Product Information

Princeton Tec
http://www.princetontec.com
Yukon HL Hybrid L.E.D.
Year of Manufacture: 2003
Listed weight: 8 oz (227 g) w/ batteries
Verified weight: 8 oz (227 g) w/ 3 AA Duracell alkaline batteries
Power: 3 AA Batteries

Product Description

The Yukon HL is a headlamp with a total of 4 light emitting diodes(L.E.D.). Three of the L.E.D.s are listed as "high output" and appear to be similar to other L.E.D. lamps listed as "high output". Those L.E.D. lamps sit in a triangle pattern insidea mirrored and rounded housing. They encircle a 4th L.E.D. which is centered in the housing amongst the "high output" L.E.D.s.

    The 4th L.E.D. lamp appears to be something new. Listed as a 1 watt L.E.D., Princeton Tec says its light "rivals the high output typical to incandescent halogen and xenon bulbs." Although I never compared the light to incandescent halogen or xenon lights to determine the efficacy of Princeton Tec's claim, the Yukon HL proved to be brighter than any other L.E.D. light I'd ever used. It also proved to be the best performing of all the headlamps I'd ever used.

    All bulbs receive power from 3 AA batteries housed in a remote battery pack located at the rear of the headband. The batteries sit in an O-ring sealed compartment. The compartment can be difficult to open with one hand but I managed it. Princeton Tec claims the setup is water resistant, not water proof. A wire connects the power pack to the L.E.D.s. The wire appears to be securely attached to the headband.

    The headband is made of stretchy material about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) wide. The headband is the style with a strap that runs over the top of the head. Usually lightweight headlamps don't include an over-the-head strap. My impression after a number of uses is that this strap is unnecessary on the Yukon HL; perhaps it could be cut off by to save weight. However, unless I'm planning to spend 6 months on the trail, I'm not a big fan of irrevocably destroying gear. I won't be removing the strap. Perhaps Princeton Tec could make the over-the-head strap removable.

How it Works

The light is easy to use and activate. A push button is the only control. The first push activates the 3 "high output" L.E.D.s. A second push deactivates the lamps. The third push activates the 1 watt lamp and a fourth shuts the Yukon HL off. According to the manufacturer, the 3 "high output" lights economize power, allowing the batteries to last for approximately 120 hours. The 1 watt lamp drains battery life at the rate of 25 hours per set, a respectable rate of drain. The light is hinged at its base. The hinge allows the user to focus the Yukon HL at the ground rather than straight ahead.

Long Term Report

Consistently on group outings I found myself and the Yukon HL the focus of attention as I used the 1 watt light to penetrate further into the darkness then my friends' L.E.D. lights. In recollecting, 2 incidents come to mind. Once I used the 1 watt bulb to brightly illuminate hungry raccoons on the periphery of our campsite at an established campground where campers often leave behind food scraps which attract scavengers. Our group of 5 guys enjoyed watching the raccoons as they darted around like hungry lions, or rather hyenas, waiting for food to fall to the ground or perhaps a chance to rush our camp.

