There are a wide range of lighting options out there, but headlamps seem the best way to go for backpacking trips, simplyfing tasks like cooking at night and making pre-bed reading easy. And among the many headlamp options out there, the lightweight sturdiness of LEDs strikes us as the best choice. And among those, we tend to favor the smaller, simpler (albeit not-quite-blindingly bright) headband-type models. Here's a roundup of the choices available for under 3 ounces, including batteries.
Black Diamond
Ion : The Ion is a nice piece of design, and at 1.1 oz (31 g), the lightest of the bunch. Its two white LED lamps are in a housing that can be tilted up or down (and is water-resistant, though not totally waterproof), and has a button that's easy to find but won't accidentally get turned on in your pack. It requires a single 6 volt battery, which gives it 15 hours of life. Range: 15 meters. $19.95
Princeton Tec
Princton Tec Scout: The Scout is a lightweight, 2 bulb headlamp with three brightness settings -- high, medium, low -- and two flashing modes. It comes with the typical headband-style fastener, but can also be removed to attach to the bill of a hat or the strap of a pack. It takes 4 lithium coin batteries, which give it a life of 24 to 48 hours, depending on which brightness setting you choose. Range: 15 m. Weight: 1.85 oz (54 g). Price: $19.95.
Aurora: The Aurora won Backpacking Light's 2004 "Trail's Best"Award, and it's easy to see why. At 2.85 oz (77g), it's more than twice as heavy as the Ion, but its 3 AAA batteries give it a much longer burn time and 3 bright LEDs give it a more powerful beam. The case is waterproof. The Aurora also has 3 brightness settings and two flashing modes. $29.95.
Petzl
Tikka/Zipka: Petzl offers the widest range of lightweight LED headlamps, and the Tikka is their most basic model. 3 LEDs give it a range of about 10 meters. It takes 3 AAA batteries as well, giving it 150 hours of life. Only one brightness setting, and the housing is not tiltable. 2.5 ounces, 71g. $24.95.
The Zipka is basically the same light, but with a handy retractable headband as opposed to the usual type (see the picture of the Zipka plus, below). It's slightly lighter at 2.3 oz (65 g). $29.95
Tikka Plus/Zipka Plus: As the name implies, the Plus model is just the Tikka with better features. These include a tiltable casing (but not on the Zipka Plus), 4 LEDs (range 5-15 m), 3 different brightness settings, and a battery life of 150-400 hours. A pretty light package at 2.8 oz (79 g). $32.95.
Again, the Zipka Plus is essentially the same, just with a neat-o retractable headband. 2.3 oz (65 g), $37.95. (According to reports from recent trade shows, the Tikka is also soon going to be available in a 1 watt LED version, called the XP.)
Tactikka/Tactikka Plus: If it weren't so pricy, the Tactikka Plus would be our number one choice for its nice mix of weight and features. The base model, Tactikka, has 3 LEDs (range of about 10 meters), isn't tiltable, and weighs 2.5 oz (71 g). 3 AAA batteries give it a life of 110 hours. $34.95. The Plus model beefs it up to 4 LEDs, and includes a tiltable housing and 3 brightness settings, plus one strobe. It has a range of 6-17 meters, and weighs slightly more, 28 oz (78 g). The Plus also has a nifty push-button that's easy to use. The other nice feature, available on both models, is a red flip-up filter that switches the lamp into night mode, preserving you night vision. Add to that the fact that it is available in all-black or camo, and you can see why the name puns off the word 'tactical.'
Energizer
Head Beam: At 2.8 oz (80g), not the lightest of the bunch -- but the cheapest -- this headlight also comes with some nice features. According to this review, it has an (easily switched on) 3 position sliding switch, two settings for the 2 white LEDs, and one to switch it into red LED mode for night vision. 3 AAA batteries give it a 50 hour life and a 10 meter range. Tiltable case. Also, nice camo headband available. $14.95.
Gear Guide Index to LED Headlamps [BackpackingLight]
Zipka XP [Backpacking Light]
Lights [Prolite Gear]
