Petzl Tikka Plus Headlamp

[UCONNMike]

Petzl Tikka Plus Headlamp (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=32354328&memberId=12500226), is it a good buy for me? I'm an entry level light weight hiker (base weight will be under 15 pounds), who plans to do some nite hiking, but i dont want a huge heavy headlamp, and i saw this lamp has an red lens for nite time hiking. Is it any good, does the red make a diffrence? Just looking to hear what you all think.
- thanks

[David S.]

I have the Tikka Plus and like it quite alot. Its about 3 oz which is heavy by some super ultralight standards. Another good option is the Black Diamond Ion which is slightly less than 1 oz and very functional with brightness and ability to tilt to about any degree up and down you could want.

I have found the red to be welcome at times when I wake up in the middle of the night and need to find something but don't want to be in squint mode.

[Pencil Pusher]

Heaven forbid the ultra light freaks ever have to carry a three ounce headlamp. Jesus, that might slow down their pace by 0.0002 mph. There must be some line where one crosses over from hiking smart to being an ounce-counting freak of nature, though I suppose even then they'd take that as a compliment:rolleyes:

[UCONNMike]

why yes I do take that as a compliment, and I thnak you not only for that compliment but for the laugh you gave me when i read your post. :) "slow down their pace by 0.0002 mph" that is classic. I never thought that the weight thing would become an issue for me, but like the books say, think in terms of oz not lbs, and for some reason or another I'm all caught up in it. Keep the reviews on the Tika plus coming, cause a few more positive remarks will result in an order for campmor tonite.

[Sh33p]

I like my Tikka plus, havent had any problems. I also have a Princeton Tech scout, which I find to be brighter, and it weighs about 1.5 ounces.

[verber]

I think the Tikka Plus are great headlights for working around camp and trail based night hiking. If you are wanting to night hike difficult to follow paths or go cross country I would strongly recommend getting a headlamp which throwns asignificantly longer beam. You want either a Xenon bulb, or one of the newer 1W or 3W hybrid LEDs.

For the last year I carried the Zipka Plus (same light as the Tikka Plus, different strap). I just switched my Zipka from my backpacking gear box to my car camping duffel bag. Why? I always have a tiny Photon III in my pocket. I found that on a number of trips I never bothered to get the Zipka out of my pack. So why bring it? Well... I did use the Zipka when I was night hiking. On reasonably clear trails it worked just fine... but I was often on trails which weren't easy to follow. For alpine route-finding I found the beam throw inadaquate and starting to "borrow" my wife's PrincetonTec Yukon HL with a 1w hybrid LED bulb when I knew I was likely to be night hiking on difficult to follow paths. It's bigger and heavier (8oz) than ideal, but it is lighter than the old Xenon based headlamp I used to use, and had a significantly longer battery life. For Christmas I received a PrincetonTec EOS (my wife wanted her Yukon back). The EOS is about the same weight as the Tikka, but throws a beam SIGNIFICANTLY further. It's not so hot for up close work... but I was using my Photon for this work anyway.

[SGT Rock]

I went from tiny LEDs to a Zipka Plus which is very similar to the Tika Plus. I liked the smaller LED, but the batteries could wear out fast and some models have a problem with accidently getting switched on. I also have had problems with water getting in them and causing lots of strange things including an LED I couldn't turn off.

The Zipka plus is bright enough to hike at night and you can turn it down to a low in-close reading level and that is supposed to creat long batter life with AAA alkaline batteries which would be a real feat. I plan to get some AAA Li batteries to try in it. At 2.3 ounces with batteries the weight isn't bad at all. I haven't found the lack of a swivel an issue since I can push it up or down as needed on my forehead to get the right beam angle. I also like the restraint system because I can stick it quickly on my wrist like a watch when I go to bed and that makes it really easy to find if I need it in the middle of the night. The only issue I found with it was it was a lot pricier than I wanted to originally spend.

[hikerjohnd]

My Zipka plus comes in at 1.9 oz with 3 Li batteries - even lighter than their advertised weight!

[SGT Rock]

OUTSTANDING! That was my plan before, but now I know I wanna do it. So that means the Li batteries are a little over 0.1 ounces less than the Alkaline versions. That is about the same for AA.

[verber]

I liked the smaller LED, but the batteries could wear out fast and some models have a problem with accidently getting switched on.

Yeah.. I have had problems with the small LED pocket lights getting turned on accidently. A few times I pulled out the the flashlight only to find the batteries drained. Then I switched to a Photon III which hasn't had this problem. I leave it in the auto turn-off after 2 minutes mode. This way even if the flashlight gets turned on, the batteries don't get run down. Alas, the new Photon Freedom doesn't have the auto-off mode.

As far as batteries wearing out fast... I get around 12 hours on useful light. I would guess that I use a flashlight around camp less than 30 minutes a night, so battery life hasn't been a big issue..


I also have had problems with water getting in them and causing lots of strange things including an LED I couldn't turn off.

Yes.. this can happen. The Photon III is a bit more resistant to these problems than some of the micro lights, but I have had to replace my first Photon III after it got soaked for the second or third time and went crazy.

