Best overall
The 4 a.m. start and the walk to the toilet block
Black Diamond Spot 400
400 lumens, AAA batteries, IPX8
Bright enough for a pre-dawn pass and simple enough to fix in the dark with cold hands — it runs on AAAs, which is heavier than a rechargeable and is exactly why we recommend it.
Swappable AAAs mean a dead lamp is a two-minute problem, not a trek-ending one
Red mode that does not wake a whole dormitory
Waterproof enough to be forgotten in the rain
Heavier than a rechargeable
You carry spare batteries
Lock-out mode is easy to forget, and it will drain in a pack
Not for you if: Weight-counting fastpackers. Take the rechargeable and accept that a flat battery at 4,800 m is your problem.
Check price on Amazon
