The Petzl Tikka is an LED based headlamp, which means two things: 1) the bulbs will likely never burn out during the life of the light, and, 2) it provides a tremendous battery life. Battery life depends upon the ambient temperature, but in temperate weather figure on 10-20 hours of dependable light from three AAA batteries.

We tested the Tikka while training for, and running, the Catalina 100k. It's highly recommended by the Ultrafreaks. At only 2.5 oz, it is extremely light and it casts a broad, even flood of light that lends itself well to trail running. At $35 it's a relative steal in the world of LED lights. We rate the Tikka 4 out of 4 freaks.

See the REI website to order the Petzl Tikka.

 

Highs: the Montrail sole is unbelievably sticky. The best trail sole pattern/material that we've seen. The GoreTex sock works well and is comfortable. A stable shoe that works well for pronators. The PE midsole distributes the impact of rocks nicely.

Lows: Seems to be prone to friction under the ball of the foot and the toes. At least when compared to the ASCIS Trubuco II/III or the Nandi. Don't know if this is the result of a bigger toe box, or maybe better grip (that translates to sliding in the forefoot). Both Tim and Jeff have experienced this, even on shorter runs (12 miles).