Northern Dancer
Survivalist
This baby from Cabela's [USA] is....are you ready for this? $499.99
Did I see you choke?
But then again....what is it used for and by whom? Not that I really care.
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This baby from Cabela's [USA] is....are you ready for this? $499.99
Did I see you choke?
But then again....what is it used for and by whom? Not that I really care.
Really depends on the use you will be getting out of it. For example the million candle flash light, I used that to spot fish at night or to see a object very far away. Those are something that a normal AA flashlight can never do.
Everything is relative to what you will need it for, how often will you use it, and will it benefit what you are trying to achieve.
Since we are talking about flashlights (again), I will share a story. When I was at my uncles mechanic shop, he asked me to order him some batteries for his flash light.
I searched amazon for the battery and it was 30$. So then I searched the flashlight and it was 150$, I was curious to see what the difference is with a normal flashlight. the build quality, light output, weight, and longevity was superb.
would that flashlight be useful to the average Joe? They had been using that flashlight for over 6 years DAILY, dropping it on the floor, using it with wet oily hands etc.. And it was still going strong. That flash light saves them money in the long run.
I searched amazon for the battery and it was 30$. So then I searched the flashlight and it was 150$, I was curious to see what the difference is with a normal flashlight. the build quality, light output, weight, and longevity was superb.
would that flashlight be useful to the average Joe? They had been using that flashlight for over 6 years DAILY, dropping it on the floor, using it with wet oily hands etc.. And it was still going strong. That flash light saves them money in the long run.
actadh
Explorer
I really like the rocks in a bucket idea. I wonder if you could cover the bucket instead of inverting it.
I always use a hot water bottle in my sleeping bag. (I do that in the house, too, to make my bed comfy in winter.) Using reflecting tarps - tarp on one side and silver on the other side - inside the tent helps, too.
One thing I am getting ready to try is a tent in a tent to conserve heat. I have a 4 person Coleman InstaTent and just got a KampRite Insect Protection tent to use inside on top of my cot.
I always use a hot water bottle in my sleeping bag. (I do that in the house, too, to make my bed comfy in winter.) Using reflecting tarps - tarp on one side and silver on the other side - inside the tent helps, too.
One thing I am getting ready to try is a tent in a tent to conserve heat. I have a 4 person Coleman InstaTent and just got a KampRite Insect Protection tent to use inside on top of my cot.
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Great story, the difference in quality between industrial products and consumer one can often be miles apart. I usually try to by industrial products over consumer ones when the price difference isn't too prohibitive. They are usually built to last like you said.
I wasn't exactly sure what @happyflowerlady meant by inverting the bucket to cover the rocks... Unless it meant to put the heated rocks inside the bucket otherwise I would be afraid of simply putting hot rocks on the bottom of my tent and getting burn marks or holes in the floor. Most tents are made of Nylon which usually doesn't hold up against extreme heat very well. My personal take on the idea would be to use a steel bucket, use a frying pan or something to cover the top and secure it with rope or bungee cords. Then you could wrap it in towels or something to prevent people from getting burnt if they accidentally roll over and touch the bucket in their sleep.
Northern Dancer
Survivalist
That's it.
If you plan to use a piece of equipment for a period of time - I tend to go with quality +. There are brand names and then there are brands names. The items I'm looking for are not found in Walmart territory; nor should they be. I'm looking for a whole range of specialty products.
Northern Dancer
Survivalist
What makes the difference for me in the final analysis is that my sleeping bag is warm. Yep...I will use a hot water bottle to. And for hot rocks? I have used a bed warmer - more as a fun thing - but I have used it. But only in real cold conditions like early spring, late fall and winter.
happyflowerlady
Survivalist
@campforums, I was responding to 2sweed's first post, where she was talking about warming up a tent with NO floor. Her suggestion is to heat the rocks, put them in a bucket, turn the bucket over to dump out the rocks on the ground, When you do this, it turns the bucket into a radiant heater.
If you have a good cover for the bucket, you could do that , I suppose; but it might not be good for your bucket if the rocks were really hot, because the rocks will be right against the sides and bottom of the bucket. When you dump the rocks out on the ground, they will heat the bucket, but not be close enough to warp it.
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Northern Dancer
Survivalist
Ha Ha - that's what happens when we get a whole lot of different messages at once. True - that what not be something that I would be doing. I have other equipment that I would be using for safety sake. Always good to try other methods though.
Northern Dancer
Survivalist
That's really funny! A light is a light is a light....or something like that.View attachment 671 It seems that Northern Dancer was wondering about what you would use this expensive object for, well dah, it's a flashlight.
It could be used as a bully club if necessary.
MacGyver
Survivalist
High tech flashlights are used by the military, police, firefighters and search and rescue groups. For those applications, the need to turn night into day easily makes sense. For the Average Joe? I can't see it. I dropped $60 on a Fenix flashlight and it's blinding enough at 200 lumens. I thought that was over the top extravagant, but that leads me to the other side of the coin. The quality that goes into the machined aluminum housings (that also contributes to their being supremely waterproof), the positive feel of the on/off clicks and other details make you feel like you have a real tool, not a hunk of plastic that could break if it gets knocked off a table or something.View attachment 676
This baby from Cabela's [USA] is....are you ready for this? $499.99
Did I see you choke?
