Do you carry a back up flash light?

[saltysack]

This past week while night hiking my zebra light turned off unexpectedly....turns out while climbing through a downed tree near Wallace gap a branch must have hit the power button...made me wonder if I should carry one of those lil keychain type led lights as a back up.....guess could use my cell phone light....thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[July]

This past week while night hiking my zebra light turned off unexpectedly....turns out while climbing through a downed tree near Wallace gap a branch must have hit the power button...made me wonder if I should carry one of those lil keychain type led lights as a back up.....guess could use my cell phone light....thoughts?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Carry matches http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php

[Slo-go'en]

On a winter trip in February, I forgot my headlamp up at a cabin when I packed up in the morning and didn't notice until it got dark and was too far along to go back. I had to hike 1.5 miles of icy trail with only some feeble moon light to see by. It took hours to do those 1.5 miles and I was lucky I knew the twists and turns of that trail pretty much by heart. Opps, going down a drainage ditch, not the trail. Back up and try again...

So yeah, ever since then I carry a spare flashlight, even in summer. In the summer it's a key chain type, in the winter something more substantial.

[rafe]

Keychain LED light weighs a few grams, good for peace of mind.

[MuddyWaters]

No
My backup plan if my light fails is to spend night right where I am if necessary.
Then arrange next few days so I don't need any artificial light till I get to town and replace it.

I expect I could make fire if necessary too, enough to make camp by.

Honestly, unless I'm planning to night hike, I really don't need a light for much. Once its dark I'm in shelter for night. When I do night hike, its usually in morning, not evening. Part of the reason is in case of light failure, Im not stuck all night somewhere. Besides that, I just prefer early morn hiking to late night.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Keychain LED light weighs a few grams, good for peace of mind.

Same here. I keep the led keychain clipped inside my pack so that it's always in the same place. It's useful when I don't want to dig my headlamp out or when I'm over tired and can't remember where I put down my headlamp.

[July]

The Thing Is, if you follow the Moon, and Eat Right, all Else Follows.

[Second Hand]

I'm with muddy waters. I'm not a huge fan of night hiking, but we've all been there. If my headlamp died and I wasn't feeling comfortable, I would find a place to make camp. I use a Hammock which makes spontaneous camping a little easier. Unless I want to sit up and read, I can generally manage without using my headlamp much.

[Mags]

I carry a Photon II, a p-51 can opener and a Swiss Army Knife classic on a key chain. Not only while hiking, but in every day life. Amazing amount of utility in this little mini tool kit. The LED light makes a nice backup for almost no weight penalty.

[squeezebox]

I plan on carrying an extra little 1 oz flashlight , hang it in the tent, as a front porch light when I go out to pee etc, or a nice little light to read by etc.
Well worth the miniscule wt.

[Dogtra]

No, I don't carry a backup.

[shakey_snake]

Photon x-light (a keychain light) has become my only light I carry in the woods. I figure I'm not going to nighthike (too many obstacles, too dark) and the photon works fine to get up and pee.

Out west in the desert, I'll actually carry a headlamp. Easier going.

[cbr6fs]

I'm a convert to18650 torches, I used a H600 for hiking and a H602 for around camp.

The H602 weighs around 40 grams so no real weight penalty.

[Starchild]

Backup #1 smartphone - screen light (for very short term needs), then the flashlight app
Backup #2 Steripen (Freedom model) has a white LED flashlight
Potential but never tried backup #3, I have a batterypack to recharge the above 2 items that also has a flashlight mode.

[jimmyjam]

I take one battery out of my headlight when not in use so i don't have the problem the OP did. And i carry one of those tiny led button type lights .

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

[10-K]

No.. I try not to carry too many "Well, I might need this and I might need that." things.

[Traveler]

Yes, I carry the small keychain LED light as a backup. Having been caught on moonless nights with a balky headlamp it makes a bit of sense for minimal weight.

[10-K]

Just to add to my comment about not carrying extra stuff - my phone (as do most smart phones) has a built in flashlight. So, carrying yet another would make 3 lights.

From the Department of Redundancy Department....

[daddytwosticks]

I'm like Mags...Photon keychain light and the smallest swiss army knife together in my pocket everyday. When hiking, this combo (at .9 ounces) acts as a back-up to my normal headlamp.

[saltysack]

I take one battery out of my headlight when not in use so i don't have the problem the OP did. And i carry one of those tiny led button type lights .

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

I was using it....when it shut off...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk