Headlamps for alpine climbing 2019

Jaren Watson wrote:

Which model would you recommend?

The hl60r is pretty freaking great for the $$$.  Very popular here in Alaska for climbing at night all winter.   I have the BD storm as well as the reacktik and they are seldom used in comparison to the fenix.  For about 4 ounces more you get imo-3-4 times the headlamp. Imo petzl headlamps are more efficient and the batteries  last longer than BD for the given brightness

I have chronically had BD and petzl headlamps turn on in the pack-and because they are relatively dim-you don’t notice the headlamp and the batteries die.  Compared to the fenix where the on/off button is recessed below a ridge-I’ve never had it accidentally turn on in 2 years of heavy use (and storage in a pack).   If the fenix was to turn on-at the brightest setting you would undoubtedly notice it, unless it was in your pack and on your back. 

You handle the fenix lights and the difference in quality between bd and petzl immediately becomes apparent.  Plastic vs aluminum.  Sealed battery case vs non.  Durability-where you know if you dropped the fenix as I have-it’ll work compared to a broken piece of plastic like bd have become for me. 

Also-I have been super impressed by the batteries ability to withstand cold temps.   I’ve used the headlamp fairly regularly in temps down to -10 f, with the light at its brightest setting and I still get 4 hours of use (full 100 m beam).  If I dim it-like has been mentioned, it can last days. 

I used the fenix last year on rainier and by far, it was the brightest light on the mountain-as well as lasting by far the longest.  
I wouldn’t even bother with petzl and bd headlamps personally given that fenix is so much better-the only reason I have any other headlamps at this point is because of a trip to Moab where if forgot my fenix and needed some lights. Plus-in ak-for the summer it is nice to have a 3 ounce light to help with the twilight light at 2 am (but your not needing the light for route finding-only reading in the tent etc).  
Bottom line-for me a headlamp isn’t a place to skimp. 3-4 ounces more for a bright headlamp  is worth the weight for the ability trail find that obscure spot you need to get to.  I would never trust the bindi (for example) for anything but an emergency light.  

Pretty big fan of the Zebralight. The BD and Petzl offerings just feel like cheap plastic crap and they DO get broken - I'll never buy one of those toys again. The Zebralight is a metal canister you stick in a battery. Simple and effective.

Need more runtime? Bring extra batteries. Bright AF. The only thing that comes close is the Petzl Nao+, but the NAO+ is very expensive and runs on a proprietary battery pack, looks stupid and is pretty stupid (reactive lighting is nice, but it's so bulky)

(review of mine here)

I have the 2016 version of the Storm and it is heavy. Gives me a headache after an hour. I haven't tried the newers tho.

Long Ranger wrote: Pretty big fan of the Zebralight. The BD and Petzl offerings just feel like cheap plastic crap and they DO get broken - I'll never buy one of those toys again. The Zebralight is a metal canister you stick in a battery. Simple and effective.

Need more runtime? Bring extra batteries. Bright AF. The only thing that comes close is the Petzl Nao+, but the NAO+ is very expensive and runs on a proprietary battery pack, looks stupid and is pretty stupid (reactive lighting is nice, but it's so bulky)

(review of mine here)

I agree wholeheartedly-bd and petzl do feel like toys. Even the NAO feels unsubstantial and cheap comparatively.  

Maybe I've had bad luck, but I've had three successive iterations of the BD Storm die on me while descending a big snowy mountain in the middle of the night. All went from brand new batteries and super bright to spontaneously turning off. Only reason I still have it around is that BD kept replacing it under warranty and sending me a new one. It lives in my truck as a backup now. Can't say I particularly recommend the BD Storm...

Matt Zia wrote: Maybe I've had bad luck, but I've had three successive iterations of the BD Storm die on me while descending a big snowy mountain in the middle of the night. All went from brand new batteries and super bright to spontaneously turning off. Only reason I still have it around is that BD kept replacing it under warranty and sending me a new one. It lives in my truck as a backup now. Can't say I particularly recommend the BD Storm...

Just curious but were you using lithium batteries?

+1 for BD Spot 325.
The mode switching can be a bit confusing, but it is a great lamp (better than the 3x other Spot versions I've used).

I’m pretty opinionated on this - the suggestions here running up and down the line ups of AAA powered Petzl and BD headlamps need to be balanced some more Zebralight love!

