The Best Headlamps For Hunting of 2024
If you’ve ever blood-trailed an elk after sunset, you know that having the best headlamp for hunting is critical. That’s the situation GearJunkie Editorial Director Sean McCoy found himself in a couple of years ago after releasing an arrow just minutes before the end of the legal shooting light in Colorado. With an uncertain shot, he needed to spend hours scouring the ground for any sign of blood and tracks.
When his headlamp finally died in the middle of the night, he had to resort to a backup, and finally, his cellphone light, to get out of the woods.
Since then, he’s spent many hours studying the best headlamps for hunting. They need a powerful white light to navigate tricky terrain. Headlamps for hunting also need a robust red light for long travel down nighttime trails and a stealthy approach to hunting areas in the morning.
They must have long battery life, interchangeable or quickly rechargeable batteries, and be light enough not to weigh you down. It’s a tall order for even the best headlamps. And of those tested, these are McCoy’s all-time favorites.
After looking over these recommendations check out our chart for side-by-side price comparisons and read through our buyer’s guide to learn about lumens, beams, and IP ratings.
The Best Headlamps for Hunting of 2024
Best Overall Headlamp for Hunting: Fenix HM75R Rechargeable Headlamp
Best Budget Headlamp for Hunting: Princeton Tec Remix LED Headlamp
Best Value Headlamp for Most Hunters: Black Diamond Storm 500-R
Best Multipower Headlamp: Petzl Aria 2 RGB Headlamp
Best Overall Headlamp for Hunting
Fenix HM75R Rechargeable Headlamp
Specs
Lumen output 1,600 lumens, 223 meter range
Rechargeable Yes, USB-C
Burn time 234 hours (low), 10 hours 30 minutes (high)
Weight 11.32 ounces including external battery pack
Red light Yes, three power modes
Waterproof rating Yes, IP68 rated
Pros
Very powerful
Warm color floodlight (good for blood trailing)
Multiple red light power settings, including 52-foot range high mode
External battery pack can power devices
Cons
Heavy, large
Expensive
When things get dark, the Fenix HM75R Rechargeable Headlamp ($170) is the best headlamp for hunting you can strap on. It is incredibly powerful when needed but offers excellent lower power modes, a rare adjustable red light, and will run for days without recharging. It is a masterpiece of technology. But we want to point out right away that it’s not ideal for every situation. It’s big and heavy, so it does have a downside.
That said, there is nothing better when you need bright light and long life.
While this is a complicated tool, it’s very easy to use. To turn it on, simply rotate a dial from “off” to one of three modes: spotlight, floodlight, or red. Adjust the power output from that selection by pressing a second button on the dial. Each press scrolls through the power settings for the given mode. It’s that simple!
We love this light primarily for two reasons. First, the white settings come in two color temps. The spotlight is a cool 6,500K light that projects to long distances without eating too much battery. The floodlight, on the other hand, is a warmer 4,000K that provides much better color rendering for close range. The warmer light will reveal colors like blood red much better than cool light, thus ideal for trailing animals after the shot.
Second, the red light has adjustable power settings, which is rare in headlamps. Use the red light while hiking into hunting areas in the morning, as it does not disturb animals as much as the white light. It’s also great around camp and won’t blind your buddies. The ability to dial it up or down between 5 and 120 lumens is fantastic.
Another wild and unique feature, the Fenix HM75R Rechargeable Headlamp comes with a detachable external battery pack. You can use the light without it to save weight if you don’t need the super long runtimes. But attach it with an included USB-C cable, and the runtimes go stratospheric. This provides extra versatility in the field. Better yet, you can even use this battery pack to charge other devices in a pinch!
It’s a great light, but it has two downsides: weight and price. But if you want to prioritize long-running, powerful, versatile light, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better headlamp.
Best Budget AAA Headlamp
Princeton Tec Remix LED Headlamp
Princeton Tec
Specs
Lumen output 450 lumens
Rechargeable No, AAA batteries required
Burn time 3 hours (high) with 82 hour reserve
Weight 2.9 oz.
Red light Yes
Waterproof rating IPX4
Pros
Simple interface
Good runtime and brightness
Very affordable
Easy to change disposable batteries
Cons
Requires disposable or rechargeable AAA batteries
Not as feature rich as more expensive headlamps
Princeton Tec is a great brand that builds its products in the United States, a rarity in lighting. The Princeton Tec Remix LED Headlamp ($42) is one of the brand’s more affordable products. But it’s a very good headlamp.
It keeps costs low by using disposable batteries. In this case, it requires AAA batteries. While we tend to prefer rechargeable lights, there is a benefit to AAA headlamps: instant refueling. Just carry a few extra batteries, and you can return to 100% power in a minute or less. Just drop in new batteries.
