Tested: LED Lenser H7R.2 headlamp

Look down the list of essential items in your camping inventory and there’s a fair chance that a headlamp will be somewhere near the top.

Torches provide illumination to add safety to your camping adventures, but a headlamp adds convenience. Being strapped to your noggin, it frees up your hands for other things such as setting up your sleeping accommodation after dark, cooking or working on a car.

As with many products, not all headlamps are created equal. Like the spotties on your 4WD, the light output is driven by the design, quality of the reflector, the light source, power source, cabling and the skill of the technician who bundled it all together.

Essentially you get what you pay for.

The LED Lenser H7R.2 headlamp is a case in point. At $169, it’s at the premium end of the headlamp market. The 2200mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack is the key point of difference, providing real grunt to power the lamp and for a reasonable duration; a claimed 14hrs on the high setting.

Add to that the latest advances in reflector design and Cree LED technology for excellent output and you start to gain an appreciation of the product.

No less than three beam profiles are offered as standard plus a variable spot to flood beam. Rotating the lens can dial up a pencil beam for a good distance vision or a wider beam to pick up more detail in the immediate area. A tilt mechanism helps put the light where it’s needed.

Press the power button once to reveal a low light option of 20 lumens. A second tap yields a more useful 200 lumens (high); and holding down the button for a further two seconds yields a scorching 300 lumens, but only for a limited duration (boost).

Programming options provide an opportunity to alter the output.

Murphy’s Law says a headlamp will die a sorry death at the most inconvenient time. This is usually in the middle of something important, like wiping your kid’s bottom in an otherwise pitch black long drop toilet.

Maybe you’re lucky and you’ve packed an extra set of batteries – all you have to do is fumble your way back to the campsite to replace them.

With a 2200mAh rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, at least you’re guaranteed a superior battery life relative to the power output. Both 240V and USB chargers add convenience to the recharging process, allowing you to charge them up almost anywhere, like in the car on the way to your holiday destination.

For added comfort, the H7R.2 is packaged with an adjustable, soft-feel head strap. The torch framework and battery pack are both curved and padded for extra comfort, so despite the extra weight of the battery pack, it always feels secure and comfortable.

The only fail is the width of the 240V adapter. Like many mobile phone rechargers, thin plastic wings extend beyond the charging pack, so it takes up more real estate than needed at the wall socket.

This is particularly annoying when charging multiple devices where the outstretched wings prevent you from using all the available sockets. Otherwise it’s a five-star accessory!

The HR7.2 is a useful tool that extends its use well beyond camping. Its potent light output provides plenty of illumination in both spot and spread beams; it even has a red flashing light on the battery pack, great for night riders.

A large battery capacity and convenient recharging options round out the package. A final word of warning – once your family sees how good these are, everyone will want one! Be warned.

LED Lenser products are available from Aussie Disposals or visit the Led Lenser website.