Petzl Tikka XP
Field Report-December 12, 2005
Tester Information:
Name: Jason Boyle
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 6"/ 1.68 m
Weight: 170 lb/ 77 kg
Email address: c4jc@hotmail.com
City, State, Country: Snoqualmie, Washington, U.S.
Backpacking Background:
I have been camping and backpacking for about 17 years. My introduction to the outdoors started with the BSA and has continued as an adult. I have hiked mostly in the Southeastern and Northeastern United States. I am generally a lightweight hiker, but will carry extras to keep me comfortable. I have just moved to the Pacific Northwest and have been exploring the new area and learning new places to backpack and camp. In addition to backpacking, I am also an ultra runner and make use of a headlamp during early morning or late evening runs.
Product Information:
Manufacturer: Petzl
Model: Tikka XP
Year of Manufacture: 2005
URL: www.petzl.com
Listed weight:
Headlamp: 59 g (2.1 oz)
Batteries: 36 g (1.3 oz) (3 AAA batteries provided)
Total: 95 g (3.4 oz)
Measured weight:
Headlamp: 57 g (2 oz)
Batteries: 28 g (1 oz)
Total: 85 g (3 oz)
**Disclaimer: the closest my scale will measure is in whole ounces**
Measured Dimensions: 2 ¼" wide by 1 ¼" deep by 1 3/8" tall (5.72 cm x 3.2 cm x 3.2 cm)
MSRP: Not available
Country of Manufacture: France
Product Description:
The Petzl Tikka looks like an ordinary single strap, single LED headlamp. 
This is the second of three reports. For a more detailed product review please see my initial report.
Field Conditions:
I have used the headlamp on three overnight trips, one night hike, 4 early morning trail runs and to provide a blinking light on one of my Halloween decorations. Elevation has ranged from sea level on my trip to the Olympic Wilderness Coast, WA to 3780' (1152 m) while at Ollalie and Myrtle Lakes in the Alpine Wilderness of Mt Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest, WA. Temperatures ranged from 59 F to 28 F (15 C to -2 C). The headlamp was used in rain, snow, fog, and the occasional clear night. I have used the light for approximately 11 hours over the past two months. I am still on the first set of batteries.
Summary:
So far so good! The headlamp has done all that I have asked it to do. It has worked well for use in my tent and around camp in the evening as well as providing enough light for me to hike and run in the dark.
Field Results:
I have been happy with the way that this headlamp has performed over the past two months. Since nightfall occurs rather early here in the Pacific Northwest, the light stays in my backpack for all hikes. The durability has been great. I have just tossed it into my pack and tent, and there are no visible scratches or problems with the light's operation.
The light has been especially useful while night hiking and during my early morning trail runs. I like the wide angle feature because it allows me to easily see the surrounding area with just a quick slide of the lens, however, most of the time I hike and run with the lamp in the focused light beam mode. During my night hike and runs, I have found that it is best to use maximum light output mode to keep from tripping over objects in the trail.
In camp, I use the wide angle lens and utilize all of the lighting modes. I have found that I can read by the economy setting, but for most camp chores I use the optimum or maximum mode.
The boost mode is a neat function. I like being able to push the button and get to see really far ahead of me. In the Olympic Wilderness Coast they mark the trails from the beach to headlands with a photo luminescent bulls-eye. I was able to light up a bullseye from about 100 feet (30 m) away in the boost mode.
The headlamp is easy to adjust and achieve a comfortable fit. When I run in the morning I usually wear a ball cap backwards with the headlamp facing forward. I have not had any problems with the headband slipping down or with the tooth and gear of the light moving while running or hiking.
Improvements:
None at the moment.
Testing Plan:
I will look for the following characteristics in this headlamp over the next two months:
My answers are in parenthesis and italics.
Durability:
- How durable is the "optic system" that changes the lamp from a wide angle lamp to a focused lamp? (Good over the past two months. I have not experienced any issues.)
- If this piece breaks the lamp will only be able to be used in the focused position? (Yes, until a replacement lens is purchased.)
- Petzl lists an alternate wide angle lens kit, is the system easy to change? (Yes, the outer housing easily pops off through a pull tab on the bottom.)
- How durable is the tilt screw that allows the lamp to be adjusted? (Actually not a screw but a gear and tooth method that seems pretty durable on initial inspection.)
- Are the on/off/boost buttons made of hard plastic or soft rubber? (Soft rubber)
- Are the buttons able to take multiple thousands of uses before wearing out?
- Petzl lists multiple burn times at 20 C (68 F), what are the burn times for the lamp in real world conditions? (I am currently at 11 hours of burn time on the initial set of batteries.)
Fit:
- Is the single headband easy to adjust and comfortable when worn for an extended time frame? (Yes, the headband has been easy to adjust and I have not experienced any comfort issues.)
- Can I wear a ball cap over the headlamp? (I have only worn a ball cap backwards with the lamp, the bill gets in the way if worn the "normal" way.)
Lighting:
- Does the light prove its usefulness when night hiking? (Yes, this is the best headlamp that I have used for night hiking and nighttime trail runs. I especially like the boost function and its ability to light up a larger area.)
- Will it actually light up 35 m (115 ft) in high power mode / 50 m (164 ft) in boost mode? (I don't have exact measured distances but as stated above I could easily see the overland bulls-eye on the Olympic coast from about 100 ft (32 m).)
- Is the economy mode useful around camp or will I have to use the optimum setting? (I have found that economy mode is fairly useful. I have used it mostly for reading in the tent. I prefer to use the optimum mode for camp chores.)
- How useful is the battery indicator light?
- Does the Tikka maintain consistent light output until it is dead or does it drop off like most other lights?
Ease of Use:
- Can the batteries be easily changed in the dark?
- Petzl does not make any claims on the lamps waterproofness, if I use it in a rainstorm will the lamp continue to function normally? (I have not had any problems running with the headlamp in the rain, or with use in the snow.)
- Are the buttons easy to find while wearing the lamp? Does the optic system lens slide smoothly? (Yes, to both questions.)
Thanks to BackpackGearTest and Petzl for the opportunity to participate in this test.
Read more reviews of Petzl gear
Read more gear reviews by Jason Boyle
| 