I recently had the pleasure of a 14 day canoe trip with non other than Darrel Brauer, AKA Kingfisher. This was after over 2 years of lobbying.....basically groveling shamelessly for his company. He was as superb a companion as I suspected and I learned a great deal.

Much of what I will introduce will be academic for the experienced.......but for the sake of discussion perhaps we can flesh it out a bit.

#1. Have a backup light
Yup, you guessed it, my headlamp with my brand new double A lithiums went dead soon after our entrance. I carry much of my gear in waterproof duffels which tend to capture some air so accidental "on" was not much a concern........but it should of been. This put me in a bit of a fix since I often like to fish until dark which puts an ample amount of skeets in my tent which need to be dealt with. Fortunately I made mention of my gaffe and was quickly handed a small film container. Inside was a teeny tiny clip on headlamp which fit snugly inside. It was the backup light.......protected against accidental "on". Lesson #1.......always have a backup light.   

Or, put your batteries in your headlamp just prior to use.

or carry back-up batteries, or get a headlamp that allows you to "lock" it in the off position.

One trick people used to do was reverse the batteries in the old mag lights. But you don't want to try that with the new LED lights. Not good to the circuitry.

Also the lights (or any electronics) with the push button on/off switches can turn on too easy.

I have been kickin around the responses and keep coming back to having a separate light. What if a switch malfunctions or a bulb blows or the unit gets wet and ceases to function? There are some truly small LED lights out there........so small in fact one might need to take pains to insure that you could find it when you need it. I liked the idea of protecting it in a small plastic film container.

This is a bit bigger backup light than a man (or woman ;) ) would need.
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It has also occurred to me that my light went dead in all probability because I simply failed to turn it off. It was not uncommon for me to get up and start breaking camp while it was still dark and I probably just left the dang thing on after it got light and then stashed it. I dunno what happened for certain.

If I remember correctly didn't ST once post a teeny tiny light of sorts? Post any and all suggestions and links and lets see if we can't find the perfect back up light.

My backup light is a "Pak-Lite".  It is a couple of LEDs with a switch, mounted on a bit of plastic that snaps onto the top of a 9 volt battery. The 9v battery, along with a little steel wool, is also my emergency fire starter.  The pak-lite can be found at   (You need to Login or Register;  It is small, light, and seems to last forever.  I have had one for several years.  I use it as light in my tent at night to provide a bit of general light.  I just have the basic model, and it seems like the battery lasts forever. 

Some sort of backup light is a good idea, especially for trips later in the year when light is short. I carried a backup the size of a pen- now the backup is a little LED lantern that is nice for the tent or general light around the fire.

This headlamp is very bright, waterproof and has a lock feature, hold the switch for six seconds and it is locked in the off position.   (You need to Login or Register

Quote:

If I remember correctly didn't ST once post a teeny tiny light of sorts? Post any and all suggestions and links and lets see if we can't find the perfect back up light.]

I like these. 2 for $7.
Clip to hat/collar. They come with a plastic shield between battery and terminal so they can't be left on accidentally. Side switch takes a little effort to activate but you could re-use plastic shield if you wanted too.
Perfect for fishing at night or camp chores after dark.
I took one of them and put a piece of that auto emergency brake light tape and now have a vision saving red light.
I don't know how water- resistant they would be in a downpour, but they're not meant for that anyway.
Make a good tent/reading light too.
One thing.  Replacement batteries are as much as new lights, so I'd just go that route.

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backup light is a 9.99 energizer headlamp from target that i use around the house.  headlamp and 2 loose AAs in a ziplock and stashed in the 'misc' bag.

Solus wrote on Sep 15^th, 2013 at 3:57am:

This headlamp is very bright, waterproof and has a lock feature, hold the switch for six seconds and it is locked in the off position.   (You need to Login or Register

Solus, I'll have to give that light a look. I've got a Black Diamond lantern and it's very well thought out too.

Is it bright enough to do any night XC skiing?
100 lum sounds bright

I'm hoping to use it for skiing. It is really bright, too bright to use with company.

i have a hat with LED lights built into the brim as my primary (need it randomly) light. absolutely LOVE it. has an on/off button on the bill for easy use with an on/off switch on the batteries. switch is shut off until close to dark and then it comes on. this way i dont accidentally hit the button mid day and burn my batteries.

i have a tiny lantern for in the tent(one per tent) (size of a soda can) for that ambient glow for killing the pesky inside the tent skeeters.

i also carry a small 9 bulb led flashlight the size of 2 C batteries that runs off of 3 AAA's in a battery pack. that battery pack also fits into my backup headlamp.

jaximus wrote on Sep 17^th, 2013 at 8:35am:

i have a hat with LED lights built into the brim

I received one of those hats as a gift, didn't think I'd like it, but I use it all the time when deer hunting.

My trips are usually in June and I never seem to need a light. In fact on occasion I've tried to stay up late to see the star filled sky but got too tired and gave up.

I have used the Pelican 2220 VB3 for several years now and am still on the original batteries. I leave one hanging on the ridge line in my hammock so it will be there next year.  I also carry one in a day pack in case I get into camp after dark again.  It will not come on in a pack.
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I have the same unit MP. :thumbup
I like that until it's unfolded it won't come on.
When I bought mine, black was the only color they offered.
I like the brighter colors, easier to see if mis-placed or dropped.

After all the rave reviews I kept hearing, I replaced my mini mag with a headlamp when I found a cheap walnut size waterproof one I could clip to my shirt. (No more drool!)

The clip broke mid trip but my fanny pack happened to have a clip that still works perfectly for clipping it to my hat. The thing I don't like is you lose depth perception with a light that close to your eyes. I'll hold mine in my hand when walking around at night unless I know the terrain. Four button batteries for it are ~$8 but it's small and they last way more than 1 trip.

I use it at 1/4 power but I only notice they do cut the power by strobing the light when I pour water.

I like to come back to camp after dark too. One year we were up at the campsite at the top of Chatterton and the sky was still interesting once we thought we should get back to camp.

Well, that interesting sky made things so damn dark that I missed the turn for our island and we ended up searching in vain for our 'easy to spot at night' campsite. It was a very uneasy feeling and my wife freaking out didn't help. She spotted the our island with her flashlight as I was looking at the map and both ideas together took some of our anxiety away.

It's big with 4 AAs but it's a lantern and a spot and I've come to consider it good insurance for the next time I encounter unexpected problems. I expect it would blind a bear for a while too!

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Well, that interesting sky made things so damn dark that I missed the turn for our island and we ended searching in vain for our 'easy to spot at night' campsite. It was a very uneasy feeling and my wife freaking out didn't help. She spotted the our island with her flashlight as I was looking at the map and both ideas together took some of our anxiety away.

You can take one of those LED mini clip lights and attach it close to camp landing site so it's readily visible for the water.
I've done the same with one of those 9 hour candle lanterns. Either hang over water, or sit on rock away from any flammable objects.

When they came out with those 9 hour Citronella candles, I'd hang it under my Dry-Fly tarp and it served a duel purpose. A campsite beacon and filling tarp area with a pleasant scent the bugs don't care for. ;)