Headlamps and batteries

I generally have used a headlamp that uses three AAA batteries. I put fresh Alkaline batteries in each time I go out. It has never failed me.
What sort of batteries do you use in your headlamp? AA? AAA? CR123a?
Ni-Hydride? Lithium?

I might consider purchasing a rechargeable headlamp, but I have not researched cost yet, and what I have does work well enough.

Someone told me the Black Diamond Revolt 350 was a good one, and reasonably priced. It uses AAA rechargeable batteries, I think.

We see our headlamps as emergency equipment more that a tool to use every day (or night.) We don't hike at night, cook, at night, or do anything else at night by headlamp. With that in mind, we've used a small headlamp that uses a photo battery--and one battery lasts us all season.

We have some AAA battery headlamps we use for car camping...they go dead quicker, but we use them to read, etc. But we don't carry books in our packs ..

I’m very happy with Panasonic eneloop AA Ni-MH rechargeable batteries in a Zebralignt H53Fw AA 4500k headlamp. I have night hiked quite a bit but that depends entirely on the terrain. Some places like canyon county is near impossible. I’ve used it for all manner of camp cooking and reading as it has a wide range of illumination settings. It is a tool used very often and highly useful around the house, looking into closets, drawers, the garage or under the sink. If mine were to break I’d get another just like it. It has a very smooth floody beam with a pleasant warm tint. They also come with a warmer tint yet or a cooler tint depending on one’s wants.

I'm very happy with my cheap ($16) rechargeable headlamp from Amazon. It is extremely lightweight (1.5 ounces) which is even more important when wearing on my head than when carrying in my pack. Actually I mainly use it for car repairs and household projects. It has three brightness levels, which allow trade-offs with time between recharging. I routinely use it for over an hour on the brightest setting, and it has already lasted for two years of use (typically 2 or 3 times per month). It is Hoxida brand:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T8FPK38

I've been using an Energizer brand headlamp now for several years. It uses 3 AAA batteries, and weighs in right at 3 oz, batteries included, IIRC. These are widely available (at least in the US) and cheap. I'm sure there are better headlamps, but I haven't ever had a reason to replace it.

+1 on Eneloop batteries. I've been using them for years around the house. They're almost the only thing I use.

I recently grabbed a tiny rechargeable flashlight with a clip that can grab onto a cap, watch band, tent flap... LED lights are getting small enough to fulfill roles as flashlight and headlamp, so something to toss into the mix.

I did buy a headlamp that uses a CR123 so that I could just carry one type of extra battery for my Steripen and headlight. That battery seems last a lot longer than the headlamps that use AAA or AA batteries and is lighter.

It's a good idea to make sure your lamp is bright enough in case you have to hike at night. Even if night hiking is not your thing, emergencies do happen--it happened to me!

The hands-free headlamp (as opposed to a hand-held flashlight) is also very useful at home when you have to do something in a dark corner, or the cupboard under the sink.

I totally agree that a light bright enough for night hiking is essential. I honestly don't know how we used to get around with the ancient D-battery behemoths that pushed out maybe 10 lumens. I've been happy with a max of 350-500 for the occasional WHATWASTHAT!?

I would also recommend a light that has some weather resistance. If an emergency were to push you out into a rainy night, you will want a light you can count on.

Good point. An unexpected stormy traverse would not be the time for the all important lighting tool to fail.

It should be pointed out that if you are hiking at night in a storm you have probably already made a series of bad decisions, from reading the weather report, taking wrong gear, etc...

Yes, bad decisions, unforeseen circumstances, etc. can drive you out of a warm tent at night. I'm just saying there are lighting options out there that can provide a margin of error, which don't cost much more in dollars, weight, complexity...

Sometimes emergencies occur that could not have been avoided through good decisions. It should be pointed out that if you are hiking at night in a storm and do not have a reliable light source strong enough to find the route, then you have made... a bad decision.

