Ryebrye
05-03-2006, 09:20 AM
Although I'm perfectly happy with my workhorse cheapy LED Princeton Tech headlamp that claims to be waterproof to 2000 feet (and so far has held up to that claim... well... at least to 2 or 3 feet I guess) - but a couple BD headlamps with their seemingly nuclear-powered beams have made me think about upgrading.
There is the BD Solaris - which retails around $200, but comes with many accessories... etc. to make you feel like it is worth it. The main selling point of that headlamp (asside from the vesatile battery management... etc.) is that it has a Xenon searchlight bulb that can go 575 feet...
I've also noticed that someof the cheaper BD headlamps - like the Helios or the Vectra IQ can also use the Xenon searchlight bulb - but probably not with as much oompfh because they have less voltage to power the light (Solaris has a 12v Li-Ion battery, or optionally you can use 4 AA batteries)
The thing that concerns me about their headlamps, though, is that they are only "water-resistant." In most cases, a water-resistant thing may be enough - but it is a rather vague term.
Has anyone used BD "Water resistant" headlamps before in canyon conditions? How do they hold up when getting splashed a lot? When it is on my head, I don't anticipate it being submerged for a long period of time unless I'm in a state where I will not need it any more...
I do, however, always carry my headlamp in an accesory pocket of my pack - and that pocket isn't waterproof. So my headlamp gets soaked. This is either because the approach started out early and needed light to get started - or because I'm just being cautious about a possible late exit...
Has anyone been using a BD headlamp as their workhorse? How reliable is this "water resistance"?
There is the BD Solaris - which retails around $200, but comes with many accessories... etc. to make you feel like it is worth it. The main selling point of that headlamp (asside from the vesatile battery management... etc.) is that it has a Xenon searchlight bulb that can go 575 feet...
I've also noticed that someof the cheaper BD headlamps - like the Helios or the Vectra IQ can also use the Xenon searchlight bulb - but probably not with as much oompfh because they have less voltage to power the light (Solaris has a 12v Li-Ion battery, or optionally you can use 4 AA batteries)
The thing that concerns me about their headlamps, though, is that they are only "water-resistant." In most cases, a water-resistant thing may be enough - but it is a rather vague term.
Has anyone used BD "Water resistant" headlamps before in canyon conditions? How do they hold up when getting splashed a lot? When it is on my head, I don't anticipate it being submerged for a long period of time unless I'm in a state where I will not need it any more...
I do, however, always carry my headlamp in an accesory pocket of my pack - and that pocket isn't waterproof. So my headlamp gets soaked. This is either because the approach started out early and needed light to get started - or because I'm just being cautious about a possible late exit...
Has anyone been using a BD headlamp as their workhorse? How reliable is this "water resistance"?