD C8 is one of them.

Just to let you all know I've ordered

KD C8
X-tar charger and 2 2600 batteries

is there any upgrades, spares I should be picking up for this from a maintenance point of view?

Thanks again to everyone who has offered advice and help.

On a new light most people will take them apart, clean them, apply some grease to all the threads. I like this stuff http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPER-LUBE-Synthetic-Grease-Syncolon-PTFE-3-oz-/200592473493?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eb43e3d95#ht_692wt_698 its clear so if you do get any on your clothes its not as bad as some.

Some people will put a little thermal compound under the pill to help heat transfer. I'm not sure if their are any "tune up" threads? Someone will probably chime in.

When you get it make sure and post some pictures and let us know what you think of it.

I thought rather than start a new thread I'd just clog my original up with what could be utter rubbish...

As I'm new to this, this is me checking a thought as I have no idea...

In theory, wouldn't the best long life torch be a multiple D cell torch due to their stability and capacity...connecting say 3 or 4 of these in parallel? using NiMH?

I think I've also gathered that this arrangement would have the short comings of low discharge rates and therefore under power/ not achieve the best out of any current emitter? But I'm not sure to what extent, surely a good 300lm could be produced, and with the right reflector and lens this could have alot of use?

I'm thinking of a work light for say security...or an instance where long life is needed, but stability is a key for the batteries.

Maybe I'm completely wrong?

Could well be completely wrong on that^

And would it make it very expensive to produce?