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Detailed
Information:
You're out in the mountains, working your way back
to camp in the dark and you're suddenly surrounded by
darkness. Your headlamp decides now is a good time to
"crap out". Anyone familiar with Mr. Murphy
knows that thing go wrong at the most inopportune time.
Of course you've got spare lights in your pockets and
pack (you DO, don't you???), but instead you reach up
and press the button on the side of a tiny,completely
separate, self-contained LED light on the side of your
headlamp straps. Away you go on your merry way through
the, now illuminated, woods with barely a hesitation
thanks to the Princeton Tec Pilot.
The Princeton Tec Pilot is a small, single 5mm LED
light designed with a very specific purpose in mind.
It consists of 2 main parts: a molded clip and the light
body itself. The molded clip is designed specifically
to replace a headlamp wire clip on an existing headlamp.
It has a groove for a wire on the inside of the clip
body, a slot for inserting it onto the headlamp strap,
and two other holes for mounting in other configurations
if desired. It could also be attached to a non-wired
headlamp, pack straps, or other gear straps. The light
body attaches to the clip and can pivot up and down
on the clip.
 
The result is a tiny backup light which, if attached
to the right side of your headlamp strap, can pivot
downward and act as a secondary headlamp light source.
If pivoted upward far enough the light disengages from
the clip and can be used as an independent light source.
Essentially, the Pilot is a "just in case"
light that you can always have with you. Attach it to
your headlamp/gear and forget about it until you need
it.
Attaching it to your gear... Well that's just a touch
tricky depending on the configuration, but with persistence
it can be done. I attached the Pilot to the Princeton
Tec Corona, and it took a little work to fit both the
wire and the strap through the slot. It took a bunch
of wiggling and coaxing, but it does work. Good news
is that the clip won't fall off by accident. Once attached,
it was possible to activate and use the light just like
a second little headlamp, pivoting it as necessary.
The pivot mechanism has a ratchet system that works
pretty well at keeping it at the angle you set it to.
Light is provided by a single 5mm LED in either red,
white or green. Red is helpful in retaining night adaptation
of your eyes and white is great for seeing the full
color spectrum. Green is... well... green. The LED is
exposed and could suffer damage from impacts, although
they are quite tough and usually just get a little scratched
up. LEDs do not "blow" like regular bulbs
so smacking it around a bit will only result in an LED
that's been smacked around and not a dead LED.
Output is pretty standard for a single 5mm LED powered
on lithium coin cells. Output is bright at first, diminishing
throughout the life of the batteries. The beam is a
wide, directional flood of light for close range use.
The switch is a simple click switch. First click turns
the light on constant (no need to keep holding the switch),
second click enters blink mode, third click turns it
off. The rubber cover is large, flat, and impossible
to mix up with the battery cover on the other side which
has a raised star pattern.
The battery compartment door pops off with the help
of a small, flat tool of some sort, or possibly a fingernail
or tooth in a pinch. Inside you will find 1 or 2 lithium
coin cells depending on the color output of the model
you have. Red uses a single cell, white and green uses
2 cells. Note too that the red model has a much longer
battery life since red LEDs do not draw as much power
as white or green LEDs. The battery compartment is sealed
for water resistance and the unit is rated as being
waterproof to 1 meter.
What I Liked: Waterproof to one meter, Tough/impact
resistant, Good battery life, Bright, Easy battery change,
Lightweight, Constant on and blink modes, pivots in
the clip and can be removed from the clip.
What I Didn't Like: Not much at all
Other Things I Noticed: Can be a little tough
to squeeze a wire and headlamp strap into the clip mechanism,
but with patience it can be done. Be aware when hiking
though brush and such that it could get caught on branches
and possibly torn off of the side of your headlamp straps
or pivoted up and off the clip.
Conclusions: Works as advertised and serves
the purpose. If you use a headlamp as a primary light
when camping, spelunking (cave exploring), or anywhere
else for that matter, it wouldn't hurt to get a Pilot
and hook it on your headlamp straps. If your primary
lamp fails, you'll have a spare light right there on
your head.
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