The Best Headlamps for Hunting of 2025 | GearJunkie

Why You Should Trust Us

I’ve been an avid hunter for more than 30 years. I’m also highly interested in lighting and continually research headlamps and flashlights for outdoor use. In the last 6 months, I’ve tested more than a dozen headlamps and currently have about 30 in rotation for various scenarios.

Through that testing, I’ve developed a no-frills comparative testing methodology. First, I test runtime to compare it with the manufacturer’s claims. Then, I compare the brightness with the manufacturer’s claims. Next, and most importantly, I use them in the field as intended.

This means many hours of hiking, hunting, and doing camp chores to get to the root of each headlamp experience. While quantitative testing is somewhat useful, the true utility of a headlamp comes only after aggressive field testing. Over long tests, the best headlamps float to the surface.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Headlamp for Hunting

Headlamps for hunting meet many of the same criteria as other headlamps. And indeed, this list of the best headlamps for the outdoors will also serve you well for hunting.

However, hunters must consider a few additional attributes that other users might not.

First, a headlamp for hunting needs to have a red light. While the red light setting is great for all headlamps, for hunters, it’s downright mandatory. That’s because some animals, primarily big game, do not see red light well, if at all. Thus, it’s a stealthy way to get to your hunting grounds in the pre-dawn darkness of early morning.

Next, hunters need long run times due to the nature of late-night blood trailing and camp chores. Most hunting takes place in late fall and early winter, too. That means long nights and many hours spent hiking, cooking, and managing camp while in the darkness. A long-lived headlamp is key.

So, the headlamp needs to recharge quickly, too. You want a light that can easily be charged to 100% while you’re sleeping through the night.

All the headlamps on this list will meet these criteria. Below, find a few important attributes explained.

Lumens

Lumens are a quantitative measure of light. One lumen is approximately the light of one candle shining on one square foot from one foot away. Companies quantify the light produced by headlamps and flashlights using lumens.

For hunting, look for a headlamp with at least 400 lumens, although 500 or more is better. The Fenix HM75R packs a whopping 1,600 lumens, which is good for surveying a large area. My budget pick, the Princeton Tec Remix, only puts out 450 lumens, which is still plenty of light for chores in camp or navigating in the dark.

Beam Pattern

It’s important to note that while lumens measure light produced, a high number does not necessarily mean a long range. Focused beams can accomplish a significant range with low lumen numbers, and wide beams may not reach very far, even with a lot of lumens (but will flood a wider area with light).

So, it’s also essential to read the “range” or “max distance” to better understand what to expect from the beam pattern. Generally, a tighter beam will have a longer throw, and a wider beam will be shorter, given the same number of lumens.

Battery Life and Recharging

Most of my favorite flashlights use rechargeable batteries. These high-quality batteries give lights a good run time while recharging quickly. It’s worth noting that this is a personal preference. There’s nothing wrong with disposable battery headlamps. They do create waste, and I’d prefer to recharge a single battery many times.

But disposable battery headlamps do have the advantage of simply swapping batteries for a full charge, with no waiting needed. The versatile Petzl Aria 2 allows for the best of both worlds, running on its included rechargeable battery or triple As.

My favorite headlamps use USB-C charging. USB-C offers very fast charging times and is becoming a universal charging cord. While magnetic charging can offer fast charges and helps companies build very waterproof lighting, I dislike having a special cord for a headlamp. USB-C (and the slower Micro-USB) are common, standard cords. I recommend sticking with these charging styles for simplicity in packing.

IP Ratings

IP ratings explain an electronic item’s resistance to water and dust incursion. IP literally stands for “ingress protection.” Sometimes you’ll encounter an IPX rating. In these cases, there is no Intrusion protection rating, as denoted by the “X.”

To understand the rating, the numerals following “IP” each stand for a type of protection. The first numeral stands for solids, and the second is for liquids. Thus, an IP68-rated headlamp like the Fenix HM75R has a “6” for solid (dust) protection and an “8” for liquid protection. See the list below for more details.

