Lights and Lanterns

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May 21, 2008

Petzl Tikka XP headlam and Brunton Polaris lantern

Let There Be Light!

When it comes to lighting-up the campsite this summer, or unhitching the trailer Friday night on one of those quick weekend getaways, there are LED-based products available today that are smaller, lighter and operate longer than many of the incandescent bulb products of old.

Tikka XP Headlamp by Petzl
The Petzl name might not be a common one for many RV’rs, but for the adventure travel set; backpackers, climbers, kayakers and mountain bikers, Petzl is the de-facto standard in hands-free lighting solutions. Sure, you might initially miss holding that mini-mag in your mouth while you fumble with the WD bars on Friday night, but you will quickly get over it! The Tikka XP weighs just a tad over three ounces and the light is adjustable, both up and down and for intensity and pattern, making it suitable for both close-in work and walking the dog.

Brunton Polaris Lantern
The Polaris might not be the brightest lantern on the market, but it provides plenty of light for cooking or eating and, unless you back over it with your RV, it will be mighty hard to ever break its rubberized housing or plastic globe. If you have been unimpressed with the bluish or harsh-White light produced by LED products, as I have, don’t automatically discount the Polaris. Brunton uses transparent, slightly gold-colored, lenses over the bulb and the upper reflector that help produce a more natural light.

Happy camping!

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