What would you take for a trip to south/east Europe?

LED Flashlights – General Info
1

Title says it all :wink: I am planning a three weeks trip to east/south Europe this summer, and I better start thinking about what flashlight to take :smiley:
I will need light, but size and weight matters. Autonomy too…I won’t have regular access to electricity (or at least not long enough to charge a battery for more than 1-2 hours)…and I don’t know much about the weather, but hopefully warm and sunny!

With all that in mind I was thinking about taking lights that could be powered on CR123A primary batteries. I have like 20 of these batteries laying around in a box, and I think they’ll be perfect for the intended use. 18650 lights may have been be better, but without a way to recharge them they lose interest…unless I take plenty fully charged 18650 batteries with me, which can be doable but I think less practical than CR123A (size matters lol). And of course that would mean buying more 18650 :8)

As far as the lights are concerned, I have plenty 18650 hosts with various modules, but they are probably too big… I have my usual CR123A lights, my good old Zebralight H31fc as a headlamp, some Sparks (SF3 & SG3), a Surefire 6P led 120 lumens…and many others. I also have AA powered lights.

What do you think? What lights would you take if you were me? And do you think it is safe to store for some time (during the trip) Lithium batteries (primary or secondary) in a car, in which temp can go quite high if the weather is sunny, or should I stick to NiMh/alcaline?

2

I’d take my NiteCore I2 with car charger cable, NiteCore Sense AA and Olight S20-L2 Baton. 3 Eneloop AA, 3 18650.

I’d carry the flashlights and the batteries in a bag or pockets, like EDC, and not leave them in a car. However, the charger could stay in the car.

If it was me, I’d most likely not have to charge any batteries during the three weeks. But if I had to, I could. Or I could buy some AA.

3

Car charger won’t be a possibility during most of the trip (it will be mostly on foot), but could still be useful. Plus I already have an Xtar with car adapter…
AA and 18650 lights make sense a lot, more than CR123A lights probably. I’ll reconsider that, especially with a “thin” 18650 light like the S20…argh, now I want to buy a S20!

The problem is I will sometimes be “forced” to let batteries and equipment in a car, or a “car-like” cabin….not good…which chemistry is the more susceptible to resist? NiMh?

4

+1 car charger.
Something cr123/16340. Or AA/14500 IMO as they are easy to pocket. A couple of batteries in your bag. A torch in your pocket. Easy access to spare batteries at anything from chemists to service stations. If your boot is lined, it wont get as hot as the cabin does. They should be fine.

If youre on foot though then I assume a backpack is coming along, if so you could carry almost anything.

Lithium primary is said to resist heat the best. NIMH and liion not so much.

5

If there is hiking, then I’d take a floody Zebralight AA headlamp instead of the NiteCore Sense AA. And a diffuser to the Olight S20-L2.

AA lithium primaries would be great if you can’t recharge easily.

6

Personally I would take small AAA lights like Olight i3s. It’s small enough to have with you at all times + you can just buy new AAA’s as you need and not to worry about recharging.
AA lights would work the same, if you need little more power/runtime.

OR you could take something like Olight S20 with few 18650’s and a fast charger with car charging option + some CR123a batteries as a backup if you do not have time to charge the 18650´s.

7

Some hiking involved…I already have a i3s
I see you guys tend more toward AAA/AA batteries, which are available everywhere, ok.

So, I can take

- Olight i3s

  • Zebralight H502c

These are very light/small :heart_eyes:

Maybe also my Convoy S3 with Qlite driver and stripped optic. Small enough, run on 18650. Not as efficient as a “manufacturer lights” like the S20 though. Or I could but a S20…or something like a Zebralight SC62d…or a SC600, they are told to be efficient.

And I can take the Zebralight H31fc as a backup, loaded with a fresh CR123A battery. It is small enough to be forgotten in the bag, I think. I’ll have to think twice for this one.

Thanks for the ideas, I was leaning much more toward CR123A lights, and I tend to forgot AA lights, since I practically don’t use them anymore.

