When you go backpacking, you need – at a minimum – one worthwhile headlamp to go with you on your excursion. The right headlamp ensures you can walk around easily in the dark, carry out camp chores and converse with friends and family hanging out with you.
The premise of every headlamp is to offer light for your outdoor needs, but each model is not the same. They can differ in their assets and flaws, such as fit, battery life and lighting power. What you need for your backpacking experience may not be the requirements for another backpacker.
There are all kinds of backpacking headlamps on the market, but which ones are the right ones for you?
5 Notable Backpacking Headlamps to Use on Your Next Trip
LE LED Headlamp Rechargeable (Best Model)
When it comes to the best of the best in rechargeable headlamps, the best appears to be the LE LED Headlamp Rechargeable. It’s affordable, super easy to use, lightweight, and shines brightly. The 2.65-ounce light, which puts off 300 lumens of power and can brighten up to 500 feet away, has six light modes that include a constant / flashing red light, high/low flood light and high/low spotlight.
It’s USB rechargeable and provides up to 15 hours of steady light with one charge. It can be adjusted to a 45-degree angle so both children and adults can use it. The headband is also sweatproof. The light has been outfitted with a polyethylene coating, so it’s protected in case it’s dropped or exposed to the outside elements.
BioLite Headlamp 750 (Most Resourceful Model)
Rechargeable headlamps may be ideal for those looking to go green, as it means charging is done via USB ports and not batteries. However, the negative aspect of this option is that they don’t hold the charge as long as batteries can, and their brightness level isn’t the same.
BioLite has changed all that with its Headlamp 750. It has a consistent 750 lumens that will stay bright for anything you need and will last up to 150 hours on the low setting. At 500 lumens, it can hold full brightness for two hours, which is enough for a four-mile run. BioLite also made sure to include a rear right light and a red light mode.
It’s also comfortable to wear, using a slim headband to hold the rectangular light and wicks sweat away.
Black Diamond Flare (Lightest Model)
Many people see emergency headlamps as the final go-to when all isn’t right. However, Black Diamond designed its Flare to be light enough to take everywhere with you and still give you the power you need to use for a short time.
Its body is made of aluminum that is both dust and waterproof and uses coin batteries to work for up to four hours on the high settings. You can twist the light on or off, and it has five modes – high/low, red light, SOS and strobe. It provides 40 lumens of light that lets you easily see while hiking and doing chores around the campsite.
It comes with a woven strap for the headband that you can easily store when you’re through with it. The downside is that it takes two hands to twist the lamp on or off.
PETZL ACTIK CORE (Best Multi-Beam Headlamp)
When it comes to brightness, the ACTIK CORE from Petzl is a top contender. It puts off 450 lumens even though it’s a small, multi-beam headlamp. It has a steady, red and strobe mode and uses three AAA batteries to work, along with a micro USB rechargeable battery that you can remove. Both of these offer up to 160 hours of five-lumens light on low or two hours on high.
Silva Trail Runner Free (Best Trail Running Model)
What is the one thing you won’t see with this model? Its wires, and that’s because Silva made sure to insert the wires inside the stretchy headband. No worries about the wires getting tangled into your hair or getting caught on a tree branch.
There is both a long-distance spotlight and a closer flood light option, but no red light. On the high setting, you’ll get 400 lumens that can last for 25 hours. There is also a hybrid battery case, meaning you can use a rechargeable, detachable battery or three AAA batteries.
3 Things to Consider When Shopping for Backpacking Headlamps
- Lumens/Power – Headlamps brightness is measured in lumens, with the average lumen max being around 300. However, some lumens can generate 1400 on the max setting but with quick battery drainage. Some headlamps have a dim setting of fewer than 100 lumens, which is enough light to see up close and save battery power.
- Light Setting – Brightness may be important for seeing what’s out there, but so is the light setting. Many models offer both a spot and flood light so you can see up close or far ahead of you. Some models even have a red and strobe light for use in emergencies or inside a tent.
- Power Type – When it comes to headlamps, there is the option of lithium, rechargeable batteries that are less affected by extreme temperatures and will change rapidly. These batteries do better than alkaline batteries even when the conditions are extremely cold. However, nickel metal hydride is another rechargeable battery that works just as well as lithium. The downside is that you’ll need to recharge them before using the headlamp when drained.
After learning how to choose backpacking headlamps, I want to highly recommend the LED headlamps from Lepro. Lepro provides high-quality backpacking headlamps with motion sensors, USB cables, or a 3AAA battery to meet your different needs in running.
