Powerful, affordable lights for hikers and bikers

Whether on foot or on bike, trail adventurers require adequate lighting when playing after dark.

Princeton Tec, a longtime leader in affordable personal lighting technology, offers new illumination for those who walk as well as those who roll.

When considering light output (brightness), total product weight and price, I haven't found any headlamp that can compete with Princeton Tec's new Byte headlamp. This little light throws a mighty beam down the trail. Using two AAA batteries, the Byte puts out 35 lumens at its brightest setting. That projects a narrow, focused beam of light nearly 100 feet down the trail, ensuring you won't be surprised by any unexpected hazards on the path after dark. At that output, those two little alkaline batteries will last about two hours, we found.

If you need less distance and more time, turn down the beam to low power and you'll be able to see about 10 yards down the trail all night (about 12 hours) for eight consecutive nights before draining the batteries (a total of 96 hours burn time). Weighing a mere 2 ounces (64 grams), the Byte packs into a bundle the size of a small kiwi fruit.

As powerful — yet versatile — as the Byte proved to be, and as compact and lightweight as it is, the big selling point for many hikers is its suggested retail price: $19.95.

For mountain bikers, Princeton Tec's Push provides outstanding trail performance for under $50. The Push provides a whopping 100 lumens in a medium-wide beam that projects more than 60 yards down the trail, flooding both your path and the objects alongside it with bright white light.

The Push mounts securely to any handlebars via a simple thumbscrew-locking clamp. The light itself can then be slipped out of the mounting bracket and used as a handheld flashlight as needed. But you'll want to take the time to make sure you get it securely clipped back into the mount before taking off — one tester didn't fully click it into place and lost it into a patch of nettles on Tiger Mountain one evening. Easily found due to the bright light, but a bit of a pain in the arm to reach through the stinging weeds.

The Push's three AAA batteries will last four hours at full power, and more than 14 hours at low power — and even at the reduced setting, the beam covers nearly 40 yards of terrain. A fine headlight for city cyclists, too, the Push carries a suggested retail price of $49.

More information on both lights: www.princetontec.com.