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UER Forum > Archived UE Tutorials, Lessons, and Useful Info > Good headlamp for wet conditions? (Viewed 539 times)
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Good headlamp for wet conditions?
< on 12/2/2013 3:16 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I'm looking for a good water-resistant or waterproof headlamp to explore outdoors in high humidity / rain. Conditions will probably be pitch black with no ambient light, so I'll need it to illuminate well, broadly & far enough that I can see obstacles and dangers way before I'm on top of them. A few headlamps I've looked into claim to be water-resistant but then some users will report that a splash of salt water killed the lamp forever, for example.

Does anyone have experience with a good headlamp that worked well when it got wet?

Also, I'd like the lamp to last a few hours at a time at least & be easily chargeable so it's ready to use the next night -- so I could use advice on batteries too.


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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 1 on 12/3/2013 1:42 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I've had GREAT results with my Zebralight H51w. That's a 1xAA flashlight with several output options, with a Neutral-white emitter and fairly wide beam pattern. Mine has done the waterproof thing well... But not all of them do. Funnily enough, this is the case with all non-caving headlamps. If it costs less than $200, it is not a caving headlamp.

Zebralight, Spark, and Wizard have good offerings these days. So do Nitecore.

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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 2 on 12/4/2013 7:58 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I've had GREAT results with my Zebralight H51w. That's a 1xAA flashlight with several output options, with a Neutral-white emitter and fairly wide beam pattern. Mine has done the waterproof thing well... But not all of them do. Funnily enough, this is the case with all non-caving headlamps.


Did you mean that the Zebralight H51w model does do waterproof well in general, but not other flashlight models do? Or did you mean that not all Zebralight H51w's (or any non-caving lamp) will do waterproof well even though your particular flashlight does?

I actually have been confounded when reading reviews about various lights, because often MANY reviewers will absolutely love a given light, but then there will be others who had their headlamp fail (sometimes the lamp will die merely in high humidity, not even water contact).

It's true that I'm not looking for anything as serious (or expensive) as a caving headlamp. I'm planning to visit the jungle where it's very hot (or very cold), possibly 100% humid, may rain, so I just need to be able to see where I'm going, hands-free.


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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 3 on 12/7/2013 1:42 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Doing that on a budget? Bring a spare in a ziploc. All manufactured products fail in some cases. In fact, failures in a field with good reviews indicated a large user case of a decent product.

My and most Zebralights do fine in the wet. But some aren't quite right. Dunk test yours and RMA it if it fails.

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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 4 on 12/7/2013 11:29 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I've had great luck with my PrincetonTec Apex headlamp in all sorts of nasty conditions. It's never once let me down and has survived rain and total submersion numerous times. It's super bright and great on batteries.
I'm notoriously hard on my gear and yet this thing has somehow survived 3+ years of constant abuse. highly recommended

http://www.mec.ca/...n7sCFVBgMgodukgAhQ




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Jared Kat 


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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 5 on 12/8/2013 3:29 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
SO, another post around here advertized the "Buddalights" being back on sale, and apparently these are also hanging around. I can't promise how much it will hold up, but for the four dollars US, and for the hype about them in the other thread about 300 lumens and cheep, I got myself a couple, and well, I present this to you as well.

Other Thread: http://www.uer.ca/...=110894&currpage=1
The Product: http://www.ebay.co...%3D310608904452%26

Edited for leaving out a link (Stupid me)
[last edit 12/8/2013 3:31 AM by Jared Kat - edited 1 times]

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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 6 on 12/8/2013 4:22 AM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
http://www.canadia....html#.UqPz6zmJI10

I had one of these for caves. Pretty good lamp.

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Abby Normal 


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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 7 on 12/8/2013 6:02 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
There are a lot of lights that will meet your need, but budget will dictate how sturdy and long lasting the light will be. I used an Apex Pro for mine exploring before moving to a custom light. Although I wasn't often in wet conditions, it did great with dust (which destroys lights almost as fast as water). It has a good reputation amongst cavers and mine explorers. I keep one in my backpack as an emergency backup.

Although cheap lights have the advantage of low cost, they generally have a corresponding quality of build. A friend of mine took a brand new one underground and it didn't last for 30 minutes before it gave out. Good thing he had a backup light.

So do you save your pennies and buy one that is reliable and you will have for a long time? Or do you buy cheap and hope for the best?

Hope you have a great trip!
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Posted by terapr0
I've had great luck with my PrincetonTec Apex headlamp in all sorts of nasty conditions. It's never once let me down and has survived rain and total submersion numerous times. It's super bright and great on batteries.
I'm notoriously hard on my gear and yet this thing has somehow survived 3+ years of constant abuse. highly recommended

http://www.mec.ca/...n7sCFVBgMgodukgAhQ





"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
terapr0 


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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 8 on 12/9/2013 5:44 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
are you implying that an Apex is a (cheap light) or were you referring to the MotoMaster $15 one?
Although not as robust as a Viper or Stenlight, I'd consider an Apex to be at least as good (albeit not quite as bright) as a Petzl Ultra or something else that might cost in the 3-400 range. At the very least, mine's never once let me down, not even one single time.

