Lights are one of the top 5 essentials for any camping checklist, right after the tent, sleeping bags, and food. You simply cannot venture out in nature without some sort of portable light to help you navigate through the darkness. In case you haven’t heard, there are no street lamps on eucalyptus trees deep within the forest, which means you should bring a reliable and convenient lighting solution with you.
Among the various portable lights out there, not one can beat the benefits that LED headlamps offer. They enable you to have hands-free convenience while you’re pitching your tent at night, hiking after dusk, or just looking for something in your backpack. Many experienced campers today rely exclusively on headlamps to guide them through the night.
Before you explore the wide range of LED headlamps Australian stores offer, consider what you are going to be using your torch for. If you’re planning to use it only for things like cooking and walking around the camping spot, a simple model might provide you with just the right amount of convenience.
However, if you plan on heading off to night expeditions, a headlamp with a powerful long distance beam, also called a spotlight, will help you navigate the trail better. If you want versatility, then an adjustable model that allows you to switch between a spotlight and a regular softer beam can be a more cost-efficient choice.
Thanks to the increasingly bright and efficient LED bulbs, even general purpose headlamps can provide you with a good amount of light. However, if brightness is extremely important for you, you should pay close attention to the lumen ratings of the headlamps. Lumens measure the total quantity of light emitted in all directions, and a headlamp with high lumen ratings will consume more energy and produce brighter light. Today, there are some models of head torches that offer 2300 lumens of light, giving you enough raw power to ride through rough mountain tracks with a bike as if it’s still daytime.
Of course, when choosing a headlamp, it’s also important to consider the type of batteries it uses. The benefit of using conventional alkaline batteries is that you can replace them easily with spare ones, if you do carry some with you. On the other hand, there’s a lot more cost-efficient and environmentally friendly choice – lithium rechargeable batteries. A LED headlamp running on rechargeable batteries can be easily recharged from your car’s charger or a portable USB charger. No waste, no pollution. Genius.
Finally, you should also make sure the headlamp you buy is lightweight and comfortable to wear. Consider materials such as military grade aluminium and rechargeable batteries for the ultimate lightweight combination. Also, you’d want to have a secure and snug fit that will prevent the light from falling off but also won’t feel too tight. For that reason, make sure the headlamp comes with an adjustable strap.
