7 Best Headlamps for Outdoors & Hunting

Plenty of hunting starts well before the sun wakes up, and tracking a wounded deer can quickly get you turned around in the woods and leave you hoofing it out after dark.

Since we don’t see nearly as well as deer do after the sun goes down, a reliable light could literally save your life.

I think a headlamp is way better than a handheld flashlight. It leaves your hands free to push aside branches, field dress a deer, and haul out fresh meat.

There are thousands of headlamps on the market. Some of them are well-suited for hunting, and others are not. The sheer number of options can make finding a hunting headlamp seem impossible.

Don’t worry. I’ve done the hard work for you, putting in the time and miles under numerous headlamps so you don’t have to. Here are my top picks.

THE QUICK LIST

1. Best Mid-Tier Lamp

   Black Diamond Storm 450

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2. Most Durable

   Surefire Minimus

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3. Editor’s Pick

   Browning Blackout Elite

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4. Best Bang For Your Buck

   Petzl Tikkina

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5. Best High-End Lamp

   Ledlenser MH11

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6. Most Compact

   BioLite HeadLamp 425

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7. Budget Pick

   Cyclops Micro 5 Hat Clip Light

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Why You Should Trust Us

I firmly believe that the best hunting happens when you march into the woods by flashlight and then make your way out the same way. 

Over my lifetime, I’ve spent countless hours maneuvering through wild spaces in the dark, first as a kid, trying to keep up with my dad’s headlamp as it bobbed ahead of me. Later, I earned a headlamp and forged my own way to and from often distant hunting destinations in both purposeful and accidental pre-dawn and post-sunset escapades.

To say I’ve burned through my fair share of flashlights and headlamps is an understatement. At least a few times, my headlamp saved my life (or at least several hours of staggering through near-pitch-black conditions trying to find my way back to camp).

But all those after-dark hours have fostered a serious appreciation for quality headlamps.

Best Headlamps for Hunting

1. Best Mid-Tier Lamp – Black Diamond Storm 450

Let’s start with a headlamp that feels just at home in the whitetail woods back East as it does sliding around on Rocky Mountain scree.

The Black Diamond Storm 450 features a bright 450-lumen output and white, red, green, blue, and strobe LED settings. The white beam provides plenty of light for following an after-dark blood trail, while the red and green settings will help you sneak to your honey hole without wrecking your natural night vision.

It also has a Brightness Memory feature, so it automatically powers on to your chosen setting, saving you the hassle of flipping through all the settings to find your favorite.

This headlamp also has an IP67 waterproof rating, earning it high marks in the durability department.

And it will burn for days on three AAA batteries, so you won’t end up stuck in the woods at night without a flashlight. It will go even longer if you opt for a rechargeable BD 1500 lithium-ion battery.

Although you’ll have to purchase one separately, it’s well worth the investment, especially if you spend weeks at deer camp every hunting season.

2. Most Durable – Surefire Minimus

The main reason the Surefire Minimus made it onto this list is its durability. I accidentally dropped it in a muddy puddle, then ran over it with my truck, and the thing never skipped a beat.

It features a 13-position variable-light output dial that lets one hand adjust the beam from 5 to 300 lumens. It also has a push-button switch that allows you to automatically return to the previous setting the next time you turn it on.

The Surefire Minimus has a breathable Neoprene strap that fits comfortably and helps wick away sweat.

This one will create some serious battery carnage, especially if you like to tool around the woods with it turned on high. However, crank down a few notches, and the battery life is much more reasonable.

3. Editor’s Pick – Browning Blackout Elite

Browning’s Blackout Elite headlamp has durable aluminum housing that is tough enough to withstand heavy use in rugged environments season after season.

It has a potent LED lens that can be adjusted to three white light settings with a maximum output of 860 lumens and a 190-yard beam range. It also has a green light mode, perfect for sneaking to your stand before daylight.

The Browning Blackout Elite offers some impressive run times for a relatively affordable headlamp. It will run on high for about 5 hours on a fresh charge. On low, you can get up to 36 hours of continuous use before you’ll need to recharge the power bank using the included USB-C cable.

Other handy features include a Power Bank option that lets you recharge your lamp with your smartphone and a Dual Fuel function that allows you to swap out the power bank for two CR123 batteries.

Both are valuable options if you ever run out of charge before you make it back to camp.

4. Best Best Bang For Your Buck – Petzl Tikkina

When you add up the cost of hunting licenses, leases, ammo, and other gear, hunting can get expensive fast.

Thankfully, you don’t have to drop a ton of cash to get a quality headlamp. With a price tag under $25, the Petzl Tikkina may not have a ton of bells and whistles.

It isn’t the brightest headlamp on this list, and it doesn’t have red or green options, but it is plenty reliable and makes a smart option for hunters who don’t want to put a hurting on their wallets.

The Tikkina has three white levels and maxes out at 250 lumens. A simple push-button control adjusts the brightness settings.

It runs on three AAA batteries. This light is pretty lightweight, even among light headlamps, and offers high run time in low-light mode.

