Headlamp Recommendation For Night Hiking

alexmtn said:

Brian, both the 100 (older) and 160 lumen (just released) versions of the Storm have the 'accidental on' lockout feature. Just hold the button down for 6 seconds. After 3 seconds, the red will go on. Keep holding. The status LED will then flicker blue. At that point, it's locked. To unlock, just hold the button down again.

As a point of information, the new Spot also has the lockout feature. For those interested in Spot vs. Storm (both great lights), BD characterizes the Storm as a 'burlier' version of the Spot. The differences:
- IPX 7 (fully waterproof for 1 hour under 1M of water) vs IPX 4 (Rain/splash resistant)
- 160 lumens vs 130 lumens (both models got upgraded/brighter LEDs for 2014)
- 33% more battery reserves (4 vs. 3 AAAs)
- a little heavier (the lamp weighs 4.2oz when loaded with alkalines; lithiums lighter)

Oddly, BD gives the Spot 5 meters more illumination distance than the Storm (75m vs. 70). My guess is that the Storm takes advantage of its added brightness to diffuse/widen the beam a bit at a modest cost in range ( in determining how much they could widen the beam, they were probably trying roughly to match the Spot's range).

My choice between them depends on the anticipated terrain and weather conditions. On a big trip with substantial anticipated time in the dark, I'll carry both - it's a big advantage in many situations not to have to change batteries on the spot [pun not intended].

Alex

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