When buying outdoor equipment, it is important to make sure that the pieces you are buying are of high quality and suitable for your needs. After all, you might find yourself in a dangerous situation where the quality and suitability of your equipment can be the difference between life and death. The flashlight is one of those important pieces of safety equipment you can’t do without when exploring the great outdoors. But what exactly do you need to look for when buying a torch?
A High Lumen Output
A lumen is a unit of measurement which indicates the brightness emitted by a light source. When you are looking up flashlights for sale online, make sure to always check the lumen output in the product’s description. If the lumen output is higher, it means that the light emitted will be brighter. And how many lumens you need depends on your needs. The amount varies from 30 lumens to more than a 1,000. A torch that has an output of fewer than 30 lumens is only good for looking at things in front of you and performing simple tasks. This brightness will be sufficient if you are in your tent already and are getting ready to sleep.
But if you need enough light for hiking or covering a distance of more than 100 meters, then you need a minimum of 100 lumens. Though, in this case, an output of around 200 would be preferred. Any torch above 600 lumens would cover a distance greater than 300 meters. This kind of piece of equipment is also a safer option as you will be able to locate members of your group if they stray a bit further. Lastly, with a lumen output of more than 1,000, you will probably be able to conduct a search and rescue party. Nowadays, you can find a lot of affordable torch LED flashlights with high lumen outputs that cover a great distance, making them suitable for mountain biking and a range of nighttime activities. Most manufacturers also indicate the beam distance which lets you know what distance the torch covers.
Energy-Efficient
If you are going to spend a couple of days outdoors without having access to electricity, then you definitely need an energy-efficient light source. LED flashlights are the most energy-efficient light source there is as they require very little energy to produce great levels of brightness. Plus, they won’t drain your battery so fast, preserving its lifespan.
Dimmable
A high-quality torch LED flashlight should be dimmable, helping you to adjust the lumen output specifically for the task at hand. So, if you want to preserve your battery so that it lasts longer, you can dim your torch to the lowest brightness setting. After all, you don’t really need maximum brightness for every type of activity you perform. Lowering the brightness of your torch LED before going to bed will also help your eyes to adjust to the darkness easier.
Water-Resistant
When staying in the great outdoors, you will encounter all types of weather which is why you need to be equipped with a water-resistant torch that won’t fail you regardless of the weather. The most common rating for water and dust resistance is the IP rating. IP stands for Ingress Protection and it is followed by three numbers. The first one indicates the dust resistance and it is usually a number ranging from 0 to 6. If the product hasn’t been tested for dust resistance, then you will see the letter X. The second number marks the water-resistance and it ranges from 0 to 9. It is typically marked with the letter Y, so if you see the letter Y instead of a number – it means that the product hasn’t been tested or isn’t water-resistant. The third number is optional and can mark any other level of protection that the product has been tested for.
Torches with a water resistance marked up to 3, can resists drops of water falling from certain angles. An IPX4 product can withstand a splash of water from any angle, and an IPX5 can withstand small jets of water. An IPX6 rating means the device can withstand strong jets of water. The highest ratings are IPX7, IPx8 and IPX9. An LED flashlight with a rating this high can be submerged in water and is considered to be waterproof.
Rechargeable Battery
At the end of the day, before making the final purchase, it is good to think about how environmentally friendly the product is. We can all contribute to saving the environment, as well as decreasing the waste we produce. A good way to that is to switch from single-use products to reusable ones. So before buying that LED flashlight you have set your mind to, check whether its batteries are rechargeable. You can find a lot of quality flashlights on the market with a USB port.