Maybe I'm a bit of a light snoot these days, but it's only because I've spent THOUSANDS of dollars on 100+ flashlights over the last decade and I've bought a lot of shit that's broken real fast. I used to buy crappy $20 lights (and still do on occasion), but realized pretty quickly that it was better to save up and buy a $150+ Fenix or Quark or JetBeam than it was to have a $25 chinese POS die on you in the dark. Even a $50 or $75 flashlight is worlds away from the $4 LED's everyone around here seems to love. You only love a $4 flashlight until it stops working underground and you're left to find a way home using a backup light.

/end rant and get back to work

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NotQuiteHuman 


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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 9 on 12/9/2013 7:34 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
I recently got the black diamond spot (130 lumen version) and it is an awesome little headlamp with tons of good reviews. Very bright, excellent run time (50hrs on high, 200 hrs low), and has red leds which can be really handy. It's only rated IPX4 for water resistance (splash and spray resistant) so you might want to look into the slightly more expensive black diamond storm which is IPX7 (immersion to 1m) although i have never used that one. REI has a hell of a deal on them now.

spot: http://www.rei.com...mond-spot-headlamp
storm: http://www.rei.com...ond-storm-headlamp

edit: I also just got a three of those little 300 lumen lights everyone has been talking about and I haven't had a problem with any of them yet. They are nice to have around as back up or loan out since they take up almost no space. Plenty bright and last quite a while for only running on a single AA
[last edit 12/9/2013 7:38 PM by NotQuiteHuman - edited 1 times]

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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 10 on 12/9/2013 9:31 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Thanks all for the advice. Unfortunately it looks like the Zebralight H51w is discontinued and gone, so that's not an option. Unless someone knows another source, I'm limited by whatever's online or in stock at local stores.

Consolidating the headlamp suggestions:
Zebralight H51w (used, rec for wet) - unavailable
*PrincetonTec Apex $67.88 - $90 (used, rec for wet)
*Apex Pro $70-90 (used, rec for mine dust)
*Outdoor LED Zoom Night Headlamp Adjustable Strap Durable Camping Hot Light $2.18
MotoMaster 5W LED Headlamp C$20 (used cave) - Canadian Tire
*Black Diamond Spot $29.89 (used)
*Black Diamond Storm $37.39 (not used)

I'm not sure about the Black Diamond Storm -- has anyone here used it in wet conditions?

There seems to be a lot of love for the Princeton Tec Apex lamps so I may get one of those.

Anyone have experience with buying online from REI? I was wondering how reliable it'd be to buy online from REI, Amazon or other websites, whether they'll properly package their lamps to survive shipping, and send it in a timely manner. I just realized I'd better decide on a lamp soon if I want it shipped in time!


Abby Normal 


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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 11 on 12/9/2013 9:39 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
terapro,

Sorry I wasn't clear in my post. The cheapo lights I am referring to are the no-name, super low priced lights that can be found all over the internet. My Apex was my primary mine exploring light for a number of years until my friend built me a custom light. I still carry it as my backup light every time I head underground.

I won't call myself a "light snob" by any means, but I do tend to buy quality lights because they become life support devices when I go underground. Cheap lights are OK around the house (and I have quite a few in my nightstand), but I'm not willing to risk my life on them when I head into a mine. My primary hand held light is a SolarForce L2P with a 3 mode XML. It's been a good light for me.

Anyway, sorry to get off-topic....

Abby Normal



Posted by terapr0
are you implying that an Apex is a (cheap light) or were you referring to the MotoMaster $15 one?
Although not as robust as a Viper or Stenlight, I'd consider an Apex to be at least as good (albeit not quite as bright) as a Petzl Ultra or something else that might cost in the 3-400 range. At the very least, mine's never once let me down, not even one single time.

Maybe I'm a bit of a light snoot these days, but it's only because I've spent THOUSANDS of dollars on 100+ flashlights over the last decade and I've bought a lot of shit that's broken real fast. I used to buy crappy $20 lights (and still do on occasion), but realized pretty quickly that it was better to save up and buy a $150+ Fenix or Quark or JetBeam than it was to have a $25 chinese POS die on you in the dark. Even a $50 or $75 flashlight is worlds away from the $4 LED's everyone around here seems to love. You only love a $4 flashlight until it stops working underground and you're left to find a way home using a backup light.

/end rant and get back to work




"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan
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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 12 on 12/9/2013 9:44 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by AnAppleSnail
Doing that on a budget? Bring a spare in a ziploc. All manufactured products fail in some cases. In fact, failures in a field with good reviews indicated a large user case of a decent product.

My and most Zebralights do fine in the wet. But some aren't quite right. Dunk test yours and RMA it if it fails.


Thanks AnAppleSnail, that's a helpful insight. I was probably putting too much weight on the few bad reviews -- it makes sense that some of them would fail. Either way, I must remember to bring a spare.


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Re: Good headlamp for wet conditions?
<Reply # 13 on 12/9/2013 10:11 PM >
Posted on Forum: UER Forum
 
Posted by changes
Anyone have experience with buying online from REI? I was wondering how reliable it'd be to buy online from REI, Amazon or other websites, whether they'll properly package their lamps to survive shipping, and send it in a timely manner. I just realized I'd better decide on a lamp soon if I want it shipped in time!



I actually bought my spot from REI online. It came in 4 days and was packed in larger than expected box padded with bunched up paper. The headlamp packaging itself is also good. I don't think you have much to worry about there. I also frequently use amazon prime. 2 day shipping is so amazing and I've never had a problem with it.

UER Forum > Archived UE Tutorials, Lessons, and Useful Info > Good headlamp for wet conditions? (Viewed 539 times)



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