Headlamp Recommendation For Night Hiking

Can anyone recommend a good and reasonably priced headlamp for night hiking? This seems like one of those categories at the store where there are 50 different head lamps that all look the same except the price. I have a fairly inexpensive model now I use for when I get stuck late on trail or for brief use camping but I'd like to "demote" that unit to back up use and get something specifically designed for lengthy night hikes.

Is there a type of battery that is more reliable in cold (i.e. winter) weather, is there a lumen value I need to properly see the details of the rough terrain we hike in the Whites, battery life, etc, etc? Is there a brand known for it's outstanding warranty or service? Any feedback would be appreciated.

Don't you only take Day Trips? I have a $30 Petzl / 3xAAA that works for me. Were I to do entire excursions in the dark, I'd want something better than that. Petzl and Black Diamond are two pretty popular brands.

Tim

Whatever you get I have 2 recommendations:

1. Backup batteries / bulb.

2. Buy a key chain light and attach it to the strap of the headlamp. It weighs 1/4 oz and costs about $1.00. If you ever have a primary failure, the key chain light can help you find the backup, which is probably buried in your pack.

Tom Rankin said:

If you ever have a primary failure, the key chain light can help you find the backup, which is probably buried in your pack.

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. This is such a pro-tip!!!

I was hiking up Baldpate one night and my headlamp batteries were fading, so I stopped to change them with fresh spares. During the process of removing the old batteries, I dropped a couple of the old ones AND one of the new ones. It took a long time to find them all in the pitch blackness and then figure out which were which!

Forget backup batteries, carry a whole backup headlamp. Avoids the sort of mishap that Maineman described. Practically no extra space or weight compared to just extra batteries, it's possibly the best $30 you'll spend. In winter, it can be a literal life-saver, or at least finger-saver.

In fact I sometimes carry *three* lamps if I know I'm going to be on the trail in the dark for a while. One on my head, one backup in my pack in case of malfunction or dead batteries, and one in my hand or mounted on my hiking pole. Having a light at a differernt angle from your eyes is very helpful on uneven trails and in the rain or snow. I generally keep one or both lamps on the lowest setting or completely off, this preserves both battery life and night vision. I can quickly switch both lamps to bright when I need to find a landmark, e.g. a blaze on the far side of a brook.

For most on-trail hiking purposes the little Petzl Tikka type headlamps are sufficient, especially if you use two when you need some extra light. If you're going to be navigating in the open on a starless night, you need a bit more "throw". Battery life is really not an issue unless you're going on a long backpacking trip in winter.

Backup headlamps are really key if you are hiking solo. Having a buddy shine a light is nice. Using a lighter to find stuff isn't very bright.

I have a Black Diamond Spot. Has been great for navigating in heavy snow at night, as well as for stream crossings. I carry backup batteries year round. I strongly reccomend the dimming feature. Nice for multiple reasons. 90 Lumens is pretty bright, especially in winter!

20-30 lumens with a flood beam is enough for hiking on an easy well-defined trail. A 100 lumen spot beam can be useful for finding trail markings at a distance. 5-10 lumens in a flood beam is generally enough around camp. Flood beams are generally more useful than spot--a headlamp which has both is the best of both worlds. (High intensity beams will drain AAA batteries quickly--get a headlamp with AA batteries if you anticipate extended use of such beams.)

A low power red mode can be helpful for seeing without destroying your night vision. (Bright white light destroys one's night vision.) Most headlamps also start off in their brightest mode which can destroy your night vision or cause problems with weak batteries. Starting off in a low power mode is better... (I have one headlamp that starts off in a low power red mode. )

