A Look At Some Headlamps (And A Hand Torch)

As we enter the darkest part of the year a headlamp or torch becomes an even more important part of a walker’s equipment. ‘Even more’ because I think one is essential at any time, though in high summer a tiny one may suffice. But once there are more hours of dark than light then the chances of needing artificial light grow greatly. Walks may start or, more usually in my case, finish in the dark. On overnight trips I often make camp in the dark and then start the day in the dark, at least as far as coffee and breakfast goes.

Choosing a headlamp or torch from the myriad available can be difficult. I think there are a couple of heavily promoted features that don’t help. In fact they can be misleading. These are power, measured in lumens, and battery life. More lumens, more light! This must be good, mustn’t it? With many headlamps the answer is no. How many lumens do you actually need. Is lighting up the whole mountainside necessary? I think 100 to 400 lumens is ample for hillwalking.

Power and battery life are related. Look at the battery life for the highest lumens and it’s usually short, sometimes very short. If you want your light to last it’s best not to use that setting, except for the occasional brief moment when you really need to see far ahead.

Conversely some headlamps are promoted as having very long battery life. And they do, as long as you’re happy with light that barely illuminates the inside of a tent.

The Petzl Iko Core

With any headlamp it’s best to check the details and ignore the headline promotion. How long should the battery last at different power settings. How many lumens does the setting with the longest battery life actually provide. I think anything under 20 lumens is only suitable for close-up use such as in a tent. Under 10 lumens isn’t even adequate for that. The light might last 100 hours but that’s not helpful if you can’t see much. At the other end of the spectrum a light with 750 lumens of more is great for seeing everything but if the battery only lasts an hour at this setting you’d better not need it for long.

I think that the best setting is in the middle, which may be boring for promotional purposes but makes sense for actual use. That’s around 100 to 300 lumens , which gives a battery life with the lights I review here of 3 to 19 hours. The difference is due to the battery capacity. Higher capacity batteries last longer but mean heavier headlamps.

Whilst headlamps that only run on non-rechargeable batteries are still available most now have rechargeable ones, including all those reviewed. Some can also run on non-rechargeables, which can be useful.

Carrying a power bank to recharge headlamps makes sense on overnight and longer trips. I also carry two headlamps. It’s much easier to swap them over if a battery fails than change batteries or attach a charger. Also, when camping, one can be used to light the tent while you wander off to take photographs of the camp under the stars.

There are a myriad headlamps and torches available. Here I’m going to review two I’ve been testing recently and take a briefer look at five that have been my most used in recent years.

Notes: All weights are with batteries and from my digital scales. Battery life is from the brands specifications. My usage suggests these are roughly accurate.

If you buy from the Amazon links I receive 2-5% commission. Clicking then finding your own items within 24 hours also helps but with a much smaller commission. Every click helps! Thank you if you do purchase something via one of my links.

 

LEDLENSER P5R

https://amzn.to/4nH0oRH

This little torch has reminded me that handheld ones do have some advantages over headlamps. In particular it’s easy to point the light in any direction you want. Walking in the woods I’ve also rediscovered that a light held at waist level gives better depth of field than one on your head. The last is not that significant – I’ve walked with a headlamp in rough terrain many, many times, but it is there. And of course you can always hold a headlamp in your hand. It doesn’t have to be on your head.

The P5R is 125mm long and fits comfortably in my hand. It weighs 100g, which is on the weighty side for a small torch. It does feel sturdy however and is made from 75% recycled aluminium. It’s also dust and water resistant.

It’s powered by a rechargeable battery that can be replaced with an AA battery if necessary. The battery can be recharged in situ via a concealed USB-C port.

The headline power output is 750 lumens. However this is a boost mode intended for short bursts of light only. The highest other power setting is 350 lumens and that only lasts an hour. Mid power of 100 lumens lasts 4 hours and low power of 25 lumens for 20 hours. Mid power is the one I’ve used most.

There are just two controls, which makes it simple to use. Button presses cycle through the power settings while a twist of the lamp housing changes the beam from spot to flood and back. The latter is stepless so you can have anything between the two.

