UKH

Negotiating complex ground in the dark can be tricky, and you won't get far if you can't even see. A headtorch is a key essential on the hills, a small but vital bit of kit that's equally necessary for walkers and climbers. Many of us will have learned that the hard way, not least Ben Gibson, Mountain Safety Advisor for Mountaineering Scotland.

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In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Good article. My wisdom is to carry spare batteries or torch as well. I once watched the sunset then sat alone on top of a mountain till the last shred of light was gone. Pulled out my torch with new batteries.... immediately failed. I had no spares. Eventually I JUST got down to safety by very faint ambient light. Hard and dangerous 

In reply to profitofdoom:

I'd say if it's vital, take a spare torch.  Ever tried taking the back off a headtorch in the dark and it's freezing cold ?

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

...which does then prompt the question as to which headtorch(es) are recommended (in my case more for 3 season adventures rather than hardcore Scottish winters)?

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Am I the only one who sticks with red light at night? White lights throw misleadingly strong shadows making tricky ground more awkward to cross. IMO red light makes for more subtle optics.

In reply to Shani:

The trouble is you can't see very far with red mode on most torches.

Modern Leds torches are so bight these days in close proximity shadows are less problematic and the ability to see much further means you can sometimes even avoid tricky ground altogether because you can plan a better line.

The latest petzl ACTIK CORE red lite is 2lm or at max brightness. The white light is 600 lm. Or at normal setting 100 lm. I'd rather work with the limitations of the white light than use the red light where I can't see anything more than my immediate surroundings.

In reply to Shani:

I've never been able to see a thing with red light close-up let alone trying to actually find your way with it

In reply to Graeme Hammond:

I guess from my time doing military night-navs I prefer my night-vision which is maintained under red light. But i should probably experiment with modern lighting next time I head out at night! 👍

In reply to Graeme Hammond: Isn’t the purpose of red light to assist with map or compass reading without spoiling your night vision of the terrain? Although red light is not so helpful for contour lines

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

I never had any use for a red light and just found it an annoying complication on my headtorch. Someone on here recently, when I was looking for a simpler, less annoying, headtorch, said it was for navigating at night without spoiling night vision. I tried this recently with my new (and excellent!) Actik Core. The contours on the map were totally invisible - utterly useless! The dim white mode is fine.

In reply to Shani:

Maybe all cars should have red headlights then.

In reply to Robert Durran:

The red light is excellent if you need to go for a pee in the night and want to view the night sky.

In reply to Pedro50:

The only time I ever use it is exactly for this purpose!

In reply to Shani:

I like the red light on head torches. I find it very useful in huts when coming back late as a means of being less disruptive to other sleepers. I also much prefer to keep my night vision where possible

In reply to Robert Durran:

I'd vote for that or yellow ones. At least then I wouldn't get dazzled to near blindness by oncoming traffic

In reply to Robert Durran:

Unlike those of us on foot in the hills, I suspect that the stopping distance of a car is vastly beyond 'red light + night vision' so perhaps stick with the manufacturers choice of headlight colour? 😉

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

It's quite useful for checking the hens are in without waking them up, or watching hedgehogs without them curling into a ball.

In reply to Duncan Bourne:

Yes, it does make you feel like a pro when coming in late or off early in an alpine hut.

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Climbing - worth having your spare around your neck, difficult to access if it's in the  rucksack bottom of crag I have discovered

In reply to Duncan Bourne:

I like the red light to pretend I'm in Das Boot waiting for the depth charges to detonate.

In reply to John Kelly:

Yes very nearly got caught out once descending from a route which took us much longer than it should have. Our phones and torches were in our bags which were hidden when looking from above and I reckon we found them again with only 5 minutes or so to spare. Any later and it would have been too dark to do anything.

In reply to George Ormerod:

I like to have the red option when cycling so I can use it as a rear light if I accidentally end up on a road.

In reply to George Ormerod:

Ooo good one. Do you talk in a German accent too

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

A while ago I started a thread about head torches for other uses. 😀

In reply to Duncan Bourne:

Ja! 

See, I'm fluent thanks to Warlord and Battle comics.

In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

If I had a pound for every time I've lent my spare headtorch to random strangers in winter I'd have..............er...............about.............£10.

Seriously though, that's still quite a lot of times. I do seem to be good at meeting people who usually have a torch / compass / map / some other piece of useful equipment in their bag but it doesn't seem to be in there today.