When considering a headlamp for trail running, there are a ton of options to choose from.
In this video, I'm going to talk about what I personally look for in a headlamp
to help you choose the right headlamp for you.
I'm going to start by going over some of the features that separate different models of
headlamps, including both the features that I'd consider absolutely essential as well
as those that are just nice to haves.
I'll talk about a few different use cases where some of these different features
might be important.
And lastly, I'll recommend a couple of headlamps that I've had good experiences with that you
can use as a basis for comparison when choosing your own.
As usual, all of the products I'm going to highlight will be linked to in the description
below so that you can compare prices from several online retailers.
And if you do decide to buy one of them using my affiliate links, there's no extra cost
to you but it would help out the channel.
The first and most obvious thing that separates all of these different headlamps I have here
is their brightness and this is almost always measured by lumens.
These headlamps here range from as low as 80 lumens all the way up to 1500.
Many headlamps also come with the option for both a wide and narrow beam, and sometimes
both at once which allows you to better see the terrain immediately in front of you
and at a distance.
Something to keep in mind though is that the optics of the lenses can really affect the
perceived brightness of a headlamp, and some will even include ratings tied to beam pattern
or distance.
And lastly, some headlamps have what's called reactive technology which reacts to reflective
surfaces in order to adjust the brightness automatically.
I'll talk more about this a little later.
Generally speaking, anything under about 150 lumens like this, is really only going to
be good for walking on easy terrain, or for using in a tent, but something like would
make for a good backup headlamp for emergency use.
The Petzl Swift RL here for comparison is rated for 550 lumens on high mode, 200 on
medium, and 10 lumens on low mode, along with a reactive mode which can boost it temporarily
up to 900 lumens.
For trail running, I like to be in the 200-300 lumen range.
Really, the brighter the better, especially when running fast at night on extremely
technical terrain.
Just remember that the brighter your headlamp, the quicker it's going to drain your battery,
so there is a sweet spot.
And that leads me to the next thing you'll want to consider in a headlamp, and that's
its battery life.
It's easy to get excited about how bright some of the new headlamps are on the market,
but you need to look at how long a headlamp will last at a given lumen rating.
For example, I mentioned how the Petzl Swift here is capable of a sustained 550 lumens
on high mode, but at max power you'll only get 2 hours of burn time.
At 200 lumens on the medium setting, you'll get 5 hours, and when on reactive mode you
can get up 30 hours.
I like to be able get about 8 hours on a single charge so that I can safely run through the
night with a single battery plus a backup.
There are also a few different flavours of headlamps when it comes to the types of batteries.
You'll find some like this one that rely on regular AA or AAA disposable batteries.
These batteries are really easy to find, making them great for travel or in cases where charging
amay be a challenge.
I think this style of headlamp is fine for small backup headlamps that you might carry
in case of emergency, but if you're a heavy user you'll want to instead invest in a headlamp
that uses a battery rechargeable by USB, because relying exclusively on disposable batteries
is quite wasteful and will get expensive in a hurry.
Some headlamps have built-in batteries that are chargeable but not removable, but I definitely
prefer those that use swappable battery packs so that you can buy one or more backups to
carry with you or to keep in your drop bags during a race.
Lithium battery packs are generally lighter and more efficient than alkaline and other
kinds of batteries, and they'll perform better in colder weather, but they are more expensive.
There are even headlamps that allow you to use both lithium battery packs and AAA's in
a pinch, giving you the best of both worlds, albeit typically with reduced performance
with disposables.
There's not really any getting around it, in almost all cases, the brighter and longer
lasting a headlamp is, the bigger and heavier it's going to be.
Some headlamps are more efficient than others, but it really comes down to the size of the
battery in terms of how much burn time you're going to get from any headlamp.
This is one reason why getting a headlamp that's bright enough but not excessively bright
might be a good way to go.
Remember, it's not just the size and weight of a headlamp while it's in your pack that
you should be concerned with, but also how it's going to feel on your head.
But some headlamps are a little more efficient in terms of their design and in how they distribute
the weight.
Headlamps like the Peztl Nao with larger battery packs will put the battery at the back which
really helps, and you can also get an optional extension cable so that the entire battery
can be stashed in your pack, although these can be cumbersome and makes it difficult to
take your pack on and off.
But this is a great setup if you plan on using your headlamp in extremely cold conditions,
because you'll be able to then keep the battery warm inside your jacket.
All modern headlamps will come with some level of water-resistance which is generally rated
on what's call an IPX scale.
I definitely don’t need my headlamps to work under water, but it’s gotta work reliably
in a rain storm, so I'll look for a minimum IPX-4 rating.
Okay, now let's talk about a few features that, while not totally necessary, are really
nice to have.
The first is a lock.
Have you ever had your headlamp accidentally turn on in your pack?
Or worse, pull it out and realize that it’s already dead when you need it?
Not all headlamps have this and some people don’t like using it which is crazy, but
this is something I personally always look for in my primary headlamp.
Alternatively though, you could simply disconnect the battery in the case of something like
the Petzl Nao, put it in backwards in some models, or remove it altogether.
But that’s definitely not as ideal, as it's just one more thing to be messing around with
in the dark.
I mentioned Reactive technology earlier.
Some headlamps will react to reflective surfaces in order to automatically adjust their brightness
based on the proximity of nearby objects, like when you hold up a map.
