Field Report:
Princeton Tec Yukon HL Headlamp

Date: March 22nd, 2004

Reviewer Information

Name: Jim Sabiston
Age: 49
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 3" (1.9 m)
Weight: 207 lb (94 kg)
Email address: JimSabis(at)aol(dot)com
State: New York
Country: USA

Backpacking Background:

I've been camping for several decades. I joined the Adirondack Mountain Club four years ago, the Appalachian Mountain Club a year later and am active in both. I have also expanded my backpacking to include more winter trips, mountaineering and backcountry cross country skiing, and participated in the AMC's Winter Mountaineering training program with Chauvin International Climbing Guides. More recently, I have actively studied ways to backpack lighter and more efficiently. During the summer months, my style tends toward very light, but not quite ultra light. I use a hammock or tarp for warm weather, and a small four-season tent for winter trips. Most of my other gear is very changeable, as I am constantly experimenting with gear and techniques.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Princeton Tec
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.princetontec.com

Manufacturer's Specifications:
Weight: 8 oz (227 g)
Light source: 4 LEDs divided as follows:
    1 Side output 1 watt focusable bulb, center mounted
    3 5mm high output bulbs
Power: 3 AA batteries (included with headlamp)
Projected battery life:
    1 watt LED bulb: 25 hours (note: the web site reports 44 hours)
    3 standard LED bulbs: 120 hours
MSRP: N/A at manufacturer's web site

The Princeton Tec Yukon HL Headlamp:

The Princeton Tec Yukon HL's signature feature is a new high output, side emitting LED (light emitting diode) element. LED technology has been used in flashlights for a number of years now, offering truly amazing advances in miniaturization and battery life. Along with these wonderful advantages came one notable shortcoming: the LEDs, while serviceable, just aren't very bright when compared to typical halogen or xenon bulbs. The Princeton Tec Yukon HL appears to herald the arrival of LED technology that can stand side by side with halogen and xenon flashlights in terms of brightness, while retaining a major advantage in battery life.

The Princeton Tec Yukon HL follows a the standard heavy-duty headlamp design concept: a circular elastic headband with the lamp assembly mounted on the front, the battery pack mounted on the rear and an additional center elastic strap connecting the lamp assembly and battery pack.

The lamp assembly is fairly small (1 5/8 in (41 mm) diameter X 2 1/8 in (54 mm) deep and consists of a mounting plate and the lamp assembly proper. The two are connected by a single bolt, allowing the lamp assembly to be aimed up or down as needed. Rotating the bezel allows the bright beam of the 1-watt center LED to be narrowed or broadened. The broader beam of the three outer LEDs cannot be adjusted. The body of the lamp assembly is made of a dark blue, translucent plastic.

Directly behind the focusing bezel and on top of the lamp assembly is the on-off switch. Pressing the rubber sealed button once (a firm push is required) turns the headlamp on. The activated beam is always the opposite of the last one used. For example, if I used the 'low beam' last, the headlamp would power up in the 'high beam' mode. If I wanted to continue using the low beam, I would have to press the on-off switch two more times to cycle into the desired mode.

Field Experience:

The Northeast has experienced a cold and snow filled winter, providing some rugged testing conditions for the Princeton Tec Yukon HL. The headlamp was exposed to temperatures as low as -17 F (27 C) and snow and winds over 40 miles (64 km) per hour. The headlamp has performed very well throughout these conditions. It has spent much time getting banged around inside my climbing pack, or stored in a side mesh pocket and getting banged around on trees and rocks, not to mention stuffed into snow banks during breaks and the occasional (ahem!) ski wipeout. The headlamp has never once activated accidentally during all this abuse. The headlamp looks as good as the day it came out of the package.

Comfort has never been an issue. The elastic head bands are easily adjustable and it is easy to find a comfortable setting. The divided design, lighting element to the front and batteries to the rear, balances nicely. Just remember to slide the lamp assembly and battery pack back to relative center once the strap tension is adjusted. Once in position, the headlamp has remained in place with no apparent movement, even when descending a bumpy trail at night on skis or a rocky descent in crampons.

The 'low beam' setting, which emits a light level similar to other multiple LED headlamps on the market, has proven to be more than adequate for camp chores, such as setting up a tent and cooking. The beam is not overly bright, but the three LEDs emit a diffuse pattern and lights a broad area quite well. The headlamp angle is adjustable and the protruding position enables the beam to clear the brim of a baseball style cap sufficiently well for close-up chores, such as cooking or adjusting the tension on a flick lock ski pole in the dark. A brimless cap is better for really close-up detailed work, however.

I have found that the low beam setting, coupled with a slightly downward angled beam is definitely more socially acceptable when I am huddled with my climbing buddies in a dark tent, passing around the Yukon Jack and inflating the day's climbing and skiing stories! The high beam setting is far too bright to be acceptable in this environment.

