Resurrection of The Light

[sardog1]

No, not him.

These are essential truths when it comes to headlamps for backcountry use:

• Longer battery life is better
• Big batteries last longer than small batteries
• Warm batteries last longer than cold batteries
• Tiny batteries carried on your head are never going to last as long as big batteries carried in a battery pack inside your jacket

Since the day I bought it sometime in the last millennium, my favorite headlamp has been the Petzl Mega Belt. Those old enough to remember this monster, with three C-cells carried in a belt pack, may either agree or rise to their feet shrieking, GET OVER IT AND JOIN THE 21ST CENTURY!

As the eons passed, the Mega Belt and its brother the Mega Zoom (with the batteries worn on the head) fell out of public favor. Mostly because the bulb choices were either an incandescent bulb or a halogen one, both of which suffered in comparison to advances in LED technology that facilitated the use of tiny batteries for long service.

If you mourn your estrangement from one of these dinosaurs, rejoice, for I bring you glad tidings. There is now an LED for them (and the Petzl Duo, and apparently other lights as well): TTS-1WCREE MES E10 120 Lumen LED Bulb

You'll have to buy it online in Britain. Once it arrives, you will be pleased to have it, I think – I am. And I now carry the halogen as the back-up bulb.

Who knows how long three warm C-cells will run the LED? Test to follow.

 

[jniehof]

For something a little less over the top, the GoMotion Fusion is a backpack-strap mounted light with a remote battery pack that may serve well. Three AA's, sigh, I miss the days when they actually put in the voltage boost circuit so you could get by with two (I'd take four, for that matter.) It's why I'm keeping my BD Zenix IQ going (cable probably too short to both wear as a headlamp and put the battery pack inside clothing, although you can put it under a hat.)

 

[skiguy]

Since the day I bought it sometime in the last millennium, my favorite headlamp has been the Petzl Mega Belt. Those old enough to remember this monster, with three C-cells carried in a belt pack, may either agree or rise to their feet shrieking, GET OVER IT AND JOIN THE 21ST CENTURY!

Ahhhh....ba humbug That thing is just a mid aged male in the middle of a mid age crisis. The real caveman on the block is this Lamp that crawled out from under Stone Henge. If your interested I believe I have a few kicking around.

 

[sierra]

Somewhere in the dark depths of one of my old gear totes, lies the Mega Zoom. That was one bright light with it's halogen bulb. I belive it carried a spare bulb behind the plate and the working bulb.

 

[DougPaul]

Additional essential truths:
* High power LEDs can be damaged by heat and must be throttled back if they become too hot. Housings designed for incandescent bulbs are not designed to adequately dissipate the heat.
* Power cords are subject to breakage and corded headlamps may be less reliable. (A friend used to use a miner's headlamp to get a heavy duty cord.)

So just because an LED replacement bulb is available, doesn't mean that it is well suited for the application. It also will not include the controls to reduce the intensity. (Some headlamps such as the Duo use multiple bulbs to give multiple intensities.)

BD makes a "Polar" version of their Icon which features a detached battery pack: http://www.rei.com/product/861651/black-diamond-icon-polar-headlamp. A number of other manufacturers also make/have made headlamps with detached battery packs.

FWIW, my first headlamp was a Justrite with a focusing beam and detached battery pack for 4 D cells. I changed the bulb and battery pack to use 1 3V lithium D cell. http://www.waresdirect.com/products/Commercial-Products/Justrite-/Heavyduty-Flashlights220422

FWIW2, I had a Petzl Duo with detached battery pack (modified to use an LED low beam), but the plastic battery holder cracked...

Doug

 

[DougPaul]

Ahhhh....ba humbug That thing is just a mid aged male in the middle of a mid age crisis. The real caveman on the block is this Lamp that crawled out from under Stone Henge. If your interested I believe I have a few kicking around.

Looks like a Justrite head with "yet another" battery pack. They appear to have been made with a number of different battery packs. The head had the nice feature that the focus was adjustable.

Doug

 

[Gremlin]

I have a Petzl (I don't remember the model name) that boasts 5 LED's and a halogen bulb with a remote battery pack that carries 4 C-cells. It is not lithium compatible, but it rocks. I have a Petzl 2 (lithium compatible) 4 LED Tikka that rides in the glove compartment of my car.

 

[DougPaul]

I have a Petzl (I don't remember the model name) that boasts 5 LED's and a halogen bulb with a remote battery pack that carries 4 C-cells. It is not lithium compatible, but it rocks. .

Sounds like a Petzl Duo, available with either a back-of-the-head or remote battery pack. The first versions came with an incandescent bulb for the low beam which was later replaced with with 5 or 14 small LEDs. http://www.petzl.com/en/Sport/SPECIALIZED-headlamps/DUO-LED-5 http://www.petzl.com/en/Sport/SPECIALIZED-headlamps/DUO-LED-14

Doug

 

[Peakbagr]

"Ahhhh....ba humbug That thing is just a mid aged male in the middle of a mid age crisis. The real caveman on the block is this Lamp that crawled out from under Stone Henge. If your interested I believe I have a few kicking around."

This was my first good headlamp and mainstay for winter camping/peakbagging in the ADKs. Still have it someplace. Mine was a Justrite, made someplace else. Heavy, but was a blowtorch and with the battery pack inside of your parka, the batteries never got cold.

 

[sardog1]

Ahhhh....ba humbug That thing is just a mid aged male in the middle of a mid age crisis. The real caveman on the block is this Lamp that crawled out from under Stone Henge. If your interested I believe I have a few kicking around.

Holy crap! That thing is a ringer for the predecessor to my Mega Belt. Tell me it carries four D cells and I'll go to my rest happy to have seen (but not carried) one again.

EDIT: In my excitement I failed to read the description, which confirms it uses four D-cells. On reflection (ha, ha), I think mine was the aforementioned Justrite and not this one. Spent a lot of hours in a lot of dark woods with that one ...

 

[skiguy]

Holy crap! That thing is a ringer for the predecessor to my Mega Belt. Tell me it carries four D cells and I'll go to my rest happy to have seen (but not carried) one again.

EDIT: In my excitement I failed to read the description, which confirms it uses four D-cells. On reflection (ha, ha), I think mine was the aforementioned Justrite and not this one. Spent a lot of hours in a lot of dark woods with that one ...

This lamp came in two different configurations. The one already shown with the remote battery pack and also a headband model that used one "D" cell. The former was the one I used primarily for winter hiking. At the time Lithium D cells were available along with a bulb change because of the higher voltage for cold weather use. They fell out of use because the Lithium cells were imported and there were incidents of them catching fire during shipping. They were a good rugged lamp and completely repairable. Handbands, lenses, battery holders and all the other parts were available. Later in their history a AA adapter became available. Best part they were assembled by our special friends at Easter Seal. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Easter-Seal...le-Headstrap-Spare-Bulb-Vintage-/160918435032

 

[skiguy]

"Ahhhh....ba humbug That thing is just a mid aged male in the middle of a mid age crisis. The real caveman on the block is this Lamp that crawled out from under Stone Henge. If your interested I believe I have a few kicking around."

This was my first good headlamp and mainstay for winter camping/peakbagging in the ADKs. Still have it someplace. Mine was a Justrite, made someplace else. Heavy, but was a blowtorch and with the battery pack inside of your parka, the batteries never got cold.

Time Flys......http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?9444-Headlamp-repair-question-Easter-Seal