Coleman CHT 15 Ultra Bright Headlamp

One thing you need for sure when camping or backpacking is a flashlight.  Not just any flashlight but a Headlamp.  I never realized how much easier camping would be until I purchased one.  With two hands-free,  you no longer need to fumble with one hand holding the flashlight and the other getting the task done.  Everything is so much quicker.

A Rating

The waterproof Coleman® CHT 15 Ultra Bright Headlamp allows you to get the job done hands-free. Choose from seven modes: extra-bright, high, medium, low, white strobe, red and blue modes. Up to 150 bright lumens deliver a powerful beam that covers up to 180 feet on the highest setting. Each headlamp is powered by three AAA cell batteries and includes LEDs which never need to be replaced.  Has an extra-long runtime, up to 6 hours on high and 27 hours on low.


Our road test of this headlamp went extremely well.  The batteries are inserted into the side via a battery cartridge.  Follow the instructions as to which directions they face and slide the cartridge back into the unit.  The battery door, as they call it, unscrews with a key attached to the head-strap.  The door is supposed to stay connected to the key but falls off very easily... so keep an eye out for this.  

Turning on the light is a cinch... just press the button on top to toggle through all 7 modes of lighting.  The modes in order are: red, blue white, low, medium, high and strobe.  You can turn off the light by simply pressing the button after the strobe mode or past ten seconds in any mode.  Hold the button down three seconds and you'll skip straight to the high mode.  We used mainly the high beam during camp set-up and hiking.  The blue and red beams were used during the night in our tents.  All modes worked extremely well and as advertised.  There is even a battery indicator that lets you know if you're low on juice.  Used for three nights, the indicator was still green... meaning the batteries were well charged.

Wearing the headlamp is very comfortable and stayed on very well.  The headband is elastic, fully adjustable and will leave marks on your forehead if you're not wearing a hat.  That didn't matter much with us.  The light can adjust down and up for aiming the beam were you need it.  It's touted as being waterproof in some instances but I've also read water resistant.  We did not test the waterproof part but it held up fine in some rain...both light and heavy.  We're not exactly sure how durable this headlamp is as we didn't try to swing it into every rock we saw.  It will definitely withstand a drop though.  This lamp held up as promoted and we were more than pleased at it's performance.  

The only issue we felt may be a problem is the battery door getting lost...as it does not attach to anything.  All other functions worked wonderfully and as advertized.  We would recommend this headlamp any time and anywhere so we gave this headlamp a rating of A.  Our price of $34.99 comes with Free Shipping.  It sports a green/black color as pictured or in a grey/black color.  To purchase the Coleman CHT 15 Headlamp and browse our products, please visit our link Coleman Headlamp.  Please feel free to leave your comments about this product below.  Enjoy your day!

Coleman CHT 15 Headlamp

Headlamp showing battery cartridge,

 battery door and door key on strap

Coghlans CampHeat Emergency Folding Stove

 Ever wanted a quick, easy to use backpacking stove with no fuss and no muss.  Well here we have the Coghlans Emergency Folding Stove.  It's made out of a coated steel construction standing at 4" high, 6.5" in length and 6.5" in width.  

A Rating

Closed, the stove gets down to less than an inch in height. This stove weighs about 14 ounces and slides nicely into your backpack.  Figuring out how to put it together is very simple.  It just takes a couple of seconds to fit the side notches into the bottom piece slots.  The door hinges open from the left side wall and can be closed into a notch on the right side wall.  The bottom piece fits Coghlans Camp Heat fuel, other canned heat, or any other solidified alcohol fuel.  The top piece/range holds your standard backpacking cookware and is extremely sturdy.  

We've tested the stove's strength with a stew pot full of water and had no problems with bending or anything.  Obviously not designed for this big pot but held up very well.  On the trail, we used  the Stanley Camp Cook Set to heat water on the stove.  The walls kept the wind out for the most part and helped keep the flame focused.  We did not use the Camp Heat but used a generic canned heat.  Using one to two cups of water, the heat source took 15 to 30 minutes to heat the water.  This wasn't too bad as we tore down or set up camp as the water heated.  The door would get stuck from time to time but nothing serious.  The Cook Set also left some scratching on the range as well.  After cooking, it didn't take long at all to cool down...allowing you to quickly put it back in your pack.  Tearing down, you just need to figure which piece folds first...pretty much a cinch.  

All in all, this stove did exactly what it was designed to do.  The wind could get in a little with the cook set we used and the door would get stuck at times.  Back home, an attempt to cook an omelette was made with no success.  Our heat source took way too long.  We would like to try another heat source to get faster cooking times.  With the stove functioning as intended and very minor problems, we have given it a rating of A.  To view this stove and related products, please follow our link Coghlans Folding Stove.  Please feel free to write a comment about this product.  Enjoy your day!

Omelette Skillet

Stew Pot Full of Water

Stanley Camp Cook Set

Camp Heat Perch