Our itineraries leave at 3:00, 4:00 and 4:30 AM. Teahouse power is metered solar that does not always deliver.
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250 lumens. The red button is the part people skip and regret.
What to look for: 200-350 lumens, red night mode, takes AAA as a fallback
Our itineraries leave at 3:00 AM (Manaslu), 4:00 AM (Thorong La, Larkya La) and 4:30 AM (Poon Hill). Red mode preserves night vision and lets you pack at 3am without waking a six-bed dorm.
Do not chase 1,000-lumen numbers. That is search-and-rescue brightness and it mostly blinds the person in front of you.
Plus one full spare set, carried against your body.
What to look for: Lithium (not alkaline), AAA, 8-pack
Alkaline runs on a water-based electrolyte whose ion mobility collapses near freezing. Lithium holds lower internal resistance when cold, and the gap widens under the high-drain load a headlamp puts on a pass.
Rechargeable NiMH is fine at teahouse temperatures but fades faster than lithium in real cold.
