When my first Petzl Zipka headlamp finally broke, I bought another one. That is a sure indicator of the right gear for my style. Enough light, light enough (69g), and it fits in my pocket.

The Petzl Zipka is a different headlamp. Instead of a wide elastic headband, it has a thin, retractable Dyneema cord. The cord disappears into the the headlamp. It seems like the skinny cord would be uncomfortable against your head, but it never has been for me.

One hint–when taking it off, pull the cord out farther, then lift it off your head. If you just pull it off, the cord will wind up bits of hair into the spring-loaded reel. Ouch!

It is also easy to put on non-head objects. I’ve put it around my wrist, hanging on the underside and lighting my cooking. I’ve put it around the top of a water bottle to elevate it as a lantern. I’ve hooked it to a clip on my tent as a reading light.

The button behavior is pretty straightforward. I don’t find myself confused and swearing at the flashlight trying it to get stop flashing or whatever. That problem is surprisingly common with modern LED flashlights.

It takes AAA batteries, which isn’t optimal, but they last a really long time, so whatever.

I’m pretty sure I’ve bought three different versions of this headlamp. One of them broke, I bought one for my wife’s pack, then I got tired of moving mine back and forth between my backpacking gear and my amateur radio emergency communications gear. Will I find an excuse to buy another one? Probably.

They keep tweaking the name, adding a “Plus” or a “2” or both. For the latest version (newer than my red one), it is back to just Petzl Zipka. They are also back to the Bondi Blue color, which is nice because the shape reminds me of the original iMac.

Whatever, buy the latest Zipka. It has always been around $40.

As the sun goes down, I drop my Zipka in my pocket. When I need light, I’ll have it.