Night Caching

[+Rogue_monkey]

A lot of us like to cache at night. I was curious to see what lights people like to use and how many cachers out here are flashlight finatics like myself.

 

My list so far:

 

Stock AA Mag

AA Mag with Opalec Newbeam led conversion

Rayovak head lamp w/ red led, white led and a main beam.

 

I carry all of these lights and spare batteries for all, at times i feel like a little power plant with all the batteries I have on me.

[+The Leprechauns]

As an experienced night cacher who also loves talking about night caching with others, I can observe that night cachers fall into three camps:

1. Bring as much light as possible -- light up the whole freakin' forest, and the cache cannot possibly escape the glare.

2. Use little or no light, to maximize your night vision.

3. Bring whatever flashlight you happen to have lying around, even if the batteries are low.

 

I advise against being a casual night cacher in category 3. I recommend bringing a primary light source AND a backup in case the first one doesn't work. That saved me just two weeks ago.

 

Personally I enjoy using minimal light until I reach ground zero. Being stealthy in the woods means I attract less law enforcement and muggle attention, and I see and enjoy more of the natural surroundings, including wildlife.

 

Then I get to the area of the cache and it's a light show. Depending on the distance, terrain, moon and weather conditions, I will then use two of the following weapons:

-- a PrincetonTec Aurora LED Headlamp

-- an LED penlight (especially in urban areas)

-- a 21 LED flashlight, powered by three D-cell batteries.

and if all else fails:

-- "The LepreSun," a 2,000,000 candlepower BFL spotlight. Mine's made by Coleman. It holds about a 30 minute charge, which is good enough for use at ground zero for five to ten caches. LepreSun's never been skunked.

[+Kit Fox]

After doing a few night caches with Team Nohoch, I'm going to buy a Petzl Myo Tactical series headlamp dual light sources: Xenon halogen bulb + 5 LEDs .

 

You use the dimmer LEDS for walking/ hiking and the brighter Halogen bulb if needed.

 

Right now I use an AA Maglight for my early morning geocaching.

[+S&M For Cache]

For the most part I use my brighter than day Petzl Halogen Headlamp at ground zero. I do carry a 5 LED mini Mag light for backup and special propose.

I do try to approach all caches with my lights off. I have not had much problem with this. Once there I tend to use my headlamp to do most of my searching. Up here in Canada we have alot of snow on the ground so if I can’t find the cache with my headlamp I will turn it out and use my LED flashlight. The reason for this is the light is Blue-White and anything that is un-natural (pop bottles, garbage and caches) lights up like a Christmas tree. I used it last night on a cache that was wrapped in camo tape. I could not see it until I used the LED light.

I would not go out with the LED only; they do not have the power of a good old halogen bulb.

[+The Jester]

I've used a number of different lights. I always have in the kit a AA mini-mag - good for most night hunts and peering in dark holes. My current favorite is a Black Diamond Zenix Headlamp - two modes: 2 LEDs for general use or a super-brite LED which rivals many flashlights. I've also used a Petzel Zoom headlamp (focusable beam).

[+Gorak]

My night caching kit consists of a couple of 1,000,000 candlepower BFL's (one is a spare in case the first one dies), a PrincetonTec LED/Xenon headlamp and the mini-maglight that always resides in my caching bag. I also try to wear dark, non-reflective clothing so that I am not as visible by muggles or, if sneaking into parks after hours, caretakers. I also bring lots of extra rechargeable batteries for all of my lights (except the BFL's), GPSr and camera. GPSr's will eat batteries pretty quickly with the backlight on.

 

When walking the trails we try to stick with natural light, if possible, or LED light so as to preserve our night vision as much as possible. The BFL's don't come into play until we are in the immediate vicinity of the cache. It's surprising how much white plastic containers glow in the dark when hit with 1,000,000 cp of halogen light.

 

Because it gets dark around here at 4:30pm, night caching is pretty much the only caching done during the winter months. Fortunately we get minimal, if any, snow.

[+The Leprechauns]

Gorak,

 

Your area has a reputation for being the Home of the BFL. Could you share any product/brand recommendations?

[CoyoteRed]

WORD OF CAUTION!!!