Northern Dancer
Survivalist
@MacGyver it seems to me that were are like minded when it comes to our practical sense about purchasing sound equipment. I have a notion that we are just about the same level of skill and knowledge too. Now, how is it that two genus's could end up on the same site?
I use the Princeton Tec Vizz headlamp. I shoots out about a 300 foot light on the high beam. Costs about $50.00
The high beam throws a 90M light range [about 300 feet] and costs about $50.00
Very powerful, light weight, easy to use. It has the infrared. the low beam and the high beam.
It's great not to have to use my hands at night.
Well within practicability, cost, and sense but more especially it suits my needs just fine.
If you use the high beam a lot it is prone to burning the batteries out.
It does have a red flasher to tell you that the battery life is low.
I use the Princeton Tec Vizz headlamp. I shoots out about a 300 foot light on the high beam. Costs about $50.00
The high beam throws a 90M light range [about 300 feet] and costs about $50.00
Very powerful, light weight, easy to use. It has the infrared. the low beam and the high beam.
It's great not to have to use my hands at night.
Well within practicability, cost, and sense but more especially it suits my needs just fine.
If you use the high beam a lot it is prone to burning the batteries out.
It does have a red flasher to tell you that the battery life is low.
That thing reminds me of the zippo hand-warmer
As for that $600 flashlight I still think that is a bit insane, even for hardcore applications. LED flashlights were expensive when they first started coming out and were not as common at incandescent ones. But nowadays LEDs are the dominant type and I can't imagine why that bulb is so costly. Even household LED bulbs are dropping in price rapidly. I doubt that that light gets many sales.
Northern Dancer
Survivalist
I've seen those zippo hand warmers around but I've never used one. There are countless numbers of hand and feet warmer packs for sale everywhere. I've never used them either.
If all goes well I'll be out next week end at Camp Barber - just told recently of the site change. I have a hot water tank that joins my wood stove so I'll be using a hot water bottle to get things warmed up before I bed down for the night.
Another tent warmer? Sort of? Well if you are winter camping or camping in cooler seasons the recommendation is: No coffee or liquids an hour or so before bed. And to get warm? It is suggested that you have an energy bar. It gets the body warmed up.
If all goes well I'll be out next week end at Camp Barber - just told recently of the site change. I have a hot water tank that joins my wood stove so I'll be using a hot water bottle to get things warmed up before I bed down for the night.
Another tent warmer? Sort of? Well if you are winter camping or camping in cooler seasons the recommendation is: No coffee or liquids an hour or so before bed. And to get warm? It is suggested that you have an energy bar. It gets the body warmed up.
Yea, I have noticed that eating right before bed keeps you warmer. I like that zippo one because it uses fuel so it is reusable unlike the similarly sized chemical ones.
I hope you have a good time, winter camping shouldn't be too bad. It has been pretty warm for winter in Canada lately.
Northern Dancer
Survivalist
I think that is why I haven't used the chemical packs - they are throw away.
I'm looking forward to next week; for one reason, I have to be doing winter stuff to claim that I am a four season camper. In fact I'm just now revising my inventory list - I always seem to leave something off.
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Haha, excellent point. If you don't make it out this winter your title as a 4 season camper will be revoked!!
There is one good thing about those chemical packs though is that they can't be beat in terms of their size and heat output.
The idea of the bucket and hot rocks, was of course a metal bucket and inverting it on to a thick flat rock that would contain the heat of hot rocks for a period of time and also the flat rock would protect the tent floor.
By the way I saw a interesting lighting trick for use in camping. Take a plastic gallon jug and buckle a headlamp around it with the light facing inward and it makes a glowing light. Would the light melt the jug or would this work?? Saw a picture of this.
By the way I saw a interesting lighting trick for use in camping. Take a plastic gallon jug and buckle a headlamp around it with the light facing inward and it makes a glowing light. Would the light melt the jug or would this work?? Saw a picture of this.
MacGyver
Survivalist
I never liked the throwaways either. I have two Jon-e-Warmer versions of those Zippo heaters. I was sorry to see that they no longer make their own brand of fluid for them. I don't know what the formula was, but it didn't have the same odor as the Zippo which is naphtha based, if not pure naphtha. I still use them, but I have to wash whatever clothes they come in contact with when I get home.
Did you see that here on Camping Babble?By the way I saw a interesting lighting trick for use in camping. Take a plastic gallon jug and buckle a headlamp around it with the light facing inward and it makes a glowing light. Would the light melt the jug or would this work?? Saw a picture of this.
I swear I remember that was posted recently. I don't think it would melt the jug unless you were using a super high powered incandescent bulb. With an LED light, I doubt it would even get warm.