Items11The creator’s order
  1. 1Fenix HM55R Renegade HeadlampFenix HM55R Renegade HeadlampThe 1,200-lumen headline figure lasts under two minutes before the lamp steps down to avoid overheating. The setting you will actually live on is high: 350 lumens for up to 6.5 hours, or 130 lumens on medium for more than 12. That is enough to walk a rough trail at night and still have light for…0
  2. 2Black Diamond Spot 400 HeadlampBlack Diamond Spot 400 HeadlampThe one to pick if you want a headlamp that runs on batteries sold at every gas station. It takes three AAAs, or Black Diamond's BD 1500 rechargeable pack if you buy it separately, so a long trip never depends on finding a charging port. Rated burn time stretches to around 200 hours on its lowest…0
  3. 3BioLite Range 500 HeadlampBioLite Range 500 HeadlampThe most comfortable lamp here for long nights. At 2.6 ounces with a slim headband that sits close to the head, it stays put on a trail run and is easy to forget you are wearing around camp. Charging is its other strength: eight minutes on a USB-C cable returns about an hour of light, and half an…0
  4. 4Petzl Actik Core HeadlampPetzl Actik Core HeadlampThe best answer to the rechargeable-or-AAA question, because it does both. It ships with Petzl's CORE rechargeable pack, charged by USB-C, and also runs on three ordinary AAAs, so a dead pack on day four just means swapping in batteries from your kit. It tops out at 625 lumens, runs up to about…0
  5. 5Nitecore NU25 MCT UL HeadlampNitecore NU25 MCT UL HeadlampFor backpackers counting ounces. At 47 grams with its shock-cord headband, it weighs about half as much as most lamps here, yet still reaches 400 lumens and runs up to 45 hours at its lowest level. The built-in 700 mAh battery charges by USB-C and is the catch: it cannot be swapped, and its…0
  6. 6Petzl Tikkina HeadlampPetzl Tikkina HeadlampThe inexpensive spare, usually around $20, and the lamp to hand a child or a guest who forgot theirs. One button, no menus to learn, and three AAA batteries that last for around 100 hours on the lowest setting. It is honest about what it is: no red mode, no lock and modest output, which is plenty…0
  7. 7BioLite AlpenGlow 500 LanternBioLite AlpenGlow 500 LanternThe best table lantern for car camping, because its light is pleasant to sit beside. The warm white mode, with an optional candle flicker, takes the hard edge off the evening, and the cool white uses broad-spectrum LEDs that show food and gear in their true colors. It also has a red mode, which few…0
  8. 8Coast EAL22 LanternCoast EAL22 LanternThe value pick for a family campsite, often around $30 to $45, and the brightest classic lantern here at 1,250 lumens on high. That output is for lighting a whole site; the low setting is the one for the table, and published low-mode runtimes range from about 135 to 225 hours depending on the…0
  9. 9BioLite Luci Charge 360BioLite Luci Charge 360The lantern that recharges itself. An inflatable, collapsible body with a solar panel on top, it folds flat for a pack and charges in the sun during the day, with USB-C as a backup. At 360 lumens it is noticeably brighter than most solar lanterns, which usually trade output for packability. It…0
  10. 10Black Diamond Moji R+ LanternBlack Diamond Moji R+ LanternThe tent lantern for backpackers. It weighs only a few ounces, and the frosted globe diffuses its 200 lumens into a soft light that is comfortable to look at, which matters more inside a tent than raw output. Two fold-out metal hooks hang it from a tent loop or branch, and four magnets stick it to…0