10 Best Headlamps (Review) In 2021

Features To Look For In Best Headlamps

Brightness - Obviously you’re buying a headlamp to provide a light in the dark and so brightness is a paramount consideration. In the past you didn’t have much choice as far as brightness was concerned. Your incandescent bulb was only going to kick out about 25 lumens or so no matter how many batteries you added to the powerpack hanging off the back of your head. On top of that the quality of that light was going to be very poor. Today, however, we have LED headlamps that produce clean, clear, powerful light that can project up to half a kilometer or more down the trail. Some produce up to 1,000 lumens which, when pulled back to a wide beam, is enough to illuminate the entire campsite like it was your living room.

Beam Distance - Most of the best headlamps on our list will project hundreds meters down the trail. But light projection of that magnitude or even greater only really comes into play if you’re a fan of night hiking. Particularly if you’re night hiking in open country. Not everyone will be. If you want a headlamp to wear while you make your way to the camp toilet in the middle of the night any modern headlamp will do the trick. If, however, you are intent on trekking over the north ridge under the stars you’ll want something like the Black Diamond Spot Headlamp which will project a clear, strong beam of light the equivalent of 2 football fields down the trail.

LED Type - Like most bulbs LEDs will emit either warm or cool light. There are quite a few outdoor veterans who will swear that the blue end of the spectrum (cool) will attract bugs while the warmer end of the spectrum does a better job keeping your headspace insect-free. Others dispute this claim and opine that if the headlamp seems to be attracting insects it likely has more to do with the time of year (i.e. how many insects are out and about), your location and the weather conditions. From a purely aesthetic standpoint an LED in the 4,000K (neutral) range will produce light that very closely mimics daylight. Also a red light headlamp won’t blind those around you and will allow you to navigate inside the tent without disturbing others.

Weight - In the past camping headlamps that used incandescent bulbs needed a substantial cluster of alkaline batteries to provide them power. Even then the light they projected was low quality and you could burn through 4 AA batteries in just a few hours. These battery clusters never let you forget they were there. Thankfully, LED headlamps use small lithium ion batteries that not only provide long hours of service but don’t produce neck strain in the process. As a result the average LED headlamp tips the scales at a svelte 3 - 10 ounces. The other component of the headlamp that impacts weight is the light setup itself. Some are extremely simple and fashioned from lightweight plastic. Others are intended for more serious emergency applications and may be made from aluminum. These typically appeal to rescue workers, first responders and others who find themselves in situations where the headlamp is being banged around.

Ease of Use - Most of today’s best headlamps are pretty straightforward affairs. You put them over your head, hat or helmet, tighten up the bands a bit until they’re nice and snug and flip the switch. Essentially, ease of use come down to how easy it is to switch between functions. Most headlamps have a twisting bezel that lets you shift between narrow long-range and wide short-range beams. While others have a single button that lets you switch between hi power and low power beams. Still others provide a toggle switch to change from one function to another. And at the high end of things there are a few that offer smartphone control over all aspects of the light mechanism.

Battery Life - The amount of time you get out of your batteries will depend on a number of factors. Alkaline batteries will typically wear down the fastest (while also presenting an unpleasant environmental choice). Lithium ion batteries will typically provide longer life and are rechargeable. However, how long they last will depend on the intensity of the bulb, whether you are running the lamp at high or low power (if you have a choice), how long you are running it every night and the characteristics of the battery itself; since not all lithium ion batteries are created equal. Also, if your camping headlamp is powered by Alkaline batteries try and make sure it uses the same type of batteries (AA or AAA for instance) as the rest of your camping gear. This way you only need to buy one type of replacement battery. And, even if you’re out of fresh batteries, if the batteries in one device die you can install batteries from another device.

Straps and Carrying Comfort - Most of our testers prefer headstraps that have some degree of elasticity. It just makes it easier to fit the device to your head. But whether the straps are elasticized or not they need to be adjustable to accommodate both your particular head size and any head gear you may be wearing, whether that’s a baseball cap, balaclava, or climbing helmet. During the day the headlamp needs to store away neatly without a lot of parts to account for. You should be able to scrunch it up and stow it in the top pocket of your backpack without worrying too much about it.

