Head Lamps
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Petzl Bindi
Price- $44.95
Weight- 1.2 oz (35grams)
This near-weightless headlamp has been a trusted companion for thousands of miles. It weighs about seven grams more than your average candy bar, and that's great for an item you need in your kit but might not need everyday or every hike — less dead weigh = more fun.
I know some people feel that it's a bit too dim, but I find that it's more than adequate for night hiking, even when navigating very rugged, scrambly terrain. I wouldn’t recommend this for mountaineering with 2AM alpine starts, you’ll want something a little more robust with more battery life at the highest lumens. But, staying in the vein of “ultralight” hiking this headlamp checks all the boxes for our uses and helped me navigate snowy couloirs or rock-hop along the Washington wilderness coast under starry skies to stay ahead of the tides.
The Good- It features a high-quality build with an integrated, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, eliminating the need for spare AAA batteries. It offers several versatile modes—including a dedicated red-light setting and adjustable brightness levels—stretching out to an impressive 50 hours of run time on the low setting.
The simple tubular "bungie" design is minimalist and still very comfortable and reduces contact point making it less sweaty.
The Bad- The battery life drops significantly on the maximum brightness setting, giving you only about two hours of power on the highest lumens before needing a recharge.
(A Petzl Bindi seen on Bugs during a 2026 off-trail adventure through Charyn Canyon in Kazakhstan.)