Flood or spot for headlamp in woods?

[TheWitness33]

Hey guys. First off, i'm looking for a headlamp for walking in the woods. I'd like something bright enough to see out to around 30 yards and also have a spill out to about 20 feet. I'll be looking out for rocks, branches, roots, etc very early in the morning when it's still pitch black outside. A red LED is also something i'm looking for but i guess if the headlamp is out of this world, not needed if it doesn't have it. I don't mind spending the money on a quality product, $150 or under.

My question is, do i want spot or flood for the woods? I don't use flood lights really and i know the light falls off after a certain distance. I don't need blinding spot that makes everything blinding, but i need it brought enough to spot minor stumps and rocks in the ground that could be a trip hazard. The red light would be for when i reach my destination, going through my pack and such. I'm hard on my gear so quality counts for me.

 

[3oni]

I use an Armytek Elf, and it's been great. Tough, relatively lightweight, simple to operate, and comfy to wear. No red LED, though.

I've never wanted throw from my headlamps, only flood. (Although on the higher brightness levels the Elf will brute-force some throw.) If I think I'll need to see further than my immediate surroundings, I pack a small thrower as well.

 

[TheWitness33]

My problem is that it'll be used for getting to my hunting spot, about a 15-20 minute walk. The red light would be for when i get to the spot, i can look through my pack with minimal brightness/white output. I will look at the armytek

 

[hsa]

You might want to check out a site called Parametrek.com. Click on "type" then "headlamp" and it brings up 499 matches. For that kind of money you should be able to get one that does everything you want. It may not fix breakfast for you but everything else should be covered.

 

[3oni]

You might want to check out a site called Parametrek.com. Click on "type" then "headlamp" and it brings up 499 matches.

Good suggestion! Parametrek is great.

You can also filter further by ticking the "red" box under "LED Color," which will show you any headlamp that includes a red LED.

 

[TheWitness33]

Yes, thank you! I did go to that website, it's awesome to be able to really filter down. I came across these:

Wizard C2 Pro Max Magnet USB - High Power Headlamp | Armytek.com

Wizard C2 Pro Max Magnet USB - High Power Headlamp. ARMYTEK official representative. ✔IP68. ✔TIR-optics. Powerful and reliable. The new models. No hassle warranty 10 years.

www.armytek.com

H30 USBC Rechargeable Brightest Headlamp

H30 is the brightest LED headlamp on the market driven by a single 21700 battery. Suitable for mining, exploration and outdoor search.

www.acebeam.com

Fenix HP25R V2.0 Rechargeable Headlamp

The upgraded Fenix HP25R V2.0 rechargeable headlamp is the new standard in high-performance rechargeable headlamps.

www.fenixlighting.com

I see on armytek they list the light as going down to 900lm after 50 seconds. Is this common on LED headlamps as a whole? If i were to buy the acebeam or fenix, would i expect the same?
The higher outputs interest me because i can always go lower. The last two lights having red LED's as an option.

 

[3oni]

I see on armytek they list the light as going down to 900lm after 50 seconds. Is this common on LED headlamps as a whole? If i were to buy the acebeam or fenix, would i expect the same?

Yes, this is common. For example, if you look at the specs for the H30 on Acebeam's site they note that turbo is 2,200 lumens for 5.5 minutes, followed by 1,000 lumens for 2.4 hours.

Having not owned one, I don't know if it can actually sustain a thousand lumens for that long. Reviews will often include a runtime graph. Some manufacturers are optimistic in their specs.

With dark-adjusted eyes, you can get by with surprisingly little light from a headlamp (depending on your circumstances, of course). The setting I use most on my Elf is the lowest one.

 

[TheWitness33]

Is the elf about the best i'm going to get in the higher lumen/actual lumens head lamp? Worse comes to worse i buy a red emitting flashlight. But for my headlamp i really want the best i can afford as where i hunt is very heavily wooded and the ground is littered with things to trip on (natural tripping hazards of course). I just don't want to purchase and then find a better one! lol

 

[3oni]

Is the elf about the best i'm going to get in the higher lumen/actual lumens head lamp?

