Headlamp recommendations

I just picked up the petzl e-lite, pretty sweet piece of gear.

Would you consider the Photo Freedom? I know its not a headlamp but it does come with a clip that works quite well attached to a hat, I've also even clamped it to my beanie in camp and it works just as well. It definitely provides enough light for me around camp at night and I have even hiked at night with it once. It's definitely not the brightest but it works well for my purposes, plus it only weighs .2 oz :)

Black Diamond Gizmo or Princeton Tec Byte

I have the same thoughts on the Photon Freedom
I have hiked at night with it and with the clip I can clip it to a seam in my tent above my head so it's easy to find and read by.
The battery's easy to find at the grocery store

Like others have mentioned, petzl e+lite or Black Diamond Gizmo
Petzl has great featuers including the red night vision saving led light…but the batteries are flat, watch type battery cells, which is probably not interchangeable with the batteries of any other electronics in your kit

The Black Diamond Gizmo, especially the 2010 model, is a good bet. It's around 1.5oz IIRC, and can be dimmed, or used as a strobe light. The 2009 doesn't dim, but instead has a low, bright, and strobe setting. It uses AAA batteries (2x), so very common and interchangeable

I thought about the e+lite but the reviews sound like the brightness dims pretty quickly. I'm after something that's regulated. Will look into the gizmo.

Hi Michael,

A year after testing it I'm still an XP2 fan. If you NEVER hike after dark, even unplanned, it's perhaps overkill for your needs and there are lighter, cheaper headlamp options. I find myself hiking after dark occasionally and for that it's an excellent option, in addition to being a very good light in camp.

The PT Byte and Petzl Tikkina are a nice middle ground between the XP2 and button cell lights. I've really grown to appreciate lights with a red mode (which the Byte offers).

Cheers,

Rick

The Tikka XP2 is a decent headlamp. I would recommend checking out some lights that have real regulation (keep brightness until the bitter end of the battery)

I love the ZebraLight H51 (bit pricy at $69). This is a 1.2oz (3.5oz with battery and headband) headlamp that runs on a single AA batteries. It has 6 light levels from with good quality regulation (lumens/time: 0.2/19 days, 2.5/3 days, 8/39h , 30/12h, 100/2h, 200/55min) The beam has a hot spot with enough throw for way finding and enough spill to be useful for around the camp. If you really don't care about night hiking, the H50 is $49 with the best area / flood I have seen.

It's a bit funky, but the iTP H01 is a good value a $29 runs on a single AAA battery. Output: 1.5lumens / 50 hours, 18l / 4h, 80/1h. Weight: battery + 22.8g light, 50.8g light+ headstrap

–Mark

i use a petzl …need to pick up a core … that way i can recharge it off my usb

The iTP H01 is cool looking, but that headband seems funky. Have not seen it in person though.

+1 on the PT Byte. Like the fact that red comes on first. Great value for under $20.

I have a Petzl XP2 already as well, or else I would have liked to try the Zebralight H51 from what I've been told about it.

With the core, it'd essentially be a regulated light, no?

Too bad they seem to be sold out everywhere. I was at MEC and was told they were having production problems because of the recent strikes they had in France.

I think having two lights is the way to go. The Photons are great for a backup and a quick tent light and can be worn on a neck lanyard. but I wouldn't want it to be my main light. If you want a camp light, I would look for flood options, mode options and good battery life. You don't need a lot of lumens for cooking or reading.

I would prepare for having to hike at night in case of emergency. IMHO, lighting gear can be life-saving stuff, so think a little outside your everyday needs.

REI has the Black Diamond Spot (old model) on sale for $30 (http://www.rei.com/product/813050). It has good battery life and several modes. It is a little overkill for a camp-only light. It is not regulated.

I carry a Petzl e+ for day hiking just-in-case. I also carry a Fenix E01 for my backup and general purpose light where most would use the Photon. (http://www.rei.com/product/798302).

Amazon currently has the Petzl Tikka Plus 2 on sale right now for $29.99. The sale is only on for 3 more hours or until it sells out. It's listed under the cyber monday deals.

+1 on the Zebralight H51 (sort of).

What I mean by that is I got the H51 a few weeks ago, but have not had a chance to take it on a hike yet. I have used it around my apartment and for grilling burgers at night, and it's a cool little light. Very well made, neat design, and you can't beat the runtime/output specs for a single AA flashlight. Literally. As far as I know, the H51 is the brightest light available on a single AA, and has good regulation and runtimes, especially on the lower levels. It really did raise the bar for lighting technology.

Check out CandlePowerForums.com. They're more obsessive about one item (flashlights) than we are about ALL the gear for backpacking! Good site though.

"With the core, it'd essentially be a regulated light, no?"

correct. I have the Core for my Tikka2 and the regulation feature works great. It even has a downloadable program that allows you to change the brightness vs longevity depending on your preference. Very useful and fun to play with.

Agreed.
I'm currently using it 3-5 days/week…the core turns the Tikka/Zipka 2 into the best light I've ever had.

I like the Petzl Tikka Plus 2:

+ 2.8 oz with lithium batteries (3 AAA)

+ low battery indicator (nice for checking batteries when you can't tell by the dimness of the light)

+ red LED mode is retained after power-off, great for preserving night vision

+ two brightness modes: 1. task/close-up 2. find boogeyman making those leaf crunching sounds outside the tent (there's also a strobe "help I've fallen and can't get up" mode which is also great for simulating UFO landings to scare away that group who took your favorite campsite)

"the core turns the Tikka/Zipka 2 into the best light I've ever had."

totally agree Craig. I have had mine for about three weeks now using it 3-4x a week and it has been awesome. The battery indicator on the top is great, the low setting fine for road running and high is awesome for my local technical trails.

Jonathan,

I have the XP2 and am considering getting the Core.

Does the software only allow you to adjust the brightens of the two modes….low and high or does it allow for adding a third mode like a medium setting?

Thanks!

-Tony

I have both a Petzl Tikka XP 2 with THE CORE and an e+lite. I really like the XP and find that without really thinking about it that it's the headlamp I grab when I'm heading out the door. The amount of light that it offers for only about 2oz more seems completely justified to me. The core can be set to either regulated or non-regulated mode (using the program), which is a nice feature.

During the summer, when the days are longer, I'll take the e+lite, but I find that in the fall, winter, and spring the XP gets the bulk of the use.

"Does the software only allow you to adjust the brightens of the two modes….low and high or does it allow for adding a third mode like a medium setting?"

Unless there's something I've missed, I believe the answer is no, there is no medium setting.

Honestly, I really wish that headlamps would start at the lowest level and let you work your way up in brightness if you feel you need more. Maybe that wouldn't work for the marketing Dept., but it sounds useful to me.

"Unless there's something I've missed, I believe the answer is no, there is no medium setting"

correct, there are only 2 modes and you can program each to be regulated (with control over brightness/duration ratio) or regular. It also allows you to turn the light on and play with the adjustments so you can see what your different brightness/duration ratio's actually look like while it is hooked up to your PC.

Jonathan & Tommy,

Thanks for taking the time to reply back to me and letting me know how the software works and what it allows you to tweek.

Just seems like too much tech geekiness for me to resist!

Reading for some of the other post, the Core battery pack might be lighter than 3 AAA batteries….more justification for spending money.

Hummm….Dear UL Santa…..

-Tony