A good headlamp is essential in the backcountry especially during the months of shorter sun cycles. The available options are plentiful and it is not easy to pick “the best one”. More often than not this is not even that critical, as most of the available headlamps today from known vendors are very good. In the pool of options I’d like to specifically mention one of my personal favorites: The Petzl Bindi.

More often than not I prefer high quality gear that is also light. Petzl Bindi is exactly in this category. With 200 Lumens it is not the brightest torch, but more than I usually need. The headlamp offers several light modes including a red-light. Your bed neighbor in a mountain hut will thank you for using the red-light at night for your restroom break. The BindI offers a very lightweight package with 35gr. The shock cord is extremely comfortable and also a personal favorite. Being able to simply recharge the headlamp via USB (micro USB at this point, hope Petzl switches to USB-C soon) is a welcomed convenience. In the low- to med-light output setting the headlamp offers great to okay’ish burn times (50h for low and 3h for standard).

If you are looking for a high quality head lamp with good light output I highly recommend the Petzl Bindi.

Petzl Bindi

Salomon S/LAB XA Alpine 2

Avalanche Safety - Compression Test