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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:
|
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
|
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.
For more information, please see my Initial
Report.
|
| Final Report |
I've used the Nite Ize L.E.D. wands
now for close to four months. Over the past two months, I have
found little more to add than what was already noted in my Field
Report.
Ease
of Use
I still struggle with the fact that in turning on or off the included
Microlight, I must unscrew the end cap and remove the light. On
multiple occasions, I have dropped the Microlight performing this
maneuver and luckily, each time, the Microlight was turned on making it
easy to find. This would go very poorly in the dark (the most
common time to use a light) if I were unlucky enough to have dropped
a Microlight that was switched off. Generally, I find myself
reaching
only for the Inova Microlight and not the wand.
Functionality
I've owned quite a few flashlights and I still feel that the Nite Ize
wand provides the best source of visibility for others to see me.
When set to blink, it is visible for quite a long distance and
due to the unique colors of the LED light, the wand really stands out.
I will definitely keep one of these in my car to use in a
roadside emergency.
Use of the Nite Ize L.E.D. wand for illumination purposes was somewhat
difficult. There is simply not a lot of light produced and I
found that removing the Microlight and using it alone produced more
lighting. However, the wand works perfectly when subtle
illumination is necessary such as finding something without waking a
tent mate.
|
| 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 has accompanied me on all
such
excursions and will continue to be used as a 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, the Nite Ize has been exposed
to a
wide range of weather conditions from cool spring to warm summer
months. Precipitation is very common in this region and thus far, we
have seen our fair share! Average elevation for the areas
surrounding my
house is 500 - 2500 ft (150 - 750 m). Average temperatures during the
testing time frame ranged from 50 -90 F (10 - 32 C).
|
| Test
Results |
In my field report I attempted to answer most of the
questions in my Initial Report. I will attempt to provide any
final thoughts after four months of use.
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?I never did find an easy way to
remove the end cap without fear of dropping any item stored in the
Wand's body.
Functionality:
- Does the Nite Ize
L.E.D. Wand provide sufficient light out the polished end to act as a
normal flashlight? The
amount of light produced is fine for tasks where you don't want much
light. I do not feel that I could hike safely using only the Nite
Ize L.E.D. Wand.
- Is the Low mode dim
enough for camp chores without blinding all those around me? This is one of the tasks where the
Nite Ize wand really worked well. I could work around camp
especially with the blue light and not worry about blinding 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? I
really liked the wand for these tasks. I will continue to carry
one of these in the trunk of my car for just this reason.
Durability:
- How scratch resistant
is the wand? If it gets scratched, will it still function
properly? After four months of
use, the wand has held up very well. There is some minor
scratching, but no loss of function was noticed..
- 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? I have
gotten the wand quite wet through normal use and I have never noticed
any moisture inside the wand.
- How long do the
batteries last in the Inova Microlight? The claimed 15 hours, or less?
Are they hard to replace? I
replaced the batteries in the blue Microlight and found the task to be
very easy. While I didn't time how long they lasted, I think the
claim of 15 hours is quite reasonable.
|
| Summary |
After using the Nite Ize
L.E.D. Wand for four months, my final conclusions are as follows:
Likes:
- Very easy to see from
a distance
- Very durable
- Well sealed against
moisture
- Easy to change the batteries in the Microlights.
Dislikes:
- Having to remove the
cap to turn the wand on and off is somewhat cumbersome
- Provides insufficient
light to be used for navigation
- The included
Microlight turns off when left on its brightest setting for 4 minutes.
|
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
|
