Essential Camping Gear for Hunting: Lighting

Invariably, camping while hunting is a challenge for both the hunter and the gear. The activity typically takes place during the fall when temperatures are lower and adverse weather conditions are to be expected. Modern times dictate that reliability and performance is essential for hunting gear.

Great advances have taken place in camping technology over the years. Tents are lighter, stronger, and drier, than ever before. Clothing is made of space-age materials, in both standard and camouflage patterns. Advanced LED lighting is now available in many configurations, offering ease of use, and great reliability, at excellent pricing levels.

Older camping lights left much to be desired. They were typically sold in various styles. Most were simply too large. To obtain extra light, additional batteries, or larger ones, were needed. This added weight to the lights and reduced reliability. As well, old light bulbs were rather fragile, made with a thin glass globe and a dainty carbon filament. Hunters could expect batteries to die, bulbs to burn out, and performance to suffer in the weather conditions typically encountered during hunting.

Fuel powered lanterns were hardly any better. These required that hunters pack both a fuel bottle and the lantern. While the units produced a lot of light, they were also prone to failure due to the fragility of the mantle. They were also quite problematic when used in typical autumn weather conditions. They required particular attention to the quality of the fuel, the integrity of the mantle and quality of matches.

Highly reliable LED, or light emitting diodes, began to be packaged into various types of lighting. These offered the benefits of lower battery use and much more rugged construction. The LED eliminates the need for a glass bulb and the component converts battery power directly to light, rather than heating a fragile filament. This technology was developed for conditions in space but has been adapted for many other purposes since, including gear for hunters.

Lighting gear equipped with LED components has really advanced comfort while hunting. These units offer excellent resistance to weather, smaller packaging, better battery use, and greater reliability. Units such as the Fenix CL20 LED Lantern even offer flexible battery options. The device can use either standard AA batteries or more powerful lithium units which work better in cold camping conditions. This lantern provides various light level options, high intensity when needed, or very low to preserve battery light.

LED lights are also available for specialized use. The Fenix HL50 Headlamp gives hunters focused light where they need it most. This durable unit is easy to wear, very lightweight, and built for all conditions. It is perfect for early morning excursions from camp to the prime hunting spots, and back again. A headlamp allows easy movement through bush with both hands free. The LED light shines where the head is pointed. This increases safety while moving. The Fenix unit is particularly useful due to the quality all weather construction.

LED headlamps are also very helpful for game processing. They direct light on the working surface, increasing safety in the field. Daylight hours are often short while hunting so getting extra illumination on intricate tasks is quite important. These units are also great for lighting when performing the typical maintenance tasks that seem to arise while hunting.

Hunters now can insist on quality gear to make hunting more comfortable. Better materials make clothing warmer and more comfortable. Tents and sleeping bags offer more protection than ever before. Modern LED lights provide a degree of reliability never seen before in lanterns, and other specialized lighting applications.

Compensation for this post was provided by Fenix Light. Opinions expressed here are that of the author.