Torch for 'round the world trip!?

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Hi everyone!

About a year ago I posted my first thread, asking for advice about what torch to take with me on a trip to south america. I was amazed and humbled with the amount of advice/suggestions the members of this forum gave me.

So, now i am about to embark on another trip, this time I will be travelling for about a year. If you are interested in my trip you can have a look at the rough itinerary here: http://g.co/maps/rcf6t

I am here again asking for advice about which torch/es to bring along. I have made a list below of the lights I currently own and am considering bringing:

-Fenix e01 (but its aaa)

-Fenix ld01 (again, aaa)

-Fenix ld15

-Fenix ld10 r5

-Fenix e21

-Nitecore ezaa oem

-4sevens quark x aa2 tactical

-4sevens quark neutral r5 aa2 regular

-Jetbeam ba10

-Klarus p2a

-Led lenser p5 (only 1 mode and pretty average)

-hugsby p31 (3 mode: h-m-strobe bleeghhh)

-Solarforce l2r w/ 3 mode low voltage r5 dropin (heavier than others)

In addition to these, I am happy to use this trip as an excuse to buy more lights..

So...what should I bring? This time round, knowing a bit more about the flashlight world, and owning several lights which would be suitable I am finding it very difficult to choose.

My criteria is the same as before:

-Must run on easily obtainable batteries

-Must be small and light and waterproof

-Must be highly efficient, reliable, and have no visible pwm.

I will probably take 2 lights with me, one smaller light such as the ld15 or ezaa, and one larger, but this is very open to change.

Any comments, suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as would any advice on the best way to power the lights given the weight limitations of the trip (eneloops + travel charger, carrying heaps of energizer lithium AA's, or buying batteries as i go??).

Also, Mr. Admin, if this thread is too similar with the one I started a year ago feel free to merge/delete it!

Thanks guys!

Jonathan

2

maybe we should vote. got a nice selection there. runtime might be essential. i'd get the Quark AA body (~18$ with cpf coupon) and then use the Quark X AA Tactical as main light, and have the Fenix LD01 (which edition? the R4?) always on you.

3

S-mini XP-G for the big light, can run on 2x Cr123, an S-mini is only 3/8th of an inch longer than a BA10

Klarus ST10 to run on a single AA, has a moonlight low. I have a BA10, it is a nice light, but only has 2 modes.

Caveman is a nice light to run on 2 x aa, but is long if that is a big deal to your packing situation.

4

I would grab the EZAA and the Quark AA^2, along with 20 lithium AAs.

The lithiums are lightweight and offer great runtime.

Rechargeables are too heavy, esp. w/ charger.

I would buy a set of good alkalines when I land, put those in the torches, and carry the lithiums in a battery case as spares. Pitch the alkies when they go bad, only dipping into your stash as needed.

5

the question is what matters most. and it's a personal question. i believe that the main reason to buy and use rechargeables is to save costs on the long run. if money didnt matter at all (and ecologic concerns), we would maybe all go after lithium primaries, and for sure would i recommend carrying them instead of Eneloops.

the other question is how much light (runtime!) is going to be needed? a lot lot? then take a 4-pack of rechargeables and a travel charger (with 1680mAh charge rate), and done!

i published runtimes for the Quark X AA .. the torch is one of the smallest and lightest of its kind with long runtimes. a serious workhorse. (cant say anything about the EZAA, sorry).

if runtime is really crucial, then do your own runtime tests. dont trust manufacturer specs (iTP A3 50 hrs on Low mode?? my a$$!!!), ever.

6

He doesn't own a Quark AA, hence the EZaa rec.

For home use, the eneloop/charger is the only way to go. He will be travelling, so light weight will be a concern, versus the need to carry multiple plugs/adapters.

I can't think of a more universal cell than the AA. Good luck scavenging 2 CR123s out of a remote-control....

7

I've been considering the similar thing myself. My wife and I are going to peru later on in the year, we're keen to do the inca trail and a jungle lodge in the amazon basin. I've been trying to decide what to take and here is what I've decided to bring:

2 - single AA headlamp (spark st5-190nw, zebralight h51c)

2 - single 18650 flashlights (neutral tint armytek predator, zebralight sc600w)

xtar wp2 mkII charger

4 to 6 18650 batteries

disposable lithium primary AA batteries.

