9 Tips for Outdoor Head Torch Choose

In outdoor activities, light sources are essential. Especially in outdoor activities such as mountain climbing, hiking, trail running, and camping, the light source is like the eyes in the dark, which is very important.

In order to free your hands when exercising outdoors in the dark, without affecting the flexibility of exercise. There is also a "head torch". Today we will talk about how to choose your first headlamp.

As the name suggests, the head torch lights is a light source that can be worn on the head or hat, freeing your hands and illuminating.

Head Torch are currently often used in trail running competitions. Whether short distances of 30-50 kilometers or long distance races of about 50 to 100, they will be classified as mandatory equipment to carry. For ultra-long races greater than 100 kilometers, you need to bring at least two head torch lights and spare batteries. Almost every contestant has had the experience of walking at night, and the importance of headlights is self-evident.

In the call-up posts of outdoor activities, head torch are often listed as essential equipment. The road conditions in the mountainous areas are complex, and the plan is often not completed within the set time. Especially in winter, the days are short and the nights are long. It is also crucial to carry a headlights with you.

Head torch is also essential for camping activities. You can use it for packing, cooking, and going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

In some extreme sports, the role of headlamp is more obvious, such as high altitude, long-distance climbing and caverns.

So what parameters should we pay attention to when choosing headlamps? Here are nine important indicators.

1. Brightness of Head Torch 

Headlights must be "bright" first, and different activities have different requirements for brightness. Sometimes you can't blindly think that the brighter the better, because artificial light is more or less harmful to the eyes. It is enough to reach the right brightness.

The unit for measuring brightness is "lumens." The higher the lumens, the brighter the brightness.

If your first headlight is used for night races and outdoor trekking, it is recommended to use between 100 lumens and 500 lumens in fine weather, according to everyone's eyesight and habits.

If it is used for caverns and deep into a dangerous environment in complete darkness, it is recommended to use more than 500 lumens.

If the weather is bad and there is heavy fog at night, you need a headlight of at least 400 lumens to 800 lumens, and it is the same as driving. If possible, use yellow light as much as possible. The penetrating power will be stronger and it will not cause diffuse reflection.

If you use it for camping or night fishing, don't use too bright headlights, just 50 lumens to 100 lumens. Because camping only needs to illuminate a small area in front of your eyes, you will often illuminate people when you chat and cook together. Too bright light can damage your eyes.

2. Battery Life of Head Torch

The battery life is mainly related to the power capacity of the headlights. The usual power supplies are divided into two types: replaceable and non-replaceable, and there are also dual power supplies. The non-replaceable power supply is generally a lithium battery rechargeable headlamp. Because the battery shape and structure are compact, the volume is relatively small and the weight is light.

For most outdoor head torch (using LED lamp beads), usually 300mAh power can be used to maintain 100 lumens brightness for 1 hour, that is, if your headlight is 100 lumens and you use a 3000mAh battery, then there is a high probability that it can be bright for 10 hours .

In addition, the head torch lights should use constant current circuits as much as possible, so that the brightness can be kept unchanged within a certain period of time. The cost of the linear constant current circuit is relatively low, and the brightness of the head torch will be unstable, and the brightness will gradually decrease with the extension of time.

3. Range of Head Torch

The range of the headlight is commonly known as how far it can shine, that is, the intensity of light. Its unit is candela (cd).

200 cd have a range of approximately 28 meters, 1000 cd can have a range of 63 meters, and 4000 cd can have a range of 126 meters.

Ordinary outdoor activities: 200 to 1,000 candela head torch (28-63 meters)

Long-distance hikes and cross-country races require 1,000 to 3,000 cd headlights (63-94 meters)

A 4000 cd headlamp (126 meters) for riding

High-altitude mountain climbing, caving and other activities can consider 3000 to 10000 cd head torch lights

For special activities such as military and police, search and rescue, and large-scale group trips, high-intensity head torch of more than 10,000 cd can be considered

4. Color Temperature of Head Torch 

Color temperature is a piece of information that we often overlook. Just think that the head torch are bright enough to shine far enough. As everyone knows, there are many kinds of light. Different color temperatures also have an impact on our vision.

As can be seen from the above figure, the closer to red, the lower the color temperature of the light, and the closer to blue, the higher the color temperature.

The color temperature used for head torch lights is mainly concentrated in the range of 4000-8000K, which is visually comfortable. The warm white of spotlights is generally about 4000-5500K, while the bright white of floodlights is about 5800-8000K.

Usually we need to adjust the gear, which actually includes the color temperature.

5. Weight of Head Torch 

Some people are now very sensitive to the weight of the equipment, the weight of 1g will affect the feeling of use.

The weight of headlamps is mainly concentrated in the shell and battery. Most manufacturers use engineering plastics and a small amount of aluminum alloy. The battery has not yet ushered in a revolutionary breakthrough. The larger capacity must be heavier, and the lighter one must be sacrificed. The volume and capacity of a part of the battery. Therefore, it is very difficult to find a headlight that is light, bright, and has a particularly long battery life.

6. Durability of the Head Torch

One is resistance to fall. We can't avoid bumping the head torch light during use and transportation. If the shell material is too thin, it may be deformed and cracked after a few drops. However, if the circuit board is not welded firmly, it may be directly powered off and not bright after using it several times.

The second is low temperature resistance. The night temperature is often much lower than the daytime temperature, and it is difficult to imitate the extreme low temperature in laboratory tests, so some headlamps will not work well in extremely cold environments (around -10°C). The root of this problem is mainly the battery. Under the same conditions, keeping the battery warm will effectively extend the life of the headlight. If it is predicted that the ambient temperature is very low, it is necessary to bring more spare batteries.

The third is corrosion resistance. If the circuit board is stored in a humid environment after being used for a long time, it is easy to mold and grow hair. If the battery is not removed from the head torch in time, the battery will leak and corrode the circuit board. This requires us to carefully maintain the head torch light every time we use it, remove the battery in time, and dry the wetted components as soon as possible.

7. The ease of use of the Head Torch

Don't underestimate the easy-to-use design of the head torch, it can't be simply put on your head.

In actual use, many small details will be brought out. For example, we often pay attention to the remaining power, adjust the illumination range, illumination angle and illumination brightness of the headlight at any time.

If you encounter an emergency, you will also change the working mode of the head torch lights, use the strobe or strobe mode, change the white light to yellow light, or even send out a red light for help. If you encounter a bit of sluggishness during one-handed operation, it will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble.

Some head torch are designed for safety considerations in night scenes, not only can be illuminated in front, but also designed with taillights behind the collision avoidance, which is more practical for people who need to avoid vehicles on the highway for a long time.

8. Waterproof and Dustproof of the Head Torch

This indicator is the IPXX that we often see. The first X represents (solid) dust resistance, and the second X represents (liquid) water resistance. IP68 represents the highest level in headlights. See the table below for specific protection levels:

9. Brand of Head Torch

Black Diamond; Petzl; BioliteSilva; Fenix; Glaree; Victoper  Head Torch

Try to find famous brand head torch with moderate brightness, adjustable color temperature, high waterproof level, exquisite design, and replaceable batteries.

Recommended Head Torch

Ordinary outdoor sports: Victoper V1000 Head Torch

Trail running: Victoper V5002GL Head Torch

Extreme environment (climbing, caving, etc.): Victoper V8001-G14 Head Torch