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Thread: gear question: BD Headlamps - Anyone use them in canyons?

  1. #1

    gear question: BD Headlamps - Anyone use them in canyons?

    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"?

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  3. #2

    Re: gear question: BD Headlamps - Anyone use them in canyons

    Quote Originally Posted by Ryebrye
    Has anyone been using a BD headlamp as their workhorse? How reliable is this "water resistance"?
    I'm not in the "I'm shelling out $200 for a headlamp" crowd by any stretch of the imagination. I have taken a couple BD headlamps down canyons with mixed results.

    You have hit on an important point. BD headlamps (at least the ones I own) are "water resistant." I take that to mean they can handle some weather. As for a complete dunking, I had one in my pack while doing Pine Creek last spring. Its inner workings got wet and it quit working. It works fine now that it's dried out, but for a day or two it was pretty much useless. My suggestion is to throw it in the bottom of your dry bag to avoid any complications.

    Also, batteries, especially lithium ion camera batteries, don't like water. On that same trip I had the electrodes of my spare camera battery eat completely away. They also left a yummy film on all my gear that wasn't inside my dry bag :P All the webbing in my pack got tossed in the trash at the end of the trip.

    That said, I always carry a headlamp. I had to learn that lesson the hard way too. New moon is no time to get stranded in the wilderness without a headlamp.
    Remember kids, don't try this at home. Try it at someone else's home.

  4. #3

    Good to know

    I'm not in the "I'm shelling out $200 for a headlamp" crowd by any stretch of the imagination.
    I was going to steal it. I have fast fingers. (j/k...) I was thinking of trolling eBay for a while to find one someone else is getting rid of...

    I'll probably just stick with my waterproof one. I've had it in my front pocket getting soaked for hours and the only thing that happens to it is that it gets a little bit of condensation inside the lens - still works fine... and I can unscrew the lens entirely and wipe it off if it bugs me.

    I guess BD needs to focus less on nuclear-powered light-beams and more on waterproof designs.

    Thanks for the info.
    -----
    "It's a miracle curiosity survives formal education" - Albert Einstein

    For a good time, check out my blog. or update the CanyonWiki

  5. #4
    As far as I'm concerned, the one you've got is the best value on the market. I've been through cave after cave with the same one. I might think of going up to their next level (3 watt LED) Stick with what you've got.

    Price
    It's my job to call the BS around here. Get over it.

  6. #5
    I have a princeton tec (Yuxon XL I believe) it has 3 led or 1 XEON power light option. It seems the Xeon doesn't do much after the batteries pass half way, but I pretty much leave it on LED anyhow. Its a little bulky, but its worn well and gotten wet without a problem and I like having batteries that are cheap. Josh's MYO 5 is definitely a better light for that type of light, though, I would say. Its very nice.

  7. #6
    I have had a Petzl Myo 3 for a couple years and while I still really like it for some uses there are a couple things I don't like. The Xenon halogen bulb really sucks batteries dry quickly (lasts much longer using just the LED's) and I have decided I don't like the battery pack behind the head anymore; I like to lay on my back and read at the end of the day, a big reason for having a light is to read and the batteries behind the head can really make that uncomfortable.
    For those reasons I recently bought the Petzl Taktika version of their Tikka Headlamp and I love it! It's very similar to the Tikka but has a red lens cover for "tactical use". While I'm sure I would not wear a light (red or not) on my head in a tactical environment it is useful in a training environment and since it's being used for military business is a tax write off!
    Not sure about water though, the wettest I've gotten either of them is from rain and they seem to do fine in that.

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