Headlamps and ball caps

Ok, I'm sure this has come yup a million and one times, but I'm going to throw this out here anyhow.

I never go out camping or backpacking or anything in the outdoors without some kind of headwear. My usual is a ball cap. However, when I am out at night the ballcap really interferes with my headlamp and the other way around too.

Does anyone have any suggestions for headlamps that work well with a ballcap? I would appreciate any help with this one.

Why not attach a light to the bill so the cap is the headlamp?

I use a Fenix AAA light. The LO1 is a real bargain at $15.00 plus $5.00 for the clip.

Fenix AAAs are great. They clip right on your brim. I also have a clip on micro LED with three little watch batteries, really cheap from a parts store.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I appreciate the help.

Or, turn the cap around backwards, lid to the rear! Those small clip-ons are hard to keep track of.

You can also remove the Princeton Tec Scout from its headband and clip it to the bill of a cap.

rambler:



That's what they did in "Small Time Crooks," a Woody Allen film a few years ago. They're on their bellies in the dirt digging a tunnel from their "front," a cookie shop, to where the jewelry is, and Woody Allen turns around to find his young accomplice, Michael Rapaport, is wearing his miner's hat on backwards. Their dialogue:

Woody Allen: What the hell are you doing, you got your hat on backwards!

Michael Rapaport: So!

WA: So? The flashlight goes in the front.

MR: Yeah, but I look cool like this.

WA: Wadda you, a jerk? Wadda ya mean it looks cooler?

MR: It's a lot more stylish than that. (Points at Woody's hat.) Look at that.

WA: You think so?

MR: Yeah, turn it around.

Woody turns his miner's hat around, the flashlight now illuminating where they've already dug.

MR: Yeah, look at that, that's cool.

I think of that scene everytime I see someone with their ballcap on backwards, even without a clip-on LED light.

Now now, backwards is so passe - You're supposed to wear it *sideways* to look gangsta...

So you just need to find a trail that always goes clockwise, or counterclockwise, depending on which way your image swings...

I think of that scene too! That was hilarious.

Not sure if you're still looking, but here's one product that I've been using for the past 8 months or so. The Panther Vision LED Cap (link is for example, didn't buy hat from there) has two LEDs and a switch built into the brim of the cap. Runs off two CR2032 batteries. The cap weighs about 7 grams more than my previous hat. The level of light is comparable to other coin cell LED lights. I use it as a backup light source - when I'm changing batteries in another light, trips to the toilet tree, and rooting around in a pack at night. Not well-suited for reading or other close-in work (threading needles) because the lights are at the edge of the brim.

My main light is a Rayovac headlamp - single AA cell 1/2-watt with diffuser. Any small headlamp will work with a ball cap if you don't pull your cap down to your eyebrows. I like the combination because it's convenient. My dome is chrome so I always wear a hat, therefore I always have a light. When I need more light (or light for a long period) I use the headlamp.

However, if you're stuck on the cap you have and don't want to change the way you wear it to accommodate a headlamp, there are several ball cap brim clip-on lights available from places like Walmart and Target. I have one that has UV LEDs - really good for hunting scorpions at night or hunting a lunch-stealing co-worker during the day (little sprinkle of UV powder in the sack, then walk around looking for the tell-tale handprints). Walmart's a good place to buy-and-try. Don't like it - return it.

The lights that clip to the brim of your hat are really nifty, a friend of mine has one and it works great. Personally I don't like spending that much so I've gone to a cheaper alternative.... the dollar store. They sell "book lights" that clip well to the brim of your hat and are relatively bright all things considered. I find it sufficient for cooking and night setup so as far as I'm concerned it does the job, and ya can't beat the price!

Well let's see. If you just use it for the above mentioned thing it should be fine, but the first time that it is dropped, or it gets wet, or any number of other things you lose your light, unless of course you bring plenty of spares...sabre11004

Good point. I got burned last summer by a broken el cheapo, had some batteries-backup, but no spare light. I now know not to go too cheap here. If you've got to carry 2 or 3 for the inevitable failure, it sure isn't ultralight anymore.

The tests for any flashlight should be to dunk it in the sink and drop it on the floor. If the guts get wet or the flashlight stops working, you probably didn't want to take it on the trail anyway.

I've never placed my faith in one single light. I've got my LED ball cap (unless it's too cold), a waterproofed squeeze light on a breakaway lanyard (part of my wearable essentials kit), and my regular headlamp. I figure that on any trip, one light may die by malfunction or misadventure. Carrying at least one back up ain't ultralight, but I WILL always have light.

Not much to say about this.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/benkimball1/3862934209/