As an outdoor enthusiast, I love good innovation and design when it comes to the gear I carry. Often, I get used to the way things are with the gear I own and simply make due. But sometimes, a new item comes along that just blows everything else out of the water. The Joby GorillaTorch Switchback is such an item, and it has changed the way I illuminate the outdoors when I camp.
The Joby GorillaTorch Switchback is essentially two products in one. First, it’s a lantern that’s great for lighting up the dinner table or hanging inside a tent. Second, it’s a headlamp with five LEDs that are adjustable from 5 to 130 lumens, including a bright floodlight and red light for night vision. In both forms, the Switchback works great, but what’s best about this nifty guy is its versatility.
The way it works is this: you take the headlamp, and stuff it inside the lantern. Viola! Headlamp and lantern in one.
Camping in the Utah desert this year, I took the GorillaTorch Switchback along and fell in love… eventually. I have some issues with it, which we’ll get into later. But overall, I really like this product. Enroute to a campsite, the GorillaTorch packs down to a small rectangle when the headlamp is hidden inside the lantern. After arrival, the lantern is awesome for illuminating camp with the included stand featuring Joby’s trademark, flexible legs. You can use the stand on a picnic table, or wrap the legs around a tree branch to set up a tent in the dark.
When you have to do more involved tasks after sunset, the headlamp slides out of the lantern. It’s a decent, well built lamp with easy-to-push buttons. I especially like how the batteries and controls are located on the back of the head when worn, so the lamp itself feels lighter on the forehead. This weight distribution was really nice, especially when worn for longer periods of time.
The light output itself is impressive and holds up to comparison with better known brands like Black Diamond or Petzl. It has four different light levels plus a red light. The flood light is very good for night hiking or drunken mountain biking under the stars, while the rest are capable for brushing teeth, reading a book, or taking care of business by the official “watering tree.” Inside the tent, you can hang the GorillaTorch in lantern form with the top hook. Light output is also good here, as I could see everything clearly inside my two-man tent when getting ready for bed.
But although I found the Switchback lighting system to be a capable, durable and overall awesome piece of gear, it’s not perfect. At first, I found the design to be strangely complicated. I had trouble getting the headlamp out of the lantern, despite the obvious tab that you push down to unleash it. Then, the battery lid is extremely difficult to remove and is also hard to put back on after inserting a couple of AAs. Finally, when it’s time to transform the headlamp to a lantern, it can take time to properly stuff the headlamp, headband and wires into the housing for a snug fit. It’s especially trying to attempt this procedure in a dark tent when you’re doing it by feel alone. You almost need a second headlamp to illuminate the delicate surgery involved.
A more simple snap-on snap-off design might make the transformation from headlamp to lantern and back easier, but despite the actual process, the Joby GorillaTorch Switchback is a great way to make your camping gear more versatile and compact.
Here are the specs from Joby:
Lantern and headlamp: Rugged ABS plastic, nylon and polycarbonate with aluminum headlamp housing and 92% ultra-efficient holographic lens.
Stand: ABS plastic with TPE grip rings and feet.
Water resistance: IPX-4
Light Engine:Bright CREE® XLamp® XP-G LED spotlight, 2 white LED and 2 red LED flood lights.
Brightness: Min (5 lm); Low (20 lm); High (80 lm); Max (130 lm)
Beam distance: 23 m
Average Battery Life: Up to 72 hours
Weight:8.8oz/250g (lantern + headlamp + 2 AA batteries)
Price: $59.95