[Kerosene]

Another good option is the Black Diamond Ion which is slightly less than 1 oz and very functional with brightness and ability to tilt to about any degree up and down you could want.I have the Ion and love it for it's low weight and size, but I wouldn't want to rely on it for night hiking. I'd go with a model with 3-4 LEDs, perhaps with two levels of brightness to save batteries. I'm not sure about hiking in red light, though.

[Nameless]

Hello,

I have the zipka plus. got it for christmas (or i would have just got the regular zipka). Also get the Tikka, returned it because the headstrap isnt as usefull, or light at the zipka. Otherwise they are exactally the same. The zipka can be attached to anything, a skill i have already found usefull, in barely more then a week. Highly recomend it. Right now i am simply torn between buying the red screen for the zipka, or buying a red photon III. Not sure yet...

Pink

[hikerjohnd]

I was wondering about the red filter for the zipka... is it really that useful? I figured the different brightness settings would be enough, but reading some of the discussion on this post maybe I shuold get the red lens. Thoughts? Thanks!

[Beachwalker]

Go for the TacTikka Plus, it has the red filter built in, and its much more convenient to use the flip up filter of the tactikka plus, than it is to use the snap in filter of the tikka plus.

[Pencil Pusher]

OUTSTANDING! That was my plan before, but now I know I wanna do it. So that means the Li batteries are a little over 0.1 ounces less than the Alkaline versions. That is about the same for AA.
Incredible!!! WOW, you just saved .3 ounces! And what is your body fat composition?:p Not just you, Rock, but all you ounce counting dudes and dudettes.

[Footslogger]

Incredible!!! WOW, you just saved .3 ounces! And what is your body fat composition?:p Not just you, Rock, but all you ounce counting dudes and dudettes.=========================
Every ounce counts ...

When I was getting ready for my thru in 2003 I remember discounting about a dozen or so items that weighed "nothing". Just for kicks I stuck them all in a small bag and put them on the scale. They amounted to over a pound of weight.

Yeah ...it may seem nuts to isolate on a single item but the point here is that those little items add up. If you're serious about getting your pack weight down you need to cut wherever you can.

Anyhew, that's my .02

'Slogger
AT 2003

[SGT Rock]

My bodyfat is about 14%. If I knock off a few more ounces of that I will have an even lower FBO (From Bones Out) weight. :cool:

But really, I have been trying to make a move that all my electrical devices (radio, camera, and lights) would use a common battery type to save on carrying multiple back up batteries and because inter-comminality (is that really a word?) would mean if one devices batteries crapped out I could do a temporary scrounge from another. With Li AAA I think I can save about an once just on the used batteries and a little more by narrowing the spare batteries in the repair kit. Basically I am simplyfying the system I use and Li just kicks ass compared to alkaline for so many reasons-except price. But I have found a bulk supply source of AAA Li that is almost half what I would pay at Radio Shack.

[Pencil Pusher]

=========================
Every ounce counts ...

When I was getting ready for my thru in 2003 I remember discounting about a dozen or so items that weighed "nothing". Just for kicks I stuck them all in a small bag and put them on the scale. They amounted to over a pound of weight.

Yeah ...it may seem nuts to isolate on a single item but the point here is that those little items add up. If you're serious about getting your pack weight down you need to cut wherever you can.

Anyhew, that's my .02

'Slogger
AT 2003
True enough those little things add up. I also was trying to point out the significant weight savings to be had by lightening your own load (bodyfat). I hike anywhere from 190-200 or so pounds. I kick ass at 170ish. I do alright at my typical 190ish and can put the hurt on some fools (hiking), but going on a three week sufferfest and losing 20 pounds of fat resulted in one lean-mean-machine. But it is easier to shave the weight on items other than your own body and I am just as guilty as the next guy. I don't have the dilligence to maintain that lean lifestyle. I was just ribbing Rock on this difference. Point-whatever ounces versus twenty or so pounds...:D

[SGT Rock]

Well at 14% body fat and my current weight of 165 pounds, that means I only have about 21 pounds of fat on my body. I think that going much lower than about 10 % isn't really a good idea for a hiker since bodyfat is an energy reserve and the standard "fit" American has about a 20% body fat. I have made that point quite a few times that you are making now - that being in good shape and having a low body fat is a good idea.

Take me as an example - if I had a higher "normal" bodyfat at 20%, that means I would weigh about 175 for the same lean body mass. That means that at my current level I would have to carry a 35 pound pack just to create the same effort as a person with the same lean body mass as I have but with a higher bodyfat if that person were carrying a 25 pound load.

So throw the inverse out: I carry a 25 pound load and have a lean body mass of 144 pounds and a total body weight of 165. A person with the same lean body mass but higher bodyfat and higher body weight of 175 pounds would exert himself 50% more than I would by carrying the same pack.

Anyway, I once worried just about ounces until I got my pack weight down to about 35 pounds. Then by worrying about 1/10th of an ounce I got it down to 25 pounds. Now I only wory about what works well for me and keeps me comfortable, happy, and safe. And I try to always make that the lightest possible option.