Published by J. A. on 9th April 2009
Turn the light on...
Leatherman, known for their multi-tools, also produces an LED flashlight worth noting… the Serac S3.
As we all know, a flashlight typically has at least a few fragile components. Therefore, often it is essential to take close care of your flashlight. That does not work for me because I treat my flashlight just like any other piece of gear. And therefore, I was breaking a lot of flashlights. Thankfully, my Leatherman Serac S3 has held up very well to the many tests I’ve put it through, ie. hiking, boating, camping and road tripping.
The Serac S3 has three settings and can put out up to 100 Lumen on high. Granted, set that high a full battery will only last about an hour but, the high setting is great for signaling and other short uses. The medium setting pushes out 43 Lumen for four hours per battery and the low (normal) setting 7 Lumen for up to thirty-six hours. The low is plenty bright for most uses including map reading, hiking, setting up a tent, etc.
Also of note, the flashlight body is made of a hard-anodized aluminum, has a 10 year warranty and is resistant to humidity, corrosion and shock. Tough… as… hell.
Get the Leatherman Serac S3 Flashlight:
-at Cabela’s
-at Amazon
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-LED headgear...
Published by J. A. on 5th March 2009
Light my fire...
The Princeton Tec Apex Pro LED Headlamp is a mid-level headlamp well-suited for a lot of very different activities. Camping, expeditions, spelunking, climbing, orienteering, general travel and road running are just a few of the activities the Apex Pro is perfect for. It’d also be acceptable for trail running, but don’t expect to use it while doing something like night cycling or adventure racing.
This headlamp will flood an area with bright white light up to 91 meters down a path and has varying focuses; narrow through wide. It runs on two lithium batteries which are monitored by the included power meter. It also has five LEDs producing 130 lumen and is all contained in just 173 grams.
Princeton Tec Apex Pro LED Headlamp from 
REI.com
$90
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-Power in the palm of your hand...
Published by J. A. on 10th February 2009
All-in-one...
In the toughest situations, it’s essential to have the right communication gear. But sometimes, the battery power in your gear doesn’t last as long as you do. For those situations Eton Corporation has the perfect answer… a two-way radio that can be powered by a hand-crank with several other features… the FR1000 Voicelink.
First off, this radio has several features worth noting: 22 channel two-way radio (GMRS and FRS), NOAA weather radio and weather alert system, AM/FM receiver, siren, flashlight and cell-phone charging jack. The weather alerts and AM/FM receiver will keep you informed while the siren and light can act as an SOS beacon, saving your voice.
All of these features can be powered in one of four, redundant ways. The FR1000 has a built in Rechargeable Ni-MH battery. Additionally, it is possible to power the system using 4 “AA” batteries, the included AC Adapter or, in the case all other power is depleted, the dynamo hand crank.
At 3.6lbs the unit is a bit heavy for light hiking however, if you can spare the weight in your pack, it’ll be a welcome gear addition.
Eton FR1000 Voicelink
$94
