The best headlamps 2023: for your adventures in the dark

For a handsfree light source that moves with you, the best headlamp options are perfect. These small, head-mounted gizmos can be surprisingly light and can be pretty sophisticated bits of kit too.

By freeing up your hands, the best headlamps are also the light source of choice for trail runners, night hikers and mountaineers. Features like a red backlight for road runners and intensity levels that adjust automatically as the ambient light evolves for hikers who want to roam freely really set the very best headlamps apart. They've got their place at the campsite too, making a variety of tasks easier. For example, when you fire up your camping stove at night, 

For us, the best headlamp overall is the Black Diamond Storm 500R, which is comfortable, with multiple brightness levels that are easy to adjust. In our tests, we were impressed by the features and power packed into such a small device. If you're on a budget then the Alpkit Viper comes highly recommended too. We like its ambient light sensor, which adjusts the brightness to suit the conditions to avoid dazzling others and reduce power consumption.

The best headlamps

Best headlamps overall

The Black Diamond Storm 500R the most powerful and multi-featured product in the Utah brand’s new multi-purpose, rechargeable R series of headlamps. It’s designed for adventurers who value versatility and performance alongside the size and weight of a small unit. Featuring proximity, distance and night vision settings, as well as strobe and brightness memory, it's got plenty to shout about for such a compact package.

At 100g, it's light enough to take trail running, yet its many features make it suitable for hiking, mountaineering, climbing, snow sports and camping too. Its 500 lumens maximum brightness and beam distance of 120 metres gives it excellent trail finding ability and you can expect it to last seven hours on this setting. Cold conditions are no trouble for its lithium-ion battery, which recharges quickly via micro-USB, so there's no need to carry additional batteries.

The Storm is waterproof tested under one meter of water for 30 minutes, giving it a rating of IP67, so it will cope with a serious downpour no problem. The recycled elastic headband is comfortable and keeps your beam stable. A super little product that further enhances the already solid reputation Black Diamond's workhorse Storm series.

Read our full Black Diamond Storm 500R review

The multi-beam design of the Actik, combined with its muscular 450 lumen punch when it’s on full gas, make this model the standout performer for those in need of a headlamp for activities in more extreme environments, such as on mountainsides in the dark. 

Of course, you don’t have to be clinging to the eyebrows of the Eiger at midnight to appreciate this lovely lightweight head torch, which is also ideal for trail runners, cross country skiers and backpackers. Using accessories (sold separately), you can even mount the lamp on helmets and bikes. It boasts three white-light brightness options, two beam patterns (flood or mixed), a red light and strobe option, all of which can be toggled though by clicking a single button large and easily located button. 

It has a reflective headband (good for safety on road) and red lighting to preserve night vision. The hybrid concept design enables you to swap between the main rechargeable battery and three AAAs, so you need never run out of juice. It also has a lock function, to stop you turning it on accidentally in your bag, a common feature among the best head torches.

The beauty of the lightweight BioLite 330 HeadLamp lies largely in its low-profile design, combined with its high-performance capability. The light itself sits just 9mm (1/3 in) proud of your forehead, and this is coupled with a slimfit minimalist headband that sits very securely on your head and keeps the beam from bouncing around, no matter what adventure pursuits you’re doing. This headband is highly adjustable, and can fit a range of head sizes, from a child to a climber wearing a helmet. The power pack sits on the back of the head, and the cabling is partially integrated into the headband.

These head torches – available in four colors – are extremely comfortable to wear. The front panel tilts up and down, so you can focus close to your feet, or have it set straight ahead to see what’s coming at you further up the trail or crag. There are two white light brightness settings on this torch, and a brace of beam types, the usual 'flood' and 'spot'. It also has a red light option, so you can use it on the trail or while stargazing without obliterating your night vision, and there’s a strobe function in both red and white. 

