UKH

I'm heading out to the alps this september to climb classic routes like Chere couloir, north face of Tour Ronde and Mont Blanc. Whilst doing so, I'll be getting up early for the classic alpine start
I need a new headtorch as my old one is not powerful enough.
I've seen many headtorches with regulated lighting. Is regulated lighting best for an alpine trip when I'm going to be spending 2-3 days at a time with no access to spare batteries?

I'm looking at things such as Petzl Tikka XP (2014 version - regulated) and Black Diamond Storm/Spot (2014 version - unregulated).

Does anyone have any useful advice?

In reply to blackreaver:

regulated will save you some battery life

for something potentially critical as lighting.... carry a spare set of batteries or a spare torch.

In reply to blackreaver:

BD Storm is a good headtorch. Decent burn time.
Small, waterproof, quite powerful and has lots of useful functions.
The AAA batteries are a bit fiddly to change, especially if mid-route or in a predicament. As a result I tend to leave it 'ready to go' but it has a tendency to turn itself on when in the top of the sac, not sure if there is an idiot switch procedure to nullify this.

Some of the new automatic ranging Petzl torches come with USB charging, so you could take a USB power storage device to the hut with you.

In reply to valjean:



Or both?

In reply to sbc_10:

bd storms do have a way to shut them off so they dont turn on accidentally in your pack

i believe it is hold button down for 6 seconds until blue light on the side flashes. do the same to unlock it

as for waterproofing. BD torches keep water out, but the components inside are not waterproof. Petzl torches are not sealed but the components inside are treated so they can survive being submerged. In real life applications, this probably only makes a difference if it is wet and you are changing batteries.

In reply to blackreaver:

I got a Myo RXP last year and it's been fantastic so far; a huge step up from my previous headtorch which was a crappy BD equivalent to the Petzl Tikka.

It's got a decent burn time, so I've never been in a situation where my torch begins to die on me, but if I know I'm going to be out for a while I'll put a set of fresh batteries in the torch just before I leave and keep a spare set in the chest pocket of a jacket to keep them warm. Never had any issues with this set up.

The new generation of regulated lighting/reactive lighting/USB charging headtorches seem cool but perhaps disproportionately expensive.

In reply to valjean:

Thanks Valjean, you have saved me some research and some batteries.

In reply to blackreaver:



I'm struggling to see how you could go that long without a chance to change the batteries.

In reply to alexm198:

I have a 2 version old Tikka XP2 (60 lumens) which is fairly good but could do with being brighter.

The reactive lighting from Petzl does look nice, however the burn times are quite low and I feel that they're more suited to trail running.

In reply to Robert Durran:
I should have rephrased it better.
I'd probably be carrying a set of spares whilst out bivvying for 2-3 days

In reply to blackreaver:

Here you can find some reviews and lots of pros and cons about recent headlamps: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Headlamp-Reviews

In reply to blackreaver:

The BD icon polar is perfect for alpine climbing since chances are you will be starting with an alpine start, and for multi day climbs there really isnt any other option than this kind of battery the polar version is essential because it allows you to put the battery in you're clothing and keep the battery warm. Making this probably the best alpine headlamp, Andy Kirkpatrick also agrees with me, i cant find his article at this moment but if my memory serves me he recommends this type of headlamp.

In reply to sebflynn:

Somehow me and hundred so of others have struggled up multi day alpine routes without one. In sept it ain't that cold. Modern head torches as folk above are amazing. Alp kit ones are amazing at the price. Spend the difference on staying in a hut and appreciably increase your chances of success.

In reply to blackreaver:

I've used the Myo RXP for years and rated it highly - only annoyance is that the button is small for gloved hands. I've done a fair few alpine trips with it with no problems. If your out for multiple days (Bivving?) and no access to mains then take a couple of sets of spare batteries. I normally have a petzl e-lite as well as my "get out of jail" if my main head torch fails.

I've also got a polar icon and Fenix HP10.

I prefer the Icon over the MYO RXP (both are regulated, the myo slightly better though) now as the high burn is a lot brighter (handy for momentary lighting up of the route). The button is much better on the Icon too and I like being able to adjust the brightness levels.

The Fenix is by far brighter than either, and has good burn times, but the beam is very tightly focused, which gives it great range, but makes it less useful for lighting up the area around you. I prefer the other torches. IT is waterproof though!

I rarely use any in high burn though - normally the more economic modes are easy enough (a lot of your time will be spent not really needing to illuminate miles around, just your immediate area).

Batteries - get some good quality rechargeable ones, esp if you are using huts and theres a chance they'll let you re-charge. I use high capacity eneloops and the difference in terms of battery life and torch performance over other types is massive! What ever torch you buy, check what kind of batteries it can take, as another option, esp for cold weather is lithium AA/AAA cells.
Do you carry any other battery powered kit (emergency GPS etc)? If so try and get a torch that uses the same batteries and you can double up spares that way too.

Don't worry about whether the batteries are on the headband or a separate battery pack. In 90% of circumstances it won't make a difference, as it won't be cold enough for long enough to seriously drain them on the headband esp if you keep the torch inside your sleeping bag while bivving. I find the separate battery packs a bit of a faff and they do seem to specialise in getting caught up in stuff!

Cheers,

Stuart

In reply to sebflynn:


You mean like we had to do until the Petzl Zoom came out in the early eighties and we no longer had to have annoying wires from our heads to our pockets?

Almost any modern headtorch would do the OP fine. The Alpkit Gamma is cheap and a couple of spare sets of batteries on a route weigh very little. If you want a back up, the Black Diamond Ion weighs virtually nothing.

In reply to blackreaver:

After looking back over the questions here is my new response, Just about any headlamp with a decent battery and power will do fine for you're intended goal you will be in the dark max 4 hours and will be back down before sun set, i would go for a black diamond model over a petzl model due to petzl models having (in general) a rather crappy battery life.