Know your gear

Lighting up!

PETZL developed their new award-winning Ultra Belt headlamp following requests from Norway and Sweden where they do a lot of sports like running and skiing in dark conditions and therefore need a lot of power in a headlamp, explains Petzl’s export sales manager Arnaud Tisserant.

The product has been in development for two years, and has been tested for the past year in all kinds of conditions all over the world — including by the top Cyanosis adventure racing team in SA and intrepid adventurer Martin Dreyer.

Petzl created a blog where the testers could make recommendations, some of which were incorporated in the final design.

The ultra light lamp fits snugly around the head and can also be used with the Petzl harness belt or without a battery when extra lightness is needed during a run. The light is 10 times more powerful than the Tikka Plus — for example, when Tisserant cycled with the Ultra Belt on his head at night, a motorist signalled for him to dim his light.

“This should be especially popular with local cyclists — especially as it will retail for approximately the same price as a good bike light, but is so much more versatile,” says local distributor John Fontyn of Eiger Equipment.

While the Ultra Belt has already landed, the exciting new programmable MYO RXP, also launched at Friedrichshafen, will arrive this month. It is the first Petzl headlamp that is regulated and programmable, allowing the user to choose the order of lighting levels and the level of light required. There are three lighting modes, and the user can select the power for each from among ten possible levels, from 8-140 lumens, depending on which type of activity he/she is engaged in. For example: maximum power can be used for a short run, but when light will be needed for a much longer period, power levels should be reduced. And when the batteries are about to lose power, it automatically switches to reserve power mode.

The e+LITE headlamp — as its name implies its ultra-lightweight — is designed for any adventure situation, especially for the wearer who wants to move fast. The 28gm headlamp comes in a hard case and can easily be stored in a backpack, jacket, or emergency kit for up to ten years. It provides white or red lighting in continuous or blinking mode and a long-range whistle that can signal one’s position for rescue (the SOS Morse code illustration on the whistle) is attached.

BLACK DIAMOND’s new pocket-sized mini-lantern is another award-winning lighting product that should appeal to the adventurous traveller. Weighing only 84gm and 10mm high when collapsed, the compact Orbit fits in any backpack and is therefore ideally suited for trekking and travelling where weight and size is a problem. Yet, it is one of the brightest and most energy efficient LED lanterns in its category and can cast light at a maximum 3m radius. A dimmer allows adjusting the brightness.

SILVA has also introduced a new headlamp strong enough for cycling, orienteering, adventure racing and skiing – what’s more, it can be detached and clipped to the cycle bars like any regular cycle light, or even clipped to a helmet when horseback riding, explains Silva’s director of international sales, Goran Anderson.

“It is so strong that you can read instructions as far as 150m,” he says. It also has “intelligent light” — it does not only illuminate in a long beam to the front, but also spreads its beams to light up on the sides.

It is expensive, says Anderson, but if one had spent such a lot of time training for an adventure race why spoil your chances by using inferior equipment?”