Primus PrimeLite CT

 

One of the most used products on the PCT, period. When living outside, you need an illumination tool you can rely on, and the PrimeLite was just that -- reliable. With five different settings, it was easy to illuminate the ground infront of us while hiking at night, or the tent while setting up camp.

The two different modes -- six white light-emmitting diodes, or one super bright Luxeon diode -- were able to spread the light to fit our needs. The six smaller lights would diffuse the light better for in tent use, while the one powerful Luxeon would shoot a beam far infront of us for night-hiking. The Luxeon was a warmer light as well, so sometimes at night it would be used to prevent any sore eyes.

We were pleased that in six months, we only changed the batteries three times. We never carried extra batteries either because we were able to see the light dim when the batteries got low. The light was used every single night, and for them to last as long as they did was wonderful -- and thrifty.

One of my favorite features was the headband. While a simple elastic band in construction, Primus wrapped it with two reflective bands. If you've lost your light, you may think it hard to see a reflector, but if the moon is shining bright, it is easy to spot. Most of the time people don't hike or camp alone anyway, so a quick scan of the perimeter with another headlamp will reveal the location of yours quickly.

It is also great for hiking in the dark on the side of a road. Even when the headlamp is facing forward, the backside will easily illuminate when a cars headlamp shines on it. We used the blinking setting many times to alert cars to our presence, to make getting into towns at night safer.

With the old school style to it, the light is a little boxy. However it works brilliantly. The only thing I would suggest is to make sure you get the black one. While it may seem like just a color scheme, the white glows with the light, and is in your line of sight. I actually ended up putting a thin piece of black duct tape on the bottom so that the residual glow wouldn't bug my eyes.

The padding on the backside of the light makes it comfortable to wear for hours on end, and the two button configuration makes it very easy to change between settings without having to turn it off -- one button to turn it on, and the other button to file through the modes.

This bad boy is next to me at all times -- even in regular life.