Note: most of this applies to the Fenix HL60R as well. The crux of the biscuit is these lamps just use a fatter battery and better LEDs.

The Zebralight F600W shines up to 1000-1200 lumens and will last 6+ hours at around the 350 lumen mark. It’s somewhat heavier and it looks kind of funky but it’s hard to understate how much brighter it can get, and how much longer the battery lasts at the lumen ranges for the typical climbing brand headlamps. You’re getting at least 3x the battery life, but also have the option of cranking it to 1200 lumens for an hour. I typically momentarily burst it while defaulting to what is generally the max brightness on the BD/Petzl lamps.

Topping out in that dark and you need to catch a glimpse of a cairn 200 feet away? Facing a long night hike back to the car? Benighted on a pitch and you need to stay on route in the dark?

Spot, Icon, Bindi - these lamps are different shapes and colors with somewhat brighter LEDs amongst the bunch. They’re great around camp - F600W lacks the useful red light, and has a stupidly dim low light - but I don’t want to mess around in the dark when I’m climbing.

The single 18650 battery tends to be easier to replace and pack spares for - anyone else struggle with having 3 AAAs that are actually fully charged? I seemingly always had that one discharged battery I had forgotten to dispose of confounding my attempt to be fully redundant. And you better bring spare batteries - just in case that headlamp accidentally turns on in your pack and drains completely by the time you need it. The BDs have lock modes but I always found myself fighting them - “5 seconds right? No wait, that turns on the second LED... now it’s getting brighter! Oh - it’s locked now... what the hell did I do?” The Zebralight solves that problem too by having a simple mechanical mechanism to open the circuit: turn the battery cap a quarter turn.

They’re somewhat expensive, though nowhere near that ludicrous $400 Petzl NAO, but $80 is pretty reasonable for something that gives you a leg up on getting screwed in the dark.

Anecdotally it also produces a much nicer light field than other headlamps I’ve used.

I have not tested these extensively in the cold and couldn’t vouch for performance below freezing. Hasn’t been an issue for me at 25-35 which was probably the lowest range I’ve used them at. There’s a headlamp subreddit that nerds out about these things that might offer some data.

I think the brand recognition with Petzl and BD feels like it imparts some kind of stamp of safety for the climbing brand lamps - like they’ve passed rigorous tests for the “specific demands” of climbing. Nope - not really a thing!

You might think you’ve entered the paranoid world of preppers when you browse the internet to get more information about the things - they’re legit, unlike colloidal silver and male vitality pills.

The BD storm is a big headlamp in my opinion, if that's a consideration... You can definitely tell there's an extra battery up there when it's on your head. My girlfriend has one and I prefer the newer BD Spot over the Storm... It is a beast of a headlamp though, super bright, just a little bit bulky for me personally. It's not AS bad when you have the light on your helmet because it kind of locks it in place, but it's definitely big. 

Jacob Straszynski wrote:I think the brand recognition with Petzl and BD feels like it imparts some kind of stamp of safety for the climbing brand lamps - like they’ve passed rigorous tests for the “specific demands” of climbing. Nope - not really a thing!

Ha, it always amuses me that climbers want to buy headlamps from a climbing company... If we really thought about it, why would we expect a climbing company to make better headlamps than a company that just make headlamps and flashlights?

The only headlamp I have (and I have a lot of them) from a climbing company is the Petzl Zipka, the one with the retractable cord. I keep it in the zipper pocket of my chalk bag as an emergency headlamp. Haven't had to use it a lot, but love it for how small it is.

I agree that the storm feels huge on the front of your helmet even though it doesn’t look much bigger than the spot. I feel like I hit it on everything while I’m climbing. 

Between the Zebra and the Fenix I think I'm sold! Sounds perfect for glacier navigation in the dark 

I like the Petzl MYO, well balanced and the diffuse and spot light is pretty sweet.

Own a Fenix HL60R and HP25R and 2 Zebra Lights. All have excellent run times have stood up to years of hard use above and below ground. Had a BD icon for a while before this and honestly you couldn't pay me to go back to any BD lights. These 18650 based lamps are definitely the way to go in terms of run time and output.

Dan Bachen wrote: Own a Fenix HL60R and HP25R and 2 Zebra Lights. All have excellent run times have stood up to years of hard use above and below ground. Had a BD icon for a while before this and honestly you couldn't pay me to go back to any BD lights. These 18650 based lamps are definitely the way to go in terms of run time and output.

