Gear Review: The Black Diamond Storm 400 Headlamp

For waterfowl hunters, gear preference can become an obsession. We tend to think of things like decoys and shotguns first when breaking down important gear, but other items, such as headlamps, are also incredibly important.

Because headlamps are so important, we’re now trying out a variety of different headlamps — many of them are phenomenal — and we’ve decided to first highlight the Black Diamond Storm 400 Headlamp.

This lightweight, easily packable headlamp is well-suited for hunters and our needs that range from everything from gearing up to getting to the blind. We’ve listed some pros and cons of the Storm 400 Headlamp based on our experience:

Pros

1. Lightweight.
   Some headlamps have more features but also more straps, wires, and more. This is easily packable and takes up little space and is easy to not notice when wearing it.
2. Comfortable
   Back in the day, a headlamp might mean a headache. A comfortable adjustable strap allows for the right fit.
3. Battery Life
   Black Diamond states that the battery will go for 5 hours at the high setting and 150 hours at the low setting. We imagine cold temperatures might alter this. Yet to be determined, but we’ve had this in use in temperatures around 0 degrees, and so far so good.
4. Waterproof and Dustproof
   Black Diamond states that this headlamp’s “sealed housing withstands immersion over 1m for 30 minutes.” After all, we are in dusty, dirty, and wet environments. This is important.
5. Adjustable LED light settings
   Numerous options allow for ideal light settings for different environments and uses.

Cons

1. Housing Materials
   The light weight is nice, but the housing plastic does feel a little cheap. No complaints to date about durability, but it is on our radar.
2. Batteries
   We’d love to have this take fewer than four AAA batteries, but the light running time is impressive, so it’s a tradeoff.

The Storm 400 Headlamp overall seems to be a great fit for hunters. This headlamp comes in numerous colors and presently costs $49.95.

To learn more about the Black Diamond Storm 400 Headlamp, please click here.