I’ve enjoyed using the P5R for short local walks when I’m not using trekking poles and I’m not going to be out in the dark for many hours. I wouldn’t use it in place of a headlamp though or for long winter night walks. It is quite expensive for a small torch, but it should last well.

 

SILVA SEEK 450 RECHARGE

https://amzn.to/492HfWR

Silva’s latest headlamp is small and light and has an unusual design. Rather than the lamp and battery pack tilting forward together, as on most headlamps, just the lamp tilts via hinges attached to the base of the battery pack. This has the advantage that it doesn’t pull the headband down. The lamp clicks onto the battery to form a complete unit. To separate them a thin bar on the lamp has to be pushed forward. This is easy enough in the light with warm hands but I found it awkward in the dark with cold hands and almost impossible with gloves on.

The Seek 450 has a rechargeable battery with s USB-C port.  In the 450 lumen maximum power mode it lasts 3 hours, in the medium 200 lumen mode 6 hours, and in the super-low 10 lumen mode 90 hours. The last is just about usable for reading in a tent. The medium mode is the most useful and fine for walking in the dark and pitching a tent.

The Seek has what Silva call Intelligent Light, which means a combined spot and flood beam. Using it is simple. A series of presses cycles through the three modes with a longer one switching it off. There’s a red light too, turned on with a long press when the light is off.

The Seek is lightweight at 72g. It’s made from recycled plastic. The stretch headband is wider and more comfortable than many. It has strips of grippy material inside that help stop it slipping and is easily adjustable with two low-profile buckles.

I think this is a good little headlamp for most purposes. I just wish it was easier to tilt the lamp.

 

PETZL IKO CORE

https://amzn.to/4olekC4

My favourite headlamp for the last few years but not because of the actual light, which is okay but nothing special, but because of the headband, which is by far the most comfortable I’ve ever used. It’s thin and flexible, sits on the head without needing to be too tight, and adjusts to hoods and hats without any alteration. I think it’s brilliant! The Iko Core also balances well as the battery is at the back. The latter is Petzl’s rechargeable Core battery. Three AAA batteries can also be used.

The lamp unit is tiny. There are just three settings, low, standard, and maximum. No flood or spot option, no red light, neither of which I miss. The low mode isn’t much use as it’s just 6 lumens, though it does last 100 hours, so effectively there are just two modes. The standard one is 100 lumens, just adequate for most uses. It lasts 9 hours, which is good. The brightest mode is 500 lumens. This lasts 2.5 hours. I wish there was a 200 lumens setting between standard and high. Overall the battery life is okay. The Iko Core weighs 81g.

 

BLACK DIAMOND STORM 500-R

https://amzn.to/4okwoMP

This is the headlamp I use on trips where I expect to need a bright light for many hours. At 250 lumens it lasts 19 hours, at 500 lumens 7 hours. This is excellent, especially as the Storm only weighs 102g. It’s also quite compact. There are flood and spot options plus red, green, and blue lights. Two buttons cycle through the options, one of which is a little small for use with gloves, my only complaint about this headlamp.

The damage to my headlamp occurred when it touched a hot stove. Plastic melts. Keep it away from hot things! Luckily I pulled it away quickly and it still works fine.

PETZL SWIFT RL

https://amzn.to/49zb7dF

Petzl’s reactive lighting adjusts the intensity and spread of the beam depending on where you look. This works really well with the Swift RL and means that battery life depends on how you use it. The maximum burn time gives 10-70 hours at 18-100 lumens, the standard setting gives 25 to 275 lumens and lasts 7 to 45 hours. I mostly use the first, switching to the second if I need a brighter light. The most powerful setting goes from 30 to an extremely bright 1100 lumens, with a run time of 2 to 35 hours. I’ve only used this to see what it was like!

I really like reactive lighting. It’s great not having to use buttons. I think I should use this headlamp more! It weighs 104g and is compact and comfortable to wear.

