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Gear Reviews
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| Biographical Information |
Name:
|
Mark
Wood
|
A Brief
Introduction
I grew up camping with my
parents and had taken a few short backpacking trips, as well as a
couple of 10-day trips before I got married. While my wife and I have
enjoyed car camping and day hiking for close to 6 years, this year we
have decided to make backpacking a permanent part of our lives. Our
trips are generally shorter (2 - 5 days) over rocky, hilly terrain. My
general pack weight for a 3 day trip is around 25 lb (11.4 kg) including
food
and water. |
| Age
/ Sex: |
26 / Male |
| Height: |
5' 11" (1.8 m) |
| Weight: |
250 lb (113 kg) |
| Email
Address: |
mwood_bgt at frontiernet dot net |
Webpage:
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http://www.markandkc.net
|
| Location: |
Chenango County, NY, U.S.A. |
| Product
Information |
|
| Manufacturer: |
Nite Ize |
| Year of Manufacture: |
2006 |
| URL of Manufacturer: |
http://www.niteize.com |
| MSRP: |
$15.00 US |
| Listed Weight: |
None Specified |
| Weight as Delivered: |
3.5 oz (100 g) |
| Listed Dimensions: |
None Specified |
| Measured Dimensions: |
Length: 8 in (20 cm)
Width: 1.4 in (3.5 cm) at the widest point
|
Materials:
(From Web page) |
Body: Poly-carbonate
Wand: Acrylic
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The Nite Ize L.E.D. Wand is designed to transform an Inova Microlight
flashlight into a wand -- usable as a signal marker, dive light, spot
beam or beacon. The wand is advertised as being shockproof, waterproof,
durable, buoyant and submersible to depths of 1000 ft (300 m) and have a
1 mile (1.6 km) visibility. The wand is shipped with an Inova
Microlight and a wrist lanyard. According to the included
documentation, the L.E.D. Wand carries a 2 year warranty for defects in
materials and workmanship.
Arrival Information
The product is packaged in a simple plastic package with a
cardboard instruction card. The instruction card contains
information regarding the product as well as detailed information on
how to turn on and off the included Microlight. For this test, I
received two L.E.D. Wands -- one with a blue Microlight and one with a
green Microlight.
|
| Initial Impressions |
The Nite Ize L.E.D. Wand appears to
be very sturdy and well made. Edges are clean and smooth and the
cap comes off very easily.
Product Use
The L.E.D. Wand
is really very simple to use. The instructions discuss how to turn on
the Microlight and how to access all it's various functions. Pressing
the rubber coated button on the side of the Microlight once gives high
power, again gives low power, a third time gives strobe mode and a
fourth will turn the light off again. If the Microlight has been on in
any mode for over 2 seconds, a press of the button turns the light off.
The
Wand opens very easily with a couple twists of the cap. Inside, there
are three compartments -- the middle is for the microlight, and the two
side ones will hold either the microlight clip or spare batteries. I
found that all compartments were easily large enough for their various
uses and had no trouble getting items in or out of them.
In
order to illuminate the wand, it is necessary to remove the microlight,
activate it to the desired function and re-insert it into the wand. I
was a bit surprised to find there is no way to adjust the setting of the
microlight or turn it off while it is in the wand. Once the wand is
illuminated, light streams out the end of the polished acrylic end in
an even circle as well as flooding out the sides of the wand. I
noticed immediately that the microlights are brighter outside of the
wand, but much more focused. When illuminated, the wand looks very
similar to a dive stick or emergency signal flare.
I'm hoping that the Nite Ize L.E.D. Wand will be useful for both camp
chores and reading at night. I do very little night hiking, so I really
don't expect to test the light in this capacity unless there is an
emergency.
|
| Field
Conditions |
I try to get out in nature at least twice a month
either car camping or backpacking. Most of the trips involve two nights
of camping. The Nite Ize L.E.D. Wand will accompany me on all such
excursions and be used as my primary light source during the testing time frame.
Most of my hiking and backpacking trips center around the Adirondack
and Catskill regions of New York as well as numerous overnight trips
along the Finger Lakes Trail which passes within 10 miles (16 km) of my
home.
Due to the timing of this test, it would not be unreasonable to expect
a wide range of weather conditions from cool spring to warm summer
months. Precipitation is very common in this region so rain is almost a
certainty. Average elevation for the areas surrounding my
house is 500 - 2500 ft (150 - 750 m). Average temperatures during the
testing time frame will range from 50 - 90 F (10 - 32 C).
Also, the Nite Ize L.E.D. Wand will see almost daily use around the
house and our small 13 acre hobby farm. Frequently I am called into the
darkness of night to perform chores such as walking the dog or feeding
and watering the chickens. As summer approaches, these nighttime
excursions will become less frequent due to the longer days, but at
current, there is simply not enough daylight to do everything by
sunlight!
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| Test
Plan |
I propose to test the Nite Ize L.E.D. wand for the following characteristics:
Ease of Use:
- Since the cap of the wand can also house batteries and the
clip for the Inova Microlight, will removing the cap allow these items
to fall out in the woods? Can this be performed in the dark?
- Is the included Inova Microlight easy to use? Can I cycle
through all 4 different functions (High, Low, Strobe and Signal)
without any trouble in the dark?
- Does the included lanyard provide an easy way to attach the light to the ceiling of my tent for nighttime reading?
Functionality:
- Does the Nite Ize L.E.D. Wand provide sufficient light out the polished end to act as a normal flashlight?
- Will the light pouring out the sides of the flashlight body be problematic for my night vision?
- Is the High mode bright enough to use for scouting large open spaces such as searching for a suitable tent spot?
- Is the Low mode dim enough for camp chores without blinding all those around me?
- How well does the wand serve as an emergency flare? Does
the strobe mode provide a sufficient amount of warning to those
approaching while walking the dog at night?
Durability:
- How scratch resistant is the wand? If it gets scratched, will it still function properly?
- The manufacturer claims the wand could be used as a dive
marker. Do I have any problems with water entering the wand during
normal outdoor use?
- How long do the batteries last in the Inova Microlight? The claimed 15 hours, or less? Are they hard to replace?
|
| Summary |
After using the Nite Ize L.E.D. Wand around the house for a
couple of days, I have found it to be not only fun, but quite
functional.
Likes:
- Very good included instruction sheet with all necessary information.
- The cap is very easy to get on and off the wand.
- The included Inova Microlight appears easy to use.
Dislikes:
- Having to remove the cap to turn the Wand on and off is
not difficult for me to do, but may become so in the dark or if it's
raining.
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I
would like to thank Nite Ize and
BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to participate in this test!
Read more reviews of Nite Ize gear
Read more gear reviews by Mark Wood
|
