Bushwalk Australia

I have an LED headlamp, quite good. I'm after a small lamp that can hang from the peak of the inside of the tent. Some time ago I saw on that was powered by one or two flat batteries, the sort that desktop computer have. Some of these may suffice:
https://www.paddypallin.com.au/luc-lux- ... light.html
https://www.paddypallin.com.au/luc-outd ... light.html
https://www.snowys.com.au/hiking-lanterns

It seems that charging while walking may be tricky, especially in scrub. I have seen solar panels attached to packs, but not lanterns. One possible problem with solar power is that there needs to be enough daylight when not walking - usually at camp - to charge the battery. Night walking limits charging options.

We have the Luci outdoor lantern (second in the snowys link).

My partner received it as a gift so it's not something we researched. It makes a good amount of light and we've never had it run out but I'd like to be able to manually charge it, although being fully sealed has weather proofing advantages. So far the inflation valve and hanging strap have slightly broken but both still functional.

It's the only lightweight lantern we've had so I can't compare it to anything else. Ideally I'd like it to be dimmer on the lowest setting. I reckon we will replace it with something else when it dies. The solar aspect is great. We just leave it in the sun when driving on our trip and usually have it strapped to her pack when walking.

I went down that rabbit hole just last night after staying at hut where someone had a Luci. Added a soft light inside the hut which was real nice. Very tempting.

Conclusion was they're not worth the weight and all day Sun to recharge with most lanterns, equates to about an hour or 2 of light at night. Don't believe the marketing spin re 7 hours, reviews suggest otherwise.

I already carry a charger, so thinking some sort of defuser for my headlamp might work better to hang in the tent and use my phone torch when needed.

But yeah, if you want to throw an extra 100-300g in your pack, go for it.

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We have the basic Luci light (the one that only charges via solar). It weighs 88g on my scales. It doesn't take that long to charge provided you have a decent amount of bright sunlight. For example, when we took it on the Overland Track in November 2020, we left it sitting in the sun at the end of the day while we set up camp. We ran it on low setting only (didn't really need the brightest setting) and it lasted fine although we probably only used it for 3 hours max in the evenings.

We are quite happy with the performance of the light. The only annoying thing about it is having to step through all the light options to switch it off.

EDIT: hanging it from the pack so it could charge while we walked didn't really work (not enough time out in bright sunlight on some of the sections) so we gave up on that idea. Maybe if you could position it on the top of the pack that would work better for charging, particularly if conditions are overcast.

Have you considered a light diffuser for your headlamp? A lot lighter. Wild Earth sells one for $19

https://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/biolit ... ck/LAA0200

Or make your own...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai-zIWBPu20

GBW wrote:Have you considered a light diffuser for your headlamp? A lot lighter. Wild Earth sells one for $19

https://www.wildearth.com.au/buy/biolit ... ck/LAA0200

Or make your own...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ai-zIWBPu20

2 grams! Plus a bag to put your charger and cables... this is what I'm looking for. Thanks

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But ... but ... but ... how do you get any power from flat batteries?

north-north-west wrote:But ... but ... but ... how do you get any power from flat batteries?

I think he means button batteries like in a watch.

Thanks. The cost, weight, volume and limited hours of use mitigates against Luci-type lights. One reason for a second light was a backup for the torch, so a diffuser does not appeal. A flat battery is used in a computer, a calculator, and one light I saw, like this:



To make it quite clear, I do not intend to take a motherboard with me on walks.

north-north-west wrote:But ... but ... but ... how do you get any power from flat batteries?

My headlamp is USB chargeable. I carry a charger/power bank when out for more than 2 days.

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Some people just can't take a joke. *sulk*

Mea culpa, I did not realise that it was a joke. I did not know the term "button battery" until GBW advised above. NNW, don't fret or go off in a huff. A 4WD is better, with a much bigger battery.

north-north-west wrote:Some people just can't take a joke. *sulk*

Sorry NNW, was that a joke about "flat" batteries?

Edit: Lops beat me to it.

We have the Crush Light Chroma and have been really happy with it. Teenager uses the colours and I tend to use the dimmest of the 3 white lights.

GBW wrote:

north-north-west wrote:Some people just can't take a joke. *sulk*

Sorry NNW, was that a joke about "flat" batteries?

Edit: Lops beat me to it.

Never try to explain flat jokes hehe