Appreciation post: That $40 headlamp I bought saved my whole explore today

I was poking around an old grain elevator outside of town and the basement stairs were totally black. My phone light was giving out so I pulled out this cheap 40 dollar headlamp I got at a hardware store last spring. It lit up the whole room and I spotted a rotten floorboard I would have stepped right through. Without that thing I probably would have ended up in the basement with a busted ankle. Anyone else have a piece of gear that turned out to be a lifesaver on a random trip?

2 comments

2 Comments

ellis.charles7d ago

@troy996 nailed it, right? I had almost the same thing happen exploring an old service tunnel under a park last fall. My cheap headlamp picked up these rusty rebar stubs sticking out of a muddy puddle that woulda gone right through my boot.

troy9967d ago

Wait, did anyone think about how that floorboard could have been covering something underneath? Sometimes rotten boards in old industrial places like that are hiding old machinery holes or sump pits. Ive heard stories of people punching through into deep water tanks or old equipment shafts. That headlamp might have saved you from more than just a twisted ankle. Gear that lets you actually SEE the ground clearly is worth every penny when youre in sketchy spots.