All Articles
Latest
LED Headlamp REVIEW SUMMARY 2003: Petzl, Princeton Tec, Black Diamond, and Photon
A comprehensive review of sub-6-ounce LED headlamps from Princeton Tec, Black Diamond, Petzl, and Photon.
Black Diamond Zenix Headlamp Review
Summary of Specifications The Black Diamond Zenix weights 4.54 oz (129 g) with 3xAAA batteries. It is a 3-LED headlamp with two modes that alternate between a central, “hyperbright” LED...
Petzl Tikka Plus Headlamp Review
Summary of Specifications The Petzl Tikka Plus headlamp weighs 2.54 oz (72 g) with 3xAAA batteries. It is a 4-LED headlamp with batteries in the lamp housing (front). The headband...
Photon Fusion Headlamp Review
Summary of Specifications The Photon Fusion weighs 5.78 oz (164 g) with 3xAA alkaline batteries, or 4.81 oz (136 g) with 3xAA lithium batteries. The Fusion has a 7-LED headlamp...
Princeton Tec Aurora Headlamp Review
Princeton Tec Aurora Specifications The Princeton Tec Aurora weighs 2.66 oz (75 g) with 3xAAA batteries. It is a 3-LED headlamp with batteries in the lamp housing (front). The band...
Princeton Tec Matrix 2 One-Watt LED Headlamp
Summary of Specifications The Princeton Tec Matrix 2 weighs 5.34 oz (151 g) with 2xAA alkaline batteries and 4.69 oz with 2xAA lithium batteries. It is a 1-LED headlamp featuring...
Princeton Tec Scout Headlamp Review
Princeton Tec Scout Specifications The Princeton Tec Scout weighs 1.4 oz (40 g) with its 4×2032 coin cell batteries. It is a 2-LED headlamp with the battery housing in the...
Petzl Zipka Headlamp Review
Petzl Zipka Specifications The Petzl Zipka weighs 2.07 oz (59 g) with 3xAAA batteries. It is a 3-LED headlamp with batteries in the lamp housing (front). The headband is a...
Black Diamond Ion Headlamp Review
Summary of Specifications The Black Diamond Ion weighs 0.97 oz (27 g) with its single 6V battery. It is a 2-LED headlamp in a housing hinged and attached to a...
Black Diamond Moonlight Headlamp Review
Summary of Specifications The Black Diamond Moonlight weighs 4.4 oz (125 g) with 3xAAA batteries (e.g., Energizer Titanium E2). It is a 4-LED headlamp with the battery housing in the...
Patagonia Dragonfly Pullover REVIEW (Spring 2004 Style)
A three ounce wind shirt with an important distinguishing feature: durability.
Wireless in the Wilderness: An Overview of Communications Technologies for Backpackers
Introduction Solo. All by yourself. Middle of nowhere. 30 miles from the nearest road. Sounds great, doesn’t it? But, what if something goes wrong? What if you’re injured? What if...
Buying an LED Torch: Headlamp Design Considerations to Help Guide Your Purchasing Decisions
Be sure to check our Gear Guide to LED Headlamps. Introduction If your brain isn’t overwhelmed by all the variables in our primer on LED headlamps, it’s time to go...
LED Lighting Technology: A Comprehensive Primer to Understanding the Design Basis of Light Emitting Diode-Based Flashlights and Headlamps
Be sure to check our Gear Guide to LED Headlamps. A Little History In many ways, the flashlight or headlamp you carry in your pack is a direct descendant of...
The Weird Science of Night Vision: Lighting Considerations for Lightweight Backpacking
Be sure to check our Gear Guide to LED Headlamps. Turn night into day (use bright light), or preserve night vision (use low light)? Because of the eye’s physiology, it...
Western Mountaineering Flight Vest
Introduction The Western Mountaineering Flight Vest provides one of the highest warmth:weight ratios of any garment on the market. You can use this vest for cold rest stops, to boost...
Frameless Backpacks: Engineering Analysis of the Load Carrying Performance of Selected Lightweight Packs
Introduction The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the load carrying performance of several frameless packs available to the ultralight backpacking community. Frameless backpacks tested in this...
Simplicity, Harmony, and Opportunity: Freedom Born From an Ultralight Ethic
"Out of clutter, find simplicity. From discord, find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies Opportunity" – Albert Einstein’s Three Rules of Work This short quote summarizes my philosophy for...
Quantitative Analysis of Backpack Suspension Performance
Introduction Internet forums, hometown gear shops, and outdoor industry trade shows are filled with backpacking enthusiasts and marketing sharks convinced that their backpack carries weight better than any other on...
Lightweight Backpacking with Young Children
Introduction Introducing your child to the wonders of nature is one thing–helping them enjoy themselves while preserving your own sanity on a backpacking trip is quite another. Backpacking with kids...
Blake Morstad
Blake Morstad was killed in an avalanche on January 1, 2005, while backcountry skiing in Montana’s Centennial Mountains. Please visit the Blake Morstad Memorial at BackpackingLight.com. Blake Morstad recently graduated...