The other incident also involved an established camp site. This time it was on the Manistee River Trail in Michigan. On the first night there I set up my tarp and settled under it leaving my backpack near my head. Within a half hour I sensed something a few feet (a few meters) away from my feet, which shortly thereafter rushed up my sleeping bag towards my head. Startled, I threw open my sleeping bag in the hopes of scaring the creature from further attacks. By its size I was fairly certain it was a mouse and of little danger, so I drifted off to sleep. Moments later, I was awakened by another attack. This time the creature came directly at my head. Again I threw open my sleeping bag to discourage it from cozying up to my body. I turned on the 1 watt light and scanned the area for any sign of the offending creature. I stayed like this until I started to drift back to sleep. Satisfied the creature was not returning, I shut the light off and went back to sleep. seemingly seconds later I was again under attack. I dislodged the creature and turned on the light and waited for the creature to show itself. Again it did not show itself until after I had started to drift back to sleep. Again I shut off the light thinking I had seen the last of the creature. This time I did not fall asleep fully and could sense the creature nearing before it got up to the bullet speed at which it had earlier rushed upon me. I decided that the light, as I kept it turned, was keeping the creature from rushing me as I scanned the area looking for it. I decided to prop the Yukon HL on a small stone and turn the power conserving "high output" lights on. I figured this would allow me to sleep through the night without having to lose face and ask my friend to let me sleep in the 2 man tent he was using. I was asleep secure that the evening would be event free. Sadly I was mistaken. This time the whirring noise of the speeding mouse creature met with a thud as it ricocheted off the Yukon HL. At this point I realized that I had left a Jetboil stove and pot in my backpack. I hadn't used it that night so I'd forgotten to pack it up with the bear bag I'd left hanging from a tree. Since I wasn't in bear country, I hung the stove from the strap of my hiking staff and tossed the backpack a few feet further from my head. I also left the Yukon HL on in low power mode to deter the creature from rushing me, perhaps the pain of collision with the lamp during the last attack would deter it toward my backpack. Finally, as I drifted off to sleep I could hear the mouse rustling through my pack, a noise which I had grown quite accustomed to while spending 7.5 months on the Appalachian Trail. I woke up a few hours later and shut off the Yukon HL, happy that it had a power saving feature. However, another dag-nabbed mouse was able to scale down the rope which I'd used to hang my food bag from a tree limb. They nibbled on half the food I'd brought along for the weekend trip. Good thing my hiking partner had brought along too much food and needed to unload some.

I enjoyed using the Yukon HL. In the course of the last 6 months the light has proven durable. During the last use, the batteries finally weakened and the standard "high output" L.E.D.s dimmed to the point where I would automatically replace the batteries with L.E.D. lamps I'd used in the past. However, 2 clicks of the power button and the 1 watt light returned me to a comfortable level of light. One night when snoozing next to the campfire sans sleeping bag, I was annoyed by the battery pack in the back as I pillowed my head against a log.

Things I liked

The brightness of the 1 watt L.E.D.
The ability to go with AA Lithium batteries
The ability to use the battery saving and less-bright light in camp for chores and reading
The ability to chose the 1 watt setting for very dark nights and the high-output setting for brighter nights

Things I didn't like

I'm not sure the upper headband is required
The 1 watt L.E.D. was annoyingly bright when used in the twilight conditions of dusk
The battery pack got in the way when leaning up agains a pillow or log

Field Information

I used the Yukon HL at several locations in Michigan where temperatures ranged from 32° F (0° C) to 85° F (29° C). The terrain was generally hilly with fields, forest and some sand dunes. The elevation was generally less the 1500 feet (457 m) above sea level. In Wyoming, I used the Yukon HL at an altitude of 10,000 feet (3048 m) above sea level in the Medicine Bow Mountains. In Wyoming the Yukon HL was used at temperatures around 25° F (-4° C) and was exposed to a light rain.

Backpacking Background

I grew up on a farm and have enjoyed the outdoors for 25 years. In the past 11 years, I've been on several multi-night backpack expeditions. In 2002, I spent 7.5 months hiking roughly 2 thousand miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT). In 2003 I hiked 350 miles on the North Country Trail (NCT) through Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Other outdoor activities within the last 20 years have included rock-climbing, mountain biking, cross-country skiing, ice fishing and cycling. Although I have a paralyzed hand which limits my ability to paddle, I've ridden inside a canoe on the Green River through Canyon Lands National Park in Utah.

My hiking style is lightweight but I carry the gear needed to be comfortable. Currently my base pack weight ranges near 20 lb. (9 kg). On the AT, I carried a sylnylon poncho tarp for selter that measured 3 x 8 feet (0.91 x 2.44 m). On the North Country Trail I used an 8 x 10 foot (2.44 x 3.05 m) sylnylon tarp, with 1 hiking staff, an alcohol stove and a titanium pot. Other than food, my synthetic sleeping bag continues to be the heaviest item in my pack. One day I will purchase a down sleeping bag.

Long Term Report