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Gear Reviews
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Petzl Tikka Plus LED Headlamp
Field Report - September 7, 2004
Contents
Reviewer Information [return to top]
Name: Chuck Kime
Nickname: Fuzzy
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8" (1.72 m)
Weight: 229 lb (104 kg)
Hat size: 7 – 7¼ U.S., depending on haircut
Email address: ckime AT nelsononline DOT com
City, State, Country: Upper Darby (Philadelphia suburb), PA, U.S.A.
Date: September 7, 2004
Product Information [return to top]
Manufacturer: Petzl
Model: Tikka Plus
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.petzl.com
Listed weight (with batteries): 78 g (2.75 oz)
Measured weight (with batteries): 2.8 oz (79 g), scale accurate to 0.1 oz
Measured weight (without batteries): 1.5 oz (43 g)
MSRP: None given
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Color:
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Light/battery case – Smoke/clear
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Switch – Orange
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Band – 2-tone brown w/ white and orange writing
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LEDs – White
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Features (from web site) [return to top]
- Ultra-Lightweight 4-LED headlamp with 3 brightness settings
- Combines a variety of illumination with long-lasting battery life.
- 3 brightness settings (maximum, optimum, economic) and a blinking mode.
- Batteries last up to 150 hours on regular settings (up to 400 hours on blinking mode).
- Lamp articulates with new tilt feature.
- Lightweight and comforatable to wear.
- Water resistant and excellent for use anytime.
- Elastic band is fully adjustable and comfortable to wear.
- Requires 3 AAA batteries (included)
- 78 g with batteries
Description [return to top]
The Tikka Plus has four (4) white LEDs arranged tightly against each other in a horizontal row, set in a silver-colored “reflector” housing with a clear front lens. This reflector is at the front of the smoke colored section of the light that also houses the push-button switch, and presumably the circuitry. Attached by a hinge at the bottom of the front section is a clear battery case that holds three (3) AAA batteries stacked horizontally one above the other. At the back of the light is a slightly curved panel with slots to accommodate the elastic headband. The band passes through this panel in such a way that the band is against the wearer (or their hat) over the majority of the length of the panel. The pivots connecting the back panel to the battery case permit the light to be aimed in a total of five (5) different directions, ranging from not quite straight forward to not quite straight down, and hold the light quite steadily in whichever position is selected.
The Tikka Plus has four (4) modes – Maximum, Optimum, Economic, and Intermittent, or Blinking, which appears to be Maximum brightness when on. This last mode blinks at a rate of approximately 120/minute, at least with fresh batteries. The different modes are accessed by repeatedly pressing the switch to cycle through until the desired mode is reached. Once the light has been left in any mode for more than 2 seconds, the next press will switch the light off. If I continue pressing the switch rapidly while cycling through, “Off” becomes the fifth mode.
For a more detailed description, and some photos, please see my Initial Report.
Field Testing [return to top]
Our Boy Scout troop camps monthly. Almost all of these outings include a minimum of 2 nights of camping, with temperatures expected to be from lows around 30 ºF (-1 ºC) to highs around 95 ºF (35 ºC). Elevations will range from sea level to approximately 2,000’ (610 m). My girlfriend and I, who between us have 3 First Class Boy Scouts (ages 13, 13 and 14), are also looking into additional camping without the Scouts, and the possibilities of beginning to do some AT section hikes in Pennsylvania after we recover from a recent car accident.
I returned a few weeks ago from a week of Boy Scout Summer Camp, where I had an opportunity to give the light a pretty good workout. As I mentioned in my Initial Report, I have recently found that hiking in the dark with trekking poles requires a headlamp, as both hands are occupied while I am on the trail. I needed to depart from the opening campfire a little ahead of everyone else, since I was moving a bit slower than usual that week. This gave me the opportunity to walk to my campsite with no other lights around but mine, which is a rare thing at camp. The road through camp (one car wide) is mostly improved dirt and stone, so following it is not a big challenge, but I was able to discern details – individual stones, puddles, the actual edge of the roadway – with clarity, even in economic mode. The big challenge to navigating this particular camp in the dark is finding the location of the individual site entrances, something that the Tikka Plus was good for – even though I have been in the same site for the past 3 years, it can still be a challenge to find it. The entire path ahead was grey with fog and mist, so I kept the light pointed just at the trail, and was quite happy with the results, able to see far enough to the sides to follow any trails that I came across. The Tikka Plus seems like it fits my needs well for hiking, as well as around-camp use.
