[pct-l] ultralight headlamp

[csxii at schizoaffective.org]

On Fri, 22 Sep 2006 15:50:57 -0700, "Monty Tam"
<metam01 at earthlink.net> had this to say:

>Hey everyone
>I'm need advise on a very lightweight headlamp to use for night hiking.  
>Lighter the better.
>
>Warner Springs Monty

I have a Petzl Zippka but would not recommend it.  The beam can not be
focused.   I was happy enough with the Zippka when I was using it
around the camp.   But the first time I had to use it to find my way
down the trail in the dark I became very disappointed with it.   I was
in heavy forest cover and got caught out after dark.  With the Zippka
I could only see a few feet in front of me and could not see anything
up or down the trail or off the trail.   A heard of Elk starting
crashing through the woods around me and the Zippka was worthless for
seeing them, if I had not already been familiar with the sound of
herds of elk crashing through the woods I would have had no idea what
was out there.   The Zippka has also started blinking and Petzl
expects me to pay for postage to get warranty service on it.

I've switched to the Black Diamond Nightray head lamp.  It's not as
light as the Zippka but it is reasonably light at 4.2 ounces.  It has
five LEDs and the center one has a lens that focuses it to offer "beam
projection" so I can see further down the trail and close up.