UKC

As the nights start drawing in, inevitably bouldering sessions are going to start moving into the dark.

Can anyone recommend a decent portable floodlight? I'm currently using a fairly awful £15 one from Wickes, but I'm happy to spend the money on something a bit more reliable & bright. 

I don't know what make it is, but I have a really good portable site light from Screwfix.

The photographs may be more atmospheric with just a head torch, possibly with just a few time-lapsed shots; or are you wanting the ground-up lighting to give some subtle shadowing?

I was thinking more about being able to see than photos. 

We do already have head torches but I'd rather have something more powerful that's static & diffuse. 

I realised, but I was being a little tongue in cheek.

I also wondered if to watch what was recommended to see if there was anything useful for conventional climbing. That's as I'm known for sometimes finishing in the dark, but that can include multi-pitch routes. :-}

I've got a couple of these and they've been great. Good amount of light, pretty solid + stable, and last a reasonable length of time when fully charged (longer than my arms do, anyway).

Here's a link: https://www.screwfix.com/p/luceco-led-usb-rechargeable-site-light-10w-5v/52...

Climbing on High Tor above the A6 on summer evenings isn't real climbing until the rock turns orangey from the street lights below 😁

(that was some years ago, no idea if the lighting is still low pressure sodium, "downward" LEDs would really foul up those late finishes)

That's the one I have.  Great kit.

There have been various types that you can get from Screwfix over the years. They seem to have decided that the price point that will sell is about £30 and the technology has developed and improved over time. People started with huge halogen bulb things and now you've got the nifty compact LED things (much more robust. A friend bust the bulb in his old halogen thing when it fell over while at the boulders). I'd recommend having two and a headtorch to help neutralise shadows.

Has anybody tried this? A bit more expensive but reckons it's got a much higher lumen rating (how long the battery lasts on the higher setting is anyone's guess.

https://www.screwfix.com/p/erbauer-led-rechargeable-work-light-40w-14-8v/20...

Me and a mate got out quite a bit last winter and we each purchased one of the Erbauer LED lights from Screwfix. We opted for the £30 version. They worked a treat and gave us plenty of light with a battery that lasted longer than we could climb for in an evening/night session.

Dang. On a bad day I'm already carrying three pads, a long brushy stick, a small rucksack of shoes, chalk, tape and snacks, camera gear for the essential youtube vids, and now I need two portable LED lamps!? No wonder my back hurts.

Haha reminds me of hearing "I don't do trad because of all the faff" at the wall the other night!

That's the lamp I've got, works quite well and I like the sturdy base. Life is decent as well, and it is certainly very bright! Only downside really is that it's triangular so quite bulky, whereas some of the ones my friends have are shaped more like a book and can slide into their pads a bit nicer.

I completely agree: the more the merrier. If you've got a mate with a third it's even better

I haven't, but then again I've never really felt like I want or need any more light than I've currently got with a couple of the existing models. Then again, as with headtorches, you rarely look back once you've got a brighter one, but given that I already own a couple I suspect it'll be a fair few years before I feel the need to buy a replacement.

Thanks for the suggestions. Will pick up a couple of the £30 ones from Screwfix after work. 

Is it really considered good practice to take floodlights into the hills to climb? 

It certainly isn't bad practise by proxy, but like anything there's the potential for it to have a negative impact ( the same could equally be said for daylight activity too).

The BMC's article on the topic offers some good suggestions + guidelines and is well worth a read if you are considering heading out at night: https://www.thebmc.co.uk/night-climbing-bouldering-lantern-sessions-tips

I think of that with a wry smile every time I load up with three pads and other associated bouldering crap (which, to be fair, isn't actually that often - usually one or two suffice). "I love the simplicity of bouldering... "

Thanks. That’s a superb article. 

Mine were £14 each in a B and Q sale.  I think they are normally about £20 or so. 

I don't know if you cycle or not but I find my USB chargeable front bike light useful too as its much smaller and lighter and kicks out twice as much light.  I wouldn't spend that much money on a bouldering lamp but it was worth it as a duel purpose light. That's a knog arc blinder.

I got one a while back and having tested it (without climbing though, I forgot to take it the particular occasion I need it) outside with a Petzl Swift RL, it's almost as good as day light. I'm very impressed, looking forward to using it and expect it's going to enable a lot more climbing in the months to come. 

I've got some of the screwfix ones that Rob linked too. They're good but have since got some of these and tend to take them more often as they're more portable https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0777BH1CF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_...

This time of year I just take them with me if I'm out in the afternoon in case I want an extra hour or so at the end.

My friend has a couple of the triangular ones from Screwfix which he attached to some kind of system of poles and it's bright enough to light up the crag!

https://i.imgur.com/8ZUc4uH.jpg That's Empire Wall at Anstey's.

I've got one of the older yellow screwfix ones and that's more than good enough as well.

Edit: And one of Ferocity Wall: https://i.imgur.com/bIRoA7G.jpg

For a lighter solution you could get a couple of usb powered video lights, I have a couple of 10w dimmable LED lights which weigh very little and have their own tripods. You can run them from a usb battery pack. I paid about £35 from Amazon they were called "Neewer 2 Packs Portable Photography Lighting Kit Dimmable 5600K USB 66 LED Video Light with Mini Adjustable Tripod Stand and Color Filters for Table Top/Low Angle Photo Video Studio Shooting"

How bats and moths must love those...

I take it you are unfamiliar with street lights?

At the crag, yes. 

Maybe the logic is that street lights are used to light streets for humans and that crags should remain dark so that wildlife can go about their business?