Flashlight or headlamps – The Safari World

Are you preparing for your safari in Africa and not sure about whether to bring a flashlight or a headlamp? Flashlights and headlamps are important when you’re heading out to a safari. Camps are sometimes spaced out, and getting from one lodge to the next may require you to walk on an unlit path. You don’t want to be walking without seeing where you’re going right? This is where headlamps come in. When selecting a headlamp or flashlight there are quite a few things you need to consider from beam intensity to lumen ratings. Here are six interesting things everyone should know about both flashlights and headlamps before purchasing any of the two types of lighting equipment. 1. Brightness Both, headlamps, as well as flashlights, now have the luxury of efficient LED technology. Earlier, only flashlights carried intense beams but now we have powerful LED headlamps which emit a light as powerful as a car’s headlight. If you want to decide on the basis of brightness, then don’t make a hasty decision without considering the most powerful LED spot-light flashlights that are capable of making a single beam travel through more than 100m at night. 2. Angle of the Beam Beam-angle may play a decisive role when it comes to the selection or rejection of a headlamp. Because you wear it on your forehead, you can’t deal with the directions as freely as you can in the case of flashlights. Sometimes, people try using both gears at the same time but it doesn’t work out well as expected because of the interfering beams. 3. Form Factor The form, design, and handling of the light are important considerations you can’t ignore. For some people, the flashlight may seem like a better option when you are hiking but it becomes an entirely different case when, at the last moment, you opt to go biking instead. Headlamps are best if you need to multitask and won’t have free hands to handle a flashlight. 4. Reactive Lighting With the way technology is always evolving, you must keep searching for the latest tech-updates so that you don’t regret your decision afterward. Reactive lighting is one of the latest innovations to lighting systems. This is a feature which enables the lighting gear to automatically adjust the light intensity according to the darkness levels around. A large majority of headlamp users have left headlamp reviews stating that they favor headlamps just because of this new innovative reactive lighting feature. 5. Portable Charging The ability to charge and re-charge the batteries of your lighting systems is very important. This is especially true if you’re going to be camping in the middle of the savannah where access to power might be limited. Most safari camps do have electricity, thanks to solar panels. Modern flashlights carry a large lithium-ion rechargeable battery, making them one of the most favored lighting gear to take when going on a safari. This rechargeable battery features a USB port which allows you to charge other devices too. This is a cool feature we saw highlighted in several flashlight reviews. 6. Drawbacks When choosing between flashlights and headlamps, one of the biggest drawbacks is the size of the equipment. Nobody fancies walking around with a heavy headlamp. Neither does anyone look forward to carrying a heavy flashlight – no matter how powerful it might be. Another drawback that needs to be considered is the fragility of the light in question. If it falls to the ground will it break? How sturdy is that flashlight or headlamp? It is a usual mishap to drop the flashlights for one reason or the other. If you are looking for easy-to-carry flashlights then you must avoid C or D size batteries. Both these points make it seem as if headlamps are the way to go. However, we need to point out the fact that headlamps don’t have the zooming option. Also, it is annoying when bugs begin to buzz around the beam because you can’t easily keep them away from your face and eyes. The Verdict: Flashlight or Headlamp? It’s difficult to give a decisive answer because the needs of each person are different. The activities you’ll be involved in will also determine what type of light is best for you. We’ll lean into the direction of headlamps, however, because they are versatile. You have the option to wear them on your head, and when tired of having a light on your head, you can carry the headlamp in your hand and use it like a flashlight.