Water Resistance - An increasing number of headlamps are water resistant and even completely waterproof. But not all of them. Certainly in our experience it’s best to have a headlamp that is, at the very least, highly water resistant because the weather can change in just a matter of minutes and you don’t want to be left in the dark if it starts to rain. Especially if you are still on the trail. Look for the IPX rating to determine the water resistance capability of your camping or hunting headlamp. IPX4 will be able to stand up to most rain storms. While IPX7 will withstand being submerged for up to half an hour.

Headlamp VS Flashlight/Lantern

In the days of yore the gas lantern was the standard when it came to camp lighting. In time the flashlight arose to augment the lantern. Then came the first headlamps a few decades ago and today we have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to illuminating the great outdoors. The LED tactical flashlight has replaced the standard uber-heavy and clumsy D-battery-powered tube-style flashlight. It provides astonishing amounts of light, is tough as nails, typically fits in the palm of your hand and weighs less than half a pound. At the same time there have been enormous advances in headlamp technology. While many headlamps are still powered by AA or AAA alkaline batteries the LED lamps they power are many times more energy efficient. But there’s not a straight up multiplier involved when trying to calculate battery life. Essentially, if you are running your LED headlamp on low power you might get 20 hours out of your batteries. Maybe a bit more. With an old fashioned incandescent headlamp you’d likely get more like 3 or 4 hours.

Headlamp FAQ

Q: How many lumens do I need?

A: 65 lumens should project light about 50 yards down the trail. That’s more than enough for most people, who don’t stray far from the campground at night. If you opt for say, 1,000 lumens you can expect to light that trail for about 200 yards with the focused beam engaged. That’s the length of 2 football fields. Although no one is likely to ever have a real need to light a trail for 200 yards. A more practical concern is lighting the campsite itself. If you have a camping headlamp that provides 50 to 100 lumens and offers you a nice wide 90 degree beam that should be more than enough light to illuminate your campsite. But it’s up to you. Some people like to have the extra power at the ready in case they ever need it to signal a search plane or scare off persistent wildlife.

Q: How much distance do I need on my headlamp light?

A: We just touched on this but let’s look at it a bit closer. While it can be reassuring to have 1,000 lumens that will project a concentrated beam 750+ feet (in case you’re ever lost and want to be seen), there are not a lot of normal scenarios that are going to call for that type of power. Think about it. How many backcountry trails do you know of that are perfectly straight? Not many. Maybe some above tree line or that transect the desert. Woodland trails tend to rise and fall while twisting and turning. It’s part of their charm. So you can have a high power headlamp that will project 500 or 1,000 feet but all that projected power won’t really be useful any further than the next twist or turn in the trail. Which will probably be coming up in about 40 or 50 feet. If you get a headlamp with a wide beam that projects clear intense light for a hundred feet or so and gives you the option of engaging a focused beam that will project a few hundred feet you should be pretty well set up.

Q: What kinds of bulbs do most headlamps use?

A: Most headlamps these days have made the switch from incandescent to LED bulbs. LEDs use only a fraction of the energy an incandescent bulb does, produce cleaner, more intense light and they can last anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 hours. That essentially means that 99.999% of people will never have to change the LED bulb in their headlamp. Ever. For as long as they live. That said, you can still get incandescent headlamps and they’re typically less expensive. But why would you?

Q: How to care for your headlamp?

A: Caring for your headlamp is mostly a matter of common sense. But there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind.

• If your camping headlamp gets muddy or splashed with saltwater remove the batteries and rinse the headlamp with clean fresh water.
• Let the batteries and the battery case air dry completely before reloading the batteries.
• If you have a waterproof headlamp don’t close the battery case if the inside of the case is wet or even a little damp. Make sure it’s always bone dry.
• Clean the headlamp itself (the lens etc) with a soft, clean damp cloth.
• Should grease spatter up onto the lens while cooking wipe the grease off the lens with a clean dry cloth and then go over it again with a clean damp cloth.
• Make sure you clean the straps in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Failure to do so may harm the fabric.
• Store the headlamp with batteries out in a cool dry place.