Black Diamond Spot 350 Headlamp Outdoor Head Torch

Product Information

This one seems obvious, but when talking to others or passing by fellow outdoor enthusiasts, avoid shining your headlamp directly into their eyes. It can be temporarily blinding and disrupt their night vision. Use dimming or red light mode when appropriate Most headlamps come with dimming or red light modes. These are ideal for situations where you want to minimize the disturbance to others while maintaining visibility. Use a red light when reading in a shared tent or camping area. Signal your presence Store your headlamp in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. Remove batteries to prevent corrosion.

For devices that use disposable batteries, remove them when not in use for extended periods to prevent battery leakage. With long-lasting batteries or the option to use rechargeable ones, a headlamp means that you don't have to just be out for a few hours or a day—you'll have a reliable source of light for extended outdoor adventures, including multi-day hikes, or camping trips. Emergency preparedness Adjust the brightness level of your headlamp to match the situation. For tasks that require more precision, use a higher brightness setting. When navigating open trails or paths, use a lower setting to conserve battery and avoid blinding others. Respect no-light zonesLumen count: Lumens are a measure of the quantity of light emitted from a light source. For reference: 1 lumen is 10 times brighter than moonlight; a flashlight offers about 20 lumens. But when you’re buying a headlamp, you don’t want to just go for the highest lumen count possible. “A lot of lumens can be attractive to many and feel fun. However, there is the trade-off with weight, low run-time, and price,” said Victor Kabo, the co-founder of Bookman Urban Visibility, a Swedish company that makes bicycle lights. Lumen count also doesn’t tell you much about the actual light quality, either: From an optics perspective, the beam length and the shape both impact a light’s output more than the lumen number. Based on our experience and research, we’ve found you don’t need more than 300 lumens for everyday tasks, and often 200 will do just fine. (Running a 400-lumen headlamp at 200 will also make the battery last longer.) We looked at headlamps that offered at least 200 lumens (except for the headlamps for kids). For minimalists and true ounce-counters, our favorite ultralight headlamp of 2023 is the Nitecore NU25 400 UL. At just 1.6 ounces, the Nitecore secures via a streamlined elastic headband, is surprisingly bright with a 400-lumen max output, and is rechargeable via micro USB. We’ve also found it incredibly easy to operate (cryptic toggling between modes is a common issue with headlamps), with one button for the white beam and one for red, and the battery seemingly lasts forever. All told, as a high-powered emergency light or for those trying to keep their load as light as possible, the NU25 UL is a bright and relatively cheap option.

The Spot is one of our favorite lights, but it is not without some shortcomings, which we'll cover below. Lower cost competing lights have also improved significantly over the past few years, and the Spot now faces strong competition from lower cost lights like the Petzl Tikkina, which offers strong performance at a 33% lower cost, and is one of the other lights we recommend considering before buying the Spot (the other being the BD Storm). Below we'll take you through the Spot's performance, with ample comparison and contrast to other top contenders worth consideration. Trail Finding You may need replace your strap, especially if you loaned your headlamp to a friend with a big head.Most headlamps are designed to work in cold conditions, but extremely low temperatures can affect battery performance. Keeping spare batteries warm and close to your body can help maintain their capacity in the cold. Can I use my headlamp in rainy or wet conditions?