This is a rechargeable lamp (via a micro USB) but there’s no back-up option to insert batteries. It doesn’t have a rear-facing light, either, but there is a reflective strip that will bounce vehicle lights back at drivers. It can handle any amount of rain, but it’s not submersible. With the HolyFit Guarantee (opens in new tab) you can try this headlamp out for 30 days and then send it back if it doesn’t do what you want it to. 

Read our full BioLite Headlamp 330 review

Budget headlamps

The excellent-value Alpkit Viper headtorch weighs slightly on the heavy side, tipping the scales at 106g (with batteries), but it has the addition of an overhead strap for extra security if you’re using it for running. It’s comfortable to wear and easy to adjust, but the plastic against the forehead can get a bit sweaty on warmer evenings. The Viper is waterproof to IPX6 – so it can handle heavy rain. 

The maximum brightness is 240 lumens, casting a beam over 115 metres for up to 5 hours, which is impressive, and the medium setting of 105 lumens is a useful back up for walking and running on easier trails and roads. There’s also a low mode of 20 lumens and a strobe mode. The Alpkit Viper also boasts a light sensor mode which automatically adjusts the brightness level according to how light it is around you, so you get the main beam in the dark and this side light in brighter conditions. This is great but the sensor doesn’t get it right 100% of the time, so in these situations you can simply turn it off. Power comes from three AAA batteries. Alpkit are B-Corp certified, Living Wage Employers and part of 1% percent for the Planet (opens in new tab).

Read our full Alpkit Viper review

Really good value at $35/£30, the Intensity 280 is also very light, weighing just 89g. It’s comfy on the forehead with the fabric of the strap against the skin, easy to adjust and impressively waterproof, with an IPX6 rating – good for torrential rain. The on/off button is large and easy to use with gloves and cold hands. 

The max setting is a very useable 280 lumens, projecting a beam over 90 metres for a nice long 5.5 hours. It also has an 80-lumen medium setting, with a range of 47 metres and burn time of up to 11 hours, which is very useable for running slowly or walking on easy trails. The 6-lumen emergency setting with 13-metre beam is not very bright, but lasts for nearly 6 days. 

There’s also a red light and a strobe option too. The Intensity 280 has an SOS setting in morse code (so three long flashes, three short, three long), which could save your life one day. The battery is rechargeable only and you can charge it while the light is on, using a portable charger and charging cable if needed. There’s also a handy charging status light on the side. 

Read our full Lifesystems Intensity 280 review

Although its price tag is modest, the Evadict Ontrail 250 weighs a little on the heavier side (107g). The headband is comfy and easy to adjust but it’s plastic against the forehead, which isn’t as comfy or sweat-absorbing as fabric. It’s waterproof enough for moderate showers at IPX4 standard. Max power is 250 lumens, which projects a beam over 85 meters for up to 4.5 hours. There’s a medium setting of 120 lumens, which is good for easy paths and roads, and an emergency setting of 60 lumens. But the tiny lamp has a limited range of motion through just three angles, and the small button makes it trickier to operate – especially while wearing gloves. 

The battery is rechargeable only and it is quite large on the back of the head. We thought the two strap holders would be uncomfortable but it actually feels fine. There’s also a constant or flashing red LED on the back for road safety. You can also turn it off, and it ingeniously doubles up as the charge status indicator when plugged in – a very nice touch. You can also still use the head torch while charging it via a portable charger.

Read our full Decathlon Evadict Ontrail 250 review

Headlamps for trail running

Silva’s brand new head torch is designed specifically for runners – and we’d go so far as to say it’s the best headlamp we’ve ever run with. Extremely well balanced, it’s a low-weight light you almost forget you’re wearing, until you turn towards something reflective and get a blinding blast of the 400-lumen beam back at you. Comfort levels have been prioritized in the design of this super smart piece of kit, which boasts a broad harness band, with a silicone lining strip to keep it in firmly in place and extra textile padding where required to prevent rubbing or hotspots.  The rear battery housing features a backward facing safety light (which can be constant or set to pulse), to alert vehicles to your presence on dark lanes. 

