The gear that gets you there.
Only the best. Nothing else makes the list.
USB-C headlamps under two ounces, plus a co-op lamp you can replace in town.
Three picks. Updated weekly. That is the whole list. If it is not here, it did not earn a place.
· Top three updated weekly. Listed prices and shop ratings stay live.
Surveys 40% · independent tests 30% · merchant ratings 15% · relative street price 15%. Sources & method
Listed prices and shop ratings stay live once a shop page loads. GEAR UP has the current figure.
Built from published thru-hiker surveys and independent testing — not commissions. Sources & method · Disclosure
Swipe — three picks side by side
USB-C · 360 lm · 1.3 oz
Listed price
Highest-rated headlamp · Halfway Anywhere 2025
9.0 / 10 Thru Picks
1.3-ounce USB-C headlamp with a red light. Our first pick, and the lightest of the three.
Sources: Garage Grown Gear · Halfway Anywhere · REI Co-op · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Also at Garage Grown Gear →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
USB-C · 360 lm · 1.7 oz
Listed price
38% of 790 hikers · Halfway Anywhere 2025
8.8 / 10 Thru Picks
USB-C Nitecore that cottage shops sell widely. A little more weight and output than the NU20.
Sources: Garage Grown Gear · Halfway Anywhere · REI Co-op · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Also at Garage Grown Gear →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
400 lm · rechargeable · 3 oz
Listed price
7.8 / 10 Thru Picks
Rechargeable 400-lumen headlamp you can replace at a co-op.
Sources: Garage Grown Gear · Halfway Anywhere · REI Co-op · Thru Picks method
GEAR UP →Also at Garage Grown Gear →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission. Not a paid ranking.
This ranking already sits in a finished kit. Every item is among the best. Weighed. Ranked. Ready.
The lighter pick among the best in each slot. Dyneema shelter, open-foot quilt, flask filter.
7 lb 7.3 oz base · Open kit →02 · Lower spendA complete thru-hike kit from the best in each slot, chosen for a lower street price — not for a lesser hike.
8 lb 7.3 oz base · Open kit →03 · Highest performingThe highest-performing pick in each slot this site already ranks. Dyneema shelter, closed-foot quilt, SOS in the hipbelt.
7 lb 15 oz base · Open kit →04 · First long trailForgiving shelter, a stove that lights, tape in the hipbelt. Built for the first hundred miles, not for a forum argument.
8 lb 3.8 oz base · Open kit →05 · Cooler weatherA 15° bag, a warmer pad, a fleece under the puffy. For starts and finishes that are not summer.
8 lb 15.7 oz base · Open kit →06 · No stoveNo canister. No boil. Cold soak in the pot you already carry, or eat in town. The rest of the kit stays among the best.
7 lb 3.5 oz base · Open kit →07 · Section hikesForgiving shelter, a stove that lights, tape in the hipbelt. Weekend-to-week volume — not a five-month food carry. No traction.
8 lb 2.7 oz base · Open kit →08 · Sierra snowSnow travel with the traction this site already ranks #1. Rain pants and hiking pants on. No ice axe — that ranking does not exist here.
10 lb 2.9 oz base · Open kit →USB-C, under two ounces, and a red light you will actually use. Nitecore took this class in 2025. A co-op lamp is the replacement you can buy when a cottage shop is closed.
NU20 Classic is first: 1.3 ounces, the highest-rated headlamp in that survey and the lightest of these three. NU25 is Best Value — the Nitecore cottage shops sell in volume. Black Diamond Spot 400-R is Trail Tough: rechargeable, 400 lumens, widely stocked. Keep it in a hipbelt pocket for early starts.
Rankings and kits are based on published surveys and independent analysis. They are opinions for informational purposes only. Users are responsible for choosing and using gear appropriate to their conditions and experience. Thru Picks is not liable for outcomes related to product use. Terms