 

PETZL BINDI

https://amzn.to/4nBFaom

This serves the opposite purpose to the Storm. It’s the headlamp I take when I don’t expect to need one or for short periods of time. It’s tiny and very light at 35g. It still has a maximum output of 200 lumens but this only lasts 2 hours. At 100 lumens the battery lasts 3 hours. This is fine for high summer when there aren’t many hours of darkness.

 

BLACK DIAMOND SPOT 400-R

https://amzn.to/3WAPMJb

A lighter version of the Storm, the 71g Spot has better than average battery life, lasting 8 hours at 200 lumens and 4 hours at the maximum 400 lumens. It has the same buttons as the Storm, and so the same difficulty with gloves on, plus the same spot and flood modes.

I’ve also made a video about these lights.

You can find more detailed reviews by myself and others of some of these lights plus others on the TGO website.

A Terry Abraham video of me in the Lake District

A Conversation With Feargus Cooney

 

A few months ago I was interviewed by Feargus Cooney for this YouTube channel. We discussed getting into wilderness travel in the 1970’s, safety concerns, what the word and the idea of ‘wilderness’ actually means, rewilding, native forests, outdoor influencers and safety and various other subjects. 

Autumn Backpacking in Glen Affric

Mists, clouds, colours

Glen Affric in autumn is glorious. Actually, Glen Affric is always glorious, but it’s especially so in autumn due to the colours of the trees and grasses. Mists often drift round the peaks and the sun is lower than in summer, giving wonderful side lighting.

View along Glen Affric at the start

This year my autumn visit was a three-night trip in the company of Tony Hobbs and his dog Bella. Starting late one afternoon we walked along the Affric Kintail Way for a few kilometres until we found a grassy spot to camp just as it grew dark. The sky was overcast but the colours of the birches were deep and rich.

Tony in the undergrowth

The sky was still cloudy at dawn but there were hints of blue and bursts of sunshine as we started up the steep narrow overgrown path beside the rushing waters of the Allt Garbh. At times the dense undergrowth of bracken, heather and saplings gave the ascent a jungle-like feel.

Out in the open

The sky began to clear as we climbed out of the trees and the views opened up. The light was lovely. It didn’t last though and the sky was overcast again as we turned into the upper glen. Our intended hill for the day, Aonach Shasuinn, was shrouded in dark cloud and the steep climb into the clag didn’t look appealing. Staying in the light seemed more attractive so we continued up the glen, hoping to find somewhere to camp at its head.

Bursts of sunshine

We didn’t get that far. The path became an estate track, the estate track disintegrated into a boggy mess. Somewhere I tweaked a calf muscle and was limping painfully so when Tony pointed to a large flat grassy area down by the river and thought we should camp there I didn’t disagree and we were soon pitching our tents.

Relaxing in camp

There was no wind and it wasn’t very cold so we sat outside watching the clouds and the hills and listening to stags roaring on the hillsides, the sound of autumn. The night was chilly though, the temperature falling to just below freezing, as it had the night before.

Red sky in the morning

Dawn came with a fiery sky but by the time we were packing up it was overcast again, the tops hidden. Rather than continue up to the head of the glen we decided to make a rising traverse to the low point on the ridge that lay above our camp. The way up was rough, steep, and boggy, and not good for my sore calf so I was glad when we reached the top. It was enough climbing for me for the day.

Bella & Tony on the tough ascent

A cold breeze swept the ridge so we dropped down a little way searching for somewhere calm and not too boggy to sit for a while, eventually settling on a lovely, dry, gently sloping, striped rock. The view out over Glen Affric to the big hills on the far side was spectacular even though the clouds remained down on the tops. 

We recorded a little video chat while we were there.

Not far from our rock we picked up a steep path that led down into Glen Affric. This path was ingeniously designed, zigzagging across the slope, and curving round little cliffs, to take the sting out of what could be a challenging descent. I love paths like this! They feel almost a natural part of the landscape, fitting into its shape and contours. They’re hard to see from any distance and leave as little mark as it’s possible for a path to do.

Tony on the path down

My delight in the path distracted me from my sore calf and as we descended further distraction came from the skies clearing to cast a wonderful light over the mountains, the glen, and the lochs. It was magnificent.  