There are three models within the new range: the standard Trail Runner Free, the Trail Runner Free H and the Trail Runner Free Ultra. The difference lies in the battery pack, with the first only taking AAA batteries, the H working with a 1.15Ah Hybrid Battery, and the Ultra coming with a longlife 4Ah Hybrid Battery, which has a remaining-charge indicator.

All three models have the same maximum output (400 lumens) and, as well as being easy to swivel up and down, they all feature the Silva Intelligent Light system, which uses a double beam comprised of a long-reach spotlight to illuminate what awaits on the trail up ahead, and a wide-angle floodlight so you can see what’s going on immediately around your feet. All that’s missing is a colour tint option, which would allow you to check things without shattering your night vision – generally not a priority for trail runners. 

Read our full Silva Trail Runner Free review

Well known for their popular line of cycling accessories, Knog takes a new approach to headlamps. Powered by a removable Lithium Ion rechargeable battery, the Bilby pushes out an incredible 400-lumen beam. Using 5 LEDs, the headlamp offers a high beam (for long range use) and two elliptical beams for wide-beam illumination around your feet, and mid range illumination. 

On top of this the Bilby features six lighting modes (Boost, Mid, Wide, Spot, Red and Reading), each with four brightness settings (you can customize your settings via the Modemaker app). So many options sound complicated to use or adjust in the dark, but the controls are intuitive and easy to operate. Unusually, the USB is integrated into the lighting pod, so there are no wires to tangle or lose. To recharge, you just pop the pod out and plug it straight into a USB-A port, and the Bilby will be fully charged from zero to max in 4 hours. 

The light is durable, dustproof, lightweight and carries a 1P67 rating for weather resistance – translated in layman’s terms, this means the Bilby is waterproof up to 1 meter underwater. And the light isn’t the only innovative feature; instead of traditional webbing, the head strap is constructed from medical grade silicone that uses a toggle for fine-tuning fit. The strap is comfortable, durable and stable in use. Overall, it's simply one of the best head torches available for runners.

Not every runner can get out when lighting conditions are perfect, especially in the winter when dusk comes early. The designers at Nathan have created a lightweight unit that’s filled with run specific needs. Lightweight and low profile, the Neutron Fire features LEDs pushing out 200 lumens, which is more than enough too see the lay of the land on both urban and backcountry trails. 

On the run, there are five light modes (low, med, high, boost, and strobe), plus red, green and blue side modes to customize your illumination patterns. The weather resistant strap is highly reflective to warn drivers, cyclists and other runners of your approach and keep you safe. The Lithium-Ion Polymer battery is USB rechargeable and delivers 25 hours of burn time.

Headlamps for hiking

The Nitecore HC65 headlamp’s headline-grabbing specs include its ultra-bright max output of 1000 lumens and its impressive IPX8-rated waterproofing. But take one look at this beast and you can see it is built for serious outdoor use, with an anodised military-grade aluminium casing that feels extremely rugged. 

The headlamp itself boasts multiple light settings, ranging from turbo mode – which throws the 1000 lumen max output up to 110m, with a burn time of about an hour – through to ultralow, which restricts performance to just a single lumen but can keep this up for an impressive 800 hours. There is also auxiliary white and red-light illumination for proximity work, ideal for tent use. 

The HC65 is powered by a rechargeable 18650 lithium battery with a 3400mAh capacity, supplied with the headlamp. Handily, this can be charged in situ via a micro-USB port, which is hidden behind a screw-down metal cap at one end of the lamp unit. A similar cap at the other end reveals the battery compartment, which can also take 2 x CR123 batteries.

This isn’t the lightest headlamp around, but it carries comfortably on your head, helped by a secure three-point headband. The lamp unit swivels smoothly through a full 180 degrees of adjustment. It is also fully waterproof, which makes it a very practical headlamp for wet and wild conditions.