I’m not sure if this is limited to Petzl headlamps but they’ve definitely made this
one of their differentiators, and it’s a great feature to have.
It helps to not only avoid blinding people or yourself when it reflects off bright objects
like white paper but also really helps to save battery life.
But there are two caveats here.
The first is that reactive headlamps can act a little funny when you’re running
in a group.
I’ve found that my headlamp will sometimes react to the person’s light from behind
me whenever it shines past my legs.
But then the space in front of me in shadow caused by my own body ends up being too dark
creating a tripping hazard.
So I usually end up turning this feature off when running in a group.
The second thing to be aware of is how this can affect battery life.
I noticed that when I’m running on really technical terrain, my battery will last a
lot longer because I’m spending more time looking down at the ground.
But when running on more runnable terrain I’ll likely be looking further up ahead
on the road or trail, meaning the headlamp will get a lot brighter.
So just be sure that you don’t end up getting surprised one night when your headlamp dies
after only 5 or 6 hours, when another night you may have gotten 8-10 hours of use.
Not having a red light definitely isn’t a deal breaker for me when it comes to trail
running, but it is something that is really nice to have, especially when using the headlamp
in a tent, around camp, or really anytime you might want to save your night vision,
save your battery, or just not light up the entire forest.
So less applicable if using a headlamp strictly for trail running but more something to consider
if you do plan on also using the same headlamp for camping, which many people probably would.
Some headlamps are equipment with battery status indicator lights to let you know how
your battery is doing, both when charging and in use.
Something I'll always do before heading out the door is to just turn my headlamp on and
off again to check for this green light here.
I can then lock it and throw it in my pack with confidence that it's going to be ready
to use when I need it.
Some headlamps allow you to customize some of their settings, but as technical of a person
as I am, I've never bothered doing this.
You'll find the design of the headbands will vary as well, and you might find some are
more comfortable than others, especially after prolonged use.
And some even come with special reserve modes which will reserve 10 lumens or so worth up
power for up 2 hours, once the battery is almost empty, ensuring you don't get stuck
out in the dark which could be a useful feature.
I think you'll find though that with any high quality headlamp from a reputable brand, you're
going to have a host of similar features, so I'd focus instead on the main comparable
features that I outlined earlier in the video.
So you might be wondering, what is my favourite headlamp?
Well, I used to rely primarily on the Petzl Nao+.
This is an older version rated for up to 350 lumens but the newer model actually provides
up to 750 lumens for up to 6.5 hours, which makes it suitable for skiing and mountain
biking as well.
It's even got bluetooth connectivity so that you customize it with an app on your phone
if that's the kind of thing you're into.
I have a spare batteries for this one which is quite large, but the optional extension
cable allows you to store the battery in your hydration vest as I mentioned earlier.
I later bought a Petzl Reactik+ and a couple of spare batteries to serve as a backup to
my Petzl Nao, and to use on shorter evening runs, but this ended up being my go-to simply
because of its size and ease of use.
In fact, I've ended up using this pretty much exclusively for the past few years.
It's rated for 300 lumens, it has both a wide and spot beam, plus features like bluetooth
connectivity and a red light mode.
The Reactik has since been replaced with the Petzl Swift RL that I showed you earlier,
which doesn't have a red light mode, but does have a lock and is rated IPX-4.
It's definitely priced right and weighs only 100 grams with a swappable 2350mAh lithium
battery pack.
So I'd say this is a perfect option for most trail runners' needs.
I'd recommend buying at least one spare battery pack to carry with you at all times.
But I’ve also been experimenting for the past few weeks with a headlamp that was recently
sent to me from Fenix, the HM65R-T. Full disclosure, they did provide me with this headlamp for
free, but did not pay me to review it nor were there any expectations set around what
I would say.
It's a brand new model designed especially for trail running, based on their best selling
HM65R model which from what I've seen has nothing but good reviews.
It's got an independently operated spot and flood light, and the spotlight is rated for
1300 lumens for 4 hours on high mode, 400 lumens for up to 12 hours on medium mode,
and 130 lumens for up to 24 hours on low, so this thing could definitely get you through
a 100 miler on a single charge of the included 3500 mAh battery.
With both the flood and spot light combined, it'll give you an incredible 1500 lumens.
It's made of magnesium alloy with a rating of IP68, meaning it's both fully submersible
and impact resistant up to 2 meters.
It's fast charging thanks to the USB-C plug instead of the micro-usb you'll find on most
headlamps, and features a boa fit system which is really comfortable and snug.
I honestly can't get over how bright this thing is, given that it weighs only 140 grams.
The only downside I can see is that the included battery needs to be charged inside the headlamp,
unless you also buy an optional charger.
But if you do plan on using this as your primary headlamp, you'll probably want to get at least
one extra battery anyway so getting a high speed dual charger is probably also a good
idea.
Or, you could get the optional lithium batteries with built-in micro-USB which can be charged
independently just like a Petzl battery pack.
So if you're looking for something really bright for running on technical terrain, or
something that can outlast you during a 100 miler, and you don't mind a little extra weight
a size, this headlamp is definitely one to consider
So there you go, two good options for you to consider, along with a list of features
that will hopefully help you choose the headlamp that's right for you.
But I'd be curious to hear about which headlamps you've used in the past and what kind of features
you find are a priority, so tell me about it in the comments below.
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