The bumps/hollows issue occurs because you're eyes are in the same position as the light. So amything the light doesn't fall on (wouldbe shadow) you can't see anyway. Having the light some distance from your line of sight lets you see shadows and interpret lumps and hollows.
As a submariner, I know all about the value of the red light..... ;)
"I think that's a new technology called "Over-Reactive" :=) "
I exaggerated a little but that switch was so sensitive it was useless. Its a pity because the rest of the light was very good
Frank tramps with a wee hand-held torch as well as a head torch to get that depth-informing stereoscopic effect. Once I affixed a bike light to my walking pole to do the same effect when walking in the snow at night. I was a bit concerned about the torch coming off the pole though.
Having left expensive BD etc. head torches on top bunks in huts, I now have a $5 headtorch. The lights hinge out to the desired angle. I bought 2 of these from one of those 'books at work' set-ups. You might know them. Half the books sold are cook books and the other half are kid's books. I tried to buy the one on knots but didn't do it properly.
List of lost items I saw/found at Boyle Flat Hut last time I was there (Early March):this is the last hut I stayed in overnight.
1 green bandana
1 pair size 12 sand shoes (hut shoes-goodie)
1 white cotton sock
1 brown woolen sock
1 small aluminium mug
1 left handed tekking pole
a fork
a spoon
a broken left jandal, no right jandal?
a womens size small thermal top
People leave a lot of gear in huts!
This post has been edited by the author on 2 April 2015 at 15:53.
Last week I walked the final 1.5 hours in the dark to our car (long day walk) and used our BD 70 lumen headlamps. Couldn't see the marked posts across a hillside as they were too far apart so decided to upgrade to more lumens AND a lock function.
To protect the old headlamps from being accidentally turned on I used to store them in a narrow tube inside the pack.
No more (or so I thought), the new Black Diamond Spot is lockable.
Wrong. After ensuring 100% it was in lock mode prior to putting inside the pack I later found it ON and the batteries nearly flat. What are the chances of something in my pack applying 6 seconds of continuous pressure directly on the switch… Reviews have revealed similar issues.
So back to the tube. Sigh.
This post has been edited by the author on 13 July 2015 at 21:30.
One good thing with led torches is that if you reverse the batterys they dont go.
The Doite torch I use has a single AA battery so this is easy. The previous headlamp used a 3 battery pack that could be turned over so the contacts couldnt touch.
You do need to practise returning the batterys to the correct position in the dark. This also helps swapping batterys mid trip.
The torch I use I unscrew the endcap by about a turn. Breaks the circuit and is very hard to end up redone in the pack. Even after the endcap is on properly, it needs the button to be pressed and held to turn on constantly.
That system of course may or may not work depending on how many turns hold the endcap on, or the particular torch construction.
I always take the battery pack out and store both parts in a small zipped pocket on my pack. This was after trying other methods and still finding flat batteries when I got to the hut. Even tried carrying the torch in my pocket and would suddenly find light shining through the fabric.
I carry a fairly powerful torch that if Im not careful to use the lower power modes, gets through the battery at a rate of knots. Lasts for ages on the low modes.
Because Ive nearly run it out a few times, I actually carry a few spare batteries, and a tiny little keychain light that is useable in a pinch.
Not much more weight, but means Ill always have some form of light going.
