Long Term Report
Pak-Lite Flashlight
Date: February 6th, 2005
Reviewer Information
Name: Jim Sabiston
Age: 50
Height: 6' 3" (1.9 m)
Weight: 207 lb (94 kg)
Email address: JimSabis(at)aol(dot)com
State: New York
Country: USA
Backpacking Background:
I've been camping for several decades. I am a member of the Adirondack Mountain
Club and the Appalachian Mountain Club. My backpacking includes winter trips,
mountaineering and backcountry cross country skiing, and I participated in the AMC's Winter Mountaineering training program with Chauvin
International Climbing Guides. More recently, I have actively studied ways to
backpack lighter and more efficiently. During the summer months, my style tends
toward very light, but not quite ultralight. I use a hammock
or tarp for warm weather, and a small four-season tent for winter trips. Most
of my other gear is very changeable, as I am constantly experimenting with gear
and techniques.
Product Information:
Manufacturer: C. Crane Company
URL: http://www.ccrane.com
Year of Manufacture: 2004
Light source: 2 Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
Projected battery life (with included lithium battery):
Low setting: 1200 hours
High setting: 200 hours
Size (assembled): Length: 2.25 in (5.7 cm)
width: 1 in (2.5 cm)
depth: .6 in (1.5 cm)
Listed weight (assembled):
1.5 oz (42.5 g)
Weight as delivered (assembled):
1.5 oz (42.5 g)
MSRP: $29.95 (with lithium battery)
Product Description:
The Pak-Lite flashlight is a small LED based
flashlight having two LED elements and two light settings, high and low. The
'body' of the Pak-Lite has been reduced to the
smallest practical component by eliminating the need to enclose the power
source. Instead, the body holds only the twin LED lighting elements, an
interesting miniature toggle switch and a small circuit board. This level of
miniaturization is made possible by the unique contacts of the common 9-volt
battery. The battery contacts mate up with the flashlight contacts mounted directly
to the LED circuit board. When pressed together, the battery becomes an
extension of the small, squared-off flashlight body.
One surprise is the design of the on/off switch. The Pak-Lite
uses a small toggle switch. The small, light grey toggle is located in, and
well protected by, a small indent on one side of the flashlight body. The
switch has three positions. Set the toggle in the center position and the light
is off. Move the switch to one side and it activates the low setting. Move the
switch to the other side and it activates the high setting. The switch makes an
audible 'click' when moved and provides a nice tactile response.
Unlike many multiple element LED lights, the Pak-Lite
does not control brightness by changing how many LED elements are activated, as
both LED bulbs are on regardless of whether the high or low setting is
activated. Instead, the
actual brightness of the bulbs are changed from one
setting to the other. The LED elements stand proud above the front of the light
housing, rather than being
recessed into it. For a more detailed description, please see my Initial
Report.
Long Term Experience:
The Pak-Lite has been subjected to a broad range of
weather conditions now. As a permanent part of my backpacking kit, it has been
subjected to temperatures above 90 F (32 C) during the summer months, and
temperatures as low as 15 F (-9 C) more recently during several fall and winter
camping trips. The colder temperatures have had no apparent effect on the
light. The switch remains fully functional and retains the pleasant, positive
click when activated as when it was new. The brightness of the Pak-Lite seems unaffected by the colder temps, as should be
expected with the lithium battery.
The battery cum flashlight body has collected a few scratches and dents, but these
are strictly cosmetic and have had no effect on performance. It does call to
mind the point that when this battery finally runs down, installing a new battery
will be like installing a new body, too!
The Pak-Lite flashlight continues to fill a happy
niche in my gear kit. It’s most frequent use has been to provide lighting in my
tent, hammock or bivy. The Pak-Lite
provides a great source of low level area lighting and I find this has become
my primary use for it. I still consider it too dim, even on the high setting,
for close or detailed work, such as setting a tent or hammock in the dark,
although it will suffice handily in a pinch. There are many other flashlights
or headlamps that will provide brighter lighting when needed. However, by using
the Pak-Lite as an area light for the majority of the
time, it helps preserve the battery life in my other lighting devices. Once
settled in, however, is when the Pak-Lite comes into
it own. Either placed in the gear loft of my tent or
the small gear net in my hammock, the Pak-Lite gives
off a pleasant, low level of light which is fine for moving about a tent or
lean-to, or sorting gear. For more detailed field experience, see my Field
Report.
More Bumps, Thumps and Spritzes:
The Pak-Lite continues to prove to be a surprisingly
rugged little item. Being switched around from backpack to daypack to fanny
pack, etc., has caused no undue signs of wear. There hasn't been a single
occurrence of the light fitting popping off the battery, even during a couple
of minor drops on to dirt surfaces. The battery clips show no sign of
loosening. The exposed position of the bulbs would seem to invite damage, but
there has not been a problem to date, in spite of some rough handling. In an
effort to afford the little light some protection, I have taken to keeping it
in a small, metal Altoids tin along with a few other
odd and ends, such as matches. This makes it easier to toss from pack to pack
while offering some protection. The bright green tin is also easier to keep
track of!The tin also serves
to protect the Pak-Lite from exposure to moisture. I
usually pack it in the top pocket of my backpack, which is the first place to
get soaked when it rains. Between the water resistance of my backpacks nylon
pack body and the metal tin, the Pak-Lite has not
been exposed to any unusual amounts of water.
Summary:
Likes:
1 - Small and light.
2 - Rectangular body (battery) can't roll and is very stable standing on flat
surfaces.
2 - Projected battery life. 200/1200 hours!? What's not to like?
Dislikes:
1 - No built in way to attach it to anything.
The Pak-Lite is an interesting concept, distilling
the idea of a flashlight down to its most fundamental elements. The design
strikes me as a balance between functionality and battery life, with the
emphasis on the latter. If I were looking for a light that would satisfy my ultralight lighting needs for typical weekend jaunts, there
are lighter lights around that will get the job done. However,
when the trip calls for longer periods in the backcountry, far from re-supply,
the Pak-Lite becomes a serious contender, in my book.
The light levels are bright enough to get the job done, at least around camp,
with a bit of light duty trail work thrown in and the battery life projections
are spectacular. Even with my six months of regular use, I have barely put a
dent in the projected battery life of the lithium battery. It is reasonable to
expect a single battery to last end to end on a thru hike of any of the major
continental trails. I just would not want to rely on it for any intensive
nighttime trail work, especially in dubious terrain. Because of these
characteristics, I continue to think of the Pak-Lite
as more of a 'camp' light, rather than a trail light. I prefer the brighter
beam of a good headlamp for the trail, but the Pak-Lite
makes a serviceable emergency backup that does a good job in camp.
The Pak-Lite has proven to be quite versatile in the
many applications that I have used it and is likely to become a part of my
permanent kit. The only
real compromise is the relatively low light output necessary to obtain such extraordinary
battery life. On the other hand, it is nice to now the light will be
there when I need it.
