Onsight 375 Headlamp

The Black Diamond Onsight 375 is a climber's head torch, developed night-climbing on limestone walls in Mexico for the sessions that run on after sunset. It has two beams and one idea: a wide, glare-free light for the holds right in front of you, and a long, narrow beam you add when you need to find the next anchor or the track back down. A rear battery pack, an articulating front housing and IP67 sealing make it tough enough for the crag, the gully and an alpine start.

Who it's for

Climbers topping out at dusk at Frog Buttress or the Grampians, multi-pitch parties racing the dark, and walkers and runners who want a balanced, sealed head torch for pre-dawn starts. If your nights are mostly about camp chores, a simpler single-beam torch will suit; if you climb or move fast in the dark, this is the one built for it.

Brightness and runtime together

The Onsight 375 has two main modes. Climbing Mode is the one you will live in: 300 lumens of wide, even light that shows hand and foot holds without the hot spot that makes small edges hard to read. Route-Finder Mode switches in a second, narrow beam and lifts total output to 375 lumens for spotting anchors, cairns or the descent gully. Brightness memory brings the light back at the level you last used rather than at full power, and a six-setting, three-LED battery indicator shows how much charge is left, so you can drop to a lower setting and stretch the batteries before a long descent.

Beam shape

The two beams do different jobs. The climbing beam is broad and evenly spread, so the rock under your hands is lit without glare. The route-finding beam is a tight, long throw for looking up the route or across a slope. Swapping between them takes a tap: touch the left or right side of the front housing, and PowerTap changes mode with no fumbling for a small button in gloves.

Charging and battery

Three AAA alkaline cells come in the box and fit the rear battery pack, which balances the light on your head. The rechargeable BD 1800 lithium-ion battery is sold separately. With batteries fitted, the Onsight 375 weighs 135 g.

Mounting

The front housing is very thin and has extra articulation built in, so you can tilt the beam down to your feet when you are tight against the wall. A perforated elastic headband lets your head breathe on hot approaches.

Weather resistance

The Onsight 375 is rated IP67: fully sealed against dust and tested to keep working after 30 minutes at 1 m underwater. Rain, spray and a dunking at a creek crossing are no drama.

Looking after it

Use the digital lockout before the Onsight goes into a pack, so it cannot switch on and flatten the batteries. Take alkaline cells out if it will sit unused for months.