8

My Fenix LD12, one extra eneloop to make a total of two, and this $3.00 charger, http://www.fasttech.com/products/1421/10000339/1037801-universal-ac-charger-for-aaaaa6f2218650-battery

I would also take a 50 cent AAA to AA converter if I felt like I needed the battery option, http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/10002400/1175900-translucent-aaa-to-aa-type-battery-converter-cases

I also feel naked without my LD01 on my keychain, really, that is all the flashlight that one really needs for most things, it is better than what we would have had in a 2 D cell flashlight, for generations, including in the military.

9

If you want to use cr123 batteries I recommend the Xtar WK42. I have a couple WK41’s. Very small and bright. The WK42 is even smaller and has a similar brightness. It can tail stand. Primary lithium batteries are safely stored in a car. Not any kind of rechargeable battery would do well stored in a hot car.

10

(thrunite TN12/olight s20), (thrunite T10, olight S15), the i3s, black diamond revolt(or storm, if you do not want usb recharging), a handful of lithium AA/AAA, some 123s, a few 3400 panasonics, some sanyo 14500s, a xtar MC1/Miller ML-102, <12in micro usb cable (for the revolt and the charger), a bullet car charger (see pic, can usually accept 12-24v DC), and a amazon kindle charger (see pic, selected for is tiny size, can take 100-240v AC)

you can also get one of those solar panels. If you do, I recommend you build you own power converter, it is sometimes more efficient, and you can pick how fancy or simple it should be.

edit: or you can use a 12/24v solar panel, and a car plug, and use the car adaptor to change the voltage.
edit edit: see MPPT wiki if you are going to go solar.

If you do it right, all your lighting gear/ related parts should fit in a ziplock bag.

11

I’m taking a 3 week vacation to NE Europe this summer, and to be honest I don’t think that the light selection is all that important. In my experience a couple of reliable AA lights with good runtimes and spares is more than sufficient. Unless you’re going to be out in the deep woods for many days the brightness of the lights and runtime isn’t critical.

I’m basing this on 2 vacations I took last year, one to the Amazon and the other to Uganda. For the first I carried a Convoy S2 (1.4A), a Zebralight H52 and Tank007 E09 (talk about non-common battery types :laughing:. I had more than enough light and only went through 1 spare 18650 and AA NiMH. For the second I carried a ShiningBeam Caveman and a Tank007 tk566. Again I had more than enough light and only had to replace the battery in the Tank007 once.

When it’s dark enough 10 lumens is bright enough for most things. In fact at night the lower the low the better it was in most cases.

For the upcoming trip I’m taking the Caveman (or perhaps my Starry SA22), the Tank007 566 and the Tank07 E09. I’ll also have 2 battery replacements for each but I doubt I’ll need them.

If you don’t want to take NiMH’s due to heat, then I’d just go ahead and get Lithium primaries.

In my thinking the most important things are reliability, runtime, battery type, size, and brightness. And reliability is about 90% of the total.

12

Ok guys, thank you so much for your answers :slight_smile:

Some night hiking in woods/not woods will take place, but only for maybe 3-4 times at max, so that is not critical. I think I have over-considered the light problem…sorry, can’t help it!
So, now I think it is best if I stuck to AA and CR123A Lithium, and that drives me to the light I could take, keeping reliability in mind.

I don’t have that much trusty AA-powered lights :

- the SA-22 from the group buy, but it is definitely too big/bulky.

- Zebralight H502c, should be ok, but not waterproof, even if Zebralight says so

- L3 Illumination L10, sounds good

  • Thrunite Neutron 2A, a bit on the “big” side

maybe it’s time for me to buy some new one :smiley: Olight S15?

Regarding CR123A :

- Sparks SF3 & SG3

- Zebra H31fc (idem, not really waterproof?)

- Jetbeam DDC10

  • Olight S10

and that’s all. I have some others, but they are budget oriented, and I won’t trust them that much. Xtar WK42 looks really good, stop tempting me!
I also may have found an HDS clicky 120 high CRI…these are told to be very reliable, but also very expensive. Worth it? I was willing to test one for some times now.

