Even well-planned hikes can end up taking much longer time than anticipated (due to weather, injuries, blocked trails etc.) and to ensure that you don’t end up being stuck in nature in pitch-black, it is crucial that you bring a headlamp in your backpack. A headlamp ( for example: SUNJACK USB RECHARGABLE HEADLAMP also gives you possibility for planning activities in the dark, such as taking a run after sunset or simply getting an early before-sunrise start of your hiking trip. Old-school flashlights are not appropriate for hiking, mountaineering or other demanding outdoor activities as they don’t allow you to use your hands while illuminating the surroundings. When you are on the trail you need your hands free in order to do different tasks such as reading the map, getting things out of the backpack and so forth.
Many hikers get confused when faced with the task of buying a headlamp as there are so many different headlamps on the market. In this review we selected the best five headlamps currently available. Our selection includes everything from the simplest headlamps for basic needs to those suitable for tough expeditions in extreme conditions. The qualities that these headlamps have in common are reliability, durability and good value for the money.
1. Buying a Headlamp – What is important?
Weight:
As a headlamp is carried on the head, it should be as light as possible. We did our best to only select lightweight headlamps – all headlamps listed in this review weigh less than 300 grams.
Battery Life:
A hiking headlamp should function for a reasonable amount of time without needing to have batteries changed or recharged. Some headlamps are equipped with rechargeable batteries while others use disposable batteries. If you are buying a headlamp that uses rechargeable batteries and plan to use it for long hiking trips in remote areas, check that it also works with disposable batteries – it’s easier to carry additional batteries with you than a (heavy) power bank or a solar charger.
Brightness and beam distance:
A hiking headlamp should provide good brightness and a decent beam distance in various conditions. Our selection consists of headlamps that offer brightness of at least 100 lumens and a beam distance of at least 70 meters.
Water resistance:
As hiking is not limited to dry weather, a hiking headlamp should be water-resistant. All headlamps in this review can withstand heavy rain.
Petzl Reactik+
The Petzl Reactik+ is a very innovative headlamp which in late 2016 replaced the highly popular Petzl Tikka RXP headlamp (still available at some retailers). The Petzl Reactik+ headlamp is perfect for hikers and mountaineers who often spend a night in nature and thus want a reliable and powerful piece of lighting equipment. In comparison to the discontinued Tikka RXP, Petzl Reactik+ features higher brightness (300 lumens compared to Tikka’s 215 lumens), longer maximum battery life (15 hours compared to Tikka’s 12 hours) and Bluetooth which allows you to adjust the headlamp’s beam pattern, brightness and battery burn time from your smartphone (the Petzl app is available for iOS and Android devices). Nevertheless, the beam pattern and brightness can also be adjusted on the headlamp without the app. The Petzl Reactik+ headlamp has a sensor which analyses the ambient light and adjusts the beam pattern and brightness automatically (reactive lighting mode). Therefore, you don’t have to worry about the brightness regulation in relation to battery consumption; the headlamp will adjust itself to achieve the optimal results. However, you can still choose between 3 different battery modes – Max Power, Standard and Max Autonomy. The battery modes come in handy as you can quite accurately predict how long the battery will last; in Max Power mode the battery will last for approximately 2.5 hours, in Standard mode for approximately 5 hours and in Max Autonomy mode for approximately 10 hours. The brightness sensor operates in all three modes. The reactive lighting can also be turned off so that the headlamp provides stable brightness despite the ambient light and surroundings. When the reactive lighting is turned off, the maximum battery life is 15 hours. As the Petzl Reactik+ headlamp features constant lighting technology, the brightness and beam distance don’t decrease when the headlamp is running low on battery. The headlamp is also equipped with a lock feature which is useful when you carry it in a backpack. The Petzl Reactik+ can be used with a night vision device as it is equipped with a red lighting feature. The battery is rechargeable by a micro USB cable but the headlamp also works with disposable batteries (adapter is required). The Petzl Reactik+ might not be the cheapest headlamp in this review but as it offers incredible performance we would recommend it to every outdoor enthusiast.
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Black Diamond ReVolt
The Black Diamond Revolt is a simple but very effective rechargeable headlamp. It doesn’t provide as good illumination as the Petzl Tikka RXP but on the other hand it’s also half the price. The headlamp runs on 3 AAA NiMH batteries which can be recharged with a USB cable. However, the headlamp can also run on 3 disposable AAA alkaline batteries. This is a great feature as it allows you to simply replace the batteries on multiday hiking trips where it might be hard to get access to electricity. Additionally the headlamp features a three-level power indicator which shows the remaining battery life. Illumination is assured by one TriplePower LED, two SinglePower LEDs and two red SinglePower LEDs. The Black Diamond Revolt allows you to switch between 6 different modes – proximity, distance, dimming, strobe, red and lock mode. The red mode can be activated without going through the white modes, thus making the headlamp appropriate also for hunters and military personnel that require a headlamp for concealed use. In addition to that, the headlamp is water- and dirt-resistant. The Black Diamond Revolt is a great product for recreational hikers as well as for more experienced outdoor enthusiasts as it offers great performance for a relatively low price