I've been on my share of night search and rescue missions with Oregon's Hood River Crag Rats mountain rescue unit. A downed aircraft in Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, missing climbers on Mount Hood (every season), and lost hikers in the Badger Lake Wilderness.

Recently on Washington's Table Mountain we encountered howling rain and blasting wind. Despite our climbing headlamps, we could barely see through the storm. We were continuously pelted by spitting rain and Douglas fir needles being stripped like tiny Ninja barbs from the trees.

My colleague dug out a better headlamp. It was a 1000 lumen lamp designed for mountain biking at night. The bike headlight was dynamite. It pierced the blackness with bright, white light.

With battery and bulb technology so improved, this is now an essential component in my SAR pack.