 

When caching at night beware of the "Invisible Eye Poker." This is the twig that hovers around eye level above the level of your flashlight. They can make one go, "Ouch!"

 

Play like a cop and hold the handheld light up next to your head, use headlamps, or eye protection.

 

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!

 

Now back to your bragging.

 

PS: Streamlight TwinTask 3C, 4D Gag, Responder 4AA, and no-name 6v. Get's the job done. (Most of the time.)

[+Dagg]

Gorak,

 

Your area has a reputation for being the Home of the BFL. Could you share any product/brand recommendations?

http://www.vectormfg.com/site2/frontpages/company.htm

[+Gorak]

Gorak,

 

Your area has a reputation for being the Home of the BFL. Could you share any product/brand recommendations?

LOL - I don't know about "Home of the BFL". I don't have a favorite. My first BFL was a Garrity that I paid CDN$40 for at Walmart but I'm not crazy about how the trigger switch works. My second one is a no-name brand that has a great click-on/click-off trigger and a good sturdy attachment point on the handle for a lanyard. I paid CDN$20 for it at, of all places, a woodworking trade show. It is my favorite BFL. I also have 2 offshore brand "loaner" BFL's that I paid a measly $15 each for at the local liquidation store. I originally bought 5 of them but have given 2 away as FTF prizes and will likely give the remaining unused one away as a prize at some point.

 

All of my BFL's are 1,000,000 candlepower and are powered by 12v lead-acid batteries and get about 20 to 25 minutes of burn time before they start to die. Another local cacher has modified his by replacing the halogen bulb with a lower wattage bulb giving him half the brightness but over twice the burn time. When comparing the light output between a 1 million cp BFL and a half million cp BFL, the difference was minor. I keep meaning to modify mine when a I get a round tuit.

 

I just noticed my favorite tool store advertising rechargeable 10,000,000 cp BFL's for CDN$75.00. I think you'd want to bring sunglasses along if you were planning on using that puppy.

[+nfa]

I have a 2,000,000 candlepower BFL, but the kick ends up hurtng my shoulder .

 

So instead, I tend to wander at night with a beefy headlamp, a petzl or princetontec

 

nfa-jamie

[earthshaker]

>$15.00 three led headlight (two white one red)made by the bunny company.

[+Nazgul]

A CMG Infinity LED light stays in my geocaching waistpack. If I want a low-profile option, I have another one that uses a red instead of a white LED.

 

If I need more light, I use my Surefire 9N which is an unbelievably great light for its size. It (or the updated version they sell now) just costs a heck of a lot. It was worth it to me, as I rely on it for SAR as well as geocaching. Plus I got it on sale.

[+Medic005]

I use a Princeton Tec Headlamp, that has dual led and Streamlight Stinger.

[+The Puzzler]

I guess I'm a minimalist that likes the night. I cary the little keychain type LED light in my caching bag at all times and a 4 LED headlamp for serious night caching. Thus I have enough light to see anything nearby that I need to see and I have a backup. I just can't see hauling around more.

[kayaker22589]

I usually just use whatever has good batteries and is laying around. That is usually my Princeton Tec headlamp or my Petzl Zipka.

[+NightPilot]

I have an Inova 5-LED light that I always carry at work, and I also use it for night caching, when I need a lot of light. It uses lithium batteries which usually last me for a year or so. I also have a cheap LED headlight that I got a WalMart, which uses 3 AAA batteries. I use both, as needed.

[+robert]

3 D-cell Mag*Lite.

 

Big and heavy but plenty of light and comfortable to carry around. I'll be looking at head lamps too but really like the Mag*Lite.

[+SEEKER12]

for the most part my wife and i dont even use flashlights. We do carry two mini mags as back ups. our main lights are garrity palm lights, the type that supposedly the fire department endorses. usually we dont need lights until we need to bushwack. on a few occasions we have used night vision. only problem with that is if it is generation 3 or earlier you cannot have any other light at all, so it must be pitchblack out.

[+º]

My favourite

 

Ftec's X-1

 

 

Maglite 3D with new batteries:

 

XENON SCARY-Monster:

 

That's what I call light.

