The Ultimate Guide to Headlamps

General Notes

• We choose what we carry based on extensive research on what's the best value to our customers (e.g., price given performance & durability features) across all the top brands. We specifically do not carry every brand & model; for details on why we do/don't carry certain items in the following What To Use & How To Choose section
• Buy prices are MSRP with tax, i.e., what you see is what you pay. Prices may differ in-store due to change in models or discounts, but this is rare. If we don't sell what we rent, we list MSRP value with tax
• Rent prices are the starting prices; enter trip dates on our Catalog to get exact prices (based on total trip length, not per day!). We also don't charge sales tax, an automatic savings of almost 10%!

Power Headlamp type	300-325 lumens	500 lumens
	Standard camping, backpacking	Technical caving, spelunking, mountaineering, climbing
Model
	Black Diamond Spot	Black Diamond Icon
Buy MSRP with tax includes batteries	$45	$110
Rent includes batteries	$6+	$12+
Online rental Catalog name	Headlamp	Technical headlamp
Weight with batteries	3oz 85g	11oz 300g

When you rent online, you can select from available options or we'll pick out something for you. You can also write-in any preferences on the last page of checkout. This section describes the majority of our models & options, but sometimes we carry others.

Key factors

Cool zippers, new waterproofing, etc... sometimes it's easy to get lost in all the hype (over-spending happens on features). Our guide focuses on the fundamental factors you should always keep in mind (thus, this short list is similar across all items). Then only at the end do we have some questions to get you thinking about other minor features.

• Type or Style
• Price
• Power
• Weight & size (for backpacking)

We highly recommend reviewing Type or Style first, where we review what you can use to address the Core function--a regular item you have at home may work! The other factors are secondary & depend strongly on the Type or Style you've picked.

While we encourage you to use regular items wherever possible, as an outdoor gear shop, we only carry outdoor-specific products

Type or Style*

We've organized the most commonly used items people use to address the Core function below, with example images, characteristics, features, etc.

Name		Flashlight	Headlamp
Example qualities & features	Example images
	Can it be used hands-free?		This is a big deal! Consider doing the below in the dark (which can fall quicker that you expect outside): Setting up an unfamiliar tent Hiking on challenging terrain where you need hands for support or to use with trekking poles Food prep Going to the bathroom
	Are there colored lighting modes?		Red light is especially used outdoors to preserve night vision
	Will it work in wet environments? Check the device's IP rating		Light rain to full submersion
Effect on secondary factors	Price	$10-30	$20-50
	Weight	Up to 16oz (454g)	Up to 8oz (227g)
	Rationale	Less technical & more material	More technical & less material
Why we do/don't carry it = we rent = we sell		Not specific enough for outdoor use	Standard for most outdoor uses

*With lighting there are even more types: clip-on lights, bike lights, phone lights, etc. The variations are endless. We've focused on the most used types here

Power

Measured by lumens, the total amount of visible light emitted. We know it's pretty technical, so have examples in the table below. There really isn't a "right" answer. For example, if you're biking and are choosing a bike light, do you want to simply see the road in the dark? In this case ~200 lumens may be enough for most cities, maybe ~500 for more rural areas or on trail. Or, do you want to be seen, unequivocably, by any incoming traffic? In this case, you may want 1000+ lumens. Of course, generally when you're doing an outdoor activity, seeing in the dark is enough; you're not really concerned about being seen by traffic, and you're probably not trying to blind your friends! Still though, it's an important question to keep in mind as you make your decision. For that reason, many higher end models of flashlights & headlamps have different brightness settings.

Lumens range		10 & below		25		50		100		200		300		500		1000 & above
		.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
		.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
General usage				Indoors					Outdoors
Flashlight examples		Keychain light		Reading light		Standard flashlight, phone flashlight				Tactical flashlights
Headlamp examples									Standard headlamp (camping, backpacking)				Technical headlamp (caving, spelunking, mountaineering, climbing)
Effect on other factors	Price	Less expensive								More expensive
	Weight & Size	Lighter & more compact								Heavier & less compact
	Rationale	While effect on other factors follows above trends (more power = more materials = more expensive & bigger), there is significant product variation across form factors, so we have not teased out "breakpoints"
Why we do/don't carry it = we rent = we sell		Doesn't add that much more value (you can use something non-outdoor-specific which would be much more affordable)									Headlamps ~300 lumens are standard for most outdoor uses				Headlamps at 500+ lumens

