Initial Report:
Princeton Tec Yukon HL Headlamp

Date: January 24th, 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: 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 arrived in a small box covered with the Princeton
Tec logo. Inside was the Princeton-Tec Yukon HL enclosed in a colorful
cardboard and clear plastic retail ready package. Inside the package were the
headlamp, 3 AA alkaline batteries and a couple of pieces of Princeton Tec literature.

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.

Several methods have been used by flashlight manufactures in an attempt to
remedy this problem. The first was to simply add more LEDs to the lighting
element. This does increase the brightness, but not as much as one might hope, and
there is the obvious trade-off of decreased battery life. The second method,
and a more recent arrival, is the use of a focusing lens. This design takes
the available light and focuses it into a narrow beam. This is surprisingly
effective and has the additional advantage of increased beam range without
decreasing battery life. However, the light beam is very narrow, actually more of a
spot light, and still not impressively bright. 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.

Construction Details:

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 black and white elastic
straps have the Princeton-Tec name and logo patterned into the weave.

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. In a nice touch, which is an indicator of quality
construction, this hinge bolt is secured by a Nyloc nut, which should prevent it from ever
coming loose unintentionally. The most prominent part of the lamp assembly is
the grey, rubber coated focusing bezel. Rotating the bezel allows the bright
beam of the 1-watt center LED to be narrowed or broadened. The focus of the
beam is changed, as the reflector 'floats' between the bezel/lens assembly and a
spring. By rotating the bezel, the reflector position slides in or out on
three molded guides. During close examination of the reflector, I noticed a minor
casting defect, more of a small dimple, on the reflector surface. 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. This is the only switch on the Yukon HL and serves two purposes.
The first, and most obvious, is the on-off function. The second function is to
cycle between the two available beams. The cycling is automatic. 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. This might seem a bit
of a nuisance at first, but in practice it keeps the operation of the headlamp
straightforward and simple by eliminating the need for multiple switches.

The battery pack is hinged at the top and held closed by a hinged latch
located on the bottom of the housing. The latch requires a very firm push to
release. Once opened, the battery mounts for the three AA batteries are fully
exposed and easy to access. Proper battery orientation is clearly marked by graphics
molded into the bottom of the battery mounts. The top of the battery pack has
a black rubber seal which, when closed, should be reasonably effective at
protecting the batteries from exposure to the elements. The rubber gasket presses
against the flat rim of the battery case, apparently relying on the pressure
applied by the stiff latch to achieve a good seal. It should be noted that
Princeton Tec rates the headlamp 'water-resistant', not 'waterproof'.

The lamp assembly and battery pack are connected by a power cord which runs
on the outside of the right side of the horizontal elastic strap. The power
cord is held in place by two sliding plastic clips. There appears to be
sufficient slack in the wire to allow the headband to stretch so the Princeton Tec
Yukon HL can be worn over a helmet.

Headlamp Fit:

The elastic headbands are comfortable and easy to adjust. There are two
sliding buckle adjustments, one on the top strap and one on the horizontal band. As
there is only the one adjustment on the horizontal band, both the headlamp
and battery pack assemblies are designed to slide along the strap so they can be
moved to their respective center positions after the band is adjusted. The
elastic straps have a very soft peached finish. This makes the headlamp
comfortable to wear, even without a hat.

Once in place, the fit is very comfortable. The split design, with the lamp
in front and battery pack in back, makes for a very balanced feel. The soft 1
inch (25 mm) wide band holds the headlamp firmly in place without undo
pressure. The Princeton Tec Yukon HL is heavy enough to make its presence felt, but is
still quite comfortable.

Initial Impressions:

The Princeton Tec Yukon HL appears to be a very rugged, well made headlamp.
Materials and construction appear to be first rate. A quick check of the light
output indicates the low power output is similar to other quality multiple LED
headlamps and flashlights. The high power setting is a wonder to behold,
especially when compared to other LED lighting equipment. A quick visual
comparison to an older Princeton Tec halogen model shows a nearly similar light output.

Things I Like:

1 - Rugged construction for reasonable weight.
2 - Firm switch should prevent accidental operation.
3 - Finally, a bright LED!

Things I Don't Like:

1-What, no stuff sack?! A nice protective fleece one would be awfully nice!

Test Plan:

Plans are already in the works for two extended winter trips in the Catskills
and Adirondacks. The Princeton Tec Yukon HL is already stuffed in my
backpack, ready to head into the Adirondacks High Peaks Wilderness tomorrow morning.

The headlamp will first be checked for fit and comfort during periods of
extended wear, as the short winter days ensure that it will be worn for many
hours. Next under consideration will be ease of use. The weather conditions
experienced in the winter mountains in the Northeast dictate that gloves are always
worn, often heavy gloves.

As extended battery life is the 'stock-in-trade' of LED lights, this will be
closely observed, especially as regards the effect of very cold temperatures,
if any.

One item of particular interest is whether the new LED technology is bright
enough to permit night time skiing! The nature of the light emitted by most
LEDs often makes depth perception difficult and they are definitely not bright
enough to risk a ski run through the woods. I'll see if the Princeton Tec Yukon
HL changes all this!

Naturally, its effectiveness for nighttime hiking and campsite chores will be
considered.