* Princeton Tec, Black Diamond, and Petzl are the main manufacturers of hiking headlamps.
* Don't even consider an incandescent bulb--LEDs are much more efficient and reliable.
* Get a headlamp with replaceable batteries. (Dead non-replaceable batteries turn a headlamp into dead weight. You can also choose the battery technology to match the expected temps.)
* Manufacturer's run-time specs are way over inflated--they generally assume termination at a light level similar to that of a full moon.
* NiMH and alkaline batteries are fine for summer, lithium are much better in the cold. (Remote battery packs which can be kept warm in one's pocket can be useful in serious cold.) I've used NiMH rechargeables year round (but carry lithium spares in the cold).
* One can easily asses the amount of charge left in alkalines, but not in lithiums due to their discharge curves. NiMHs can be fully charged before starting.
* WARNING: some headlamps can be damaged by lithium batteries because the initial voltage can be too high (generally older LED lights). Check the manufacturer's instructions.
* I suggest carrying 2 (or 3) headlamps--they provide full redundancy as well as light to change the batteries in a headlamp. Spare batteries are also a good idea if extended use may be required.
* Use the minimum light level for the job to save batteries.
* In general, I find headlamps that switch between levels to be easier to use than headlamps with continuous adjustment (eg BD). (One can also precompute the battery lifetime at each level.) Switched levels are generally a factor of 2 per step.
* Water proof/resistant can be nice.
* Headlamps work even better when one is traveling on snow.
* Note: I have had reliability problems with keychain lights. (LED pinch lights.)

REI's "Expert Advice" on choosing a headlamp:
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/headlamp.html

Doug

DougPaul said:

WARNING: some headlamps can be damaged by LED lights (generally older LED lights). Check the manufacturer's instructions.

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I think Doug meant some older LED lights can be damaged by lithiums...

Tim

bikehikeskifish said:

I think Doug meant some older LED lights can be damaged by lithiums...

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Thanks--fixed in the original. (It was a bit late when I wrote that post...)

Doug

My no-longer-sold BD Xenix IQ has a little battery indicator.. green-orange-red that doubles as a light source to find the handlamp so long as there is enough juice to power the little LED.. It is a very good light I still use for nighttime navigation. I'd suggest two forms of light, LEDs are good for general on-trail travel, campsite duties, etc. When you're route finding and nighttime 'whacking or so, a better longer range'd light like a HID, Xenon, etc. works well, lets you see the next marker ahead if the trail is somewhat dicey.

Jay

I really like the BD spot, and the new ones have 130 lumens and can be found HERE for under $30.

Other places are selling the older 90 lumen version for $29.

I have the BD Storm. The reason I DON'T recommend it is because it is very easy for it to get turned on accidentally inside your pack. EDIT: my Storm has an easily activated "lock" feature which solves this problem - per Alex's suggestion later in the thread. I now fully endorse the BD Storm.

Jay H said:

My no-longer-sold BD Xenix IQ has a little battery indicator.. green-orange-red that doubles as a light source to find the handlamp so long as there is enough juice to power the little LED.. It is a very good light I still use for nighttime navigation.

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I have one too--a good light.

I'd suggest two forms of light, LEDs are good for general on-trail travel, campsite duties, etc. When you're route finding and nighttime 'whacking or so, a better longer range'd light like a HID, Xenon, etc. works well, lets you see the next marker ahead if the trail is somewhat dicey.

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HIDs are less reliable than LEDs and Xenon, halogen, and Krypton are forms of incandescent--IMO LED lights are a better choice. There are reasonably priced LED hiking headlamps up to 200 lumens and reasonably priced LED bike lights up to 700+ lumens. (The bike lights have internal rechargeable lithium ion batteries, but that should be ok if they are only used for short term adjunct lighting.)

FWIW, for my over night/well into the night XC ski trips in the Pemi Wilderness, I chose an older model BD Icon with a 100 lumen narrow spot beam and a flood beam (3 AA batts)*. It worked quite well for both following the trail with the flood beam as well as searching out distant navigation marks with the spot beam.

* The current BD Icon has 200 lumen spot beam and uses 4 AA batts. (I have both and chose the older one for these trips.)

Doug

Quietman said:

I really like the BD spot, and the new ones have 130 lumens and can be found HERE for under $30.

Other places are selling the older 90 lumen version for $29.

