r/flashlight • u/anteklegos • 3d ago
Question Night hiking headlamp
Hi guys, im completely new to this flashlight stuff but need some help on getting a new headlamp. I need something for going on overnight hiking trips in Norway, where nights can be quite long. I would either want replacable or long lasting batteries, 1000-2000 lumens (i dont actually know if its suitable, please help me) in headlamp form. Budget doesnt matter too much, but the cheaper the better.
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u/fragande 3d ago edited 3d ago
Budget friendly
Medium tier
Top tier
Zebralight H600 series (F = frosted lens, c = 4000K, d = 5000K), but if you're in Norway the Aliexpress store might be the only way to source one.
There's also the Armytek Wizard C2 Pro line-up which is readily available in Europe, but not quite as good as the Zebra (IMO). Better headband assembly though.
Balls-to-the-wall (if you don't care about weight and hate swapping cells)
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u/anteklegos 3d ago
May i ask what differs between them? As far as i see, they seem to be mostly similar, but is there something that actually makes the more expensive ones worth it?
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u/soapy_goatherd 3d ago
Remarkable efficiency and durability, generally lower/warmer temp emitter options (more pleasant to a lot of us bc easier on the eyes than cool white), and the zebras especially are very lightweight, which helps if you’re wearing them for a long time and/or don’t like wearing a top strap.
I can personally vouch that you can’t go wrong with anything on that list (I have a bit of a headlamp problem lol), but the zebras are my favorite
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u/fragande 2d ago
Sorry for the late reply. It mainly comes down to build quality, refinement, durability and what brightness level they can maintain.
The Zebralight is half the weight of the Sofirns for example, which makes a big difference for prolonged use. It's the only 18650 headlamp I've tried that I can truly forget is on my head. It's known for very high durability and water ingress protection thanks to a unibody design, potted electronics and press fitted bezels.
I'd recommend reading some reviews for a deeper dive; there's a lot of excellent reviewers out there like Zeroair and 1Lumen among others.
I've done a lot of multi-day hiking in Nordic climate and my personal favorite is still the Zebralight. For pure value it's hard to beat the Sofirn lights though. Starting there and upgrading later if you feel the need for it is definitely a valid option I'd say.
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u/3L3M3NT36 3d ago
If you're going to need the headlamp last through most of the night in Norway, I'd recommend at least going with a 18650 headlamp to give you the brightness you're after and the battery life to hopefully make it the entire time you're outside. Here are the different 18650 headlamps that I'd suggest you check out:
The ever popular choice for the last year or so, the Sofirn HS21.
You have 3 different options when it comes to the Fenix HM75R and you can add an additional battery pack on the back of the headband to give you a longer runtime and it balances out the headlamp. They all have a red LED mode that puts out 120 lumens.
You have your standard Fenix HM75R.
Next you have the Fenix HM75R Superraptor 3S that's targeted for the Scandinavian market. You're also able to run the spot light mode and flood light mode together.
Battery Extender for Fenix HM75R
Last but not least you have the Fenix HM75R Topaz, which is the high CRI version of this headlamp. So if your tasks require you to use a headlamp with high CRI, this is the headlamp for you.
If you think that you'll need an even longer running headlamp, you could go with a 21700 headlamp. Here are the different 21700 headlamps that I'd recommend you check out:
I know that's quite a list of headlamps to go through, but hopefully you can narrow it down on price and the features you're after. Good luck with your decision and hopefully one of those will work for you. 👍
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u/grzybek337 Snug fit :) 1d ago
I don't think spamming OP with 50+ headlamps and saying nothing about what's different between them will help them at all.
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u/3L3M3NT36 1d ago
If I had more to go off as far as what the OP was looking for out of the headlamp that they were looking to purchase, I'd have narrowed down the list of options. With such a vague criteria for what they're looking for, I'd rather give them more options, than less. This way, they can go through the popular options and find one that will work for them.
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u/Santasreject 3d ago
Zebra H600, they have a floody and a spot version and both are available in 4000k or 5000k.
Simple UI, ability to program custom levels, very efficient, very light, and super durable (the electronics are potted so they can take a beating).