[+Camo-crazed]

Because it gets dark around here at 4:30pm, night caching is pretty much the only caching done during the winter months.  Fortunately we get minimal, if any, snow.

I'm based in Ottawa and since winter= lots of snow (unless you're from Winnipeg) we think of it as a mirror that lights up the area

[+Bear_Left]

For serious cache-hunting, there's "The Illuminator" (Austrian accent required), a rechargeable spotlight that lives in the car until needed. It's great for crisping concealing foliage and finding plastic boxes. Just play it around the general area and keep sniffing for the smell of melting PVC...

 

In the cachebag I have a halogen-bulb headlamp that's mostly useful because it's bright enough to use a wide-angle beam when approaching the cache (to see side-paths and general terrain) and to give a seriously bright spotlight for looking long distances or bringing up that gleam of plastic amongst the undergrowth.

 

A small 7-LED, 3xAAA torch is normally enough for general hiking, as it'll last for 24+ hours compared to the hour or two for the headlamp.

 

For ad-hoc or fiddly work, I have one of those insanely bright single-LED keyring lights... on my keyring. I bought a job lot of them and attached stickers to make one of our signature items, too. They don't usually stay in a cache long!

[+CompuCash]

hey teamguz -

 

aren't you worried about melting the snow - or starting the grass on fire?

[+Mr.Benchmark]

I like night caching! I usually carry:

Surefire L6 LED light - 9v 5W Luxeon LED

Inova XO3 LED light - 6v 3W Luxeon for emergency backup

If I'm in a primarily urban location, I'll often just carry an Inova XO.

I'll also sometimes carry a Pelican M6 incandescent light. (Although not as much any more, since I got the XO3 and the L6.)

I normally carry a change of batteries for my lights and GPS.

 

I don't carry a spotlight - they are just heavier than I can stand to lug around.

I never use a headlamp, because as practical and convenient as they are, I just can't handle looking like a miner.

[rescue557]

I'm investing in a set of night vision equipment soon. I'll let you guys know how it works for night caching.

 

Seriously! No joke!

[+RJFerret]

A 7-bulb LED headlamp w/small AA backup w/halogen bulb instead of regular incandescent. (Oh wait, I just double-checked, it's krypton, I must have wanted more life from those little AA's.)

 

I can't stand BFL's which simply ruin your night vision. (It can take 15 minutes for your eyes to acclimate as your muscles have to relax but just one instant for them to shut down.)

 

A cool trick I learned from last month's incarnation of this thread is to use a cyalume stick to mark where you left a trail so you don't cross over it without noticing on your return.

 

I just saw an 8-bulb LED headlamp that uses AA's instead of AAA's as my 7-bulb--I wish mine were like that instead.

 

Enjoy,

 

Randy

[+chris-mouse]

I used to avoid night caching up until a 24 hour cache marathon last summer. Now I love it.

My main light is a Petzl Zipka, 3 LED headlight. For backup, and for poking into those dark corners, I carry a pair of stock AA maglights.

Most of the time if we're anywhere near the city, I find it's best to simply turn all the lights off. I don't need it for walking along a paved trail at night, especially if it's cloudy or there's snow on the ground.

I really should get one of those cheap LED keychain lights to carry with me. It would be useful to let me see the GPS without needing to drain the GPS batteries by using the backlight.

[+º]

hey teamguz -

 

aren't you worried about melting the snow - or starting the grass on fire?

indeed

[+Nazgul]

I'm investing in a set of night vision equipment soon. I'll let you guys know how it works for night caching.

 

Seriously! No joke!

I tried some caching with a starlight scope. It wasn't really practical for up-close searching, and that's exactly where I usually find myself wanting/needing a light. Reading my GPSr was impossible with my particular scope, although I forgot to try with IR illumination.

 

If you get some sort of NVD for caching, I suspect you'll need as close to 1x magnification as you can find, high resolution, and the abilty to focus on very close objects, like within arm's reach. Hands-free operation would also be a big plus.

[+º]

I'm investing in a set of night vision equipment soon. I'll let you guys know how it works for night caching.

 

Seriously! No joke!

Unless you want to spend 500 bucks or more for night vision goggles it's quite useless - I got a normal NVD and it's ok but as long as the cache hasn't any active lights it not very useful.