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Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Yukon HL > Coy Starnes > Initial ReportYUKON HL
Tester BioInitial Report 1/13/2004 
I live outside a small town in northeast Alabama. I have access to a good hiking area right out my front door, a large tract of woods called Pall-Mill Hollow (pronounced holler). It has a creek flowing through it with several good swimming holes. Caves abound in the area. I spent my youth climbing around the bluffs, swimming in the creek and exploring the caves. I also enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing, and most other outdoor activities. Backpacking is my favorite pastime. I consider myself a knowledgeable backpacker but I am not an expert. I enjoy hiking with my friends and family or solo. I limit my hiking to areas fairly close to home, usually within a day’s drive of home. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3 season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length. Product Information
L.E.D Primer Before I attempt to describe the headlamp a few words on L.E.D.s are in order. L.E.D. stands for light emitting diode. Doing a quick search on L.E.D. lights will render lots of information beyond the scope of this report. But in a nutshell, L.E.D.s feature long bulb life and much longer burn time when compared to normal incandescent bulbs, which means less frequent bulb and battery replacement. Also, until recently, the quest for brighter lights was usually met by putting more L.E.D.s in the business end of the light unit. I found a site which indicated a 1 Watt L.E.D. was equal to about 12 to 15 - 5 millimeter L.E.D.s. The 1 Watt side emitting focusable L.E.D. used in the YUKON HL is what I perceive as the next step in L.E.D. lighting technology. If the burn time of this 1 Watt L.E.D. is truly 25 hours then this is a great advantage over incandescent bulbs. My own observations show a typical 3 AA headlamp using a typical incandescent bulb, usually list burn time at around 3 to 5 hours. 25 hours is a great leap in battery life. All the L.E.D.s in the YUKON HL are white L.E.D.s. White L.E.D.s are noted for rendering true to life color. Product Description The YUKON HL is described as a Hybrid LED thus the HL designation. What this means is the YUKON HL utilizes 2 separate light modes for 2 distinct application. First there are three high output 5 millimeter L.E.D.s. These L.E.D.s are the more traditional L.E.D.s found in a host of lights now on the market. I would categorize them as producing great camp light or for any other chores requiring a broad bright beam. The 1 Watt L.E.D. is more of a spotlight. It produces a much tighter beam which shines much further than the 3 combined 5 millimeter L.E.Ds do. The headlamp unit measures approximately 1.5 in (4 cm) across and is about 2 in (5 cm) long. It is held in place utilizing an adjustable main strap and an adjustable top strap. Power is provided using 3 AA alkaline (3 Duracell batteries provided) housed in a sturdy box located on the back end of the main head strap. The battery holder measures about 2.75 in (7 cm) x 2.75 in (7 cm) and is about 1 in (3 cm) thick. I am already impressed with how this improves the feel of the headlamp by not making it seem front heavy. The headlamp is described as water resistant. The light housing is tiltable so that the light can be adjusted to where it is needed. A power cord goes from the light to the batteries in the back It is quite a bit longer than would seem needed but if the light is used on any type of hard hat the extra length would be needed. As already noted the light features 2 light modes. The switch to turn the headlamp on and off is also the mode selector switch. The light simply goes from off to 3 L.E.D.s mode and back to off. The next time the unit is turned on the light comes on in the 1 Watt mode. In other words, each time the light is turned off it cycles to the other mode. Other things of note, the 3 - 5 millimeter L.E.D.s are arranged around the 1 Watt L.E.D. The reflector has one barely noticeable dimple which looks like it was made during the molding of the reflector. The battery compartment is just big enough for 3 AA batteries and is contoured to fit a slight curve. Square heads my find fit issues. The lid is hinged and the latch holding the lid on is pretty hard to open and close. The lid also features a rubber seal to help keep this compartment dry. The batteries fit in slots provided in alternating polarity. A sketch in each slot and shows the proper battery placement. However, changing batteries in the dark is fairly easy (I have already tried it out). Simply feel inside each compartment for the spring and put the negative battery terminal (flattest end of the battery) on that end. I have seen battery compartments where this is not the case so don't use this as a general guideline. Receiving the YUKON HL The Yukon Hl arrived on January 9, 2004. I came housed in a box suitable for store display. Information provided on the box covered the key features of the headlamp. It gave a lot of the same information I included in the product description. Also included was an OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS fold out leaflet and a PRODUCT GUIDE fold out leaflet listing all the lights available. Interestingly, the YUKON HL was not listed. It is a brand new product so I was not suprised. I applaud Princeton Tec for making the plastic display protector (inside the display box) easy to open. It snapped right off. With many similar housed products I have to get out a chain saw and crow bar to get at the goodies. Overall the YUKON HL was what I expected from the description provided on their web site. Initial Impressions The YUKON HL appears to be a very well made, thoughtfully designed headlamp. After looking it over, I put it on and proceeded to blind myself by turning it on while looking in a mirror. After my eyes recovered I carefully went through the different settings. The on/off/mode selector switch is crisp but not to hard to manipulate. I could do it with one hand. However, it is hard enough to engage that the likelihood of it getting accidentally turned on is quite remote. The business end is compact and light since the batteries are housed in a separate area on the headlamp. Adjustments of the straps for proper fit is easy and straight forward. I must say I am impressed with the light output of the headlamp in the limited testing so far. Future Testing I will especially be interested to see if the burn time matches what is listed. So over the next few months, I anticipate using the headlamp for all my backpacking trips as well as for general use around the house. It will be interesting to find out how the light handles cold weather. Will wearing gloves make it impossible or at least hard to operate the switch? Will a light rain or a damp cave environment kill anything? How impact resistant is the headlamp? Besides testing the burn time and durability of the light I will attempt to characterize the usefulness of the 2 light modes. Will the 1 watt L.E.D leave me wishing for a more traditional spot type light? What light mode do I chose for a particular task? What tasks is the YUKON HL not suited for? I have already put in a few trail miles with the headlamp and so far I am thinking that this light is worth the extra weight over some of my smaller headlamps. However, I will reserve that judgment for now. I invite everyone to stay tuned as I delve deeper into the workings of the YUKON HL in my upcoming field report. Read more reviews of Princeton Tec gear Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes Reviews > Lighting > Headlamps - LED > Princeton Tec Yukon HL > Coy Starnes > Initial Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||