Long Term Report

Long-Term Report
Nite Ize L.E.D. Wand

September 29, 2006

Tester: Colleen Porter
Age: 31
Gender: F
Height: 5' 8” (1.73 m)
Weight: 137 lb (62 kg) Email: tarbubble at yahoo dot com
City, State: Irvine, CaliforniaBiography: I’ve been backpacking for 11 years, usually with my husband. We used to be heavyweights, but having children forced us to go lighter, and now on my own my 3-season base weight (without food, water or fuel) hovers around 13 lb/6 kg, and is getting lower. On family trips the weight usually doubles. I make some of our gear. My typical haunts are the mountains of southern California, the Sierra Nevada, the Grand Canyon, plus the Mojave and Colorado deserts. Yup, gotta carry a lot of water.

Product Information
Manufacturer: Nite Ize
URL: http://www.niteize.com/
Listed Weight: n/a
Tested Weight: 3 oz/86 g (wand only - no light or accessories)
MSRP: $15.00 US

Product Description: A waterproof polycarbonate housing with an attached acrylic cylinder that transforms an LED squeeze light (the wand comes packaged with an Inova brand light) into a glowing wand/flashlight. The total length of the wand is 8 in/20 cm. The circumference of the housing/handle is 4.5 in/11.5 cm, and the circumference of the acrylic cylinder is 2.5 in/6.35 cm.

Field Conditions: I used the Nite Ize LED Wand in southern California and Montana. Elevations ranged from sea level to roughly 10,000'/3050 m. Temperatures varied from around 100 F/38 C to around 45 F/7 C. Weather was almost always clear and dry, with a few spells of higher humidity (60%) than is normal for my region.

Long-Term Conclusions: The LED Wand can be a useful beacon, but beyond that it is little more than a cool toy. It doesn't really serve any practical purpose for backpacking. It is inadequate as a flashlight, casting enough light to see a very small and poorly illuminated bit of ground directly in front of the Wand. The beam does not cast far at all. It is slightly better as a tent light, and can be easily hung, but the light from it is insufficient for reading or any other activity that requires seeing details. The only times it has really ever come in handy is when it has been used as a beacon. For example, we tied it to my son when we went swimming at dusk, so we'd be able to watch him even as it grew dark. The only caveat with using it in this manner is that the Inova Microlights will shut off after about 5 minutes if left on the brightest light setting.

However, kids love the wand, and it has been a fun item to test. I have run out the batteries on both of the Inova Microlights that I was provided with it, so I've put in quite a few hours of use with it. It has sustained no damage, despite being thrown, stepped on, chewed on and dropped. I wish it had turned out to be more useful, but in the future it will serve as nothing more than a fun toy and a safety beacon for my kids.

Thanks to Nite Ize and BackpackGearTest.org for giving me the opportunity to test the wand.

Read more reviews of Nite Ize gear
Read more gear reviews by Colleen Porter

Reviews > Lighting > Flashlights - LED > Nite Ize L.E.D. Wand > Colleen Porter > Long Term Report

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