5. Best High-End Lamp – Ledlenser MH11

On the opposite end of the cost spectrum sits the Ledlenser MH11. This is like the luxury sports car of headlamps, and although it comes with a hefty price tag, it is packed with high-end features.

Want to connect your headlamp to your smartphone? This one does. You can control this headlamp remotely and completely customize its settings via a Bluetooth connection.

The Ledlenser MH11 also uses reactive technology to adjust the output automatically according to the ambient light around you. If you don’t need to blind your hunting buddies huddled around a campfire with a full 1000-lumen blast of white light, the headlamp will tone it down for you, and you don’t even have to lift a finger.

Trust me. Your hunting buddies will thank you.

With all those features, operating the Ledlenser MH11 isn’t exactly simple. Its ultra-bright 1000-lumens can also be overkill for most hunting applications. However, the gear junkies among us will fall in love with this one.

6. BioLite HeadLamp 425

BioLite is an innovative company that focuses on developing off-grid products for both outdoor recreation and citizens in developing countries.

With a unique, slim-fit design, the BioLite HeadLamp 425 stands out from the rest of the crowd. The light sits flush, and the front profile is only 10mm. The light is built right into the headband and connects to a battery pack that now sits behind your head.

The whole thing weighs just under 3 ounces, and with only minimal weight resting on your forehead, it is super easy to forget you’re even wearing it.

The band is made of moisture-wicking material and is ultra-comfortable. You can also tilt the light to shine downward, which is a major asset when hiking over deadfall or rough, rocky terrain.

You can leave all the heavy extra batteries at home and recharge the HeadLamp 425 using the integrated USB-C port and an external power bank.

7. Budget Pick – Cyclops Micro 5 Hat Clip Light

Headlamps can be bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable. If you’re the type of hunter who wears a ball cap 24/7/365, a hat clip light could be the answer to your prayers.

These tiny headlamps clip directly to the brim of your hat to provide enough hands-free illumination to get you to and from your tree stand. They are also super tiny and ultra-lightweight, which makes them easy to wear for extended periods.

These are also incredibly cheap and make a great backup light you can stow in your hunting pack if your headlamp dies in the middle of nowhere.

The Cyclops Micro 5 is my go-to headlamp when I’m hunting close to the truck. It weighs less than an ounce, and its top-mount design doesn’t obstruct my vision.

The light is powered by two CR-2016 batteries that will burn for 118 minutes. This one is only 10 lumens, so it isn’t going to provide enough light to skin a deer, but it is enough to help you navigate through briars and barbed wire.

What Makes a Good Headlamp

The basic headlamp design is pretty simple. It’s just a light that somehow straps to your head, usually via some sort of elastic, freeing up your hands to do more important work. However, not all headlamps are created equal, and once you get into the specs, headlamps can be confusing gadgets.

Here are a few key things to consider when choosing a headlamp for hunting.

Lumens

The amount of visible light a headlamp generates is measured in lumens. More lumens equal brighter light.

However, when it comes to hunting headlamps, brighter doesn’t always mean better. Headlamps with higher lumens will generally burn through batteries faster.

Also, a brighter headlamp can make it much more challenging to move through the woods undetected.

Some adjustability comes in handy here. A headlamp with multiple brightness settings can make it easier to go into stealth mode on the way to your honey hole but allows you to dial up the brightness when you’re caping out a mountable buck.

Color

A white light headlamp makes it easier for humans to pick up blood trails and read the details on paper maps. Unfortunately, a white light headlamp stands out like a neon sign in the dark for most game animals.

Colored settings, especially red and green, are more difficult for animals to pick up in the dark.

Colored light is also easier on human eyes, so a red or green headlamp can help you hike through the dark without sacrificing your natural night vision. It’s also an excellent option for hanging out at camp without blinding your buddies.

Weight

Generally speaking, heavier headlamps are brighter and have a longer battery life. However, hefty headlamps don’t make great hiking companions.

Not only is the overall weight of the headlamp important, but so is how the weight is distributed. An unbalanced headlamp can frustrate you as you constantly have to resituate the light on your head to prevent it from falling backward or forward.

Water Resistance

If you’re a serious hunter, your gear will often be exposed to rain, snow, mud, and dirt. Your headlamp is no exception.

The IP rating system measures a headlamp’s water resistance. An IPXO rating means the headlamp has almost no moisture protection. A headlamp-rated IPX8 will operate reliably even after being dunked in water and left to soak for 30 minutes.

Final Thoughts

Even if you don’t plan to travel in the woods at night, having a reliable headlamp in your daypack is a smart idea.

You can use it to signal for help if you get lost, follow a trail if you happen to shoot a deer late in the day, and use it to move through thick vegetation or field dress an animal after daylight has faded.

The options on this list are what we consider the best headlamps for hunting on the market today. However, it isn’t an exhaustive list. There are plenty of other quality lamps out there.

What awesome hunting headlamps did we miss? Tell us all about it in the comments. If you’re looking for an EDC light source, check out our Best EDC Flashlights.