Blazing New Backcountry and Camping Lights

Outdoor Retailer was ablaze with new lighting products this month. Here are a few of the more interesting flashlights, headlamps, and outdoor mood lighting.

Energizer

Energizer, well known for its batteries, showed a few interesting lighting products, including the Night Strike Swivel. The Night Strike Swivel features a bright white Cree LED light, and additional light-emitting diodes in green, red, blue, and ultraviolet (UV). In the video below, Brian Gaffney of Energizer explains which color lights are best for which tasks (the UV light is quite interesting).

The waterproof light's head swivels 130 degrees and can stand up for hands-free use. A tactical version that has an infrared diode instead of UV also is available. The infrared is invisible to the naked eye, but is "bright as day" says Energizer, with night vision systems that operate on the infrared spectrum.

Energizer Night Strike Swivel

• Weight: 5.7 oz
• Output: 100 lumens
• Max Burn Time: 5 hours
• MSRP: $89.99
• Available: Now

ICON

ICON showed a number of unabashedly, over-designed lights with exciting angles, machine aluminum shells, and plenty of polish.

The prototype Link II is a redesign of ICON's original Link flashlight. The aluminum of the original Link has been replaced with a durable polymer overlay, reducing weight and increasing water resistance.

ICON Link II

• Weight: Not available yet (original Link is 3.1 oz)
• Output: 6-60 lumens
• Max Burn Time: 60 hours (high), 6 hours (low)
• MSRP: $14.99
• Available: November 2011

 

SureFire

SureFire, known for its tactical and industrial lights, showed a new version of the Saint Minimus headlamp, the Minimus Vision. 

The Minimus Vision features a special LED that emits a warm light, not the cold bluish light most LED headlamps produce. SureFire claims this warm spectrum of light penetrates fog better than others.

SureFire Minimus Vision

• Weight: 3.3 oz
• Output: 1-80 lumens
• Burn Time: 1.5-50 minutes (low-high)
• MSRP: $59
• Available: Fall 2011

Brunton

Brunton introduced a new family of SyncTech-enabled task lights that feature USB ports and rechargeable batteries that let you recharge from any USB-ready Brunton solar panel or power storage unit.

These lights straddle the line between car camping and backcountry, slightly too heavy for a long backpacking trip (weights are forthcoming), but slightly too nifty to be left behind. Your call!

Brunton's Link bears a suspicious resemblance to a bomber backcountry Christmas tree light. It's powered by any USB power source, and the lights can be linked together for a backyard or backcountry party.

It comes with a carabiner clip and a five-sided diffuser for hanging, propping up on a flat surface, or placing flat for indirect mood lighting.

Brunton Link

• Output: 40 lumens
• Burn Time: 1 hour
• MSRP: $35 each
• Available: Spring 2012

 

The Noodle is a linguini-looking, flexible, directional light that connects to Brunton's USB power packs, or the USB port of a laptop, for lighting on the go.

Brunton Noodle

• Output: 10 lumens
• Burn Time: varies by power source
• MSRP: $12
• Available: Spring 2012

 

 

 

 

The Wow is a cross between a flashlight, lantern, and a daddy longlegs. Three flexible legs can be used as a stand, or to wrap the light around a branch, guy line, or tent loop for better illumination.

The leg ends are magnetized too — to stick to ferrous surfaces (car hood, metal table, etc.). The Wow diffuser can be removed and converted into a flashlight, and the legs can be removed and used alone as a camera tripod.

Brunton Wow

• Output: 60 lumens
• Burn Time: 10 hours
• MSRP: $47
• Available: Spring 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Glacier is a simple, serviceable headlamp that includes a USB charging port. It casts a beam up to 115 feet for 35 hours on high and up to 10 feet for 120 hours on energy saver mode.

It's compatible with three standard AAA batteries, can run off (and recharge) three rechargeable Brunton AAA batteries, or can be charged via a USB-equipped Brunton power pack.

Brunton Glacier 115

• Output: 30 lumens (low), 50 lumens (high)
• Burn Time: 35 hours (high), 120 hours (low)
• MSRP: $70
• Available: Spring 2012