rucksacking

Light repairs

Here's a nifty post from Ryan Jordan's Backcountry blog on a .7 ounce repair kit that should handle most jobs. To take care of you tarp, pack, clothes, shoes and inflatables, he recommends three things:

• Patch it with DUCT TAPE. *Yawn* - I know - but it works. I use the cloth kind. This is my patch, for clothes, tarps, packbags, shoes, rafts, pads, you name it. Any major holes or rips always - always - get a patch. But don't stop there -
  
  
• Glue it with ADHESIVE. That's right, glue the tape to the gear with a strong, fast-curing, urethane-based adhesive. That way, the patch won't come off - ever! I use a mixture that can be stored in a teeny foil tube dispenser and is ready to go. All sorts of brands available, get it at industrial supply houses, then test. It should cure within 30 minutes. You don't want to wait for repairs when you're on the go. The one I use is awfully toxic and non-eco-friendly (toluene, urethane, diisocyanate, etc. etc.). But there are no green options, yet. The adhesive glues the patches, strengthens seams, seals pinholes and small punctures on its own, and is the most important piece of repair kit you can carry for any kind of inflatable.
  
• Sew it with a NEEDLE and THREAD. The only critical repairs that require needle and thread are pack harnesses and shoes. So, make it stout. I use a thick but sharp tapestry needle with a huge hole that accomodates my thread - no dental floss here - I go for the waxed poly used by leathercrafters.

Handy and light!

Source: A 0.7 oz Expedition Repair Kit

Bright headlights

Petzl announced in February that its 2006 line of headlamps would feature new, brighter LEDs -- in some cases, improving performance by 80%. Yowza. The change only affects the Tikka and Zipka compact headlamps, not the fabulously-reviewed Tikka XP (see a video of the XP in action here). Personally, I've just been trying to find the Tactikka XP Adapt, a version model of the XP with a housing that lets you clip it to a belt or jacket, and of course comes with the fancy red filter for preserving night vision.

Princeton Tec EOS Headlamp

We left the Princeton Tec EOS out of our recent headlamp roundup because it just barley over-stepped our (admittedly somewhat arbitrary) weight standard of 3 oz or less. But with lithium AAA batteries, the 1 watt light reportedly weighs in at a mere 3.3 oz, and its performance definitely recommends itself to lightweight backpackers. To wit: A single 1 watt LED bulb, three brightness settings (plus emergency flash mode), large and easy-to-use button, and a tiltable, waterproof housing. Weight: 3.7 oz with alkaline AAA batteries, or 3.3 with lithiums. Battery life: 6.5-60 hours.

Princeton Tec EOS headlamp [Princeton Tec]
EOS headlamp reviews [BackpackGearTest.org]
EOS headlamp review [Backpacking Light, sub. req.]

Getting Light-headed

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]