Whats your favorite hands-free lighting system?

[Herby D]

Well , while prospecting, my son and I have found what we think is a lava tube that looks to be unexplored..We do know that no one has been in it for at least the past year and we have decided to check it out..We've only been to it twice because it is so remote and we've never been prepared to explore it...It's about a 4 hour hike with a 500' elevation increase just to get to it..

My greatest concern is lighting.. or the lack of it We don't have a lot of experience underground and intend to do at least an overnighter and would like to know what has worked the best for you...My thoughts are on brightness , dependability, and weight..unless you have other ideas

Most important two letter word sentence.. "If it is to be, it is up to me"

 

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[hvacker]

My favorite light is carbide but I know that system is long gone. I still have mine though. It made a candle type lighting that was way prettier than the search light effect today.
We always took at least three lighting types with. If you loose your light you will probably not make it out.
As far as your trip goes, by your explanation it doesn't sound like anything except for a very experienced caver would do. Too much can go wrong.
If asked I'd suggest contacting a NSS grotto and go with at least one hard core caver. We in NM recently had a father and daughter die exploring lava tubes and were not found for a couple years.
Down south near Carlsbad a caver hurt herself in a hard core cave a few yeras ago and it took 2 weeks to safely get her out.
Personally I wouldn't go w/o a good crew with cave experience.

 

[Herby D]

Thanks hvacker..I appreciate the info..I've never been one to go off half cocked..We'll check it out first to see if it's within our pay grade and decide from there..I have no doubt we are geared up with more than we will want to carry in and will be stashed outside..Haven't skimped on head gear, tools and equipment, with ropes we know how to use...intend to leave a good string trail, etc..We've done a lot of reading...

However..everyone seems to be pretty much in agreement with gear, except for lighting..I'm hoping I can get some more light shed on the subject (pun intended ) with some experience...

Most important two letter word sentence.. "If it is to be, it is up to me"

 

[Herby D]

Does anyone know of a better place I could post this to get opinions about lighting ?

Most important two letter word sentence.. "If it is to be, it is up to me"

 

[spillercanyon]

You can get a battery powered headlamp at most outdoors stores, up to 200 lumens, usually 2 or 3 AA batteries. With LED lights, batteries last for hours but bring extra batteries and a second light source. You can tape the head lamp on a hard hat so as to protect the head from low ceilings. Bring a water bottle and tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. Other than that, have fun. Been in many caves (including Lechuguilla Cave, that is the cave where the it took 2 weeks to get a girl out near Carlsbad), don't let others deter you. Also don't go with carbide, it stinks, isn't very bright, leaves lots of smoke and requires disposing of used carbide which shouldn't be left in the cave.

 

[Herby D]

You can get a battery powered headlamp at most outdoors stores, up to 200 lumens, usually 2 or 3 AA batteries. With LED lights, batteries last for hours but bring extra batteries and a second light source. You can tape the head lamp on a hard hat so as to protect the head from low ceilings. Bring a water bottle and tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return. Other than that, have fun. Been in many caves (including Lechuguilla Cave, that is the cave where the it took 2 weeks to get a girl out near Carlsbad), don't let others deter you. Also don't go with carbide, it stinks, isn't very bright, leaves lots of smoke and requires disposing of used carbide which shouldn't be left in the cave.

Yeah..carbide's out.. with all the new high tech stuff and claims of "we are the best", I have been hoping to get some results from in the field users regarding what's the brightest, most dependable, and last the longest..

Most important two letter word sentence.. "If it is to be, it is up to me"

 

[spillercanyon]

Dude, you're putting way to much effort into finding a light to check out a cave. I've been exploring caves for 40 years and have gone into them with as little as a Bic lighter. Lava tubes are the easiest of caves to explore. Get a light, any light and go check out the cave. You certainly don't need the best light on the market to check out a lava tube. An LED light lasts over 12 hours, if you can't explore the lava tube in 12 hours, you have found the biggest lava tube on earth.

 

[BVI Hunter]

Go LED for sure - headlamp and handheld as a back up.
carry a few CYALUME sticks as well, not only for back up but I have explored caves and dropped these every 20-30yds etc so easy to find your way out.

Amazon.com: Cyalume SnapLight Industrial Grade Light Sticks, Green, 6" Long, 12 Hour Duration (Pack of 10): Industrial & Scientific

good luck!

 

[Herby D]

Dude, you're putting way to much effort into finding a light to check out a cave. I've been exploring caves for 40 years and have gone into them with as little as a Bic lighter. Lava tubes are the easiest of caves to explore. Get a light, any light and go check out the cave. You certainly don't need the best light on the market to check out a lava tube. An LED light lasts over 12 hours, if you can't explore the lava tube in 12 hours, you have found the biggest lava tube on earth.

I'm sure you're probably right but I ain't takin no chances..I ain't no spring chicken..I subscribe to "the best laid plans of mice and men "...probably why I'm still here..I think what I've found could be pretty deep..pretty good breeze coming out of the cave..I usually have a plan A for my plan B...I had a friend who spent 3 days in the dark in a mine shaft with a broken back till he was rescued...He "expected " to be out in an hour...

