[Hiker Boy]

I must own a half dozen different headlamps including the one I ordered yesterday(PT Eos). I am always looking for the brightest and longest burning headlamp I can find. Over the past several years, I have been using LED headlamps (PT Aurora and Tikka Plus) because of their great burn times, their wide area coverage, and their true color, but to be honest, they really suck on the trail. I'd never take one for glacier travel. The regular LED lights really don't throw the light very far so trying to find that annoying coon up a tree who has been bugging me is pretty hard. My new one is going to be a battery pig but it will be great for night hiking and for illuminating things in the distance. The other problem with the new light is that the beam is much narrower than the normal LEDs out there which makes it a little more difficult for chores. My question is how much light do we actually need at night (timewise)? Most of my trips are overnighters. I mainly use my headlamp for preparing dinner, finding my way to and from my tent to the communal area or the cat hole, the occassional night hike, or for a little reading. A lit headlamp is not really needed for BS'ing around the campfire. Do I really need 50-150 hours of dim light for overnighters? On the Chilkoot, I never used my headlamp the whole trip. Wouldn't it be great to have the best of both worlds in one headlamp?

[sooperfly]

http://www.bdel.com/gear/lightware/zenix.php I used this one over the last year or so. Was a life saver one weekend! Could walk behind several people and light the whole area up. I havent' used too many of these headlamps, but this one is the brightest I have seen yet. Used it quite extensively, and I haven't had to change the batteries yet. Of course, your mileage may vary, and the above link isn't the cheapest place to buy it. Thumbs up for this product!

[rino]

Wow! great timing on this post. I was just looking at headlamps last night to replace my cheapo. I was impressed with the EOS and had the same thoughts on burn time. I always carry extra batteries so I probably shouldn't worry about the burn time...I like the idea of it being good and water tight. In REI I found a dark area...compared the EOS to the Aurora...no comparison...

[Lagerman]

I dont worry about burn time either. I carry extra batterys too and just dont see that as anything to worry about. I look for the most rugged, aint going to break model they got. I use mine for salmon/steelhead fishing as well as hiking, and it gets beat up pretty good fishing so I usually find the weakness pretty fast. I bought one of those LED cheap Energizer ones on a fishing trip when I forgot mine. It has taken some abuse and still works good. I just like a good beam though, something you dont get with these.

[Slide Alder Slayer]

I just purchased a PT EOS after a lot of looking/research to replace my Petzl Artic as my light source for winter snowshoeing. The key to improved performance for the EOS is to run the new AAA lithium batteries. Not only is the EOS much lighter with the lithium, but the light also appears brighter and should burn longer at higher intensity not to mention superior cold weather performance. Anyway, I emailed PT and they gave a big thumbs up on AAA lithiums in the EOS. I also purchased the PT Pilot as a backup to place on the EOS headband for any necessary battery changes. So far I've only tested the EOS in my garage at night, however, it puts out a good amount of light and I like the three settings. Black Diamond Zenix is also a great light with a slightly more diffused beam than the EOS, however, I think the Zenix IQ is the way to go as BD has improved the circuitry. Having said that, I also almost held out for Petzl’s new MYO XP, a three watt led. With no sink well, the three-watt power is limited to 30-second bursts, then back down to one-watt power. At this time the XP has not hit the market and is not on Petzl’s website, but was reviewed in Backpacking Light.

[I_See]

[polecatjoe]

For when you're REALLY skeered of the dark! A buddy of mine got one of these for Christmas- you can call in UFOs with this sucker!

[I_See]