For those looking for an affordable yet capable option, the Princeton Tec Remix is perfect. It pushes out a solid 450 lumens and has a useful red light. It’s IPX4 water resistant, which can handle rain and wet weather just fine. And it has a very simple user interface for trouble-free operation.
The Princeton Tec Remix LED Headlamp will do it for those seeking a capable headlamp on a tight budget or who don’t need to use their headlamp for hunting very often. Just remember you’ll need to buy and continually replace batteries throughout the life of this light.
Best Value Headlamp for Most Hunters
Black Diamond Storm 500-R
Specs
Lumen output 500 lumens, 12-120 m
Rechargeable Yes, lithium-ion with micro-USB
Weight 3.5 oz.
Burn time 350 hrs. on low; 7 hrs. on high
Red light Yes
Waterproof Rating IP67
Pros
Blue, green, and red light options
Effective waterproofing
Comfortable
Cons
Lower total duration burn time
Black Diamond makes some darned good headlamps. Over the last few years, the brand has dramatically improved its reputation in lighting. Across its options, you’ll find great hiking, camping, rock climbing, and running choices. And while the Black Diamond Storm 500-R ($75) is a generalist headlamp suited to pretty much any outdoor or even light industrial use, it comes into its own for hunting.
This headlamp is fairly bright, has a long run time, and has multiple light colors, perfect for preserving night vision. It’s also pretty light, weighing just 3.5 ounces.
I’ve used this headlamp and its baby sibling, the Spot 400-R, for dozens of nights in the wilderness. The user interface is excellent, with just two buttons. Push one button to turn the light on and off. Push the other to scroll through lighting modes from spotlight to floodlight to colored lights. Hold the button to adjust the brightness.
It’s simple, easy, and manageable with light gloves. Unfortunately, it’s a little tough to differentiate between the buttons with heavier gloves.
The Black Diamond Storm 500-R sits comfortably on the head. It’s light enough that the strap doesn’t need to be too tight to sit securely. It also uses a common (albeit dated) micro-USB porch for reasonably fast recharging. We’d love to see this updated to USB-C soon for faster recharging.
For now, it’s still a great light. For most hunters, it’s all they’ll ever need and should last several years. While the Fenix HM75R is more powerful and has a few more bells and whistles, the Storm 500-R will serve most hunters’ needs at a nicer price.
Best Multi-Power Headlamp
Petzl Aria 2 RGB Headlamp
Specs
Lumen output High AAA: 450 lumens; high CORE: 600 lumens; low: 7 lumens
Rechargeable Yes, dual battery compatible
Weight 3.7 oz.
Burn time 2 hours (high) 50 hours (red)
Pros
White, red, blue, and green light available
Bright white light
Rechargeable CORE battery and AAA batteries both work in light
Cons
Less powerful when using AAA batteries
Must open light to charge CORE battery
The Petzl Aria 2 RGB Headlamp ($60) is a really solid choice for a hunting headlamp. The big reason it (and other) Petzl lights stand apart is that many can run on both the included rechargeable battery and AAA disposable batteries. This brings some significant benefits.
The Aria 2 is one of these headlamps. It is very simple, with a single top button for mode selection and brightness adjustment. It’s functional even while wearing gloves.
The light packs in all the key elements — red light for night vision, a good max beam distance of 115 m, and a decent flood light. It also has a green light that allows for nighttime map reading and blue, which can help track at night.
The Petzl Aria 2 RGB Headlamp, with its included CORE battery, is a solid value. And if you expect to be out for a long night (or just want backup power), simply toss a few AAA batteries in your pack for an instant recharge. The versatility of this system is hard to beat.
Headlamps Comparison Chart
Headlamp | Price | Burn time | Max output (lumens) | Weight | Waterproof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
$170 | 243 hours (low), 10:30 hours (high) | 1,600 | 11.32 oz. | IP68 | |
$42 | 3 hours | 450 | 2.9 oz. | IPX4 | |
$75 | 350 hours (low), 7 hours (high) | 500 | 3.5 oz. |
| |
$60 | 50 hours (Red), 2 hours (high) | 450 | 3.7 oz. | IP67 |
Why You Should Trust Us
Sean McCoy has been an avid hunter for more than 30 years. He’s also highly interested in lighting and continually researches headlamps and flashlights for outdoor use. In the last 6 months, he’s tested more than a dozen headlamps and currently has about 30 in rotation for various scenarios.
Sean has a no-frills comparative testing methodology. First, he tests their runtime to compare it with the manufacturer’s claims. Then, he compares the brightness with the manufacturer’s claims. Next, and most importantly, he uses them in the field as intended.
