It runs on three AAA batteries, runs for 140 hours on the lowest of three settings, and will hit the shelves in late March/early April.

www.petzl.com, 6 ounces
“Throw away all your old flashlights and headlamps,” said our tester after taking the NAO on a three-week road trip. “The reactive-lighting NAO is the only headlamp you’ll need, or want to use.” We don’t take the word “revolutionary” lightly, but the new NAO headlamp is worth getting excited about. In contrast to other lamps, the 400-lumen NAO has a beam that automatically adjusts to focus on your target. If you’re pouring over topo maps, the light adjusts to a wide beam with low output. When you look out the tent fly to see if it’s a raccoon or bear rustling by the picnic table, the beam focuses, with greater light intensity for—drum roll please—a distance of 300 feet. Other advantages include fewer manual adjustments and a better burn time than any other headlamp we’ve tested. The NAO comes with a single rechargeable lithium battery that’s guaranteed for 300-plus charges—we didn’t do the math, but that’s a lot of alkaline batteries you won’ t need to buy. Each charge provides nearly five hours of use in high Reactive mode (the auto-adjust) or eight hours in low Reactive. You can set the lamp on a constant function, which disables the sensor, but cuts significantly into the battery life, as the Reactive power setting really does make power use more efficient. The rechargeable battery can be replaced with 2 AAA batteries, but our testers swear that the rechargeable battery ups the lamp’s performance. We were leery of the downloadable battery management program that allows you to adjust the light intensity, burn time, and beam distance on a computer, but are happy to report that even techno-troglodytes found it easy (and fun) to customize the lamp’s performance. The easiest option is using the custom profiles pre-programmed to enhance performance for specific activities like climbing, running, trail running, and hiking. Two features worth noting: a big off-on knob that’s easy to manipulate with gloves or in the dark and a water-resistant shell that never leaked, even during a monster Texas monsoon that one tester encountered while night hiking up a mesa near Lajitas.

www.snowpeak.com, 2.3 ounces (without batteries)
Hand’s-free lighting is a no-brainer industry standard, and the headlamp tech race is mostly focused on  brighter lights and intuitive innovations that adjusts a headlamp’s brightness as you look at different things. But we like how Snow Peak has taken a different approach and addressed the collective desire for some ambient light when you no longer need to light at the point at which you’re specifically look. When you’re done with your targeted lighting needs, just pop open the rubber mounting on the 2.2-inch-diameter light and you get 180-degree glow, perfect for mellow light in a tent or at base camp. Four light modes—high, low, strobe, and variable, which dims as you hold the power button—offers a variety of moods, and a hook on the back of the strap lets the lantern dangle off a tree branch or the inside of a tent. Then, when you need to shift back to headlamp mode, push in the rubber ball and you’ve got directional lighting.  It runs on three AAA batteries, with 140 hours on low (eight lumens). It won’t win any svelte design awards, and when testing the head lamp, it would occasional pop into lantern mode. We could still see, of course. But those who plan on using it mostly as a headlamp would likely prefer a more fail-safe option.

www.ledlenser.com, 6.77 ounces
For car camping, when what you pack is limited only by the size of your trunk, the concept of roughing it can seem more quaint than hardcore. But even if your version of the great outdoors involves down pillows, couch cushions, and a ten-person tent, we love that you’re getting out there. To help illuminate your outdoor estate, we suggest you turn to the new P7, a high-powered LED flashlight from LED Lenser. This sleek products boasts three potent light modes, from a high of 175 lumens that illuminates distances up to 630 feet (!!) to the low setting of 27 lumens, which casts light to just under 300 feet. In other words, if you can’t see something with this flashlight, it ain’t there. A textured button at the back turns the light on and off, and toggles between settings, while the front of the flashlight sports a one-handed rapid-focus system; glide the front of the flashlight forward for a more focused beam, back out to cast wider illumination. The durable housing is also water-resistant. The 5.24-inch P7 runs on four AA batteries and burns for up to 13 hours at the low setting (the high setting burns for only one hour—but how long do you really need to see 630 feet ahead of you?). Ultralight fanatics will scoff at the hefty 6.77-ounce weight, but when weight isn’t a concern, this flashlight will see you through the wilderness (or a power outage) with the assured confidence you want in the dark.