Headlamp Hacks for Trekking: Red Light & Battery Tips
Headlamps provide hands-free lighting during evening treks and setting up camp in the dark. However, with proper use, a good headlamp can become much more useful, from protecting night vision with bright red lighting to increasing battery life and life expectancy. Here are some key considerations every trekker should take note of for their headlamp usage.
Red Light Mode
Protect Night Vision & Prevent Bugs: The majority of modern headlamps include a red light feature to preserve night vision and avoid bugs. However, its main function is not for glaring like in sci-fi movie characters, but to preserve night vision while protecting it from bugs. This mode serves two important purposes.
Night Vision Preservation: White light can quickly overwhelm the natural night vision of your eyes; red light helps adjust them to darkness more gradually – an invaluable advantage when reading maps or navigating a campsite at night.
Stealth Mode: If you’re observing wildlife or camping with others, red lighting will be less intrusive on both humans (and wildlife).
Red light attracts far fewer insects than its white counterpart, making it an excellent choice for campsites with numerous bugs.
Battery-Saving Tricks
Battery failure mid-trek can be an enormously frustrating experience. Here are a few tricks for prolonging its life:
Lower Brightness: To get your work done efficiently and conserve battery power quickly, it is best to utilize the lowest setting. Higher modes rapidly deplete batteries.
Lock Mode: Headlamps with lock modes have an option to prevent accidental activation inside your bag.
Carrier Spares: If you plan to go on an extended trek, always carry extra batteries (or a battery bank if your headlamp supports rechargeability).
Battery Storage in Cold Weather Hack: The lifespan of batteries decreases rapidly in freezing temperatures. To maximize their life span and keep them cool for optimal performance, store them near your body.
Emergency Signaling
A headlamp could save your life in an emergency: use it to signal for help!
SOS Mode: Many headlamps feature an SOS (or Strobe) function to help call for help in an emergency. Utilize it when needed!
Mirror Trick: Using your headlamp’s beam against reflective surfaces like the compass or phone screen to improve visibility is a quick and effective way to boost it.
Multi-Purpose Uses
Tent Lantern for Campers: Hook it onto an elastic strap hook in order to add ambient lighting in your camper van or RV and provide ambient illumination.
Hands-Free Cooking: Place it on either the pot strap or backpack chest strap to illuminate your cooking space.
Reading Light: Take advantage of it to read without disturbing other readers. Point it downwards while you read, and be assured you won’t disturb other readers who may also be reading at that time.
Weatherproofing & Maintenance
An ineffective or clouded headlamp can waste your time. Keep its functionality at its peak by following these guidelines for weatherproofing and maintenance:
Anti-Fog Trick: If your lens is prone to fogging, use some toothpaste (then rinse off) to clean it in order to reduce condensation and fogging.
Waterproofing Test: When trekking through snow or rain, make sure all O-rings and seals remain in their respective places.
Conclusion
On Indian trekking trips, where the weather can shift rapidly and routes often stretch out over hours in the evening, a headlamp can be an indispensable piece of safety gear. But you can use some creative hacks to turn it into something even more useful that allows for safe travel while at the same time efficiently utilizing available lighting sources.
About Author
Nanda Rawat (Operation Manager)
Nanda Rawat holds a Master’s degree in Tourism and Hospitality and is a seasoned professional specializing in Adventure and Leisure Travel. As a travel specialist and consultant, his core mission has always been to deliver exceptional service by sharing the full breadth of his experience, ensuring client satisfaction on a global scale.
With over 16 years of experience, Nanda has worked with three well-established tourism companies, gaining deep insight into both inbound and domestic travel operations. He has contributed directly and indirectly to the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) and has participated in multiple Immediate First Aid Training programs at the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF).
In addition to his fieldwork, Nanda has shared his expertise through guest lectures in tourism and hospitality at various universities. He has independently led numerous expeditions across the Indian Himalayas and was actively involved in the rescue operations during the 2010 Ladakh flash floods.
In recognition of his outstanding coordination skills, he was honored with the Best Travel Coordinator Award by Joy James Educational Trust in 2012. A strong advocate of ethics, sustainability, and eco-tourism, Nanda takes great pride in being an integral part of Trekup India.
Write to him at: nanda@trekupindia.com
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