I don't know about that, I just know I like it. Anecdotally, most folks seem to prefer the Wizard.

Armytek certainly isn't the only manufacturer of quality headlamps. I recommend reading/watching some reviews of the three that jumped out at you (Wizard, H30, HP25R).

 

[fuyume]

I use my headlamp in the backcountry primarily for camp tasks in the middle of the night, so I can't say that hiking at night is a priority for me. I'm very happy with my Fenix HM23, but I think if I felt the need to actually hike at night, I would go for the HM50R v2.0, which uses a 16340 and will work long enough on Medium to allow for hours of night hiking. The Medium mode starts out at 130 lumens for about an hour, then drops to about 50 lumens for the next 7 hours. But the Low level of 30 lumens will be enough to walk at night.

I think that people in the backcountry need to be mindful of Leave No Trace principles and refrain from lighting up the wilderness at night.

 

[parang]

I like the flood from my Armytek Wizard Pro .

 

[TheWitness33]

So i've been reading reviews here and there. The Acebeam H30 looked like a contender as it had red and white LED plus it could be taken off the headband but i've read multiple reviews saying that turbo mode gives issue and then after a while other modes suffer. I don't care so much about short turbo modes, i'd like a constant high output. Armytek says the wizard c3 steps down to 900 lumens after 50 seconds which would defeat the purpose (to me) of a 4000 lumen light. I know it would get hot, etc. But i'd rather have a light without turbo but higher than 900lm. Open fields, attic lighting when working up there with more than one person, etc. The zebralight H604D says it puts out 1616lm for 2.5 hrs. Is that constant? I have another zebralight flashlight which i like, but then i bought the D4V2 from emisar and yeah... that light is ridiculous...

Are there any other options for 1000+ lumen constant headlamps. I think i'm gonna drop off the parameter for red...

 

[bykfixer]

First off, at 4:30am in the woods it's pretty dark. You don't need 1000 lumens to see 30 yards. The more intense the output the more flashback you will recieve off of branches, underbrush etc. Plus every antlered animal for a half mile will know you are entering their domicile. Figure 500 lumens max is all you need, or one that can be dialed back. You'll be surprised how well 50 lumens lights a path in that scenario.

A combination beam would be ideal. One with a nice, punchy throw to see in the distance with a decent spill to light peripherals some. Also a more incandecent type of tint will help reduce the "holy crap that's bright" aspect versus a cool white.

Now finally when you are unpacking your gear that's when hands free is likely the most handy.

 

[TheWitness33]

I have/had a petzl actik on my last hike in and it wasn't bright enough for me. Having one person in front of me with a light brighter than mine but not being able to see due to the width of the path and having him out front made me wish i had more lumens. If it was JUST me yes, i would agree that less is more. I eventually just turned it off and hoped for the best.

 

[ikanode]

I've run into problems using headlamps outdoors in both Arizona and North Carolina. The light attracts bugs that hit the light and my face! Lots of moths, an occasional hornet, plus assorted others.

I tried night hiking in the AZ desert on a mid-summer evening. I gave up within half an hour.

Yellow light is supposed to attract fewer bugs. Maybe headlamps should have a yellow LED option.

 

[bykfixer]

Years ago I had a cheap $5 headlamp from the checkout counter at Lowes that you slid a bar right for white, slid it left for red. I used the red to see where I was going and the white for tieing on a new lure. Streamlight makes one called Bandit that is similar. It's a COB so lighting is very evenly spread.

The NiteCore NU25 is a top pic for astrophotographers due a choice of cool white,
floody red or floody warm. The NU32 is also a good pick.

Princeton Tec has a US made that starts on red called Byte.