I will continue to carry the light in my pack at all times, using it for in-tent use in the evenings. If I should find myself moving about after dark, which I will (hey, I will be testing a flashlight, right?), I will use the light then, also. With the small size of the Tikka Plus, I have had no problem also carrying it daily in my briefcase, just in case I find a use in the outside world.
Things I am/will be looking for:
- Brightness. Will the light allow me to see everything I need as clearly as I need to see it?
- Ease of operation. Petzl indicates a total of 5 settings – three brightness settings, plus blinking mode and off. Is the switch easy to use without looking? How about with cold/gloved hands?
- Duration of full-brightness. Petzl has a chart of time available at each brightness setting. I will endeavor to track the time the light is in use, and determine when the light level begins to degrade.
- Ease of maintenance. How easy is it to change the battery/batteries. The light is powered by 3 AAA alkaline batteries (included, woo hoo!). I will determine whether/what tools are needed, what obstacles there are (small or overly recessed screws, whether the battery cover is attached – and how), and how readily this process can be completed in the dark, preferably without losing any parts.
- Water resistance. I just recently went through a nighttime walk in the rain. With poles in hand, it was difficult to use anything other than a headlamp, so water resistance is important. If I am cursed (hah!) with good weather throughout the testing period, I will resort to the shower for testing. There should be no seepage of water into the lens area of the light, and none into the battery compartment, either.
- Light ‘leakage’. I am a relatively light sensitive person – I see quite well at night, and get nearly furious when people shine lights in my face at night. I also generally wear a hat in the field. If I go without a hat, does the light shine in my eyes? If I wear a hat with a translucent bill (i.e. Equinox Pileus), does the bill get illuminated? If I wear any other hat, does the bill get in the way?
- Comfort. Is the Tikka Plus comfortable both with and without hats? Does it remain where I put it?
My findings so far:
- Brightness. So far, I have not been in a situation where I needed any more light than the Tikka Plus could provide.
- Ease of operation. I have had no difficulty yet working the push-button switch, but I have yet to use it with cold hands or gloves.
- Duration of full-brightness. No noticeable degradation in light output at this time.
- Ease of maintenance. Any small ‘tool’ with a point or small edge (like a replacement battery) is sufficient to open the battery case. All components of the light are attached, even when open, so there is no danger of losing any pieces.
- Water resistance. I think we had one day of Scout camp that it did NOT rain, and when it wasn’t raining, it seemed like about 200% humidity. In other words, it was a damp week. No seepage was noted, and no loss of function was detected.
- Light ‘leakage’. When worn without – or under – a hat, I get a slight reflection in my glasses with the light in the bottom two positions. When worn with a ball cap, there is a noticeable dark arc right in front of me, but the trail ahead is sufficiently illuminated that I have had a chance to see the area right at my feet before walking there. If I need to see at my feet, I can simple tilt my head down, and see everything that I need to see.
- Comfort. While wearing the light around the house this weekend, I found myself taking breaks, including sitting out on the front steps in the sunlight, without even realizing I was still wearing it. The Tikka Plus is comfortable, both with and without hats on, and it remains where I put it.
Things I like [return to top]
- Light weight.
- Compact.
- Comfortable.
- Fits over my hats.
Things I don't like [return to top]
- Tool of some sort required to open battery case. However, a new battery is sufficient for the task.
Backpacking Background [return to top]
I started car/trailer camping with the family when I was about 5. I enlisted in the Army Reserve during my first year of college and spent 17 years fine-tuning my packing methodology - by the time I separated from the service, I was down to what I thought was a respectable 75-80 lb (34-36 kg) load. When my son started Cub Scouts, I brought my 60 lb (27 kg) ALICE pack for a weekend. We got to Boy Scouts in the Spring of 2002 and now camp monthly in locations ranging from the Chesapeake Bay area (flat and lightly wooded) to the Pocono Mts (flat spots hard to find and very wooded), in all seasons.
Lightweight (and ultralightweight) web sites, along with a day hike up Pikes Peak in July 2003, have led me to seriously rethink my gear choices. I plan to start doing more hiking/backpacking on our monthly Scout trips, taking along as many scouts as are willing, to a) get in shape (yeah, yeah, I know… round IS a shape), and b) determine what I really need to take along. I am relatively confident that I will be able to reduce my 3-season pack to 20 lb (9 kg), before food, fuel and water, by the time this season is over.
Thank you for your time.
Chuck Kime
a.k.a. Fuzzy
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