Read our full Nitecore HC65 review

If you need a versatile headlamp for a multitude of different uses and activities – say, one that offers proximity lighting for moving around in camp, plus dynamic settings for hiking on the move and a spotlight beam for picking out distant objectives – the LEDLenser MH8 is an ideal option. It features boost, high, medium and low power modes, as well as a strobe setting, plus red, green and blue ambient light modes. 

But the MH8 is also equipped with the brand’s patented focusing technology (opens in new tab), which employs a rotating LED bezel housing that enables the user to instantly switch from an all-round flood beam to a pinpoint spotlight. Though the max output is an impressive 600 lumens, that only applies to boost mode, which provides 30 seconds of illumination and can throw a light up to 200 metres. At high power in energy-saving mode, you get 400 lumens. 

We also liked the fact that the MH8 uses a rechargeable battery pack, which can be charged via the supplied USB cable without needing to remove the battery or disassemble the headlamp in any way. The MH8 can also be used with two standard AA batteries as well.

Though it isn’t the lightest or most compact headlamp, it is very comfortable to use, thanks to a wide and easily adjustable headband with an additional over-the-top strap. Overall, this is an impressive unit with a range of practical light modes and excellent all-round illumination, one of the best headlamps around.

Headlamps comparison table

How we test the best headlamps

At Advnture we endeavor to test every product we feature extensively in the field. That means one of our team of reviewers and writers – all experienced outdoor specialists active across the US, UK, Europe and Australasia – taking it out into the terrain and climatic conditions that it’s designed for. If, for any reason, this isn’t possible, we’ll say so in our buying guides and reviews.

Our reviewers test headlamps in a range of outdoor scenarios – camping, hiking, trail running, caving and watersports (where appropriate) – assessing their value and performance against the claims of the brand in terms of illumination, comfort, beam strength, weight, battery consumption, robustness and features.

How to choose the best headlamp

The most important thing to consider when looking to invest in the best headlamp for your adventures is how and where you are most likely to use it. If you’re primarily looking for a handsfree torch for use around the campsite, then there’s no need to invest in a super lightweight model with a massive mega-lumen punch and a rock solid head harness. Best save those pennies for other trinkets.

When camping, you might also want more flexibility than a light attached to your head can give you. See our guide to the best flashlights for handheld alternatives to head torches.

But if you’re looking to stay out on the trails well past dark, while running, hiking, climbing or on a backpacking adventure (see: How to plan a backpacking trip), then of course weight, brightness and maintaining a level beam will be much more important factors. Where safety is concerned, particularly in winter, this becomes a big factor.

Oh, and another thing, don’t overlook the head strap. How you use the headlamp will influence how well the straps perform. For a runner, a powerful beam isn’t much use if the light unit is bouncing up and down every time your feet hit the ground.

Brightness

Obviously at the top of mind when considering the best headlamp is how bright the beam is. Brightness is quoted in lumens, which is a measurement of the total quantity of visible light emitted by a source per unit of time. But let’s not get caught up in the science – basically, the bigger the number, the brighter the light. Bright is good, of course, especially if you’re engaged in something like trail running with a headlamp along a technical route with potential drop offs, or negotiating a mountain. 

However, the brighter a light burn, the quicker the battery will run out. Having said this, LED (light-emitting diode) lights have completely changed the game in recent years, and headlamps and other torches can shine brightly much longer than they once could. The best thing to look for is a headlamp that offers a good top level lumen level for when you really need it, but has several other settings to choose from too. This way, you can preserve the life of your battery if you're simply going to go night walking, for example. In most use cases, it's fairly rare that you will really need that full-on beam.

