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Before I start I'll let you know I'm not talking about night vision goggles. I feel that could be covered by someone else if they want. I have used them, but it's not an area I keep up to date on.
I want to talk about getting yourself used to doing things at night without using white light as much as possible. You always want to be safe so there are definately times white light is needed, but do yourself a favor and train without it as much as possible.
I have been camping numerous times and always had at least one person who kept their light on non stop. To me this is nothing but a pain in the "butt!"
White light only messes with a persons natural night vision abilities. If you just let you eyes adapt to the darkness you will be surprised at how well you can really see. I always carry a flashlight, but try to use it as little as possible to save batteries and protect my night vision. If I am using it to tie a knot, look through a bag or perform some type of task I use the option of having a red lense on it. This is far less harsh on your eyes and allows your eyes to adjust quicker once your done. If following a trail at night with reflective markers a red light will work just as well and you can also pick up on the eyes of critters in the woods with a red light just a easy even if you think they are out of range.
If you have to use your white light or if you think someone might shine one at you, close one eye and keep it closed until the light is off. By closing one eye your vision will adjust quicker then if both were open.
A good habit to get into is organizing your gear and performing certain tasks without light at all. You can do this by packing things in a organized way and sticking with that pattern. A great thing to do is try performing tasks in a dark room and/or in the back yard at night to build confidence/become confident in yourself. If you have kids who have that fear of the dark include them in your practice and make a game out of it so it can be a fun way of overcoming their fears. To be honest I feel safer in the dark because the dark can be your friend if you need to hide. I also feel safer in the woods at night then I do on a well lighted city street.
A guy I camped with one time brought his son along and did something really cool at night. He tied a chemlight off on his sons belt loop and let me tell you it was very easy to keep track of him. I thought this was an awesome idea!
If hiking at night for whatever reason hanging a chemlight off your backside on each individual works very well, as does the entrance to a tent, a hazard etc...There are numerous types of chemlights out there, you don't need to have the big expensive monsters. I even have some for placing on my fishing bobbers at night. These little ones have numerous other applications so just use your imagination.
Give your eyes time to adjust after leaving a well lighted area or after getting out of the car in the dark after driving. Having a hiking pole or staff makes life easier also at night. When moving at night when ever possible focus at the tops of trees ahead of you for example. Here you will notice far more contrast because of the sky behind them. I believe 100% in compasses that DO NOT require white light to charge them. A tritium compass just as tritium sights on a firearm are worth their weight in gold in my opinion. If you ever have to perform a task with white light and want to remain hidden, for ex. read a map, just throw a poncho over yourself and turn it on. A red light would probably work better though.
Now go have some fun and put these things to practice. It will save on batteries and just build that confidence which we all need to do from time to time.
Common sense and safety should always come first use your judgement in regards to when it is benificial to use white light or not, but knowing how to function without it when it isn't needed is a good skill to have especially if you want to avoid prying eyes.
Oh ya, two more things...we all know how much of a pain bugs are by being attracted to white light so there is another reason to avoid it and when picking nightcrawlers a red lens works better because the worms don't feel as much heat from the light.
I want to talk about getting yourself used to doing things at night without using white light as much as possible. You always want to be safe so there are definately times white light is needed, but do yourself a favor and train without it as much as possible.
I have been camping numerous times and always had at least one person who kept their light on non stop. To me this is nothing but a pain in the "butt!"
White light only messes with a persons natural night vision abilities. If you just let you eyes adapt to the darkness you will be surprised at how well you can really see. I always carry a flashlight, but try to use it as little as possible to save batteries and protect my night vision. If I am using it to tie a knot, look through a bag or perform some type of task I use the option of having a red lense on it. This is far less harsh on your eyes and allows your eyes to adjust quicker once your done. If following a trail at night with reflective markers a red light will work just as well and you can also pick up on the eyes of critters in the woods with a red light just a easy even if you think they are out of range.
If you have to use your white light or if you think someone might shine one at you, close one eye and keep it closed until the light is off. By closing one eye your vision will adjust quicker then if both were open.
A good habit to get into is organizing your gear and performing certain tasks without light at all. You can do this by packing things in a organized way and sticking with that pattern. A great thing to do is try performing tasks in a dark room and/or in the back yard at night to build confidence/become confident in yourself. If you have kids who have that fear of the dark include them in your practice and make a game out of it so it can be a fun way of overcoming their fears. To be honest I feel safer in the dark because the dark can be your friend if you need to hide. I also feel safer in the woods at night then I do on a well lighted city street.
A guy I camped with one time brought his son along and did something really cool at night. He tied a chemlight off on his sons belt loop and let me tell you it was very easy to keep track of him. I thought this was an awesome idea!
If hiking at night for whatever reason hanging a chemlight off your backside on each individual works very well, as does the entrance to a tent, a hazard etc...There are numerous types of chemlights out there, you don't need to have the big expensive monsters. I even have some for placing on my fishing bobbers at night. These little ones have numerous other applications so just use your imagination.
Give your eyes time to adjust after leaving a well lighted area or after getting out of the car in the dark after driving. Having a hiking pole or staff makes life easier also at night. When moving at night when ever possible focus at the tops of trees ahead of you for example. Here you will notice far more contrast because of the sky behind them. I believe 100% in compasses that DO NOT require white light to charge them. A tritium compass just as tritium sights on a firearm are worth their weight in gold in my opinion. If you ever have to perform a task with white light and want to remain hidden, for ex. read a map, just throw a poncho over yourself and turn it on. A red light would probably work better though.
Now go have some fun and put these things to practice. It will save on batteries and just build that confidence which we all need to do from time to time.
Common sense and safety should always come first use your judgement in regards to when it is benificial to use white light or not, but knowing how to function without it when it isn't needed is a good skill to have especially if you want to avoid prying eyes.
Oh ya, two more things...we all know how much of a pain bugs are by being attracted to white light so there is another reason to avoid it and when picking nightcrawlers a red lens works better because the worms don't feel as much heat from the light.
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