When you’re hunting, being able to see your surroundings is crucial, especially for those long-distance shots. You need a headlamp that will light your path and won’t disturb the wildlife. Don’t worry about tripping over branches and scaring away your game when you have a quality headlamp that lights your path. Moving around with a lantern doesn’t give you the hands-free access you really need. You’ll find that a reliable, bright headlamp is an essential addition to your hunting gear. Whether you’re hunting as the sun sets or are up before the sun rises, we’ve got the 3 best headlamp options so you bring home some hard-won meat every trip.
1. Streamlight ProTac HL Headlamp
The Streamlight ProTac HL Headlamp is our #1 choice for hunting. It’s a lightweight, lithium-powered headlamp that delivers the best hands-free lighting performance. The ProTac gives you three operating programs, providing 635 lumens of light at the highest setting. This durable headlamp can run up to 1.75 hours on the highest setting and up to 36 hours on the lowest. Beam length is up to 184 meters on high. It’s also water and impact resistant for prime outdoor use.
2. Energizer Vision HD Focus LED Headlamp
The Energizer Vision HD Focus LED Headlamp is a great option for reliable light while hunting. This hands-free headlamp boasts 400 lumens on the highest setting with a beam distance of up to 85 meters. This headlamp also has special Digital Focus technology to narrow the beam. Additional features include low, spot, flood, and red lighting settings for night vision, making it perfect for those late night or early morning hunting excursions. On the highest setting, you can expect up to 3 hours of use. It’s also water and impact resistant for maximum durability in any situation.
3. Streamlight Enduro - Camo
The Streamlight Enduro Headlamp is impact resistant and lightweight, utilizing white and green light output modes. On the highest setting, you can get up to 850-candela peak beam intensity. You can also get up to 6 hours of continuous use on high or up to 12 on the lowest setting. The high-flux LED is reflector-focused for up to 100 feet range of light. This model comes with a camouflage design to effectively blend in with the rest of your hunting gear.
What are important features to look for in a hunting headlamp?
- Beam type & distance - You’ll want adjustable light outputs to switch between concentrated spotlights and wider floodlights depending on if you’re using the headlamp to walk around or for a long-distance shot.
- Water-resistance - Since you’ll be outdoors, you’ll want longer-lasting performance under any conditions including light rain or snow.
- Battery life - Depending on the length of your hunting trip, you need a headlamp that doesn’t make you replace or recharge your batteries often.
What is the brightest headlamp you can buy?
Some headlamps can reach up to 1600 lumens, which is very intense and also a bit pricy. Most headlamps that hunters purchase give out anywhere from 300 to 700 lumens for sufficient light output. White light is ideal over headlamps that use red or green light. The darker colors are great for those times when you’re not using your lamp at a distance.
How many lumens do I need for a headlamp?
The amount of lumens you’ll require in a headlamp depends on how you’ll be using the headlamp. For hunting, it’s suggested that you use headlamps with more than 300 lumens, but headlamps with as low as 150 lumens can be sufficient for some people. The fewer lumens, the cheaper the product tends to be.
A higher lumen count means brighter and further-reaching light. This also depends on the spread of the light output. Finding a lamp with a focused beam can provide a bright spotlight that reaches an ideal distance for hunters. You can also find headlamps that adjust the light output from spotlights to floodlights whenever they are needed.