Headlamps for alpine climbing 2019

What are the best headlamps available right now for alpine climbing? For my uses, it needs to fit on a helmet and go to 200 lumens or brighter. I tried to search for similar topics, but there was nothing very recent.

Edit: also need a lamp that has sufficient battery run time for many hours of traveling in the dark.

Petzl Bindi, 200 lumens for a scant 35 grams

What do you have now? I've had the last couple models of the good ol' BD Spot and never really wanted for more. Reasonably light, reasonably bright, reasonable battery life.

Personally I don't want USB rechargeable for climbing unless it also accepts AAA's. I do run rechargeable AAA's in an effort to reduce waste, but always have a spare set of alkalines in my emergency kit. 

I’ve had great experience with the Bd icon. A bit heavier but the distance and size of the beam makes it worth it. You have to consider more than just lumens. It’s not the best measurement.

I haven’t found a better light for route finding in the pitch black when every chimney, gulley or arete looks the same. 

If you are serious about "alpine," then you won't want something like the bindi that runs for 2 hours at 200 lumens.  Have a look at

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-headlamp

I climb in red rock and have done some alpine in the sierras and the cascades and the buggaboos. I used the Spot for a long time and liked it. I’ve downgraded to the BD Cosmo for a while without complaint. Granted, I actually enjoy trail finding in the dark.

Recently I acquired a spot once again. I would not go into the mountains with less than that.
If I was doing the sorts of mountains where I’ve been before my emergency backup (maybe one for the team) would be the cosmo or something lighter even. 

If I was going somewhere more alpine such as Denali I would surely bring an Icon as the main and a spot as a backup for each person. At least to camp if not on route. 

Fenix headlamps all the way.  Blow away bd and petzl for the $$$.  

compared to the Bindi the Nitecore NU25 is way better. brigther, longer runtime, cheeper and very similar weight/size

If more light is needed for routefinding the Nitecore HC65 is awesome.

I have the Petzl Actik and its worked well.  I'd recommend finding one that takes both AAA's and a rechargeable pack, as most of the rechargeable packs actually do much better than batteries in cold weather.  It's also nice if you have a powerbank along to be able to charge it up if you needed to.  

Here's an example of the rechargeable packs:
Petzl Core

Thanks for all of the recommendations. Ultralight lamps like the Bindi aren't going to work for me - I need to be able to navigate an untracked glacier for hours on end.  The Icon looks good, but too bulky.  I'd like to find something a little lighter.

The BD Storm 375 looks really good! I also found the Petzl Myo RXP 2 headlamp. Does Fenix have a comparable model? Any Fenix lamps that people recommend?

BD Storm 375: $50
-4 AAA batteries
-Max Lumens: 375
-4.2oz
-75 hour run time on "high"

Petzl Myo RXP 2: $110
-3 AA batteries
-Max Lumens: 370
-5.9oz
-50 hour run time on "maximum"

Another vote for the BD Storm, I grabbed the 350 model for $30.  

I’ve seen bike helmets with built in lights. Would this be st00pid for a climbing helmet? BD has gotta be on this already huh? 

The Zebralight H600W or the Olight H2R are both amazing options. 18650 based headlamps blow everything else out of the water for doing actually climbing or skiing in fully dark conditions and it's easy to carry spare batteries and switch them out as needed.

Chad N wrote: I’ve seen bike helmets with built in lights. Would this be st00pid for a climbing helmet? BD has gotta be on this already huh? 

I don't think that would be popular... I don't want to wear my helmet while doing the approach in the early morning hours, or the death slog to the car at midnight.  

Jaren Watson wrote:

What features do you find better? At around 300 lumens, the battery life is slightly less than bd or Petzl, and it weighs 2x as much. Am I reading the specs wrong?

You must be reading the specs wrong. The outdoor gear lab review has a good overview chart of weights and it's only slightly heavier than standard options. I like that it's totally waterproof, has a physical lockout (uscrewing the tailcap slightly), and it's REALLY bright. You can ski woods in the dark at the same speed you would during the day. Also, it's very convenient having a headlamp that uses a standard rechargeable battery as the nicest new batteries are only six bucks. It's super easy to keep a few around.

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/headlamp/zebralight-h600w-mk-iv

Jaren Watson wrote:

What features do you find better? At around 300 lumens, the battery life is slightly less than bd or Petzl, and it weighs 2x as much. Am I reading the specs wrong?

Seems you might be. In part because BD and Petzl report very misleading battery life specs. The zebralight weighs 4.2 ounces with battery (1.3 without battery or head strap, it's a very lightweight form factor) and will run around 6 hours at 300 lumens and around 2.8 on high, which will be 1400 lumens. OGL ran an ANSI high mode test for the BD Spot and it lasted under 3 hours at 300 lumens. 

Personally I carry a BD Ion with energizer lithium AAAs as a backup light, and a zebralight 600 as my primary light. The lithium 18650s can't be beat for energy density and maximum power output. The one downside is that you have no guarantee that your 18650 lithium cell won't explode on top of your head ...

Jaren Watson wrote:

Which model would you recommend?

I have the hm50r. I havent used it for climbing or camping yet, but around the house and neighborhood it has been great. Rechargeable, but I think the batteries (CR123A) are available at most grocery stores or pharmacies. 

https://www.fenix-store.com/fenix-hm50r-multipurpose-led-headlamp/

Fenix HL60R is a great option, available for around $60. Heavier than things like the BD Storm, but light enough I don't feel the weight that much when going for night time trail runs. Something to note, is that i don't think the run times listed for the BD Storm or most headlamps are particularly accurate. I haven't tested one, but there is no way you're getting 350 lumens for as long as they list the run time. I think those run times are until the light is completely gone, in which case the last few hours will be a completely unusable level of brightness.

EDIT: the HL60R also uses the 18650 battery that some of the other better lights listed here use. There is a wide variety of quality in these batteries and some of them can and DO explode. Not like maybe this friend of my cousin's neighbor knew a guy who had a headlamp start on fire... I have seen it with my own eyes. Buy lithium batteries from reputable sources. Also, the best place to carry spare batteries is in a spare headlamp if a light is a mission critical device for you.

Briggs Lazalde wrote:

Your gonna regret saying that the moment you open your pack and realize the light turned on and now your spare batteries are drained hah.

Not saying that hasn't ever happened to me, but its almost a given with the BD headlamp, harder to do with the Fenix. Also, if you set it to the lowest setting and accidentally turn it on you have 4 days to discover your error before your battery is dead. I wonder if there are any actual runtime tests of these lamps out there. I am just going off my own anecdotal experience with both the Storm and the HL60R. If the Storm really does last that long, it certainly hasn't been my experience, but maybe the batteries I've been using haven't been great?

I have the Petzl MYO and it kicks butt. Got sick of those measly AAA's dying so updgraded to something with more electro storage

I've been pretty happy with the Petzl Reactik+. It has a rechargeable battery, but for $10, you can buy a AAA attachment to throw in your pack for reassurance.  This way is much more sustainable as I use mine almost every night when I walk my dog.