Part 1- Physical Mirrored Compass
Part 2- Digital Map (and maybe a physical backup)
Part 4- First Aid Kit & Training!
Part 5- Water and Water Treatment
Every gear list for recreational hiking includes “flashlight or headlamp”. For practicality in outdoor recreation you need hands-free illumination to perform simple tasks. These tasks include tying your boot laces or lighting a gas stove. For this reason, a headlamp is a better choice than a handheld flashlight. It is suitable for the outdoor adventurer and volunteer or professional search and rescue team member.
Things to look for in a quality mid-to-high end headlamp;
- Long lasting battery life– Many search and rescue missions start close to sunset. They often don’t conclude until close to sunrise. Rescuers spend a lot of time hiking in the dark. Look for a headlamp that has at least 20-40 hours of “burn time” on lower settings.
- Bright!– The woods at night under an overcast sky are dark. You will want a headlamp that has at least 500 lumens.
- Durable/Water Resistent- You should look for time trusted brand names and a minimum of IPX-4 rating for water resistance.
My current SAR purpose headlamp is the Petzl IKO Core. This headlamp has 500 lumens with solid 100 meter throw. It comes with a rechargeable battery that provides 80 hours of burn time on the lowest setting. The pouch that comes with it doubles as a “lantern” bag when inside a tent. This is a very cool feature during planned or unplanned bivies. I hope to upgrade this to the Petzl Nao RL Headlamp. It has three times the lumens (1500). It also offers 160 meters of range!
A military saying that stayed with me is “One is none, two is one”. Inside my first aid kit, I carry a spare headlamp. It is useful if someone forgets their headlamp. It is also helpful if the batteries of your main headlamp die. The Petzl Bindi is an excellent choice as a backup headlamp.
Tips for Headlamp Use
Regardless of what model you select there are some best practices to be aware of.
- If you are using a rechargeable headlamp like I am make sure you keep it fully charged. I typically check my battery level at the beginning of the winter season and again at the beginning of spring. Basically I use the “equinox’s” as reminders to check batteries.
- If you are using removable batteries, AA or AAA, I highly recommend lithium batteries. It is worth the added cost over alkaline batteries. First, they last much longer both with shelf life and during use. Exact numbers are hard to provide. However, in use, I feel lithium batteries last 3-4 times longer than their alkaline counterparts. This alone justifies their added expense to me. An additional benefit, especially for cold weather use, is lithium batteries greatly out perform alkaline batteries in sub-zero temperatures.
- As darkness approaches have your headlamp accessible or on your head, but do not turn it on yet. Let your eyes adjust to the failing light. Keep the headlamp off until you reach a level of darkness were light is truly needed for safe footing. If traveling when dawn approaches be aware of when you no longer need headlamp illumination. It can be easy to forget to turn your headlamp off as day breaks.
- Use the lowest possible setting for 95% of your use. When you are traveling up a trail miles to the patient you do not need to light up the entire forest. Use the lowest setting possible to still see your footing and let your eyes adjust to the darkness.
- Be cautious not to blind your teammates. Keep your headlamp angled down to your footing. Shield the light when you look towards others.
Summary
A quality headlamp is a suggestion for recreational hiking and a real necessity for search and rescue work. I have a few other mid-range headlamps around the house and stashed in vehicle glove boxes. They include the Petzl Actik Headlamp and the super affordable Petzl Tikkina Headlamp. This ensures everyone in my family has a headlamp during a power-outage. In the growing list of things I carry, a quality headlamp is a must. It easily earns a spot in the top three of my rescue backpack essentials.
What headlamp do you carry?
Ever found yourself wishing for more illumination while outdoors?
See you in the mountains,
Northeast Alpine Start
Support New Hampshire Search and Rescue
Wondering how you can contribute to New Hampshire’s amazing volunteer Search and Rescue community? First, buy an annual Hike Safe Card! If you want to go above and beyond consider making a donation to the NH Outdoor Council. This organization helps efficiently dispersing donations to the multiple volunteer search and rescue teams in the state of New Hampshire. If you would like to donate specifically to teams I am currently a member of you can find their donation pages here:
Androscroggin Valley Search and Rescue Donations
Lakes Region Search and Rescue Donations
While not currently a member I am proud of the decade+ I spent serving on the Mountain Rescue Service Team and their donation page can be found here.
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