Here are a few top rated astrophotographer headlamps

Best Red Light Headlamp For 2024: Perfect For Astronomy

Astrophotography usually requires us to multi-task during the night. From setting up your scope, polar aligning, making camera adjustments, and more. Now imaging trying to do all that with one hand while holding a flashlight in the other… things get a little tricky. That’s why a red light...

nightskypix.com

 

[Owen]

I should start a separate thread about this, since it comes up so often, and most of the "advice" is from people who clearly have no experience whatsoever "walking in the woods" at night.

Flood is far superior to spot for walking in the dark; "floody" a la Zebralight is about perfect. Those use diffusing film over a reflector, which could be emulated with other lights, plus there are floody or "wide" optics. Unfortunately, we don't see lots of those.

A neutral emitter provides greater contrast with natural colors so that you can see color and details, as cool whites wash them out.
This is the same flashlight. It has a cool white emitter, but I used a Lee filter to make the tint "neutral"(not as good as a true neutral, which will have even better contrast and color rendition).

This is what a floody neutral beam looks like:

Red is highly visible and hard to see by. Generally useless unless you're in a group of astronomers or stargazers who don't want to blind each other, as red light is less disruptive to night vision.
For the hunters, it *is* the color deer see worst, but if you're crunching through the woods for 20 minutes by white light, what good does using a red one for a minute to get situated by do?

The idea that "1000+" lumens is needed for anything in the woods is silly. I light up my neighbor's yard, 3 houses down and 400ft away, with a 1000 lumen flashlight.
In the woods, I use from <3 to ~20 lumens on clearly defined trails, ~50 for rough ones, and up to ~100 for terrain with class II scrambling(sometimes requiring the use of hands). I almost never use anything higher, but occasionally get up to 200-300 for bushwhacking or a creek crossing.
See that terrain?

That's a rated 52 lumens from a Floody Zebralight.

Zebralight's H53Fw and H600Fw would be my choices, depending on whether you prefer AA or 18650.
Cost is no object to me, as I regularly hike and set up camp in the dark, but I continue to use the older H52Fw, because it's pretty much ideal.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

If you know the terrain then you can choose the right light for it, but overall if I was to go floody on a headlamp I would take along a 1000+ lumen more throwy hand held flashlight myself. I don't consider headlamps as throwing devices overall but shorter range within 100 feet or less, preferably 20-50 feet at most with the most useful within 20 feet.

I think the main issue with floody lights is bounce back lighting and light pollution. Debris and trees and rocks and a full moon and light colored objects will require different lighting that too floody of a light may not be as useful as a thrower.

 

[electromage]

I've run into problems using headlamps outdoors in both Arizona and North Carolina. The light attracts bugs that hit the light and my face! Lots of moths, an occasional hornet, plus assorted others.

I tried night hiking in the AZ desert on a mid-summer evening. I gave up within half an hour.

Yellow light is supposed to attract fewer bugs. Maybe headlamps should have a yellow LED option.

Same thing in Washington. Using a white lamp camping attracts tons of bugs, it's really irritating. I would love a headlamp with a yellow/amber secondary beam. Red doesn't attract bugs but it also makes a lot of tasks more difficult.

My ideal camping/hiking headlamp would have a high-CRI spot beam, + diffused high-CRI and amber. I don't understand why most multi-spectrum headlamps have cool-white 70 CRI spot beams, weak high-CRI, and weak red.

 

[Lynx_Arc]

Same thing in Washington. Using a white lamp camping attracts tons of bugs, it's really irritating. I would love a headlamp with a yellow/amber secondary beam. Red doesn't attract bugs but it also makes a lot of tasks more difficult.

My ideal camping/hiking headlamp would have a high-CRI spot beam, + diffused high-CRI and amber. I don't understand why most multi-spectrum headlamps have cool-white 70 CRI spot beams, weak high-CRI, and weak red.

One suggestion is some yellow diffuser film perhaps