What the hell is a Lumen?

     The Lumen is the SI unit for measuring the brightness of a light. The lm abbreviation stands for Lumen(s). A 60 watt incandescent light bulb will put out around 800 lumens, while a 15 watt Compact fluorescent bulb will do the same, and so will a 10 watt LED. I typically use a 35 Lumen headlamp while camping. It, like many others uses an LED, and the 35 lumens is more than sufficient.

The Ultimate Head Lamp- Black Diamond Gizmo

The Ultimate Headlamp

     The Black Diamond Gizmo headlamp is the perfect headlamp whether you are back-packing, or car camping. It does not weigh much, and uses two AAA batteries which are small, and easy to recharge. The lamp has a solid light, dimmer, and strobe option. To activate the strobe function, double click the on/off button. To dim the light, press and hold the button until the desired brightness level is reached. The head band is easy to adjust, and the light is extremely bright (35 lm at max setting). It is also a smart light as it will turn itself off after two hours to save battery in case you fall asleep with the light on. This feature is very helpful as I have made the mistake of falling asleep and killing the batteries on many headlamps before.

     I find that a headlamp is one of the most important pieces of camping equipment along with a good knife, fire starter, navigation aid, and a few others. It is also a good tool to have around the house for when the power goes out, or for when you need to find something in an unlit attic or crawl space. I always keep a good headlamp in an accessible place on my backpack.

     Overall, I would definitely recommend this headlamp. Black Diamond is one of the best companies for camping equipment, and always has great quality products. I would recommend bringing two headlamps on most trips just in case. I always use them instead of big bulky lanterns and flashlights.

Goal Zero Guide 10 Solar kit

For an early Christmas gift this year, I got the Goal Zero Guide 10 solar kit. The kit comes with the Nomad 7 (a two panel solar charger), four NiMH batteries, the Guide 10 (a battery pack), and many cables, and adapters. The kit is great for charging a small device such as a cell phone, 

GPS, or GoPro camera. 

The kit seems great as it has many features. It is compatible with any USB device, or 12volt car charger device. It can also charge 4 AA or AAA batteries. It would be a great tool to have for long backpacking trips, canoe camping, or for long power outages. It is also good for the environment as it leaves no impact, and it is easy to set up. The only downside to this kit is that it needs wires and cables, so it adds some weight to a backpack. It does however reduce the number of batteries needed on a trip.

I would definitely recommend Goal Zero, and can't wait to use it more myself. Check out my unboxing video below!