Petzl/Black Diamond Swap

Well it is official.  Petzl can not seem to supply the AAA battery adapter for their Tikka RXP in time for the event (anticipated new delivery date some time in October).  Not a lot of help and quite disappointing.  The RXP worked great during The Salt Flats 100 and I was looking forward to using it on Grand to Grand.  How hard is it to make an injection molded piece of plastic with some connectors?  Plan B is now in effect.  It is always good to have at least a Plan B in this game!

While shopping for some odds and ends I ran across an interesting little headlamp - the Black Diamond Ion.  Here are some specifications:

2 ea AAA batteries
Up to 80 lumens (dimable too)
Swipe switch
Red LED
Strobe function
46 grams/1.6 oz (yes about half the weight of most headlamps!)
Inexpensive ($25)

Black Diamond Ion and Petzl Tikka XP2

This new Ion should not be confused with Black Diamonds original Ion that ran on a 123 type battery.

I would only consider this lamp for a backup. It is not quite sufficient enough for route finding or traveling at speed over rough terrain since there is no ability to focus the beam. The headband is quite minimalist but sufficient given its size and weight.  Burn time is acceptable so into the pack it will go.  Afterwards this will be in my trail running vest for emergencies.