Intrusion Protection (First Digit)

• 0: No protection
• 1: Protected against solid objects over 50mm (hands)
• 2: Protected against solid objects over 12mm (fingers)
• 3: Protected against solid objects over 2.5mm (tools, wires)
• 4: Protected against solid objects over 1mm
• 5: Dust protected
• 6: Dust tight

Moisture Protection (Second Digit)

• 0: No protection
• 1: Protected against vertically falling drops of water
• 2: Protected against direct sprays of water up to 15 degrees from vertical
• 3: Protected against direct sprays of water up to 60 degrees from vertical
• 4: Protected against water splashed from all directions, limited ingress permitted
• 5: Protected against low-pressure jets of water from all directions
• 6: Protected against strong jets of water
• 7: Protected against temporary immersion in water
• 8: Protected against continuous immersion in water
• 9: Protected against high-pressure and temperature water jets

Your Hunting Conditions

While all of the above factors are important, you should consider them along with the hunting conditions you plan to encounter before making a purchase. Every hunt is different.

For example, a backcountry archery hunter may not want to pack in the extra weight of a headlamp like the Fenix HM75R. A lightweight option like the Black Diamond Storm 500-R is a better fit, even though it’s not a “nicer” headlamp.

On the other hand, if you’re a late-season hunter, it makes sense to pack a bulkier headlamp with a longer run-time. Daylight may end at 3:45 p.m., which leaves you in the dark for a good portion of the day. And if you plan on being in the field for a long time without access to charging, a battery-powered or hybrid headlamp like the Petzl Aria 2 RGB is a better option.

The conditions you’re hunting in should be the final determination in your selection.

Price and Value

Some hunters treat headlamps as an afterthought, purchasing the cheapest one at a local store on the way out of town for a hunt. There’s not a problem with that, as budget headlamps will get the job done.

However, if you haven’t spent the money on a higher-end headlamp before, you really should consider it. There are real world benefits to better headlamps. After getting a better one, you may find yourself wondering how you went so long using the cheap one you found in an old toolbox or on the discount shelf.

Here are some of the different price points and benefits you’ll find in them.

Budget

Without trying to sound too sarcastic, a good budget headlamp (below $50) will provide light in the dark. And, while a red light option is relatively standard, you should ensure it has that as well. A red light is a non-negotiable for hunters.

That’s about all you’ll get in a budget headlamp. The lamp won’t be crazy bright, have exceptional battery life, or shoot beams far. But it will let hunters see what’s immediately in front of them. There are likely different light modes, but the differences between them will be minimal.

There are few rechargeable headlamps in the budget world, so you’ll need to pack batteries. Many budget lights lack a “lockout feature” to prevent accidental battery drainage. When using such a headlamp, pull one of the batteries out before putting it in your pack for the day to prevent it from turning on and draining.

Mid-Tier

Headlamps from $50-$100 will most noticeably have improved run times over budget counterparts. On top of that, most will be rechargeable, which is a great benefit.

In this range, users will also notice a drastic difference between light settings. For example, the Black Diamond Storm 500-R can be used in floodlight or spotlight mode, and you can adjust the brightness in both modes.

Those types of adjustments do matter to hunters. For example, spotlight modes come in handy when you’re searching for a pack you left on a ridge before a stalk in the waning light. Then it’s nice to be able to go into camp and use a floodlight so you don’t blind everyone around you.

However, many mid-tier lights won’t have a high lumen or IP rating.

Premium

A premium headlamp (over $100) can all but turn night into day. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but a light like the Fenix HM75R with 1,600 lumens provides as much power as a hunter could ask for. You can light up the woods around you.

Headlamps like that will be very feature-rich, with varying modes for any scenario, ridiculous runtimes, and near bulletproof IP ratings. These headlamps will become a staple for your outdoor endeavors.

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