The Best Headlamps For Hunting of 2024

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

Specifications

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

Specifications

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

Specifications

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

Specifications

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
Fenix HM75R	$170	243 hours (low), 10:30 hours (high)	1,600	11.32 oz.	IP68
Princeton Tec Remix	$42	3 hours	450	2.9 oz.	IPX4
Black Diamond Storm 500-R	$75	350 hours (low), 7 hours (high)	500	3.5 oz.	IP67
Petzl Aria 2 RGB	$60	50 hours (Red), 2 hours (high)	450	3.7 oz.	IP67

Sean McCoy using a headlamp with red light after a hunt — The author hikes out of a hunt using a red headlamp; (photo/Sean McCoy)

Why You Should Trust Us

After a lot of time in the dark, we’ve sorted out the best headlamps for hunting; (photo/Sean McCoy)

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Headlamp for Hunting

Red light of headlamp in mountains at dusk — The red light of a headlamp lights up the foreground at dusk high in the Rocky Mountains; (photo/Sean McCoy)

Lumens

Beam Pattern

Hunter in a tent with a headlamp — A member of our hunting party in a tent, lit with headlamps; (photo/Sean McCoy)

Battery Life and Recharging

A tent glows in the darkness illuminated by a headlamp — A hunting camp glows in the darkness illuminated by a headlamp; (photo/Sean McCoy)

IP Ratings

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

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

While not the most powerful on the list, the **Black Diamond Storm-R** has a long runtime and a red light option, making it a great option for most hunters;(photo/Sean McCoy)

FAQ

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.

We recommend a minimum of 400 lumens for a headlamp for hunting. More is better, but even more important is a long burn time.

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.