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| Petzl Tikka R+ Headlamp (www.Petzl.com) |
One very critical piece of gear that I did not mention in my previous post about Rocky was my headlamp (or torch, depending on what side of the pond you hail from). Prior to upgrading a couple of months ago, I made due with the cheap headlamps you can pick up at discount stores for around $30. Their primary purpose was safety - I don't spend a lot of time training at night on trails, so I just needed to be sure I could see the sidewalk or path in front of me and, more importantly, that I could be seen by vehicle traffic.
With Rocky Raccoon approaching it was time to step up my game. I needed something that would not only provide adequate lighting for an all-nighter in the woods but would also be comfortable and not require a lot of my attention to operate. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the Petzl Tikka R+. It's a great, moderately priced, functional headlamp that can serve both the casual runner who happens to be out predawn or after dark as well as the trail runner who can't afford to get caught without light when traversing no-man's-land.
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| Right out of the box - my Tikka R+ with USB cable. |
From what I can tell, the Tikka is Petzl's middle of the road option. If you're really hard-core and can afford the price, their Cadillac model is the Nao; however, I'm very impressed with what you get from the Tikka. It has the same reactive technology employed by the Nao. The lamp has the ability to adjust light output depending upon your surroundings. Say you enter an aid station or other area that is well-lit. The Tikka automatically adjusts to a lower beam to conserve power. When you're back out in the dark, it will increase intensity. Further, if you are looking down in front of you, the beam will dim, and will automatically brighten if you look up to see what's coming ahead of you. It's an amazing feature. I am not sure how long reactive lighting technology has been around but coming from a simple headlamp with one or two button-operated settings this thing was a revelation.
Now how bright is bright? The Tikka R+, at its brightest, puts out around 170 lumens. I felt that this was more than enough out on the gnarly trails in Huntsville. Another feature Petzl offers is the ability to set your "burn" pattern via their custom operating system, Petzl OS. The lamp comes with a USB cable that serves as both a means to connect to a computer and to charge the lithium-ion battery. I haven't played around with Petzl OS yet as I found the factory settings to work fine, but if you're looking for such customization, Petzl offers it on this lamp.
On race day I donned my headlamp at around 6pm. It had a full charge when I set out from the aid station into the night and the Tikka performed without a hitch. I finished the race at 4:30am, so on that one charge I made it over 10 hours. If you're concerned about having an additional backup, you can buy a battery pack that functions on AAA batteries. It's sold separately but having one could give you an extra confidence boost if charging your light via USB cable isn't exactly convenient.
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| The strap is easy to adjust and comfortable. |
I found the head strap to likewise be intuitive and very comfortable. It slides to adjust easily and feels secure when being worn. Some of my previous "cheapo" headlamps would require several adjustments to eliminate either bouncing or headaches from being too tight. Making these adjustments on the run was very aggravating. Not so with the Tikka - you can adjust and get back at it within seconds.
Like I said, picking up the Tikka is the first headlamp that I have really "invested" in and I am not disappointed. It's a great model and will run you around $80. One of these days I will add the Nao to my arsenal, but until then, you'll see me sporting this bad boy. Good job, Petzl!
