How to Choose a Head Torch for Hillwalking

A head torch is one of those pieces of kit that spends most of its life unused at the bottom of your pack — and then, one short winter afternoon or one unexpectedly long day, becomes the most important thing you're carrying. Every hillwalker should carry one on every Munro, all year round, because being caught out by darkness without light is how straightforward days turn into rescues. Here's how to choose a good one.

Why you carry one even in summer

Plans slip. A twisted ankle, a navigation error, a slower companion or a bigger day than expected, and suddenly you're descending in the dark — even in June, if the day ran long. A head torch weighs almost nothing and costs little, and it turns a potential benightment into a minor inconvenience. It is core safety kit, not optional winter gear. Carry it always.

Brightness and beam

Brightness is measured in lumens. For hillwalking you don't need the brightest torch on the shelf — a torch offering a few hundred lumens on its high setting is plenty for finding a path or route-finding off a hill in the dark. More useful than headline maximum brightness is a good range of modes: a low setting for map-reading and around camp (which also saves battery), a mid setting for walking, and a bright beam for when you need to pick out features at distance. A beam that combines flood (close, wide) and spot (far, focused) is ideal.

Battery: rechargeable vs replaceable

This is the key decision:

• Rechargeable (USB) torches are convenient and cheap to run, but you must remember to charge before every trip, and cold weather saps battery performance — and you can't just swap in a fresh cell on the hill.
• Replaceable (AAA) torches let you carry spare batteries and swap them instantly, which is reassuring for winter and multi-day trips. Many walkers prefer these, or a torch that accepts both.

Whichever you choose, always carry spare power — spare batteries, or a power bank and cable for a rechargeable — and know that cold dramatically shortens battery life, so a winter figure is well below the quoted one.

Other things that matter

• Waterproofing — check the IP rating; it will get rained on.
• Glove-friendly controls — you'll be using it in winter with cold hands or gloves on.
• A lock function so it doesn't switch on and drain in your pack.
• A red-light mode to preserve night vision and avoid dazzling companions.

A head torch belongs on every packing list. See our complete Munro packing list for the full set of essentials, and our winter guide for why short winter days make it doubly important.

Related guides

• The complete Munro bagging packing list
• Winter Munro bagging guide
• Mountain first aid essentials
• Munros tracking app — plan your timing so you're not caught in the dark