Critical gear failing in the field is a nightmare for those that rely on it, whether you’re on a military operation or deep in the woods hunting.
Here is a true story on how gear can fail and the importance of investing in quality gear for your mission or hunt.
Gear is Life, Life is Gear
I was shivering uncontrollably. My thin warm weather Crye Precision MultiCam uniform did little to ward off the December chill in Northeastern Washington.
It was 2030 hours, well past civil twilight this far north and it had been dark for four hours at this point. We’d been evading by moonlight and starlight and had settled into our third rally point for the night.
Northeastern Washington State in December
Freezing rain occasionally rifted over us in sheets. We huddled into an area of defilade to make comms via our PRC-112 emergency radio. We received a text message data burst for our next set of grid coordinates. However, the backlight on our radio decided to stop working. One of the guys in our group whispered "Jones, turn on your headlamp". I nodded while my teeth chattered nearly uncontrollably, and when I hit the button on the top of my headlamp to turn it on, nothing happened.
Hissed threats against the headlamp followed as I tried to hastily fix it.
However, the headlamp had given up the ghost after three days in the field; the plastic frame had cracked from the temperature deviation between day and night and moisture had seeped into the internals. The headlamp was dead and it was the only light we were allowed.
Our operation became exponentially more difficult because of that equipment failure.
I never imagined that headlamps could fail at such short notice until I began instructing Survival and Evasion exercises as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape Specialist (SERE Specialist) for the United States Air Force. My gear needed to be able to survive in all conditions and climates across the globe.
When I finished training as a SERE Specialist I was issued one hell of a headlamp from Princeton Tec known as the EOS. I’ve seen it issued to a variety of other Special Operations units throughout the US military for the plain and simple reason that this thing refused to die.
I’ve taken the Princeton Tec EOS headlamp everywhere and put it through everything. I have the utmost confidence in its ability to work in austere environments.
When I was given the opportunity to use another headlamp from Princeton Tec made specifically for military professionals and outdoors enthusiasts I was ecstatic.
Enter The Princeton Tec Quad Tactical MPLS
The specific headlamp that I was given was the Princeton Tec Quad Tactical MPLS (Modular Personal Lighting System).
Compared to the workhorse Princeton Tec EOS, the Quad Tactical MPLS is a lighter package, weighing in at just 78 grams compared to the EOS weighing in at 103 grams.
Along with the reduction in weight, the Princeton Tec Quad Tactical MPLS is also outperforming the EOS by emitting 78 lumens of light compared to the EOS, which emits a healthy 60 lumens.
Be advised that the Quad Tactical MPLS puts out a wider focused beam that allows your peripherals to work with you compared to the EOS which is a more focused beam. In either case, I’ve found that I like the wide beam on the Quad Tactical MPLS more. They both run off of 3 AAA batteries.
The profile on the Princeton Tec Quad Tactical MPLS is slimmer and closer to your head/helmet which means I’m not catching this thing on low-hanging branches as much. Further, the power button is a much-improved design over the EOS. The power button on the EOS was slightly offset to the right of the top of the device compared to the Quad Tactical MPLS where is it dead center. It’s just more intuitive for the military operator.
The headband remains the same between the two headlamps which doesn’t disappoint me at all. These headlamps are also waterproof to a depth of one meter. The red filter is interchangeable in three different colors; red, green, and blue.
Compared to other headlamps that require you to flip a switch a certain way to activate the red light I much prefer pulling the filter over the light; it’s simple and you know you’re going to get red when you turn the headlamp on. Plus you won’t be that guy that accidentally flips white light on and destroys everyone’s night vision.
The headlamp is a simple but essential piece of gear. Make sure you have one that is rock solid. I can’t say enough about the simplicity, reliability, and ruggedness of the Princeton Tec Quad Tactical MPLS headlamp.
This could quite possibly be the best headlamp for hunting and military operations. Given the lighter weight and the brighter overall output, I’ll be sticking with the Quad Tactical for the foreseeable future.
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