BioLite launched its HeadLamp 330 last year to much acclaim. The unique headlamp featured a lamp embedded within the head strap, and a separate battery mounted to the rear of the strap. Both made the HeadLamp 330 supremely comfortable, especially while active.
BioLite carries the momentum with today’s release of the HeadLamp 200, a lighter, less powerful, simpler, and lower-priced version.
The BioLite HeadLamp 200 (MSRP $45) is a 200-lumen headlamp suitable for most nighttime camping and hiking duties. The simple design and low weight are appreciated qualities, but what steals the show is the supreme comfort of the embedded light design.
BioLite HeadLamp 200 features
The HeadLamp 200 feature list reads similar to other camping-oriented headlamps:
- White dimming spot, red dimming flood, white strobe, and red strobe lighting modes
- Micro USB recharging
- Tilting light panel
- 40 hour claimed battery life on low, 3 hours on high
- Lock mode
- Four colorways
Our sample has a verified weight of 1.8 ounces.
In the field
The most noticeable feature of the BioLite HeadLamp 200 is that it becomes unnoticeable. After a few minutes of use, the super low weight, embedded lamp, and comfortable head strap made me forget I even was wearing a headlamp. Quite a few times after testing and turning the unit off, I would find it still affixed to my head in the car or lounging at home, hours after use. It’s that comfortable; it’s the most comfortable headlamp I have used to date. BioLite backs this comfort up with their “HolyFit” guarantee; if you don’t love it in 30 days, you can return it for a refund.
The softly textured headband was comfortable against bare skin and the flat profile and the bantamweight of the lamp kept it bounce free during aggressive body movements. The adjustment range was generous enough to fit over the largest helmets but might adjust down enough for small children.
The 200-lumen output is adequate for camp chores and trail hiking, but I found it too low for trail running or detailed work. The dimming feature allowed infinite brightness adjustment and the red flood had a pleasing throw that indeed saved my night vision. All functions toggled with a single button and the menu was logical and second nature after a few activations.
The battery life seemed on par with the claims, and the lock mode prevented accidental powering even when tightly packed.
Conclusions
The BioLite HeadLamp 200 follows the successful HeadLamp 330 with a lighter, simpler, and much more affordable unit. The power output is significantly less, but still usable for camp chores and hiking at night.
And like the HeadLamp 330, the comfort is unbeatable and the headlamp making it easily forgotten while wearing. I have not used a headlamp that I would plain forget was there for hours at a time. This characteristic alone makes the BioLite HeadLamp 200 worthy of consideration, especially for prolonged use.
The BioLite HeadLamp 200 is available here.