Most important two letter word sentence.. "If it is to be, it is up to me"

 

[Herby D]

Go LED for sure - headlamp and handheld as a back up.
carry a few CYALUME sticks as well, not only for back up but I have explored caves and dropped these every 20-30yds etc so easy to find your way out.

Amazon.com: Cyalume SnapLight Industrial Grade Light Sticks, Green, 6" Long, 12 Hour Duration (Pack of 10): Industrial & Scientific

good luck!

Good stuff Hunter..Thanks

Most important two letter word sentence.. "If it is to be, it is up to me"

 

[spillercanyon]

Thus the reason for letting someone know where you are going and when to expect you back. If you're basing all your decisions on what might happen, then there is plenty of examples why you should never go in a cave, ever. Of coarse, you could say the same thing about driving a car (there was this guy that drove off the side of the road, unable to get out, he spent nearly 10 days before he was found). If there is a breeze coming out of the cave, you were there when a low pressure system was moving into the area (there are people that go out looking for exhaling caves when a low pressure system is going over, that is how Lechuguilla Cave was found) OR there is another entrance (very possible with lave tubes). Have fun!

 

[Herby D]

Thanks spillercanyon...You make some good points..It's obvious your experience with caves has broadened your confidence and comfort zone..I've had a good share of interesting adventures but this one is a little different for me..Most have been for the sense of accomplishment, but this one includes an element of discovery and excitement that I haven't experienced in a while..I'm sure the excitement has to do with the unknown..doing something for the first time..I'm probably over thinking my lighting issues..but not because I'm afraid of the dark..It's my fear of not having light..
Thanks

Most important two letter word sentence.. "If it is to be, it is up to me"

 

[spillercanyon]

Ease into it. Take lights (multiple), batteries, water, snack and just go in as far as you feel comfortable, you don't have to explore the whole thing the first day. Be sure to tell someone where you are going and when to expect you back. Always watch your footing and remember, this is not a hollywood cave, there are holes in the floor and everywhere else. Whenever you do a tight squeeze, turn around and look at what you just did, you'd be surprised how things look different when you're heading out of the cave. With a breeze flowing through you know there is good air. Gloves are a good idea, in limestone caves it keeps the oils of the speleothems and in lave tubes, it keeps your hands from getting cut up. A hard hat is another good idea, you'd be surprised how many times you stand up in a cave and hit your head on the ceiling, just put your headlamp on the hard hat and duct tape it on. Knee pads are another good idea if the cave has a lot of crawling to do. Wear old clothes, caves destroy cloths. Have Fun!!!

 

[Herby D]

Good info spillercanyon..I've backpacked up and down the State of CA..but not in the dark.. and not being able to see the stars..I've thought about scouting it out first but I don't want to go in with minimal supplies or equipment, so that's why we've decided to go ahead and plan for an overnighter..

From what we've seen from a couple hundred feet in, it appears to be opening up and angling down..sure hope it's big enough to warrant the prep..if not, we have a mine we've been looking at for years..

Most important two letter word sentence.. "If it is to be, it is up to me"

 

[spillercanyon]

Keep in mind that a mine is far more hazardous than a cave (caves are natural, mines are man made). Many will say to never go in a mine, I explore both but I am a lot more careful in a mine than in a cave. Don't touch the cribbing, be aware there could be bad air and don't go past cave ins. Again, have fun, be safe and enjoy the adventure!

 

[Herby D]

Keep in mind that a mine is far more hazardous than a cave (caves are natural, mines are man made). Many will say to never go in a mine, I explore both but I am a lot more careful in a mine than in a cave. Don't touch the cribbing, be aware there could be bad air and don't go past cave ins. Again, have fun, be safe and enjoy the adventure!

Yeah..I've been in a few mines and they all had level floors and I could usually tell if it was unsafe..however..for me, a cave is natural and much more rugged and unpredictable..The one I'm looking at has about a 10' drop within 30' of the entrance and it seems to open up more and there's not a level place I could see..The entrance is about 4' by 4' and we would never have seen it if we weren't trying to find a shelter to block us from a cold wind that caught us by surprise.

Most important two letter word sentence.. "If it is to be, it is up to me"

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

Ah, lava tubes...they can be mean too, if you don't have your balancing act together - and without plenty of light to watch where you are stepping.
(if it looks loose or unstable, it probably is!) =\
I use a Princeton Tec light - there are many models to meet your budgetary constraints - but, get one that can dim-down a step or two, for conserving on batteries, if the added light isn't necessary. Also, get one that also has a spot beam mode, that gives you distance lighting, rather than general, all around your immediate area light.
All these LED lights now-a-days have elastic straps to mount the light to your head or helmet..., which can be a pain, if the light gets pulled off in a tight crawl, or some other inopportune time...! Duct ape the sucker to your helmet!
Cave softly, but have fun!