Of real interest on the Yukon HL is the 'high beam' setting. The high output side-emitting LED element is a wonder! It gives off a truly bright beam, comparable to a good halogen or xenon based flashlight or headlamp. I can see clearly down a trail a good 100 ft (30.5 m) or more, especially when there is good snow cover. The high beam is more focused than the lower beam setting, even when the bezel is adjusted for a wider beam, thus, in combination with the contrast of the resulting 'hot spot' of the brighter beam, peripheral vision suffers somewhat. Accordingly, I tend to reserve the high setting for those times when range or detail is more important than viewing a wider area. A good example is a ski descent made from the Avalanche Pass Lean-to in the Adirondacks. We had set up base camp near Marcy Dam. As the temperatures were rather cold at -15 F (26 C), we decided to ski up to the lean-to in order to warm up before preparing dinner, but it was already getting late. We began our descent in failing light, but I donned the Princeton Tec Yukon HL and turned on the 'high beam' and off I went. As the narrow trail twists and curves like a tickled python, speeds are not very high, but trees are in very close proximity, as are rocks and many easy drop-offs. Seeing the trail well in advance of reaching a potential obstacle is very important and the Yukon HL's high beam was nicely up to the task. Another, less hyperactive descent was a solo climb of Panther Mountain in the Catskills. The second mountain in a two mountain day, I made the summit with only a few minutes of daylight left. The temperatures were around 20 F (-7 C) and there was a very strong wind blowing across the col between Panther Mountain and Giant Ledge. The descent in the dark was generally over an easily graded, but deeply snow-covered trail, with occasional exposure to heavy, thick, icy patches on rocks and several steeper pitches with mixed ice and slick, compressed snow, both of which required good crampon placement to avoid a spill. The low beam setting did not give enough light to inspire confidence in foot placement. The high beam, however, took all doubt away, as I could pick out the smallest surface details easily. It should be noted that the high beam suffers a bit from depth of field perception, as do the more typical LED headlamps, but this is more of a function of the light being located almost exactly along the line of sight, thereby not creating much in the way of perceptible shadows. The brightness of the light appears to minimize the affect noticeably. One of the nice surprises is that the high output side emitting LED seems to have eliminated the common blue hot spot so commonly found in LED bulbs. The high power setting emits what appears to be a nearly pure white light, similar to that of a halogen bulb.

The bezel is easy to adjust while wearing the headlamp, even with heavy gloves, but I find that I don't need to adjust it very often. As I am typically just trying to get the 'long view' of the trail when switching to the high beam, I just set it for the longest, best focused range and leave the focusing bezel in that position more-or-less permanently. The on/off switch, on the other hand, can be a bit difficult to operate with heavy gloves. The button is nearly flush with the headlamp body and can be difficult to locate due to the reduced tactile sensitivity that occurs with heavier gloves. When I do find the switch position, it can then be difficult to press down on the rather small area of the button to activate it. Of course, all I have to do is take off my glove for a moment to activate the switch. In the extreme cold, this can be very unpleasant, enough so that I have found that I prefer to fumble with the switch until I get it right rather than remove a glove. Operating either the focus bezel or the on/off switch is no problem at all with either bare hands or lighter liner gloves, which is what I am operating with the great majority of the time. The switch does require a firm push however.

An initial concern was whether the batteries would be affected by cold weather. I was unable to discern any affect what-so-ever. I might theorize that this is a side effect of the voltage leveling circuitry in the headlamp. Either way, the strength of the light beam was unaffected by the -15 F (-26 C) temperatures. The rest of the headlamp also appeared to be unaffected as well. The elastic headband remained stretchy and all moving parts worked normally.

Complaints? Absolutely none as far as the headlamp design and function are concerned. The design is very good, the materials are top notch and the light has functioned as advertised. I have quite a few hours on the original batteries, but as I frequently switch back and forth between the high and low power beams, predicting or tracking battery life will not be very practical. However, with my old Princeton Tec Solo headlamp, which is halogen based, I would have gone through two, or possibly even three sets of batteries already during equivalent usage this winter. Simply knowing that one set of spare batteries will take care of my typical mini expedition is good for planning and peace of mind. And, chances are, the spares will not be needed for some time yet, but I still carry them as a precaution. If I have a complaint, it has nothing to do with the headlamp itself. The lack of a storage bag of some sort is a significant omission, to my mind. The nature of a headlamp, being comprised of loose straps and plastic bits makes it a vulnerable nuisance in a backpack, where it is constantly moved and shoved around as I search for a bit of needed gear or just lunch. I had a mesh stuff sack, made by Outdoor Research, in my miscellaneous gear bits at home, so this was pressed into service as a storage sack for the Yukon HL. It has made all the difference when the headlamp is not being used, as it no longer gets entangled with everything else in my pack, be it a day pack or a backpack with three days worth of winter supplies in it. The storage sack also seems to offer some protection from abrasion when the headlamp is stored in an outer mesh pocket.

My only other issue is strictly personal. I really have gotten spoiled by having a bright light available again, and I really like the option of the low beam for around camp and the high beam for those tricky nighttime trail moments. But, I have also been spoiled by the surfeit of 3 oz (85 g) LED headlamps out there, of which Princeton Tec's own Aurora is an example. The Yukon HL is nearly three times as heavy as those lights, and much bulkier as well, but they cannot compare with the light output. So my packing dilemma is whether to choose between light weight and serviceable lighting or a bit more weight and more lighting options!

What I Like:

1 - Quality materials and construction.
2 - That wonderful, bright, side-emitting LED bulb!
3 - Generally, ease of use.

What I Don't Like:

1 - The lack of a good storage bag.
2 - The on/off switch, while well protected from accidental activation, can be difficult to operate in deep cold, when heavier gloves are worn.

Summary:

The Princeton Tec Yukon HL has nicely fulfilled my primary hope, that it would provide enough light output and range to allow nighttime skiing on the narrow trails of the Catskills and the Adirondacks. Additional fringe benefits are the brilliant white light and long battery life which, so far, seems quite good. I am very pleased with this headlamp on all the major points and would be happy to recommend it to a friend. I would like to see something done about the on/off switch to make it more friendly to heavy gloves, but not if it compromises its resistance to accidental activation, which has been perfect to date.

All-in-all, a nice technological advancement on the part of Princeton Tec, coupled with the sound design and quality I have come to expect from them.