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I read a bunch of reviews and the BD Storm appeared to be a better choice. REI currently has the 2013 version (100 lumens) on closeout sale for US$29.73. (The 2014 version has 160 lumens.) I have a 2013 version and am happy with it for general hiking.

hikerbrian said:

I have the BD Storm. The reason I DON'T recommend it is because it is very easy for it to get turned on accidentally inside your pack. The "on" button is sitting right on top of the lamp and needs only a modest amount of pressure. Shove your gloves into the top of your pack with your headlamp and you might inadvertently turn it on. I've found mine switched on in the top of my pack twice in the two years I've had it. Love the 160 lumens, hate the on/off button. I believe the Spot and newer versions of the Storm have some kind of lock feature, which should solve the problem. I'm thinking BD got some feedback on this problem...

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I haven't had this problem with my 2013 model, but an old solution is to reverse 2 of the (4) batteries when the headlamp is in one's pack.

Doug

This is not meant to be mean spirited, but I could never understand why people always say, " You should bring two headlamps". I have a Petzel and it has never failed me, backup batteries and a bulb, heck yeah, way smart, but a whole another lamp???
P.S. That little keychain thing, that's not a bad idea.

sierra said:

This is not meant to be mean spirited, but I could never understand why people always say, " You should bring two headlamps". I have a Petzel and it has never failed me, backup batteries and a bulb, heck yeah, way smart, but a whole another lamp???
P.S. That little keychain thing, that's not a bad idea.

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Your choice, but I prefer to carry a spare.

I have dropped (fresh) batteries in the snow when changing them in the dark.

A headlamp can fail--I have had the switch on a Petzel light fail in the field, have had a battery cover latch fail, and pinch (keychain) lights fail or turn on in my pack or pocket. It can also be lost or damaged.

My backup headlamp (eg a Princeton Tec Aurora) is pretty light, but still adequate for following a trail.

The caver's rule is to always carry at least 3 sources of light, but of course cavers don't have the option of waiting for dawn.

Doug

My newer storm shuts down when you press the button for 6 sec. Then it won't come on accidentally. Was yours an older model? Now,you must hold the button down to reactivate it.

I am happy with it except it is difficult to reduce the intensity without shutting it off. I keep a Spot deep in my pack as a backup. I did find it discharged once due to unintentional activation.

I still use my 1st generation 3-LED Petzl Tikka. Petzl was kind enough to send me a new head strap when the original's elastic eventually failed. I've used it for more than a decade for backcountry skiing at night for the ascents, including some nights at -25 to -30 F, as well as night hiking. It has yet to fail me. The only time I've slightly regretted not having a spot setting was during the pre-dawn portion of snow ascents of Mt. Hood and Shasta. On NE trails it is does the job well. I like that it is simple--you turn it on, you turn it off--and has a long run-time.

Checking out REI's & Petzl's websites, I see the the current Petzl Tikka lasts an order of magnitude longer than the Tikka+ & Tikka XP (that said they have different output profiles, the former is a traditional curved discharge & the latter two are constant). If I were to purchase a new one, I'd stick with the simple Tikka.

I have a BD Spot. I picked it up 2 years ago and am very satisfied. It has all of the discussed features (hi/lo, red, dim, lock, battery indicator) and I use it for every thing from walking the dog at night to snow blowing to hiking to taking out the recycling.

DougPaul said:

Your choice, but I prefer to carry a spare.

I have dropped (fresh) batteries in the snow when changing them in the dark.

A headlamp can fail--I have had the switch on a Petzel light fail in the field, have had a battery cover latch fail, and pinch (keychain) lights fail or turn on in my pack or pocket. It can also be lost or damaged.

My backup headlamp (eg a Princeton Tec Aurora) is pretty light, but still adequate for following a trail.

The caver's rule is to always carry at least 3 sources of light, but of course cavers don't have the option of waiting for dawn.

Doug

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If I was going into a cave, I would carry more then one also. I went into a cave in CO, ( The Cave of the Winds ). It was a tourist attraction but I enjoyed it very much. Anywho, at one point they turned out the lights, cave dark is scary dark.