[at-l] a lightweight alternative ??

[spur@mac.com (Spur)]

Shakeyleggs wrote:
<<<I am sold on photons now. Just ordered 2 of the white ones. I
have no experience with them so I ordered 2 one I will have with me and one
ready to be mailed to me as a replacement.>>>


I suggest keeping both with you from the beginning. At less than 1/2
oz., 
the additional weight is negligible, and your backup is handy when you
need it. Since the white ones drain the battery within 12 hours, you'll be
needing to change batteries fairly often anyway (and that ain't much fun
on a photon).

I started with a white one and a green one last year. I mounted both to a
little elastic headstrap using duct tape, one on each side at my temples,
creating a dual headlamp of sorts. For most work in the dark I used only
the green one, whose dimmer light was adequate for cooking, reading, etc.
and survived nearly 200 hours of use on one battery.

If I needed more brightness, e.g. nighthiking, (or peering into the depths
of my foodbag), I'd flip on the white one for as short a time as possible.

Other thing that helped is I kept the whole little headlamp assembly
handy 
in my pocket or waistpack so's I didn't have to go looking for it in my pack
when it started to get dark. 2 photons plus the strap weighed only about
1 oz.
total.

(BTW eventually I replaced the white photon with a white Pocketbrite, 
which weighs 2/3 oz. and burns ~100 hours.)

Good luck out there!

Spur
AT 99,00,01 (leaving Springer ~3/6/01)