5 Of The Best Headlamps To Consider For Your Next Camping Trip

Portable lighting is always a necessity when you're camping, even if it's just to find your way to the bathroom or around a staked tent. You always have the option of using a handheld one, and there are some amazing bright flashlights out there. However, it may come in handy to have a headlamp in your camping arsenal as well, especially since it's a useful camping gadget you can use year-round.

If you walk into an outdoor store or research headlamps online, you'll find many brands and styles with varying prices. It can get a bit overwhelming. Based on reviews from users as well as our own experience with a variety of different lighting sources while in the wilderness, here are five of the best headlamps to choose from for your next camping trip. The methodology we used to select these apps will be explained in more detail at the bottom of this article.

You want headlamps to be bright, especially if you're walking around in the woods and need to look ahead before stepping on something you shouldn't. Currently, BioLite's highest Lumen headlamp, the 800 Pro, is a great choice when it comes to brightness, fit, and even safety. There are six front light modes, two rear light modes, and a 150-hour runtime while on low. You can even easily tilt it for accurate projection. Also, this headlamp can be used in the rain, though BioLite states that you can't submerge it underwater, so there is no swimming with the headlamp.

On BioLite's website, it has a 4.4 out of five-star rating from 57 buyers. Many rave about the battery capacity and how easy it is to change functions. However, there are some complaints about the fact that it uses a Micro-USB to charge instead of the much more favored and universal USB-C. Additionally, one reviewer is not pleased with the strap clips — they've stated that the clips have broken. Keep in mind that this complaint came from someone who bought it over a year ago and used it for trail running, and BioLite responded to the complaint, thanking them for reporting it so the company can attempt to resolve the issue in future production.

Black Diamond is an incredibly popular brand in the outdoor retail world. Since being founded in 1989, the company has grown to refine its products and sell them in big-name stores like REI and Academy. With a 4.7 out of five-star rating from over 100 people on Black Diamond's website, the Spot 400-R Rechargeable Headlamp is an innovative and sustainable piece of technology. The elastic headband is made with Repreve recycled textiles and doesn't come with a giant battery mounted to the back. This means you can lie down while you're using it and not have to deal with any bulk digging into the back of your head.

This headlamp is waterproof-tested and can operate up to 1 meter underwater for up to 30 minutes. It has a 400 Lumens max output with several different modes, such as strobe and red night-vision, along with the standard LED white light. The one option it does not have is the ability to tilt, but that's a small price to pay for the other features that it comes with, along with several different colors to choose from.

If you're a beginner camper in search of tech products for camping but don't want to splurge on gear just yet, you can always take a trip to your local Harbor Freight, a company known for selling budget-friendly tools and other supplies. Here, you'll be able to find the Braun 310 Lumen Swivel LED Headlamp at an extremely affordable price compared to the other headlamps from outdoor adventure stores like REI.

It is a simple headlamp design with a two-point head strap, so it stays securely on your head or a hat. It comes with three modes — high, low, and strobe — and a 90-degree wide-angle swivel head. It only emits 310 Lumens on the high setting, but there don't seem to be many complaints about the amount of light from users. This headlamp comes with a 4.7 out of five-star rating from over 4,300 consumers, so it's bound to be a good investment.

NEBO makes all kinds of innovative flashlights, some of which can also be used as a small power bank for your camping trips. You can even recharge the NEBO MYCRO 400 Rechargeable Headlamp if you need to. This headlamp comes with a 4.2 out of five-star rating from 69 users.

There are a couple of things that make this headlamp unique. The first is that you can unclip it from the headband and attach it to the cap of your hat while also having an adjustable tilt option, so you get the perfect angle of light. The other unique feature is the light settings. It has all the standard settings like high, medium, low, red, and green — the highest setting uses 150 Lumens. 

However, there's also a turbo setting, which uses the product's advertised 400 Lumens. The turbo setting will give you short bursts of powerful light for 30 seconds. After that, the light will go back to the previous mode to prevent it from overheating and give it a longer-lasting battery life. If you need more light, you can reactivate the turbo setting at any point.

Sometimes, a headlamp can't shine into the spaces you need because you have to not only hold your head a specific way but also see the area. So, what about a headlamp that can also turn into a hands-on flashlight? With a 4.4 out of five-star rating, the Fenix HM61R V2.0 Rechargeable Headlamp is unique because of that exact feature. It's designed with a patented quick-release structure, so you can slip the flashlight in and out of the PC holder using the body clip. Don't worry about it falling out, either — the slot is built to lock the flashlight in place. Even more, if you use it as a flashlight, a magnet is built into the tail end, so you can attach it to a ferromagnetic metal surface.

Furthermore, this headlamp has a light capacity of 1600 Lumens on high, the ability to shine up to 162 meters away, and a runtime of 300 hours at the lowest mode. It also has intelligent memory, so it'll remember the last mode you used, so you won't have to flip through settings every time you use the light. A downside of this headlamp, though, is the magnetic charging cable. It works great — however, if you lose it, you'll have to either find a charger for the 18650 rechargeable battery or start replacing the CR123A batteries, which can get pricy.

The headlamps discussed in this article were chosen based primarily on high reviews from people who have bought and actively used the products while camping. Additionally, some of them are personal recommendations. Every headlamp comes with a high rating of at least four out of five stars and is under the price of $100, making them both reliable and affordable. 

Each headlamp comes with unique features and offers something for anyone in the market. We recommend considering your needs before selecting a headlamp. For example, if you want to save money on batteries, a rechargeable option may be better for you in the long run.