Hat Light

Need a hands-free light, but haven’t found a headlamp that you really like?

That was our situation. I just didn’t like the weight of the headlamps I tried (we bought at least 5 or 6, each time thinking we’d found one we could live with) — they’d always end up slipping just as I really needed the light and really didn’t have a spare hand.

Dave didn’t like them because he’s a ball cap kind of guy, and he couldn’t wear both his ball cap and the headlamp. So he’d clutch a little flashlight in his teeth whenever he needed light but didn’t have a hand to hold it.

Then our grandson Kevin gave Dave a ball cap with a light built in for Father’s Day, literally the day before we were leaving on an extended camping trip several years ago. He thought it’d be just the thing for grandpa’s trip and made a special trip to give it to Dave before we left.

Dave made a big show of putting it in the car, figuring that he’d use it once for a photo op, then it would go in the giveaway box as another idea that just didn’t work in practice.

Surprise! That cap has turned into a real favorite of Dave’s! It has three LED’s and gives off a good light. It works on two button batteries, which is about the only disadvantage: they’re light weight but not cheap. A set lasts him about a year — obviously, this depends on how much you use it.

Dave finds it perfect for grilling after dark, walking along the side deck, checking the anchor snubbers and so on. And there have been several repairs made while using it — Dave finds it easier than trying to deal with me holding a flashlight and trying to just know where he will look next.

And I’ll admit it: I’ve “stolen” it more than once or twice. The light is bright enough that I can read an instruction manual outside after dark while trying to figure out why the “automatic lighter” on the grill wasn’t working (answer: operator error).

• Cap LED Hands-Free Flashlight
• You can also find “beanie” hats on Amazon See other styles under related products.

Just a few weeks ago, we saw a variation that a neighbor had: a clip on cap light. His had 5 LEDs for an even brighter light, and also uses two button batteries. The one thing he told us about it (repeated in the Amazon reviews) is that you can’t use it on any cap with much curve to the bill as it won’t fit correctly, will try to fall off and/or will break the clips. The good news is that they’re cheap:

• 5 LED Cap Clip-On Light

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