Have been given a tikka headtorch but wondering if the zoom would suit my need better. I camp and hike in the UK and abroad but not usually at night or anywhere too mountainous. I currently take a maglite because the beam length and brightness can't be beaten. Would the tikka suffice in place of the mag or should I swap it for a zoom???? Any comments welcome!

Tikkas are great for general camping use - reading, cooking etc - and have big pluses in terms of battery life and lightness/ compactness. They're also fine for most emergency use, viz, walking with them.

They won't pick out distant navigational details or abseil stances further up, or down, a cliff, but if you don't do that sort of thing, it doesn't really matter.

If you think you need a zoom option, the new Myo3 with a combined Tikka-tytpe LED option and a halogen zoom as well is a better bet than the old Zoom model which is getting on a bit these days. There's a review in the site reviews section, see here. There's also a look at the new Tikka Plus on the front page, but it sounds like the Tikka should do you.

Ask yourself if you use the length of beam on your current Maglite as well. Maybe if it's just occasional, you could carry both as neither are heavy and save some dosh?

I have a tikka LED head torch which I have sucsessfully used to board my loft out.Very handy. Seriously though I find it very good and unless you spend alot of time shining your torch allong fences looking for stiles then it shoud do you fine. once your eyes adjust the distance is better than you expect though not as good as conventional torches. They are also exelent for looking for nocternal wildlife they dont seam to scare off badgers ect as much as a conventional torch. maybe its the localised light or maybe its because the light is more the colour of moonlight I dont know but it works.
Jules