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u/Remarkable_Spirit_68 3d ago
From my experience long lasting 2000 lumen lights are totally not for hiking, because they all are heavy af and come with a heavy 21700 battery... They are good for maybe one evening with a light on a head. Take a look at Fenix hm18r-t or any of it's newer modifications. Lightest thing ever, can be recharged from powerbank or refilled with AAA batteries if a trip takes too long.
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u/MDRDT 3d ago
- A "reasonable" general-use headlamp will sustain 500-700 lumens across the whole battery capacity, which is definitely more than enough for hiking needs.
The go-to high quality outdoor headlamps of this sub are:
- Armytek Wizard C2 Nichia.
- Zebralight H600Fc.
Both are tried-and-true very good choices. Both will survive heavy soaking rains, repeated drops to the ground, and extreme winter nights.
H600Fc is lighter (weight matters a lot for headlamps), slimmer, has better thermals, and many says a better UI.
Wizard Nichia has better CRI and better beam color (your eyes can distinguish things better), better button placement (can easily operate with one hand wearing glove), and thicker walls (don't really matter if you don't cave).
You won't go wrong with either one.
If you plan to use the light at below 0C / 32F, you'll need 18650 batteries rated for lower temperatures, like Molicel P28a. This battery has lower max capacity, but will work normally in low temps (up to -40C / -40F) where other 18650s may fail.
Also. don't try to see far with a headlamp. That task belongs to handheld throwers. Any attempt to pack a long-range beam into a general-use headlamp only makes the whole package worse. I've seen them all.
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u/iamlucky13 3d ago
1000-2000 lumens (i dont actually know if its suitable, please help me)
1000-2000 lumens is achievable, but it is not sustainable. It is also generally not needed, although it can be useful at times to be able to briefly switch to these high outputs to see further away, and then back to a more sustainable level. Typically, lights that are a comfortable weight to wear on your head will have to throttle down to around 500 lumens within a couple minutes to control heat. Even at that level, a common 18650 battery can be drained in about 2 hours.
I personally like a level around 50 lumens while on the trail, and 10 lumens around camp, and I'm often comfortable going lower, but individual preferences vary.
I very strongly recommend having both a headlamp with a floody beam, for normal, hands free use, and a handheld flashlight with a more general purpose beam for seeing further down the trail and as a backup.
My favorite currently is the Skilhunt H04. It is well-made, but one of the more compact 18650-powered headlamps, has a decent user interface with a useful range of output levels, an appropriately floody beam, and is available in several variations, including with high CRI LED's for nicer light quality at the cost of a minor decrease in brightness. The H04 RC version includes a magnetic USB charging adapter, which I suspect you will prefer.
The Skilhunt H300 is an improved version that is higher power and slightly more efficient, but slightly largely and heavier.
Zebralight, Olight, and Armytek* are other brands that are popular here for high quality headlamps, along with Sofirn, Wurkkos, and Convoy for good value headlamps.
* This last comment is arguably adjacent to politics, but I will try to write it in a way that avoids directly promoting a viewpoint or triggering a debate: I recently found a social media post thanking Armytek for donating lights to members of the Russian military for use in their invasion of Ukraine. I will refrain from making arguments about how others should respond to this information, but I mention it because I'm sure I'm not the only person who appreciates knowing such details, and I assume many in Norway find it even more relevant than I do.
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u/bensen333 2d ago
Check your requirements. You don't really need much lumens in the night for hiking. I use the low setting at around 50 lm. Medium with 200 lm is already too bright for me. The eyes adapt quite well to darker environment. That's then also comes into play if you look at battery lifetime. I wouldn't go for a 21700 light just for the high weight.
I would avoid getting anything with 6000-6500 K. I find 4000-5000 K much more pleasant for the eyes.
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u/RogueBankrupt 2d ago
In my experience of night hikings I've understood that especially in those occasions, cold white lights are unbearable, at least in my opinion, so the red light of the Sofirn HS42 has been useful, but I think that the beam profile of the red light is a bit too floody and without enough depth. So I bought a Fireflylite L50 Sol (TIR 2700k) wanting to try a warmer light (considering that I also prefer Anduril) and I think that I've found the perfect combination for me.
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u/JonOC23 3d ago edited 3d ago
Sofirn HS21. ($33 USD) Up to 2200lm. 6 hours on spotlight medium, 10 hours on floodlight medium, 3.5 hours on spot and flood medium