Hiking Headlamps

Wearing a light mounted on your forehead is not just for spelunking anymore. Even if you're not wandering the depths of a subterranean cave you will find having a hands-free flashlight is the best thing for camping since the pee bottle. The utility of a flashlight in the deep darkness of the wilderness is obvious, but you will usually needs your hands free to find your way through the trees or to set up your tent. Simply strapping a light to your head gives you much more flexibility and freedom of movement to deal with unexpected obstacles. However, the you may find the most enjoyable function is as a reading light as you are lounging in your tent at night. The common practice on camping trips is to turn in early as the sun goes down and to get lots of rest. You will usually have an hour or two each night to sit down inside your tent and read, as well as sort through your equipment for the next day. The headlamp works perfectly to light your way and keep your hands free.

The amazing features of more recent headlamps is that they are small, lightweight, bright, and that they have amazingly long battery life. The headlamp is not just made of a large flashlight with a few straps to wrap around your head. The lighting element is just a small and lightweight component with brilliant LEDs, Xenon or the traditional incandescent bulb encased in a silvery reflector. This also houses a compartment for small AA or even AAA batteries. White LEDs give off amazingly bright light and consume very little power from the batteries. Whereas the older flashlights take the large D batteries, are heavy, and only last 10 to 20 hours of continuous use. The LED lights can last tens of thousands of hours of hours, so they go through a lot less bulk and weight in batteries. Getting white light from an LED is a recent breakthrough that pays off in great quality and convenience.