Headlamp Headband Degradation

I had a couple of bands get stretched and just bought replacement bands.  My 2 cents.

https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/FAQ/how-to-order-a-new-headband

https://www.batteryjunction.com/petzl-e91001.html

Where do you store them, I’m curious.

Ken- stored in plastic bin in garage in cabinet with other camping gear. Never wet. Temps 50-75 avg in garage.

Thanks.

Elastic always fails with time – 10 years is a quite a good life. I replaced the band on my Petzl Tikka XP2 with 1/2″ elastic with a cord grip to provide adjustment – saved 12 grams – almost 1/2 oz. Just thread though the gaps like the original, works perfectly well.

I assume it’s because of ozone in the atmosphere, and its ability to oxidize rubber compounds? I’m not an air quality expert. But I’ve never had even rubber bands degrade much where I’ve lived (I haven’t lived in a big city in 30 years), so I’m wondering if it’s related to location.

In the early days of Southern California smog research, scientists would stretch a new rubber band between two nails on a window sill and count the cracks that formed by the end of the day. This was before they had fancy expensive cantankerous machines to measure smog.

My comfy-but-very-heavy Ensolite pads(*) lasted only a few years during the early 1970s in Riverside because the smog would turn them into dust.

Imagine what it does to your lungs.

— Rex

(*) The real stuff, in glorious beige, no longer sold to backpackers AFAIK. Ensolite eventually became a generic term for any closed-cell foam pad.

Yes, it goes bad with age and conditions.  You can get elastic bands at most WallMarts. Usually white, sometimes other colors.  As Mark mentioned, some elastic cords will work too. Sometimes combinations of stuff will dissolve/react with each other. Some of the elastic cord I got on a set of sleeping bags about 25 years ago is all lumped and gone bad. Hair-ties go bad after a few years. Just replace it with some cheap elastic, I wouldn’t bother with expensive replacements.  My 2 cents.

I bought a $3.99 headlamp from Harbor Freight Tools and cannibalized the strap.

https://www.harborfreight.com/five-led-magnetic-head-lamp-61528.html

Same thing happened to me recently.  Yeah, elastic like rubber gets stiff and cracks with time.  Like your automobile tires.  It helps to store in a protected location but it still fails eventually.  Like others have said.

I cannibalized another headlamp that the electronics broke.

You can buy elastic from the local fabric store.  Try to find something of similar weight/thickness.  You might have to sew a loop onto the buckle.  Or get a different buckle that doesn’t require sewing.  Local fabric store has buckles.

When you remove the failed headband, remember how the elastic goes around the buckle, it can be not obvious.

WISNER-Good idea. I may do that. Thanks.

Jerry-If the cheap headlamp band doesn’t work I will check out the fabric store for options. Thanks.

Jon-I saw they sell the bands-I was trying not to spend so much on these older lamps. I have a Black Diamond Spot for my main light, just wanted the older lamps to be usable for friends, etc.

Yep. Every elastic strap degrades and  loosens over time. I’ve had 2 petzls and 2 fenix straps do it.  And several cheap headlamps too.  I make a replacement with similar width elastic strapping.  Which also degrades in the end…

I found a headlamp without a band in the street one morning. I found an elastic hair band and added a cordlock and that worked.

. Ultralight Tips: Drop your headlamp weight and add comfort with a custom DIY strap. .

@annapurna I like that idea. Thanks.