Electronics and Headlamps

Weighing at 3.17 oz, the Knog Bilby is a 400-lumen rechargeable LED headlamp ($60) with red and white lightning modes including a spot, wide-angle, red, and special reading mode. Ideal for hiking and trail running, it comes with a comfortable bounce-free silicone headband and has an integrated USB plug that …

The Garmin inReach Mini 2-Way Satellite Communicator is a reliable and easy-to-use GPS-enabled satellite communicator that can send SOS messages to rescuers in an emergency, email or text your friends and relatives, track your route, mark GPS waypoints and help you navigate in the backcountry. Like its big brothers, the …

The BioLite Headlamp 200 is a micro-USB rechargeable LED headlamp that’s good for hiking, trail running, and camping. Weighing 1.75 oz, it has white and red modes, flood and spot modes, a dimmer, battery meter, and digital lock to prevent accidental discharge when carried in a backpack or waist pack. …

The Black Diamond ReVolt is a fully featured rechargeable headlamp that can also be run using regular lithium-ion or alkaline AAA batteries. So-called dual-mode headlamps provide users with a way to ease into the rechargeable headlamp paradigm, which requires carrying a USB-compatible power pack. They also provide a good shit-hits-the-fan fallback …

Weighing in at just 1.73 oz, the Knog Quokka is a unique looking rechargeable LED headlamp ($25) with red and white lightning modes including a spot and wide beam. Ideal for camping and backpacking, it’s comes with a simple and comfortable silicone headband and has an integrated USB plug that …

The Petzl Bindi is a lightweight, but powerful rechargeable headlamp that weighs 1.2 oz (35 g). With a light output of 200 lumens, it’s perfect for backpacking, hiking, camping or trail running, with white and red light modes. The Bindi has a built-in battery and a micro-USB recharging port with …

The BioLite Headlamp 330 is a micro-USB rechargeable LED headlamp with a remote battery pack that’s good for hiking, trail running, and camping. Weighing 2.4 oz, it has white and red modes, flood and spot modes, a dimmer, battery meter, and digital lock to prevent accidental discharge when carried in …

The Garmin inReach Explorer+ is a combination GPS tracker, navigation tool, 2-way satellite messenger and SOS device which gives you the ability to send and receive email messages and SMS messages via satellite, even when you are out of range of cell phone towers and wireless networks. It’s a big …

The Nitecore NU20 is very bright, lightweight rechargeable headlamp that’s ideal for backpacking and hiking. Weighing just 1.66 ounces, including a comfortable head strap, it has 4 brightness levels, ranging from 1 lumen to 360 lumens on full power, in addition to two special modes: a flashing SOS and a …

The Nitecore NU32 is a high powered (max 550 lumens) rechargeable headlamp with white and red lightning modes. It has two control buttons and fairly straightforward control logic, that cycles through its different options so you can actually remember how to use it in the field. But the feature I …

The Nitecore NU10 is a lightweight rechargeable headlamp fitted with five LEDS including white and red lighting modes. With a maximum light output of 160 lumens, it’s designed to throw a wide 170 degree beam of light, making it ideal for nighttime activities where enhanced peripheral vision is necessary. A …

I think the Petzl e+Lite Headlamp is the best headlamp ever made. I’ve been using it for two years now and it is by far the easiest to use headlamp I’ve ever owned. The thing I like best about the Petzl e+Lite is its self-documenting selector switch. When you move it from one …

The SPOT X is a two-way satellite messenger that can send and receive SMS messages and emails with friends and family or search and rescue services anywhere in the world. It is a big step forward from SPOT’s Gen 3 satellite communicator that could only send SOS or pre-defined text …

I upgraded my primary headlamp this winter to the new, redesigned Black Diamond Icon headlamp which throws out a beefy 200 lumens of light with a burn time of 75 hours on a high setting and 175 hours on low. I do a lot of hiking and cooking in the …