Beam and strobe options

Wondering how to read a map at night? The best head torch options will offer at least two beam settings: 'flood' and 'spot'. The flood setting casts the light wide and is ideal for reading things like books or maps. Your adventurous buddies will thank you for the flood setting too, as it allows you to look at them in the tent or on the trail without burning their eyes out – always a bonus. The spot setting projects a concentrated and narrow beam, just like a spotlight on a singer at a concert. It's perfect for illuminating the trail up ahead, or zeroing in on something in the distance.  

Besides these settings, you should also look for a lamp with a strobe setting, which is a very visible blink or flash mode that can be sustained for ages by a battery and is useful for road safety and emergency signalling. 

Night vision

Camping and hiking technology have come on leaps and bounds in recent years and the best headlamps are no different. Most of the best headlamp options will have at least one colour setting, which is usually red but sometimes green and/or blue too. These allow you to turn the torch on while you’re out on the trail walking in the moonlight, or navigating by the stars, without completely blowing out your natural night vision. After all, your sensory ability to see in the semi dark is better than you might think, improves over time but is easily shattered by unnatural light. Again, this is something your friends will thank you for, as it is also a useful function for getting enough ambient light in a tent to find what you’re looking for in the middle of the night, without waking everyone else up. No one wants grumpy camp mates.

Rechargeability

Some of the best headlamps available today have bespoke battery packs – either completely integrated into the lamp, or removable – that can be recharged from a range or power sources, including USB ports. This is great, of course, but even better are the ones that allow you to also use standard AAAs as well, because then you can take back-up batteries and not fret about being left in the dark out on the trail on longer adventures.

If you're out in the wilderness and your headlamp or batteries need to be recharged, the best solar chargers allow you to harvest the sun's rays during the day, in order to charge up your devices ready for the night.

Head harness

Unsurprisingly, the head band is a crucially important element of the best head torches. No matter how good and bright a lamp is, you’re not going to wear it on your head if it’s brutally uncomfortable. If you find yourself carrying it around in your hand, then you have entirely missed the point of this tool. An easily adjustable head harness is ideal, and the option to have an over-the-top-of-the-head strap as well as one that goes around will allow you to get a more secure and less bouncy fit, which is especially important for trail running.

Another consideration is the headwear you may wear on any given adventure. If you're taking on a spicy scramble at dusk, you might want to don a helmet. If it's brutally cold, you're gonna grab that hiking hat. The best head torch should be able to adjust to all these situations.

Functionality

As is the case with all the best camping tech, you will want a lamp that doesn’t demand a degree in physics to operate. Myriad setting options are all well and good, but simplicity can be better, with one easily located button that allows you to toggle through the various modes, all of which should have an obvious function. 

Look for a lamp that swivels up and down, so you can point the beam at your toes, mid distance, or straight ahead at upcoming trails, depending on your requirements at any given time. Other functions that are handy are a lock out option (to stop the lamp getting accidentally activated in your backpack, draining the battery), a rear red light for safety while walking or running on roads and lanes at night, and a pre-programmed SOS flash option. 

Waterproofing

While you can keep your headlamp in a dry bag (see our best dry bags) during the day, if rain is still falling when the sun sets, you need to be able to rely on your headlamp to repel the worst of the weather.

Quality headlamps are given an Ingress Protection (IP) rating, awarded by certified, independent companies after substantial testing. The acronym IP is followed by two digits, the first ranges from 0-6 and refers to resilience to solid particles (dust) and the second ranges from 0-9 and shows how water resistant a gadget is. Most head torches score between IPX4 to IPX6, which means they are resistant to water (higher that second number the better), but not waterproof. You'll find more on this in our guide on waterproof vs. water-resistant products. 

The Black Diamond Storm, featured here, scores IP67, which means it is fully dust proof, and waterproof, submergible to 1 meter for up to half an hour. While this degree of robustness is reassuring – don’t dismiss lamps that score slightly lower. Unless you’re a caver or a kayaker, you shouldn’t need to submerge any of the best head torch brands, and so long as it can cope with a bit of weather, it’ll be fine.