We liked the fender for it's no-tools approach and found it lightweight and durable. Powergel , the liquid energy stuff from the PowerBar people, has indeed caught up. Pack these along in addition to energy bars and you'll sample for yourself an item that has already proven it can make a real difference if you're ready to hit the wall or just in need of a little buzz. One of our biggest complaints with these smaller, self-contained units is the sacrifice of power that must be payed for it's compact size, beginning with the use of AA batteries. The resulting problem is two-fold.
AA batteries mean lower power and also more frequent replacement.
Real handy in the dark. Even better in the dark and the rain. The HL-1500 did have it's strong points, however. Even at full power, it's four alkaline AA batteries delivered nearly three full hours of light before conking out. Which isn't bad- for a flashlight.