UKC

I'm thinking about getting a new emergency headtorch. I've got a few 18650 torches that I take for regular use, but what I want is something that will sit in the bottom of my rucksack for months and then be reliably useful when I need it, so rechargable li-ion batteries are probably out.

I've got a older BD storm that I've always used for this before. Unfortunately it's become a bit unreliable - sometimes it doesn't switch on and sometimes needs some jiggling about to work. If I can't trust it to work it's not fit for purpose.

I'm not interested in a petzl e-lite or similar, unless they're much better than they used to be, because they're just not bright enough. I think ideally it should be able to put out at least 300-400 lumens for 2 to 3 hours. I also want to be able to carry a spare set of batteries and for it to be cold-weather-proof, so in theory at least I think AAA non-rechargable lithium are the best option, but I'm prepared to be persuaded otherwise.

Anything that can take lithium primary cells as batteries would give you typically a ten year 'shelf life'.

This one looks like it might fit the bill but I've had no experience with nitecore. Has anyone else used them and got any comments on reliability and durability?

https://nitecore.co.uk/products/nitecore-ha11.html

I would go for a Petzl Tikkina (300 lm) with good quality Lithium cells, simple to use, reasonably priced and absolutely bombproof.

Yeah I've got one of those knocking about in my bag, rarely used, always works and is not completely rubbish on the rare occasions I need it.  For 20 quid an absolute bargain.

I have a petzl e+lite in my small emergency kit that I always carry with me. 

For the same reason I uprated to a Petzl Bindi. Only available as rechargeable but a decent light although short lived on full power.

Try looking at a LedLenser SE05 or SE07 series. I've been using them for years. They are light, bombproof, and they have a focusable beam

If you genuinely think you don't need a headtorch (if all goes well) it's the hands down winner here. 26 grams and < £26. It's no searchlight, but it may be just good enough to extract yourself from disaster

https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15895164/petzl-elite-headlamp-15895164

I reckon the Bindi is much better than the e+lite. It's supposed to give "only"200 lumens max of light, but even the 100 lumens setting is fine for long walk-outs or even quite complex night navigation, yet it only weighs a few grams more the e+light. I suppose I would still class the Bindi as an emergency light, but it's a very good one.

Another vote for the Bindi for the reasons outlined above

I got mine from Go Outdoors and it was ridiculously cheap as I found a good price elsewhere and asked for the pricematch and 10%.

Doesn't the bindi have a built-in rechargable li-ion battery? How long have you managed to leave it between charges without it going flat? And have you used it much in cold weather (<-10C)?

I have Petzl Actik with a li-ion as my main torch, but I've had a couple of Gritin branded cheap torches from amazon in the van and bag for years as backups. 6 quid a piece, AAA batteries, have used them every now and then and always work. Don't really see the need to spend more tbh.

I've had a Nitwcore UT32 as my running headtorch for a couple of years. Still works perfectly and the specs on beam length and runtime are accurate.

The HA11 looks great and with a lithium AA should be just what you want based on the spec. I have an e lite and the HA11 should be much better for your use based on my experience of nitecore lights and battery packs.

People talk about having an e-lite as an emergency torch. I have one and it's rubbish: it'll maybe light up your tent or inside your rucksack, but it's way too dim to do much useful if you need to be doing anything on the move in the dark, it's 40 unfocused lumens barely lights up your feet. Urgency doesn't like feeble light: Navigate rough terrain? In heavy rain or snow? Look for a pitch? Find a rucksack tumbled down a slope? Not with this feeble thing. For a couple grams more do yourself a massive favour and get a bindi or a nitecore nu25 UL /NU21 or similar that will actually light stuff up.

Your second sentence says you want something that will sit in the bottom of my rucksack for months and then be reliably useful when you need it.

So I wonder why people are recommending a Petzl Bindi?

E

Yup I've navved off the top of a Scottish winter route in darkness and poor weather with an elite, and whilst I'm still alive it was an unpleasant experience that I'd rather not repeat.

even emergency kit needs to be checked regularly or it will let you down when you need it.  It's as important as bothering to fix a crampon strap flapping around in winter before it leads to a mishap.  Attention to detail.

applies particularly anything electrical!

no point in carrying anything you can't depend on.

You want backup batteries for your backup light? Does sound like lithiums are the answer.

3xAAA: Petzl Tikkina

If you're willing to sacrifice a bit of brightness, there's also a couple of 1xAA options: the already mentioned Nitecore HA11 or the (reassuringly expensive) Zebralight H53. If you want to be sure it will never, ever break in the bottom of your bag, ZL's tank-like build quality might be the way to go.

Yes, I've got a zl h600 as my normal headtorch (in the lid of my rucksack for if I'm fairly sure I'll need it). It's an absolutely amazing torch and I'd happily buy zebralight again - except the cost of the H53 is too high for me for something I'm not planning on using very much.

Exactly. Hence ditching the bd storm now that I've noticed I can't rely on it.

I mainly use two rucksacks, a summer and winter one. When I swap from one to the other I discharge and then recharge the Petzl Bindi which is my spare headtorch as well as checking any other emergency gear is in a decent state. The light is always very bright when I start running it through this cycle and I reckon it could stay dormant for longer and still provide good back-up service.

Admittedly I used to leave stuff festering in the bottom of my rucksack for years on end but stopped doing that after a bothy dwelling mouse chewed through the side of one pack to get at the half eaten Mars bar I'd forgotten was there.

I was profoundly glad I had my H600 and not a lesser torch the other week when I was trying to find the Meanach bothy in trackless bogs in pitch darkness

I know it has been a lumen race in recent years, and you guys have spare head torches as powerful as my main one: a LED Lenser MH6 with 200 lumens. I have a Bindi too, but it is too large for my first aid kit. Mind, my crag pack is 18 L only.

Being a forgetful sort, I've twice done descents through nighttime forests in the Alps with my backup light, having forgotten to bring a proper headtorch. Once with a Petzl e+lite, once with my 1xAAA keychain light. Both were perfectly adequate - 1,000+ lumens is fun but scarcely necessary.

Agreed - people need to bear in mind that more lumens = shorter battery life.

For anyone interested - I bought a Nitecore HA11 off aliexpress using a signup discount, so it cost me just short of £10 delivered. It arrived the other day and I took it out for a run last night. Its very light, the headband works well to keep it in place and its bright enough to do a fair bit by. I was out for about an hour without any sign of the light dimming. However, I think the headline lumens might be a bit misleading - it does go very bright for a few seconds when you put it on max but then steps down quite quickly. I'm using it with the generic battery it came with at the moment though, so with a good quality LiFe battery it might be a bit different.

Oh, I tried fully submerging it as well and that didn't appear to do any damage.