Headlamps

Personally I don't think it's being a 'brand snob' it's more about quality and reliability, and for that I don't think you can do better than Petzel. Look out for the next generation Tikka Zipka headlamps. Just my opinion, for what it's worth.

Im with Norm I have owned a small petzyl for some time with a neat fold down red filter that I use in huts at night the light is muted easy to see but dosent wake others up with its harshness. Not as big and powerful as some but ive used it for late arrivals with ease. Cost about $75 if i remember correctly

I am definitely not a brand snob. I have used a cheap nameless one I got at Bunnings, for about $10-$15, quite successfully for a few years now, including in rain. Infact I have quite a few of them and usually have 2 in my pack. It saves having to rummage around changing batteries in the dark. For night tramping I have a 1 watt Kathmandu one that puts out a super strong beam. It is a bit heavier than the Bunnings ones (AA rather than AAA batteries) and I don't think it cost any more than $30 in one of their sales.

I have led lenser H7, it cost $125 and is 1.25 watts. you can pick them up off trademe for very cheap now but I would highly recommend this head torch because it is amazingly bright, was excellent during calving and possum tramping. has adjustable beam with a little lever on the back which is easy to adjust with gloves on etc and is both shock proof and water proof (used in snow).

Thanks for your thoughts guys! I'll let you know what I get in the end.

Lisa I have a Black Diamond and it works exceptionally well, its dual LED model 6 x AAA = long battery life Compact it fits snugly in the day pack and provides more than enough light when walking at night. 5 Stars from me and would I buy another one - Yes

In my experience most headlamps work well enough. I feel for the price bracket Petzel has been left behind by most other manufacturers in the market. Honestly, the Kathmandu headlamps are good and cheap. I have had one for years and it has never given any problems. When it dies I would not replace it with another, not because its a bad product but I have a bias against Kathmandu. (They also do not make that model anymore so impossible to replace it) The one headlamp I am currently in love with is the Zebra series. They are very compact, weigh barely more then 100g and are extremely bright. For a top quality headlamp they are extremely affordable at around $100 NZD. Downsides??? Yes there are a couple. Because they are small and compact then longer hair can at times cover the light plus they have a wide beam which is fine for hut and walking but no good for lighting anything more then a few meters away. They are small enough to keep in the pack all the time without noticing. Other Headlamps I like the look of? Silva L1, where the zebra is small and compact. The silva is a big powerful beast. Can be purchased from trig instruments for $169.00 Princeton Tec Apex is also worth a look. Regulated. Spot and flood lighting. Slightly less bright then the Silva L1 but has more features. Does anyone know if Eveready markets a headlamp? A few years back I was in need of a torch so I impulse brought a little yellow one from their battery stand at a supermarket Has turned out to be a excellent and well made product and I am highly impressed with it. Was less then $30 if I remember correctly.

Hello. What's it for? Do you plan to do much walking at night, or is it mostly for around camping and huts? A while ago I bought a Black Diamond Icon, which was largely influenced by a Wilderness Magazine review that thought it was best value for money (cost me about $100 after a 10% discount). It runs for something like 100+ hours on 3xAA batteries and I've been very impressed with the strength of the LED's for walking with. I'm no longer really sure how I coped with my old Silva head-lamp. It's not very great around a hut, though. I miss the toned-down red light option that my old torch had, plus the placement of the battery pack (behind my head) makes it awkward to comfortably lie down with the torch on. I bought a Black Diamond Gizmo back in June (about $40) when I thought I'd lost my old Silva light, just to leave in my daypack for when I'm walking to work and home again. It'd be okay (but not the best) around huts but it's nowhere near as bright. It's also already having technical problems with switching off when it shouldn't if I use it on the high setting... maybe that's a warranty thing.

Hi guys Thanks for all your comments, it has confirmed to me that there are other good options other than Petzl. Militaris, Im with you about a bias against Kathmandu. None of their staff know anything about their products or the outdoors (perfect example today where I was the one explaining lighting to one of their staff and what do I know about lights?!!) Anyway, wee plug for R&R Sport while Im at it ... Ive found them fantastic both in Auckland and in Chch, really know their stuff and have an interest in the outdoors (with special mention to Geoff at RR in Chch!) However, that said, Kathmandu have their sale on at the mo and given my current budget restraints, at 50% off, I would have been foolish not to have got one so did. The one I got was 1 Watt Luxeon Dual Light from $110 down to $55. It has up to 51 lumens output and has 4 settings - 1 LED, 3 LED, Economy and Flash mode (for when I want to break out in to dance mode around the campfire! :-P) as well as a safety light on the battery pack at the back and a pivotal head. Just purchased today so I havent trialled it yet but I think considering I will most likely be using it for dawn and dusk tramping and around camp that it was a good buy. Again thanks for everyones feedback!