2 other factors that people often think of as power but that are not technically measured by lumens are:

• Beam distance: how far away the light will shine
• Lighting style: how the light is spread out. Flood lights have a wide beam of output, spot lights have a narrow beam

We don't discuss the above in detail because most people do not have enough technical uses to consider them (if you're too far away to see something, just walk closer!); and because many modern lights (especially headlamps) can toggle between lighting styles; and because these factors are technically related, for example when there aren't that many lumens, the beam distance can't be very high regardless of how well the internal optics of the light are constructed, which means the light will probably not be very useful as a spot.

Energy source & usable life

Especially from a safety perspective, this is incredibly important! Some headlamps require batteries, other are USB-chargeable, and others are a hybrid of both. In our experience, USB-chargeable headlamps seem to be less reliable (not to mention dependent on having a mobile power source), so we have chosen to carry the battery-operated kind, and always recommend an extra set of batteries! Most headlamps will last at least from sunset to sunrise (10+ hours)*.

*It's always a good idea to test the usable life of electric-powered lights. Usable life is officially defined as any amount of light being emitted (which is why you see numbers like 60 hours... that means that at 60 hours, maybe you're only getting a dull glimmer!). On an easy trip, test it at the settings that you prefer (e.g., brightness level) to get prepared for more technical trips when you really don't want the light to fail!

Weight & Size (Compactness) for Backpacking

If you're thru-hiking 20+ miles (32+km) per day, every advantage counts! In this case, size refers to compactness. You can carry more gear in the same size backpack if all of it is very compact, or for more weight savings, you can get a smaller size pack.

To reduce more weight & increase compactability, manufacturers reduce the amount of material used (e.g., fewer features, thinner fabrics, etc.) and, where possible, use more technical materials to prevent performance loss. For example, ultralight fabric used in clothing has to still be waterproof. These strategies create 2 general consequences

• Lightweight gear tends to be less durable: Sometimes, light-weight gear is just thinner & so more prone to damage (even a more technical material may not fully offset the loss in durability)
• Lightweight gear tends to be more expensive: While less materials = lower cost, the more dominating effect is often that thinner materials = more technical = greater cost

For these reasons, the lighter the gear, the more you should treat it as an investment! Is the price difference worth the weight or size savings? This depends on you & your trip.

Lightweight models therefore either sacrifice lumens of light output for weight or change the form factor (e.g., thinning or sometimes completely removing the strap that goes around your head [though this latter converts the device to more of a flashlight]). Given multiple changing factors, it's hard to have an apples-to-apples comparison, instead we leave you with a few notes based on our experience:

• The thinner straps in ultralight headlamps may not be comfortable
• Experience is key to determining if a less powerful light works for you, so we recommend renting a regular headlamp once first. In fact, some ultralight hikers just use keychain flashlights for emergencies (and don't really hike at night)
• Batteries are a major source of weight; if you go with a USB-charge-only model, consider availability of charging sources on your trip

Minor features that may be important

Here, we give you a list of questions to start thinking about minor features. We hope our approach of savings these features for last gets you to more critically think about what you need & not get caught up in the hype of what's cool and over-spend your budget.

• Can the headlamp body swivel up & down?
• What other lighting features are there (e.g., strobe lighting, adjustable brightness)?

The most important tip for battery-operated devices: take out your batteries! There are too many stories where the device's on-button was inadvertently pressed, and so it was completely drained by the time it was needed. Not to mention, in cold environments, batteries will drain (you should, in these cases, keep your batteries in an interior pocket, close to your body heat), and in hot environments they can explode (you should also keep them in a pocket in this case, somewhere out of the sun).

Repairing

Corrosion: Remove the battery (you may need to use a coin to try to wedge it out if the corrosion has caused it to become stuck). Then, use a Q-tip with vinegar (for both acidic & alkaline batteries) to scrub away the corrosion, and then a new Q-tip with water to lightly rinse the area. Let it thoroughly dry before storing. Take care as battery corrosion can cause chemical burns!

Storing

Minimize battery leak & risk of corrosion by storing batteries outside of the device in a cool, dry, dark place

We have a general protip on how to store & maintain gear that we highly recommend reviewing as well. If you send us video or a good photo series, we may be able to help you evaluate your repair needs.