Caving: Brunton Headlamps Put to the Test

Caving with Brunton(2008)

A team of cavers explored the deep, dark tunnels using the brightest LED headlamp available- the Brunton L5.

"By my estimation we spent approximately 40 hours underground caving this last trip in 7 caves, during 8 caving trips over the course of 12 days in SE Arizona. We used the L5 - 5 watt Headlamp with waist belt battery pack as our main source of light.

John Waller said: "

"The light is fantastic. At full power, the beam can penetrate even a large cavern room with 80 foot ceilings and 100 foot widths. I particularly enjoy the diffuse effect of the light...there is a consistent beam that fades at the edges rather than the concentrical rings with hard edges that some headlamps cast. The light is soft and the LED blue is much preferred to the more synthetic yellows of incandescent light. I used the light from the headlamp for filming on more than one occasion with no additional light sources and was very pleased with the effect and color. Battery life was impressive. Even on full power, I got 8 - 10 hours of good lighting and the recharge time was only several hours at most (powered off of the DC plug in our SUV). I am still not a huge fan of a cable wire system to the battery. While I appreciate not having the battery weight on the back of the helmet, the cable is an inconvenience every time I take a break and need to remove my helmet. To protect the connection to the battery and prevent snagging, I feed the cable under my shirt, so I have to pull the cable back out. If the connection were at the headlamp end, I could unplug that end and leave the cable whereever I have tucked or threaded it.

I really enjoy the easy ability to adjust the direction of the headlamp beam and there is a good range of motion up and down to the lamp. Its a nice system. I also like having to hold down the on button for 3 seconds to turn the light on and off. I can't tell you how many times that my headlamp has been accidentally turned on in the act of packing it away and I pull it out days later to find a dead battery.

   

Comments from Scott Sievertsen:

"By my estimation we spent approximately 40 hours underground caving this last trip in 7 caves, during 8 caving trips over the course of 12 days in SE Arizona. We used the L5 - 5 watt Headlamp with waist belt battery pack as our main source of light.

The caves were all mostly dry and relatively warm, but several had sections that were muddy and damp. The caves had several other factors that affected the lamp use. We used the L5-5 watt lamp during rappels and traverses in and across vertical pits, through low tight body crawl-ways in dust and mud, as well as in large walking passage and rooms.

In each of these scenarios the L5 performed at a very high level.

The light output levels (low-medium-high) were easily manipulated to match what was appropriate for the passage we were in. It was nice to be doing the caving work and not be concerned with the light going out or being damaged.

I would continue using the L5 as my main source of light and suggest it as an excellent primary source to other cavers. It is especially attractive because of the long battery life, ease of use, its relatively lightweight for the amount of power it has and its simple design."