My favorite mini headlamp - the Petzl Bindi
Full disclosure: Petzl sent me this for free. It replaces a Bindi that I bought that decided to go for a walk. That in no way biases my review; it's a cool product and I want to tell you about it. There are paid product promotions on Alpinesavvy. In the rare cases when I get a free product like this, I’ll always let you know.
Modern headlamp technology is ridiculously awesome, and there's basically zero excuses to not have one as part of your everyday carry kit at pretty much all times.
Petzl and Black Diamond have been duking it out in the headlamp arena for a very long time, and we, the lucky customers, benefit.
For mountaineering, or longer trips in colder weather, you probably want a headlamp with a larger battery and a minimum 500 lumens, like the Petzl IKO Core, or the 900(!) lumen Petzl Swift. But for more general purpose hiking, 10 essentials, dog walking, everyday carry type stuff, a headlamp that's lighter, less expensive, with less light output works just fine - like the Petzl Bindi.
Here's why the Petzl Bindi is my favorite mini headlamp:
A ridiculously light 35 grams.
Minimalist elastic cord headband, yet still comfortable and functional.
Three main light levels: low, medium, and high (high is 200 lumens).
Red light for maintaining night vision and not blinding your friends.
Flashing red strobe light for increased visibility (and signaling, I suppose).
Rechargeable battery via micro USB port. (Yes USB C would prolly be better . . .)
Battery indicator light flashes for a few seconds after you turn it off to show the approximate battery level, very handy.
Reasonably weatherproof for hiking in the rain, but not for scuba diving.
Two different ways to lock the switch so you avoid accidentally turning it on in your pack.
Superbly engineered gear, at a fair price of around $45. I think that this (or something like it) belongs in the pack of just about everybody pretty much all the time.
Another option from Petzl that's even lighter and less expensive, but with a lot lower light output, is the e+LITE. (Personally, I like to have the option of the 200 lumens when I need it, so the Bindi recently replaced my much older eLITE.)
Reminder, there are no paid product promotion or affiliate marketing links on our Alpinesavvy. I occasionally share gear that I think is great, and there's no financial benefit to me when I do so.
