Media Coverage from Backpacker.com: The Best Headlamps to Light the Way, From Forest Trail to Mountain Peak

Epic ascents. Long treks. Dawn patrols and sunset hikes. All of the most memorable trail moments have one thing in common: You need a good headlamp to make them happen. Thanks to modern tech, the current crop of lights are lighter, brighter, and better than ever before.

At a Glance

• Editors’ Choice: Silva Free Series (from $135)
• Best Everyday Headlamp: Petzl Actik Core ($85)
• Best Emergency Light: Black Diamond Flare ($30)
• Best for Runners: Silva Trail Runner Free H ($90)
• Best High-Powered: Ledlenser HF8R Signature ($170(Photo: Courtesy Silva)Editor’s Choice
  
  
• Silva Free Series
  
  Weight: 9.2-12.1 oz
  Lumens: 1,200-3,000
  Pros and Cons
  ⊕ Bright
  ⊕ Modular design makes it versatile
  ⊗ Heavy and overpowered for hikers
  From after-work mountain bike rides to early-morning trail runs to uphill laps at the ski resort, every nighttime activity requires something different out of a headlamp. That’s always meant that multisport athletes need to amass a big (and expensive) quiver of lights or make do with a headlamp that’s not quite bright enough, too heavy, or underpowered for their adventure of the day. Until now: Billing itself as the world’s first modular headlamp line, the Silva Free Series lets users mix and match batteries and headlamps to create a customized light for high-speed, high-octane nighttime activities.
  Buy a starter headlamp that best matches your needs, then add on one of three lights (1200, 2000, and 3000-lumen) and one of four rechargeable battery packs with different capacities, plus a bevy of accessories including handlebar and helmet mounts. To streamline the whole getup, the battery wire is integrated into the stretchy headband. On a nighttime run on Boulder, Colorado’s Dowdy Draw Trail, our tester added an extension cable to the 1200-lumen, 3.35 Ah Free S 1200 light and stashed the battery in his pocket to reduce bounce.
  To better serve trail-runners, the light uses a bevy of sensors to automatically adjust brightness and beam type as you aim it toward the ground, letting us seamlessly shift from keeping an eye on our feet during rocky descents to scoping out deer and nighthawks rustling in the brush. While the Free Series may be on the heavy side—and brighter than most everyday trail users need—we could see it finding its sweet spot with nocturnal bikers and ski-tourers thanks to its super-powered options and multiple accessories to help comfortably carry its large battery.
  
  (Photo: Courtesy Silva)
  
  Best for Runners
  Silva Trail Runner Free H
  Weight: 3.4 oz
  Lumens: 400
  Pros and Cons
  ⊕ Comfortable no-wire design
  ⊗ No red light mode
  Pick up this headlamp, and you’ll notice right away that there’s something missing: wires. Unlike most other lights with external battery packs, the Trail Runner Free weaves its wires straight into its stretchy, knit headband, making it comfier and less prone to tangling on hair or catching on a tree branch.
  The light packs a close-up flood beam and a longer-distance spot into a case about the size of the tip of your thumb (no red light). It puts out a respectable 400 lumens for up to 25 hours on its highest setting, which our tester appreciated on a cross-country winter backpacking trip in Nebraska National Forest. Nice touches include a hybrid battery case that lets it run on either three AAAs or a rechargeable, removable battery ($30 extra), as well as an extension cable so you can stash the battery pack in your jacket to prolong its life in frosty weather.
  Note: There’s no lock, and the headlamp did turn on in our pack; disconnect the battery before storing it.
  
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