Torches

There's quite a bit of thought that goes into your light.  Do you want a regular flashlight or headlamp?  I prefer a headlamp to keep my hands free.

Do you want a rechargeable light or one that uses commonly available batteries?  Rechargeable lights can be much lighter, but they may not have as long of a run time.  Also, if their battery fails, it is not field replaceable.  Regular batteries are heavier but easy to find and replace.  Battery life is normally much better.  I prefer rechargeable because I carry a battery bank already and can hook it up to get extended run time, if needed.  Having it die on the trail due to a battery failure is a risk I am willing to take because I can use my watch and cell phone as emergency backups.

My favorite headlamp

The Nitecore NU25 if what I am using.  I tested many and came back to this one.

  1. The battery life is better than most.
  2. It weighs about 1oz and you can make a bungee headband.
  3. It is very functional with auxiliary white light, multiple red modes, a turbo mode, and 3 normal white modes.
  4. It is IP66 water resistant.
  5. It's a solid device and dependable for me.

Best battery operated headlamp

The Black Diamond Storm is the best in my opinion.

  1. The headlight IP67 water resistant. 
  2. 160 Hours of run time on low, 22 hours on high.
  3. Several light modes including red, white, green, and blue.