what do you use... when outdoors....? flashlights with batteries should be banned (if not rechargeable ones....) the dynamo flashlight is actually a very old invention that was abandoned because people thought it was so uncool and oldfashion: there is a handle and you turn it and get light.. (one minute gives you approx 45 minutes light). you will never ever need batteries again wiht that. please, stop using batteries...
and this dynamo is getting quite popular now.... i love mine. there is even the solar falshlight, never tried that....
I use a 9 LED handheld with rechargeable batteries which are recycleable after 1000 charges. I get about 100 hours out of one charge (which lasts me about 6 weeks of hiking). Not as green as a handcrank but also not as heavy. If they made a small one that weighed only 6-10 ounces I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
Nightvision equipment is expensive. Even a cheap Russian surplus(free x-rays) one will set you back a couple hundred $'s in most cases. Gen III devices can run into the thousands of dollars. My LED flashlight cost me $9. x
But if I had the need, nightvision is the way to go. Light amplification vs IR? Depends on your circumstances. LA won't work in a cave for example, but IR will because you carry your own IR light supply. Outdoors, and you want to be covert, LA all the way. You're not going to light yourself up with an external light like IR. While I like the concept of mechanically recharged flashlights, I would never trust my life to one if given a choice. x
I don’t like to spend much on camping gear because I hate worrying about it getting stolen. I don’t like the thought of leaving $700 worth of stuff in a nylon tent while I go hiking. I use a mini maglight that take 2 small batteries and cost about $8. The batteries last a long time I only use for cooking in the dark or walking in a dark wooded area with no moon. Most of the time my eyes will adjust and I only need a light to find small things in my pack. I use a candle a lot to read but in a small tent sometimes I use a flashlight candles have a tendency to burn holes in small tents. Just curious can you read with night vision?
I have a night star flashlight which is similar to a dynamo but you only have to shake it for a complete recharge. The funny thing is that I only use in infrequently, mainly for reading books while camping, since my night vision has always been exceptionally good and even on a moonless night I can make my way on any terrain without a problem. I have to smile at this thread, since I had friends in the boy scouts who would follow me around after their battery flashlights died when we were far from camp and they would hold onto my shirt or jacket while I guided them back to their tents, yet it always made me feel good that I was helping others in their times of darkness.
I think so too, but military surplus stuff is cool, i you can get israeli army gas masks for cheap! and they really are good for rioting i've heard =D but yeah. back on topic: If i'm playing manhunt or any other games i'll take nightvision over a flashlight 100 times to one looking for the latrine at 2 am is pretty much the only time i'd prefer a flashlight. How are you supposed to look at stars with a big blaring light in your hand? + with nightvision you can see so many more stars, just stay outside for like two hours and you're all set =) I didn't realize they were that efficient, i'll definitely look into getting one of them. thanks
computers should be banned as well for environmental reasons but i see that doesnt stop you from using one.. just a observation. back to the topic, we prefer led head lamps for the most part as well.. as far as rechargeable batteries i just dont see them as being that much more environmentally friendly due to the fact of the electricity used to recharge them as well as the energy to make the charger itself. im sure they are somewhat but i doubt its as great as one might think when it comes right down to it.. also,if im not mistaken,aint all batteries recyclable now?
and yeah... nightvision can get improved by training yes... if you force yourself not to use any light you will learn to see better at night. remember, all led lights have mercury in their batteries. Even if they last really along time...
If you want to preserve night vision, red lighting is the way because it protects the eyes natural night vision more. Rechargable batteries are fine, though they contain toxic chemicals so should be handed into an appropriate authority for recycling rather than just putting them in the bin. Remember that these devices which are hand cranked or shook or whatever still use batteries! Yep, the devices which are charged by electricity may well contribuite to emissions - but not if your electricity is already supplied by green sources. Disposable batteries of course are the worst kind. My experience with night vision vs torch has been intersting. I bought the cheapest night vision I could find and paid the price - tough I was happy with the fact that I could see so much, it is very disconcerting to walk with because the lens distorted the image to a sort of fish eye type, but at the same time inducing tunnel vision. I think only goggles would work well, but you have to pay a lot for a good pair and I havn't tried any to know if they're still actually comfortable to walk with. Nowadays I use a LED lantern, though I would still prefer NV. I don't like advertising my presence for miles around and would actually feel safer with NV. Maybe I will give it another go at some point, though I expect to budget 10x as much funds next time and I would rather spend the money on something which I *know* will be more useful rather than *might* be. Not one for the cost concious or indeed if you are concerned about theft.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=night%20vision&source=15&SD=Y Night vision isnt all that expensive really not these days http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=98296&criteria=night vision&doy=3m3
Most of those are security cameras though, not really night vision for moving about. I did have an idea a while back of using those together with LCD glasses for really cheap night goggles, but concluded that would most likely be rubbish. The only two devices on there you could actually use are the Night Owl (tiny rubbish lenses) and the Bushnell (at £199/$400 about the same they've been in the UK for the past few years).
The price hasn't changed much. If you're payingless that that you're getting crap. And beware of anything that says "Russian/Soviet Surplus". It's a scam.
night vission is what you get when you turn out the lights i preffer starlight moonlight i preffer seeing without a light shining in my eyes all the time but sometimes u just need lil light...so a candle or lil dim lantern well depends on the terain really sometimes u just gotta see details