This means many hours of hiking, hunting, and doing camp chores to get to the root of each headlamp experience. While quantitative testing is somewhat useful, the true utility of a headlamp comes only after aggressive field testing. Over long tests, the best headlamps float to the surface.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Headlamp for Hunting
Headlamps for hunting meet many of the same criteria as other headlamps. And indeed, this list of the best headlamps for the outdoors will also serve you well for hunting.
However, hunters must consider a few additional attributes that other users might not.
First, a headlamp for hunting needs to have a red light. While the red light setting is great for all headlamps, for hunters, it’s downright mandatory. That’s because some animals, primarily big game, do not see red light well, if at all. Thus, it’s a stealthy way to get to your hunting grounds in the pre-dawn darkness of early morning.
Next, hunters need long run times due to the nature of late-night blood trailing and camp chores. Most hunting takes place in late fall and early winter, too. That means long nights and many hours spent hiking, cooking, and managing camp while in the darkness. A long-lived headlamp is key.
So, the headlamp needs to recharge quickly, too. You want a light that can easily be charged to 100% while you’re sleeping through the night.
All the headlamps on this list will meet these criteria. Below, find a few important attributes explained.
Lumens
Lumens are a quantitative measure of light. One lumen is approximately the light of one candle shining on one square foot from one foot away. Companies quantify the light produced by headlamps and flashlights using lumens.
For hunting, look for a headlamp with at least 400 lumens, although 500 or more is better. The Fenix HM75R packs a whopping 1,600 lumens, which is good for surveying a large area. Our budget pick, the Princeton Tec Remix only puts out 450 lumens, which is still plenty of light for chores in camp or navigating in the dark.
Beam Pattern
It’s important to note that while lumens measure light produced, a high number does not necessarily mean a long range. Focused beams can accomplish a significant range with low lumen numbers, and wide beams may not reach very far even with a lot of lumens (but will flood a wider area with light).
So, it’s also essential to read the “range” or “max distance” to better understand what to expect from the beam pattern. Generally, a tighter beam will have a longer throw, and a wider beam will be shorter, given the same number of lumens.
Battery Life and Recharging
Most of my favorite flashlights use rechargeable batteries. These high-quality batteries give lights a good run time while recharging quickly. It’s worth noting that this is a personal preference. There’s nothing wrong with disposable battery headlamps. They do create waste, and we’d prefer to recharge a single battery many times.
But disposable battery headlamps do have the advantage of simply swapping batteries for a full charge, with no waiting needed. The versatile Petzl Aria 2 allows for the best of both worlds, running on its included rechargeable battery or triple As.
Our favorite headlamps use USB-C charging. USB-C offers very fast charging times and is becoming a universal charging cord. While magnetic charging can offer fast charges and helps companies build very waterproof lighting, we dislike having a special cord for a headlamp. USB-C (and the slower Micro-USB) are common, standard cords. We recommend sticking with these charging styles for simplicity in packing.
IP Ratings
IP ratings explain an electronic item’s resistance to water and dust incursion. IP literally stands for “ingress protection.” Sometimes you’ll encounter an IPX rating. In these cases, there is no Intrusion protection rating, as denoted by the “X.”
To understand the rating, the numerals following “IP” each stand for a type of protection. The first numeral stands for solids, and the second is for liquids. Thus, an IP68-rated headlamp like the Fenix HM75R has a “6” for solid (dust) protection and an “8” for liquid protection. See the list below for more details.
Intrusion Protection (First Digit)
0: No protection
1: Protected against solid objects over 50mm (hands)
2: Protected against solid objects over 12mm (fingers)
3: Protected against solid objects over 2.5mm (tools, wires)
4: Protected against solid objects over 1mm
5: Dust protected
6: Dust tight
Moisture Protection (Second Digit)
0: No protection
1: Protected against vertically falling drops of water
2: Protected against direct sprays of water up to 15 degrees from vertical
3: Protected against direct sprays of water up to 60 degrees from vertical
4: Protected against water splashed from all directions, limited ingress permitted
5: Protected against low-pressure jets of water from all directions
6: Protected against strong jets of water
7: Protected against temporary immersion in water
8: Protected against continuous immersion in water
9: Protected against high-pressure and temperature water jets
FAQ
What is the best headlamp for hunting?
The four headlamps on this list are the top headlamps for hunting today. However, any headlamp with a bright primary light, warm secondary lighting, and a robust red light will do the job.
How many lumens does a good headlamp need?
We recommend a minimum of 400 lumens for a headlamp for hunting. More is better, but even more important is a long burn time.
Do I need a waterproof headlamp for hunting?
You don’t need a headlamp to be entirely waterproof, but it needs to be highly water-resistant. Water resistance is denoted by the IP scale. The last number, for example, the “8” in IP68, explains the level of water resistance. Anything of IPx4 or above is at least splash-resistant and should suffice. The higher that last number, the better. Anything over an 8 is protected against continuous water immersion.
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