BLACK DIAMOND Spot 400 Headlamp, AAA Powered, Dimmable Bright BD Dark Olive

Why it's worth it

The Spot 400 hits 400 lumens on three AAA batteries, with a red night-vision mode and an IPX8 rating that survives a soaking. It's the sensible lamp to keep in a glovebox, a daypack and a kid's camp bag without thinking hard about it.

Four hundred lumens is more headlamp than most hikers use. REI's buying guide puts 200 to 300 lumens as the sweet spot for on-trail hiking and reserves 400-plus for off-trail navigation, and outdoor guides note that casual hikers spend most of their night at a fifth to half of maximum. So the Spot 400 has headroom you'll rarely touch, which mostly shows up as longer runtime at the settings you do use.

Black Diamond rates it IPX8 and says it survives submersion to a meter for half an hour. That's not a spec you plan around, but it's the difference between a bad moment and a ruined trip when your pack tips into a stream crossing. The housing is rugged enough for the kind of gear that lives in a car all summer.

From our review of 8 hiking headlamps

What we like

• +Four hundred lumens is more headlamp than most hikers use
• +Black Diamond rates it IPX8 and says it survives submersion to a meter for half an hour
• +It runs on three AAAs, included, which keeps it going anywhere batteries are sold

What to know

• –The interface is the usual Black Diamond puzzle of presses and holds, and getting to red without flashing white at everyone…
• –Alkaline output tapers as the batteries drain, so the lamp gets dimmer over an evening in a way a regulated rechargeable doesn't