Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Corona > Dennis Shubitowski > Field Report

Field Report - Princeton Tec Corona Headlamp

Report Outline

Biography <back to top>

I began backpacking in the early 1990s. I hike in every season including winter, and I also enjoy other outdoor activities like hunting, canoeing and riding horses. My beginning pack weights were monstrously heavy, but now my average three-season load for a multi-day trip, including food and water, is usually less than 25 lb (11.3 kg). Gear that I carry tends to be the lightest I can go without sacrificing comfort or convenience.

Product Information <back to top>

Field Report <back to top>

Field Use

The Corona has mostly seen use around house and neighborhood during the test period. I had one car camping weekend in northern Michigan with the Corona but my next scheduled backpacking outings are after this report is due. The headlamp has seen most of its outdoor weather use while walking my dog in the evenings in a variety of weather conditions from warm fall weather to cold and rain. During dayhikes with a pack, I have carried the Corona loose in the top lid as I normally would carry it - it has not been inside a protective stuff sack otherwise. Around the house, the lamp has seen a lot of use, especially for activities like unhooking and re-hooking up the various cables on my computer system after moving it (twice, now). I am still on the original set of batteries, and I estimate I have used the headlamp for approximately 15 hours by guesstimate during the test period.

Operation and Adjustment

I have found the Corona very easy and intuitive to operate. I have adjusted the size of the headband once and it has not needed adjustment since. The headlamp is very comfortable to wear and stay puts where it is set until I move it around. The buttons are easy to distinguish while wearing because of size, location, and the raised bump on the smaller button on the left side. The pivot adjustment to direct the beam has stayed solid and also has not needed any adjustment to either tighten or loosen - it is just right.

Light Modes

Surprising to me, I have found myself using all the light intensities and modes available. I have normally lived with much fewer options, but I find as I have them available I use them. I did not think I would, for instance, use the blinking mode, but I found it quite helpful while walking my dog. In my neighborhood, I can easily do about a 1.5 mile loop (2.4 km) in the evenings. At times when it was dusk or twilight, there was too much available light to need the headlamp, but using the blink mode on the lowest light setting (a single LED) was not distracting and provided visibility for oncoming traffic. I also found that I liked having the full and half intensities available because they can be cycled through without actually turning the headlamp off. If the lamp has been on longer than five seconds, pressing the large button (the one that cycles through the number of LEDs that are currently lit), will turn the headlamp off. If I have been using a particular setting and find I need to tone the light down a touch, I can press the smaller left button once and the intensity is halved which is often a workable solution. If not, I can pretty quickly cycle through the lights by pressing the large button until I am closer to the intensity I want.

LEDs

I have found the strongest intensity setting to throw light out about a scientific 20-25 paces or so. Distances much after have quite a dropoff in light intensity. The spread of the light moves out in a cone shape that is fairly narrow. When I focus on an object about 20 paces out, the field illuminated is less than 6-7 feet (2 meters) on either side. It is a fairly "directed" light source. As I cycle down through the lights, the intensity drops with each click and the field seems to broaden slightly until the single LED is lit where it is more focused again but much less intense. Obviously, then, the lower light settings have been more useful for broader, around camp, or closeup work - the full intensity eight LED setting can be overpowerng for closeup work. I have also been very pleased with the steadiness of the Corona. The control circuitry has worked extremely well in my experience so far. The light is even and steady and not at all fluctuating or wobbly like in my other headlamp. I have found it to work well so far through the current set of batteries and will report further on this and the behavior of the LEDs as the batteries wear down. So far the steadiness of the light source is one of my favorite features on the Corona.

Other Features

I have not had much problem getting used to the Corona. It is quite a bit heavier and bulkier than what I am used to using, but it is a very functional and versatile headlamp. The battery compartment is quite ergonomic against the back of my head and is not overly heavy or as annoying as I thought it might be. The top strap does goofy stuff to my hair when wearing, but that is not particular to this headlamp - only headlamps with an over-the-head strap. The straps are very comfortable and I have found no pinching or annoying spots in the slightest. The straps are also very comfortable against my skin and do not seem to be bothered by sweat - it does not make them slippery or itchy. There are no stains or discolorations visible so far on the strap material which is in part due to their dark color. I have had opportunity to use the Corona on several cold nights and found the pivot plate to get pretty darn cold. The plate sticks outside of the straps on the bottom and sides, and this cold plate rests against my forehead where it is mighty noticeable when it is cold out. Otherwise, the adjustable plate just rocks! I find I use it all the time to adjust the placement of the light without having to move the straps around. In the future as it continues to get colder out, I will just wear my Cloudveil beanie and put the headlamp on directly over the cap. The Corona would have to be worn on top of any hat that it is used in conjunction with because of the sizable battery pack - it does not fit well with a baseball hat or my now regular Tilley hiking hat. Otherwise, the Corona has held up being banged around in the top lid of my pack and in a drawer at home when not in use. The LED cover is not scratched up but does have a mark or two on it.

The other comments I made for my Initial Report test plan included wanting to know if the headlamp can be used in various modes (like handheld) or strap configurations. It is not really feasible to use the headlamp outside of its main design. I have used the headlamp as hand-held light several times (including giving goats antibiotic injections of all things), but it is easier to use it as the headlamp is intended. The light can be a bit bulky to hold in one hand, but it does work reasonably well as a hand held light like any light would. The top strap could be used or not, but it really does give some extra support to the weight of the headlamp. Finally, the power cable is not really long enough to do anything with the battery pack. If the cable were longer, it would be possible to, say, put the battery pack in the top lid of my backpack. I do not know if I would honestly want that feature for the hassle and extra weight of the longer cable needed to do that. If it were longer, the cable would have to be attached to the strap in some way when the battery pack is left attached to the straps.

Continued Testing Plan <back to top>

Outside of extra weight I have to carry, I have been very pleased with the Corona. This is my first Princeton Tec headlamp, and it is easy to see that this is a high quality product with a lot of thoughtful design going into it. Still on the testing plans are the rest of the test period that will fall mainly in the winter. I need to see how easy it is to use and operate the Corona with gloves and mittens. Because it will be used in cold weather, I will keep the headlamp in my sleeping bag during winter camping as I would any other piece of battery powered gear to be fair on battery life. I would still like to do battery life testing to confirm the expectations of the number of hours on the packaging. It would be too difficult to test all of the intensities (and a whole pile of batteries), so I probably will select the highest setting and go with that to determine time and the general distance the light is thrown. I will also continue to monitor what type of activities I am doing and what LED settings I am using that I find most appropriate.

Many thanks to Princeton Tec and BackpackGearTest.org for the opportunity to test this fine headlamp.

Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Corona > Dennis Shubitowski > Field Report