Clearing skies, glowing landscape

The lower section of the path was muddy and slippery and I had to concentrate or my feet rather than the views. Even so without my trekking poles I’d have been on my backside a few times. Once we reached the wide track of the Affric Kintail Way the tough walking was over and we could admire the autumn colours.

Glen Affric from the lower part of the descent

We had hoped to camp soon after reaching the glen but found nowhere suitable until we were back where we’d been two nights before. It was a good site so we were happy to stay here again.

Last morning

Overnight the weather changed, a change we knew was forecast. I was woken in the dark by rain rattling on the tent. It was still coming down at dawn. The pressure had fallen 18mb since the previous morning. The temperature had been 1°C at 1.30 a.m. An hour later it was 4°, by dawn 7°.  A rapid change.

Packing up in the rain

We packed up and walked back to the car in the rain. The colours of the woods were still wonderful, the clouds wreathing the summits mysterious. We hadn’t climbed the hills we had intended but that wasn’t the real reason we were there. Immersing ourselves in nature and experiencing the beauty of Glen Affric in autumn was what mattered and we had done that.

Video and pictures of the Mountain Laurel Designs DuoMid XL Pyramid Tent

 

A little video on the MLD DuoMid XL. Here's some pictures of the tent in use.

A Look At The November Issue Of The Great Outdoors

The November issue of TGO sees the start of a new gear spot in conjunction with Nikwax in which reviewers describe their long-term gear favourites and how they care for them to ensure they last. I begin the series with some favourite boots, Brasher Hillmasters, now over twelve years old and still going strong.

Also in the gear pages David Lintern reviews the Jottnar Asger HS fleece and Steph Wetherell reviews the Osprey Tempest 33 Extended Fit Pack. In comparative reviews Pete Macfarlane reviews four stoves, Kirsty Pallas and Alex Roddie review three midlayers each, and Steph Wetherell and James Roddie three pairs of three-season gloves each.

The opening spread is a wonderful photo by Lizzie Shepherd of twisted birch trees in autumn in Inshriach in the Cairngorms.

In the main features Norman Hadley tells an astonishing tale of a navigational error on the Cairngorm Plateau in winter. Five artists, writers and musicians talk about the ways they take inspiration from the outdoors. Phoebe Smith climbs Mt.Kinabalu on Borneo and learns about its place in the culture of the indigenous Dusan people. 

This issue is 2025's TGO Challenge one and there are stories of this years event from many participants.

In the skills section Alex Roddie sharpens up his map and compass skills on an Austrian Alpine Club - organised course in Eryri.

In the regular columns Nadia Shaikh describes hoar frost in On The Lookout; Stew Hume reviews And So I Run by Jamie Doward; Sunny Huang, who recently completed her second round of all 1124 UK hills on the Scottish Mountaineering Club register, describes her extraordinary life; Jim Perrin covers the Fiacaill Couloir, a winter climb in the Cairngorms, as his Mountain Portrait; and Juls Stobel gives advice on how to get teenagers into hillwalking in Uphill Struggles.

Wild Walks covers short trails and sections of longer trails that can be walked in a day or less. in Scotland Stefan Durkacz walks the Dava Way from Grantown-on-Spey to Forres. Vivienne Crow walks the Great Whin Sill in Northumberland, where the Pennine Way and Hadrian's Wall Path unite. In the North York Moors Ian Battersby walks Cringle Moor and Round Hill on the Cleveland Way. Over in the Lake District James Forrest goes from Rosthwaite to Grasmere on the Coast to Coast path while in Wales Andrew Galloway goes from Llanfairfechan to Conwy on the North Wales Path. Further south in Herefordshire Roger Butler climbs Bradnor Hill and Herrock Hill on the Offa's Dyke Path. Finally way down in Sussex Alex Roddie visits Cuckmere Haven and Seven Sisters on the South Downs Way.

Video on my trip to the north side of Meall a'Bhuachaille

 

Video of the trip described in my last post with an emphasis on the camping.