In the process of buying a headlamp and would appreciate reviews. Campmor sells Petzl, Black Diamond and Princeton. Everything I read is still very strange. Can anyone offer pro/cons of each? I don't plan to do a lot of night hiking. Thanks.

I have had the Princton Tec Aurora for a year now, and it sure is a great headlamp. The switch is easy to turn on, but not so easy that it turns on in your pack. The Petzl Tika has a simple on\off switch, and I have seen people arrive in camp only to find that it has been on all day! Battery Life is very good, and the 3 levels of light allow you to keep it low (reading), medium (searching through pack), or high (cooking, walking). I use it everywhere at home too!

Brian MacMillin
Futuer Thru Hiker 2013

the Princton Tec Aurora - got it on amazon for $20. its great and it has a hinge on it to aim the light on the trail and not your head unlike the petzel. i used it for 1 1/2 hours on the trail in the dark without any worries.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

I and my rock-climber daughter have Princeton Tec Auroras and like them very much. Light weight. Everything is in one tiny plastic "box" on your forehead. Easy to open and close. Swivel is VERY useful.

Not only does it have three levels of light, but it also has two levels of blinking light. Believe it or not, I've used the blinking light, once when my wife and I got separated after dark trying to find a campsite off a trail. I've also finished a hike after dark with this light when one hiking partner was very slow. Gave enough, but not plenty of, light for hiking that night. I wish it had a "flash" feature (that it would light only while button held down, so you could get a quick, brief light ... instead of cycling through all the 5 light levels every time you wanted a quick flash).

Uses 3 AAA batteries and has LONG battery life.

Have not used any other brands or models, so can't compare for you.

Oh, I sleep with it around my neck... very comfortable and I always have a night light VERY handy! :)

Rain Man

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Merry Christmas!!!!!

I and my rock-climber daughter have Princeton Tec Auroras and like them very much. Light weight. Everything is in one tiny plastic "box" on your forehead. Easy to open and close. Swivel is VERY useful.

Not only does it have three levels of light, but it also has two levels of blinking light. Rain Man

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I went to WalMart and got a headlight for 12 bucks. It has the three light levels, two blinking lights and a green flashing light that stays on if you want it to in order to find it in the dark. It also swivels. It worked great for me.

Thanks for the responses to my question. I did find other threads of a similar nature to my question and it seems the Princeton Tec Aurora is where I'm headed.
Note to Liredmg: I note your Daniel Boone quote with fondness. I recall another when he was asked if he had ever been lost. His reply, "Never been lost, but have been a might bewildered several times." :)