My girlfriend always complains about me not being very creative about our date nights. She claims I find it simple and easy to just call the guy at our favourite bar and make a reservation for two, go out and enjoy a couple of drinks, come back and that’s it. Which frankly, is a very cool date night as most of the male world would agree. But, in the name of the peace in the relationship, I decided to compromise and do something different – take her camping. She has the adventurous spirit in her, so I knew she’d be up for it. What she isn’t up for however, is complete darkness and her being out there in the open, even though I am with her. Imagine that. I managed to prove myself even more and got her a solution: a camping headlamp.
A good camping headlamp can really bring you peace of mind when you are camping and have to function in a very dark environment for a night or two. Have it in mind – you’ll need to gather small branches and other elements to light a fire, you’ll need to carefully place the tent and inspect if there’s something around that might disturb your otherwise romantic forest getaway. And trust me, there will be probably something your girlfriend will freak about, like a bug or a lizard. After all, you’re in the rough nature.
Choosing a camping headlamp is easy actually, but if you’re someone who wants to know what he spends his money on, then it’s a good idea to know a few important features of a good headlamp.
The beam type
The beam is the head of the lamp, and it can come in two main shapes:
Wide beams – also known as ‘flood’ beams are perfect if you’ll be the one doing some up-close repair work or reading, which I hardly doubt, but still. These don’t offer a long-distance light, so they’re not suitable for the one leading the way.
Focused/ narrow beams – these are ‘spot’ beams and these are the ones you’d be using. They will enable you to have a clear view on a long-distance and are perfect for navigating a trail.
The light output
The measuring unit for the total quantity of light emitted by a light source is called a lumen. A light source with a higher number of lumens consumes more energy and at a higher rate than a source with lower lumens number. Also, the higher the lumens number, the better the light in most cases.
Headlamp run time
You’d definitely want to know how much time you can utilize the headlamp. Imagine it runs out just when it shouldn’t – you don’t want to go through that bad scenario. Now, all headlamps have a different run time, but generally, a headlamp is considered to be run out when it’s no longer able to produce light at 2 meters.
- Brightness levels
- Generally, you’ll find headlamps that offer two basic modes: high and low. The more sophisticated ones offer at least three or more work modes:
- Strobe – an emergency blinker, and it can be in fast or slow mode;
- Low – a standard mode for tasks like camp chores and night walks;
- Mid – just to have another choice as a stronger light;
- High – when you need more light;
- Boost – offered by a few models, this is the type of light that’s produced for just 10-20 seconds, enough to provide you with a glimpse on whatever you want to see. Have in mind that this mode drains the batteries.
So, how was my date you ask? Well, I didn’t have to hear her wining about how dark it is, how scared she is and similar stuff, and I enjoyed. Plus, the headlamps I got are so great I am still using them when I need to look for something in the basement or the garage and I don’t have much light. Really convenient.
