And for the best of both worlds, tap the housing to activate both the wide angle and the long distance LEDs at once.

Since you're carrying all the weight on your forehead you might notice it when running, when I've found it has a tendency to shift and bounce.That big 2400 mAh Li-ion battery holds a lot of juice, giving you a very generous 7 hours at full beans (as measured by the ANSI FL-1 test standard now used by many manufacturers). While it doesn't quite match the Storm on full beam dazzle, the Spot still packs quite a punch for a torch this size. I liked the one I already had enough that I kept the second one as a backup and for loaning to that one person at the campsite with the most annoyingly bright headlamp. This will be the case for any model with an unregulated output, and it pays to be hard headed about the headline advertised burn times for all torches. It features a more compact housing and a new design that saves battery life – perfect for mountain missions.

The newer fitting for a lot of devices is USB-C, and I've no doubt torch manufacturers will catch up at some stage. Handy red, green and blue SinglePower LEDs are suitable for night-vision mode to help your eyes quickly adjust over a bright light. Sturdy and powerful, the Storm 500-R is a solid headtorch for more serious uses such as winter hillwalking or mountaineering, where high output and decent battery life are critical. Means you don’t have to worry about rain or if you somehow end up in a lake, or if you are going to use it for lots of varied outdoor activities.My final word on this is I’d give it my first 10/10 it is an excellent product especially for varied adventures.

The Storm 400 also has three different coloured night vision modes and peripheral white lighting for close-range activities like carefully re-racking for the final summit pitch in the dark.I was skeptical of Black Diamond’s claims that this torch’s battery could hold up for 4 hours at maximum output with a 1 hour reserve for low intensity activities, but observing the battery meter after a good couple of hours of scrambling and rigging abseils in the dark, I’d say this is actually pretty accurate. In fact, I only remembered the late hour when I rounded a lip and realized, given the angle and the position of the headlamp, that it was going to be impossible to direct the beam around the corner. Among the headlamps designed for backpacking and climbing purposes this seems to be one of the brighter ones that I have tried.

BD makes advertising claims that their battery life numbers are >4 times better than we measured, but as we explain in our article, Why Headlamp Claims are Deceptive. I've had the same set of AAA batteries in the lamp since purchasing it in fall 2011 with intermittent use since, and the output is still great.

It’s an expedition essential, but not entirely necessary for straightforward, dark descents after a long day on the hills or as a convenient ‘grab and go’ light when retreating to the van for the evening. If your parcel is small and of low value, it will be sent via Royal Mail Tracked 48, other items will be sent via courier.