Petzl MYO Headlamp

Light

We could illuminate entire campsites by hanging the lamp from a tree branch and pressing and holding the button to put it in boost mode (370 lumens when batts are fresh). “We set up a basecamp 100 feet from a climbing crag, and at night I could shine my headlamp toward the rock wall and point out the next day’s routes,” one tester says. The MYO has 10 other modes, ranging from 20 lumens (perfect for reading) to strobe. Gripe: no red light.

Power regulation

Most headlamps gradually dim as the batteries drain. The MYO regulates the power output in everything but the highest (280 lumen) setting, delivering the exact brightness you’ve chosen for a predictable amount of time. The included handbook outlines the estimated times for each setting, such as five hours for 110 lumens (great for night hiking) and 40 hours for 20 lumens. A tiny, yellow LED indicates when your batteries have 30 percent power left and a red one when they hit 10.

Customization

You don’t cycle through all modes; rather, you preselect three (using the two buttons on the headlamp). We liked being able to swap different ones in when circumstances called for it. “I changed out two of the higher output modes for two lower-level ones before a longer trip to ensure that I wouldn’t burn through my batteries,” one tester says. It takes some getting used to, but after you memorize the sequence of buttons, switching modes in and out of the rotation is easy.