Maglite Headband

I was rethinking my light needs and realized that they are not the best light but are good. Water resistant to a point and durable. Maglites are also cheap and quite common. I usually carry a Princton Tech - Scout. It is an LED with a few settings and ok for my backpacking needs. While in Peru last November we needed a headlamp with a more focused beam. I ended up with a headlamp that required three AA batteries. It ended up weighing 5 oz. plus three more ounces for spares. The good thing about this was that it took regular batteries. If I needed to buy some more batteries from one of the villages I could. If I needed batteries for an LED I couldn't. My Scout is a 1 oz. headlamp without the strap. A Maglite solitaire is a 1 oz. light and takes a single AAA battery. It is a more focused beam than the Scout. The Solitaire is not a headlamp nor is the more common Mini Mag. The Mini Mag is about 4 oz. and has a much brighter beam than the Scout and the Solitaire. Batteries are easy to find in a third world country also. Again it is not a headlamp but there is a head strap made of heavy nylon and elastic that converts it into a headlamp. It weighs almost as much as the light. I decided to make some of my own for the Maglite-Solitaire and Mini Maglite. Here they are and their weight is .25 oz. made of elastic and has a velcro closure to adjust the size. Simple and Superlight. Converts an average Maglite into a headlamp angled down so you can work comfortably with your hands. Maybe it will fit some other higher quality lights too?


Maglite Solitare/Mini Maglite

Solitaire

Mini Mag

Bear I've never seen someone so happy to have his flashlight on his head <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> How did you sew the velcro down? I know it's a real PITA to sew <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Did you also use one of those 2 sided velcro strips and cut pieces from it? Looks good, and like you said, lighter than the Nite Ize brand available. Does the Solitarie work for you up close for reading, working by hand in the dark? or did you find the adjustable beam better on the mini mag?

Man you are right about the velcro. It is the sew on type so there isn't any sticky crap. The Nite Ize is a straight holder. I made these after my Jungle trip and just wanted something simple and durable. If it gets lost or falls in the Amazon no problem only $8 for the light. I give them to my cheap hiking buddies and friends that already a mag.
I like the Solitaire size and weight of 1 oz. so for backpacking I find myself mainly using my LED Photon cliped around my neck. The Solitaire is like a brighter version of that for me. The mini Mag seems more common and is about 4 ounces. I don't really hike at night so a Solitaire gets me to the bathroom (bush) and in the tarp just fine.

What I was thinking after I typed my post; you use the sew on type velcro, but still <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Nice invention. Sure helps with holding the flash light at night. 2 thumbs up.

So it's just got elastic loops sewn onto the headband? Hmmm... Simply yet effective. I like it. Do you have two straps, one for each light? You could just sew loops on one side for the mini maglight and loops over the other ear for the smaller.

Or...if you already have a hat, maybe just sew loops onto it.

I have one almost exactly like it that came with a mini-maglite I bought about a dozen years ago.

That looks like it will work. (on topic) Did you post a trip report about Peru? I would like to hear about it (off topic).