For now I’d take Olight S10 and L3 Illumination L10. I am tempted with Olight i3s as a backup, even if it’s a AAA, and one of the Zebra (H502c of H31fc) as a headlamp. If I decide to buy the HDS, I’d also take this one.
(What I didn’t say is I have to choose for my wife too, so at least two lights for each).

13

I would bring zebralights because they are sooo efficient on lower modes
h52w would be my choice since you can buy AA batteries everywhere
are you going to visit Slovakia as well? if yes then you are more than welcome to visit :slight_smile:

14

Hi, don’t know what to suggest really but, if you pas throw Albania let me now(I live in Tirana ), and then i can suggest some nice places to see, can recharge your lights :p, and also give a beer (if I would have some free time that is ) !

By the way i can do this from everyone from BLF, since here are very helpful generally and I am having a lot of fun here.

15

That’s why I like so much BLF :heart_eyes: Thank you both so much for the offer :beer:
Unfortunately, I don’t plan to go to Slovakia or Albania…but maybe some day!

I’d also be glad to share a beer with any nice BLF member if they come in Brittany :party:

PS: Now I have a doubt about my box of CR123A batteries, if you have an idea Help me spot fake Panasonic CR123A batteries

16

Can you get a good solar charger?

I would take 3 lights, SA22, P1A and Xintd X3

P1A - small and two modes 12hr low 1hr high (Substitute with any equivalent 1AA light you have with long time low mode(s), zebralights probably better for higher efficiency

SA22 - runs on rechargeable NiMH and has 2 low modes which should give good runtime and has high output with decent throw. Substitute for other 4AA lights if available/better options. Only problem is i don’t know the runtime on the low modes, but if you can measure current you should be able to calculate runtime, assume its a linear driver, and if its buck then you will get better then your calcs so win/win.

Xintd X3 - 26650 has more capacity then 18650 (not by much but every mA helps) and has many modes available and is a good quality reliable light. Substitute with any 26650 light you may have (if you have 26650 cells), and many modes (with good low). If you don’t have 26650 lights or cells consider good quality 18650 throwy light you have with highest capacity cells you have or are willing to buy.

I don’t know what you have already

Don’t trust manufacturer runtimes on lights, they may not be as inflated as chinese lumens but are still often quite inflated and the last thing you need is no light when you thought you had many hours left.

Only buy a solar charger from a reputable name brand or thoroughly reviewed and tested (recently) because they are often made poor quality and inflated specs.

NiMH does okay in high temps, not bad from what i understand. Rechargeable li ion will take a beating in longevity, you will make it through your trip fine i assume but you might take years off their expected life expectancy.

17

You’re right, I should consider a solar charger. I think I’ve seen some reviews recently, I’ll look into that.

Thank you for the explanation about each light. SA22 and Xintd X3 are unfortunately too big, each grams will count. I don’t have the Xintd X3, but I think I’ll put it on my “to buy” list :smiley: I don’t have 26650 batteries and/or lights yet, will be a start.

18

What lights do you have?
Since size and weight are so critical that adds another wrinkle

19

Here’s a quick list of lights I have and I could consider taking, size-wise. Some are SS, so weight will leave them out. I also have plenty of P60 hosts, but they’ll be too big I think.

http://tof.canardpc.com/view/e91b6839-4f90-4bfe-9011-4a728e159f1c.jpg

I can also consider buying new lights (I can always considering that), like the Xtar WK42.

20

I am not familiar with a lot of them, but my list of 3 was based on NiMH and li ion (rechargeable is good even if you can’t recharge often), throw and bright for the odd situation where they come in handy and low and efficient for long runtimes and frequent use.
If you were going to take 20 CR123s then why not a few lights instead?

Ultimately if you want to go with minimalist i think the SA22 and a solar charger and 8AA (4 charging and 4 in light) would do most situations, but i would be hesitant to go with 1 light only, so why not SA22, soalr charger, 8AA and a couple 1AA with long runtime lows.

If you can’t get a solar charger then your 20 CR123s and 3 lights with low lows and bright highs.