Here's my reasoning for what I'm bringing:

A headlamp will be really useful when I want to keep my hands free, doing activities around the camp during the inca trail. I've decided to go with the single AA option, as it's more light weight and comfortable, and I have totally warmed up to the idea of having li-ion batteries near my head. I'm already carrying a li-ion charger and don't want to bring another charger for nimh, so I'm just going to bring some lithium primaries and restock if needed.

I've decided to go down the path of 18650 for a couple of reasons; firstly I want to actually use some of my 18650 lights in field. I want to be able to charge my phones/ipods, at certain periods. The xtar WP2 mk2 will allow me to do this. 18650 is one of the most energy dense battery format, one battery on medium modes will last me a couple of days before I need to change it. If I didn't care about charging my phone/ipod, I'd probably just stick the AA format and bright a NiMH charger.

I wanted to bring a good thrower to spot wildlife at night, my armytek predator is my best thrower (another reason for going 18650 - all my AA lights have average throw). I'm bringing the zebralight sc600w for a nice floody beam, all round usage. The efficient with the zebralight are very good, and the medium modes should last be 2-4 days before needing to change batteries. I've got a diffuser for the sc600w to use like a lantern around camp.

Keep in mind I'm not bringing all four of these lights for myself. I'll have one headlamp/flashlight and my wife will have the other headlamp/flashlight.

Hope my reasoning for my travel flashlights, helps you decide what you plan on bringing yourself. If you want to keep it simple, maybe stick to a single AA flashlight and single AA headlamp as well.

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Yeah , got to be AA .. Got to be small ! (?)

Id go quality , nothing less than a ITP / Maratac , and give serious consideration to Jetbeam / Nitecore / etc ( Balder AA models might be worth looking at now there XM-L )

9

the shiningbeam caveman has become my travel light. there are brighter lights but the damn thing will run on anything and seems to have taken a couple of drops in stride. The Sa-1 rec is appropriate.

it seems to me AA's are the easiest batteries to get even in questionable areas.

10

Hi all, thanks for the recommendations!

Apologies for my extremely late reply. I started this thread just before I went away for a week, and then forgot about it.

Reading through the replies it seems that most people agree that AA batteries are the way to go.

Hazna - your idea of taking a 18650 light plus batteries and charger seems like a good idea also. The thing that puts me off is the inability to use off the shelf batteries if required, but you have definitely made me think twice about that requirement.

As i stand at the moment, I plan on taking my LD10 or neutral quark with single aa body (which i will buy) as my main light, and keeping a fenix e01 clipped onto my bag at all times.

This does sway away from my AA only idea, but the indestructible nature of the e01 makes up for it IMO.

thanks again for the recommendations everyone, I appreciate you taking the time to help me out. If anyone has any other suggestions it would be great to hear them.

Jonathan

11

I have a travel adaptor that will do all countries.
I would take an aa/ 14500 light with a small charger and the adaptor. That way if you get caught out you can use alkalines in an emergency. A Ufh2 headlamp and an Xeno e03 come to mind and I always carry my DQG tiny aaa.
Another small but bright light is 4sevens mini x 123.

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quark aa r5

take one 14500 and ultracompact usb charger and get power from your phone charger. top it off every night

bring more 14500’s if you’ll be away from from the grid

bring a few AA lithiums for backup

moonlight mode is essential for these extended trips. have fun!

13

the travel adapter is a great idea, as i plan to take my netbook as well.

Do you think the dqg tiny aa would be a better option than an e01 for a light clipped to my bag? Do you think it would be as durable?

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do you think 14500 batteries would get damaged by the constant knocks my bag is sure to get?

15

get those plastic clamshell AA holders. should be plenty of protection for your cells. make sure they fit the longer 14500

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Its durable and brighter!

17

Make sure you take photo’s of a light with a scenic picture in the background. There was a thread around here somewhere.

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Welcome to the family, wuhui!