Kind of funny to point out but these things happen, emergencies, unforseeable circumstances and unforecast weather. Folks get killed by unforecast weather very quickly. If you know anything about the Colorado Plateau it is infamous for unforecastable weather conditions. The low and high pressures funnel storms in from a thousand miles away in short order. I know a rather large group who do a lot of hiking and they all got caught up in that and weren’t prepared because they didn’t listen well to very conventional wisdom. Now they do come prepared for unforeseen circumstances.

It isn’t always a bad decision. Sometimes you make a choice based on safety that adds hours to your route. Stuff happens, that’s just the way it is. Off trail hiking can bring many stunning discoveries but it can also bring a few major surprises. Canyon country is like that. Even folks who think they are very experienced get a wake up call someday. I’m not suggesting a light will save your bacon but I find it kind of nutty to argue against a good lighting tool.

Naw, we’ve seen a few unforecasted doozies so any vague unsubstantiated justifications don’t mean anything at all.

Thanks Tom.
Looks like a winner. Powerful and light weight and not too many $$$.

Balzaccom
I checked out your blog site. I especially enjoyed the pictures and paintings. I am a watercolor painter myself and do mostly mountains.
On your "things that didn't work:"
I tend to agree with pop bottles except a wider mouth bottle is nice to have sometimes. I have settled for a GaitorAid bottle with a slightly larger mouth than the liter Schwepps Tonic Bottle I had been using.
Regarding watch compass.... I recently started using my excellent phone compass .... but in case the batteries get weak, carry a light weight magnetic compass too.
Re: multitool. I have a few of those, but I don't carry them any longer because I have never never needed a multitool in 1000 hikes and climbs.
True, a bowie Knife is overkill. But I may need my knife for shaving wood for tinder, and for making sharp tent stakes from sticks, so I settled on a folding knife that was inexpensive and has a 3.5 inch blade and has worked well and stayed sharp. (2.0 ounces).

Thanks, Jim.

I agree about the knife. And we usually backpack in the Sierra--where campfires fall somewhere between a completely unnecessary exercise and an illegal activity, so shaving kindling isn't an issue for us. The one thing I use my knife for is to cut salami and cheese for our trail lunches...

And yes, the Gatorade bottles were our water bottles of choice for many years. We now use the folding platypus bottles, only because our kids have given them to us over the years...and it is nice that they fold up enough that you don't hear water sloshing when you hike.

Got your reply balzaccom;
A small group of us, usually just 4 or 5, hike in the Olympic mountains. We love to explore old abandon trails and logging roads or climb peaks without established routes. As a result we are in areas where ether fires are allowed, or there isn't a chance in He** anyone is ever going to know. Certainly not in the dry season, but when it is raining for example, it sure is nice to have a small fire. I am just saying our situation is different.
As I recall one well known through hiker stopped carrying a knife altogether and said he didn't miss it. Interesting. I think one of those small disposable razor utility knifes weighs less than a ounce. Why not?

I can vouch for this option Klarus HR1. Got it with the Li-ion battery option. Has spot, flood and red modes, is light and comfortable.

SO many options now it's a challenged to sift through even a fraction of them.

Cheers,

Hi, try a headlamp with rechargeable AAA batteries. It's very easy to manage and recharge.

Recently got a Nitecore NU25 UL at 1.58 oz. It has proven to be a very nice headlamp with a choice of beams, one is a spot and the other a flood. It opens with both on low and that is mostly sufficient for seeing six feet in front. Medium lets me see further up the trail and high is 400 lumens, a wall of light.
We leave home on foot for the National Forest and wilderness very early in summer to beat the heat and still go in the dark right now. I did have to use medium as the darkness and winding trails with plants everywhere makes it harder to make out. We are both totally satisfied with these after using them 6 mornings a week for several weeks. They are half the weight of my precious Zebralight. They are not expensive either. The battery is rechargeable with a usb-c cord. On low the battery lasts over 10 hours. It also has an ultra low setting.

I agree with @Pasc, I’ve been using headlamps with rechargeable AAA batteries. Easy to swap out batteries, and the spare AAA batteries do not add much weight.