C. Crane Company "Pak-Lite" Mini LED Flashlight
Initial Report by André Corterier

Personal Biographical Information:

Name: André Corterier
Gender: M
Age: 32
Height: 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight: 78 kg (172 lb)
Email: andreDOTcorterierATfreenetDOTde
Home: Bonn, Germany
DATE: 2004-08-10

 

Backpacking Background:

I began backpacking in my late teens using Europe’s „InterRail“-System – weight hardly mattered, as we were on trains a lot. I usually traveled through southern Europe during summer, for about three weeks at a time, moving from campsites (often without tent) to youth hostels etc. I recently rediscovered backpacking and have started out slowly – single-day 15 mile (24 km) jaunts by myself or even shorter hikes (pushing a stroller uphill through the woods). I am getting started on longer hikes, as a lightweight packer. My gear is either old or really new – nothing in between.

 

ITEM: Pak-Lite LED Light
Year of manufacture: 2004
Manufacturer: C. Crane Company
URL: http://www.ccrane.com/
MSRP: 29.95 $ US for Pak-Lite with lithium battery
MSRP: 22.95 $ US for Pak-Lite with alkaline battery

Weight Comparisons - scale accurate to 5 g (.2 oz)
Pak-Lite listed weight: 42 g (1.5 oz)
Pak-Lite measured weight: 40 g (1.4 oz)

Arrival/Packaging:
The Pak-Lite arrived in a bag with a customs note attached. Inside the bag there was another bag, inside of which I found a lot of bubble-wrap with the largest diameter bubbles I have ever seen. Popping one gave a sound like a bb gun going off. Inside, in yet another bag, I found the Pak-Lite inside a plastic showcase, two hangtags (one for the Pak-Lite with lithium battery, one for the Pak-Lite with alkaline battery), a letter by the sales manager addressed to me and a bit of elastic band with hook & loop fastener with two short elastic sleeves on it. According to the letter, the latter (haha) is meant to try the Pak-Lite out as a headlamp.
The hangtags repeat the claimed durations of the website: 200 hours on the bright setting, 1200 hours on the dim setting (for the lithium battery).

Product Description/First Impression:
You may want to look at the picture provided by the manufacturer (link above). The Pak-Lite looked exactly like what I expected from the website. It's essentially a 9V-block battery with a small, finger-width, black plastic piece attached to it at one end, which has two white LEDs and a switch on it (and really serves only to do just that). The switch, which is really small, has three settings: the middle one is "off", to the left of that (with the switch facing up) is the "dim" setting, to the right is the "bright" setting. As one may have assumed from the claimed battery life for each setting, the difference between the settings isn't in the number of LEDs lit (although that is what I had first assumed). Both settings employ both LEDs, though (obviously) at different intensities.

Assembly:
Not much to assemble, really. I tried taking the plastic front end off the battery, but encountered an unexpected amount of resistance in doing so. I guess that is all for the better - as the Pak-Lite does not have a case, any jarring etc. which this light will encounter in my pack will work against this joint. On first glance, it may well survive (the hangtag says that these lights have lasted the length of the Pacific Crest Trail - and on the same battery, to boot - so far, I have no reason to doubt it). As there is no need to replace the battery now, I'll let it go for now.
Where I did have need to assemble (a little) was with the elastic headband fitting. The elastic sleeve is very small, which, once I had the Pak-Lite in there, I again found positive. Should make it harder for me to lose it from there as it probably won't slip out on its own.

Trying Out:
I had meant to go on a teeny little night hike the day the Pak-Lite would arrive, but couldn't even get around to opening the package until just before midnight and had to get up early the next day (a trend which has continued since). So I tried it out inside: On the dim setting, I consider it adequate to read a newspaper by. It provides somewhat less light for this purpose than I would like, however - I find that I move the light along the lines that I am reading. While this works, I prefer a light that I can set up so that it provides sufficient lighting for the entire page. The bright setting does this - and a little more. It is definitely bright enough to read by - maybe a touch too much. A little less would definitely be more comfortable for me to read by, but I guess this setting isn't meant for reading purposes. It did provide enough light for a little jog down the slightly cluttered hallway (we're renovating). Of course, I did not have to worry about obstacles at head level, so I was unable to judge the efficacy of the light in this regard. At the end of the hallway is a little cabinet in which we keep provisions. I first checked this with the light on "dim". This was sufficient to find the midnight snack I was looking for and knew to be there. But in order to get an idea of what else there was which might strike my fancy, I switched the light to its bright setting. That was almost like turning on the light, and worked really well.
With the Pak-Lite in the headband, I immediately noticed glare in my glasses. This is because the Pak-Lite's LEDs sit far forward on the front of the light. I tried both walking around and reading with this setup, but found the glare in both instances to be too annoying to make this something I would want to do for a longer period of time (which I guess means it won't work for me). Of course, not all glasses sit the same way and I believe someone who does not wear glasses definitely would not have this problem.
I also tried this without my glasses (which I do not need to wear all the time). I guess centering the light works moderately well. Still, the sleeves face forward and this means that the light essentially shines in a direction parallel to the level in which the headband circles my head. Thus, adjustments are limited to the adjustments I can make to the way the headband sits on my head. The amount by which I can make it point down or up is thus limited, though effectively limited to a range outside of which I think I would have little use for a light.

Summary:
The light seems to provide adequate lighting in its two modes. However, I would prefer a little more in both. After this brief exposure, I would hazard a guess that this setup with would be perfect for me if it employed three LEDs rather than two - it would provide that little bit of additional lighting I would like to have on the "dim" setting. As it is, when I use the Pak-Lite on the lower setting, I move both head and light close to what I am reading or looking for, which is a little like doing the same in daylight but without my glasses. The switch is something I am a little concerned with - it seems somewhat fragile, though this is only because it is small, not because I've noticed any flex (to the contrary, it's quite stiff). I wonder whether I'll be able to employ it with gloves on.

For the Future:
I will try the Pak-Lite out around camp and hiking at night. I may try it out jogging on and off- trail at night, depending on how the earlier endeavours work out. I may even try to light my way on a bicycle with it. I will attempt to keep a rough count of the number of hours it's been employed in either mode (so far: maybe half an hour in both). I am not prepared to go for an all-out test of the Pak-Lite's longevity as long as I haven't found replacement lithium 9V-blocks in Germany. I will find out whether the Pak-Lite is sufficiently rugged to withstand a good number of day- and weekend trips in my pack. I will find out whether the switch holds up and whether I am able to use it while wearing gloves.

I plan to use the Pak-Lite primarily dayhiking in the local area, temps mostly between 10 C and 30 C (50 F and 86 F) for the Field Report, probably down to -5 C (23 F) for the Long Term Report. I have a few weekend trips planned also, mainly a four day trip in late October. Elevations will be between sea level and maybe 500 m (1700 ft) unless my trip through the Alps materializes, humidity and precipitation are anyone's guess.

Pros: Light. :-)
Simple. Small. Probably no need to worry about the longevity of the batteries.

Cons: On the low setting, not quite the amount of light I would wish from a reading light.