If I can only get one, would you recommend the HL60r or Zebra, and why?

Thanks!

Stever wrote:

If I can only get one, would you recommend the HL60r or Zebra, and why?

Thanks!

My favorite of the bunch is the 25R. I like the battery on the back of the helmet more than I thought I would. Provides some balance. Between the 60 and the Zebra, I like the Zebra a bit more. The 60 is built like a tank, but it is a little frustrating to cycle through all the light levels to dim the unit. It is also heavier and although  I use it without  a helmet frequently, it rides better on one. Thes Zebras are lighter, easier to use and just great lights in general. For something like a primary caving light where the lamp will get slammed into the ceiling, dunked in water, and coated in mud, I'd favor the 60. For climbing, and use without a helmet I'd go zebra. I don't think you can go wrong with either though. I can usually get 6-8 hours of moderate to high output from either light, and more if I use the lower settings.

The difference between a spot and flood is also worth considering. The 60r is a spot. Zebras are available in both spot and flood models. Flood is great for climbing or when you need to see a lot of what's close by. I like flood for skiing and caving, any time where seeing a further is an advantage. One of the reasons I like the 25R so much is that it provides both options.

If you want more convenient charging options, the Mark II Zebras will take the Fenix battery with the built-in USB charging port. Kind of spendy but worth it IMHO to not have to deal with a separate charger. If I remember right the Mark IIIs need a shorter battery, possibly one of the flat top models (18650 lengths vary by manufacturer and model).

Charles Proctor wrote: The Zebralight H600W or the Olight H2R are both amazing options. 18650 based headlamps blow everything else out of the water for doing actually climbing or skiing in fully dark conditions and it's easy to carry spare batteries and switch them out as needed.

Shhhh! Let everyone overpay for inefficient AA lights

Dan Bachen wrote:

My favorite of the bunch is the 25R. I like the battery on the back of the helmet more than I thought I would. Provides some balance. Between the 60 and the Zebra, I like the Zebra a bit more. The 60 is built like a tank, but it is a little frustrating to cycle through all the light levels to dim the unit. It is also heavier and although  I use it without  a helmet frequently, it rides better on one. Thes Zebras are lighter, easier to use and just great lights in general. For something like a primary caving light where the lamp will get slammed into the ceiling, dunked in water, and coated in mud, I'd favor the 60. For climbing, and use without a helmet I'd go zebra. I don't think you can go wrong with either though. I can usually get 6-8 hours of moderate to high output from either light, and more if I use the lower settings.

The difference between a spot and flood is also worth considering. The 60r is a spot. Zebras are available in both spot and flood models. Flood is great for climbing or when you need to see a lot of what's close by. I like flood for skiing and caving, any time where seeing a further is an advantage. One of the reasons I like the 25R so much is that it provides both options.

If you want more convenient charging options, the Mark II Zebras will take the Fenix battery with the built-in USB charging port. Kind of spendy but worth it IMHO to not have to deal with a separate charger. If I remember right the Mark IIIs need a shorter battery, possibly one of the flat top models (18650 lengths vary by manufacturer and model).

Did you mean to say you "like the spot for skiing and caving..." I have the Zebralight spot and it's just much brighter when you need to see far and not much worse at close range. My friend has the Olight H2R, which is supposedly brighter, but doesn't end up so in practice because it's a flood.

https://coastportland.com/product/fl75r/

This is what you want.  "climbing headlamps" suck compared to specialized light manufacturers.  My buddy has one and i've had him turn on the "sun" mode to light a pitch I was leading at night.  I've got a new BD storm and it doesn't compare.   His started having issues after 1 year and they sent him a brand new one no questions asked.  

A little expensive.  I can't compare to the Fenix but he may have more to say as he's had a few of the nice headlamps and has pitched me on pros and cons before.  I'll be getting a coast soon enough.  

Thomas G?  Anything to add

Edit: also on the 18650 platform everyone is talking about I believe.  Option to recharge vs. add regular batteries is sweet.

Charles Proctor wrote:

Did you mean to say you "like the spot for skiing and caving..." I have the Zebralight spot and it's just much brighter when you need to see far and not much worse at close range. My friend has the Olight H2R, which is supposedly brighter, but doesn't end up so in practice because it's a flood.

Yep, ment to say spot. Thanks for the catch