General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Best Head Lamp or light for night running? Rss Feed  
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2010-03-08 3:54 PM

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Subject: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
Hey what are your guys experience with head lamps for night running... Or do you use a small hand held? I'm looking to get a headlamp for night running but not sure which one to get, How many Lumens it needs to put out,  Best for battery life at a level that you can actually see,  comfort etc..etc... What are you guys using?


2010-03-08 10:54 PM
in reply to: #2714956

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Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?

I can't say from experience, but I've heard good things about this one:  http://www.princetontec.com/?q=node/67.  A bit spendy, but if you're going to be running in the dark frequently, it may be worth it.

I'm interested to hear what a few who have experience running trails in the dark have to say.

2010-03-08 11:41 PM
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Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?

I use this one: http://www.rei.com/product/709063

I don't usually run trails, so I just use it for running in dark neighborhoods.  I'm happy with the headlamp though, it puts out a decent amount of light, and it's relatively inexpensive.

 

2010-03-09 7:50 AM
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Waller County, TX
Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
I have this one and used it at Rocky Raccoon last month. It has spot and flood light functions and 3 settings in each mode. Battery life is great.

I used the medium flood setting for 90% of my trail running. I like being able to see a broader area, especially if there are lots of roots and rocks.

The over the top head strap keeps everything in place and works on a bike helmet as well for adventure racing. This one weighs slightly more than some others, but it's not noticeable at all.

Shop around; I paid ~$50 for it off another website.

http://www.rei.com/product/745183
2010-03-09 1:50 PM
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Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
I've been using a Black Diamond Sprinter headlamp this winter. One of the great things about it's rechargable. Plenty bright.
2010-03-09 3:43 PM
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Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
How long do the rechargable ones hold a charge?  They look like great units but if you used them for a night or 100 mile race will they work for 10 to 12 hours that you use them.  Not that I'll be doing a 100 miler this year but the day may come. 


2010-03-09 9:07 PM
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2010-03-09 10:46 PM
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Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
I use both a head light and a hand held of the LED type.  If running on technical terrain it is nice to use both together to be able to see the obstacles.  I find that if I use only a head light it makes the trail flat and it is hard to see the roots and rocks sticking up.  By holding a hand held down by your waist you can see the details of the trial.  How bright of a light really depends on how easy the trial is to follow and if you are looking for trail markers. 
2010-03-10 11:20 AM
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Expert
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Thornton, CO
Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
I've gone through a number of headlamps over the years, from hiking/camping/running.  I recently picked up a new one about a month ago.  The Black Diamond Spot  http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/mountain/lighting/spot

I was hesitant about not having the over the head strap since all my previous ones had it.  But this one stays in place really well without it.  I went looking for something compact enough to not bother me, but still had good battery life and lumens. After looking through a bunch at REI, talking with some employees there, I went with the Spot.  The Petzl ones just didn't seem to offer as good of a ratio as the Black Diamonds.  I've run at night a lot, so this has already gotten a lot of use.  So far I'm very happy with my purchase.  Specs say that new batteries on high it projects 70m, after 30minutes that drops to 60m, dropping towards 35m after 10 hours.

I also have the Petzl e+lite http://www.rei.com/product/749039 which I set to a blinking red light behind me, but it can change to 3 white LEDs if something happens with my main light.  I picked it up because I had to 3 miles left one day when my batteries on my old headlamp (not the Spot) died and I still had 3 miles to go on an unlit rec path on a night were the moon was not visible.  I learned having a backup like this would have come in handy, especially since I had a red blinker on my back anyway that night.  I saw this and knew it was the safety/backup light.
2010-03-10 1:27 PM
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San mateo California
Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
Paulettejo - 2010-03-09 8:07 PM

handheld.  For the weight, the out perform the headlamps.  You can shine them right on the trail...



X1000

I like the handheld better...    
2010-03-10 2:16 PM
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Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
Thanks for all the sugestions. 

I have quite a few small mag-lites so I may just use one of them with a head strap.  Here is a link to a guys blog that has some picks of the differance between the LED headlamps and the handheld unit in a head strap. 

http://marathoningwithwillis.blogspot.com/2007/12/brightest-light-system-for-running-yet.html



2010-03-10 2:25 PM
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Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
I am going to take a headlamp and flashlight on my next night runs. I had a very weak headlight last time and it made running almost impossible bc I was so sore the thought of tripping or falling by nightfall kept me in a shuffle.  I actually ended up just carrying the light in my hand and shining it on the ground...

Edited by jmholmes02 2010-03-10 2:26 PM
2010-03-10 7:55 PM
in reply to: #2717781

Expert
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Waller County, TX
Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
billgeist - 2010-03-09 10:46 PM

I use both a head light and a hand held of the LED type.  If running on technical terrain it is nice to use both together to be able to see the obstacles.  I find that if I use only a head light it makes the trail flat and it is hard to see the roots and rocks sticking up.  By holding a hand held down by your waist you can see the details of the trial.  How bright of a light really depends on how easy the trial is to follow and if you are looking for trail markers. 


^^^Ditto^^^

I was actually going to put something like this in my previous post, but I didn't want to turn it into a really long post.

At Rocky Raccoon I used my small, back-up headlamp as a hand-held and just let my arm dangle to keep the light at a low angle. Worked great. It really made the roots stand out.
2010-03-11 9:08 AM
in reply to: #2714956

Extreme Veteran
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Surprise, AZ
Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
I like to use the head lamps but strap them around my waist and put 2 head lamps on the strap. 1 point downward and the other straight. More light the better to me.

I am still trying to figure out a way to use a bike light for the trails since those light are so much better, more heavy but better lighting.
I might just have to wear by bike helmet with light attached but that might look funny.
2010-03-11 10:46 AM
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Regular
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Durango, Colorado
Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
I use the Petzl Tikki Plus XP for night running and think it is great!  It is very lightweight...I don't even notice it at all, plu it puts out quite a bit of light.
2010-03-25 11:26 PM
in reply to: #2714956

Regular
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Colorado Springs
Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
I use the Black Diamond spot. It's nice for most trails. When it's really dark or will be out for a long time will add a handheld. Extra light for when there is no moon or really techy trails. My current favorite handheld is Gerber LX 3.0. Heavy aluminium and 3 watt LED it is very bright.
Happy trails


2010-05-05 2:58 PM
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Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?

PrincetonTec Fuel is the best bang for the buck out there.  I've used mine for all sorts of trails and conditions for hours on end.  Flawless.  I've even seen it for less than $20 on steepandcheap.com, but it's still a great value at full retail.

I think you'd have to be nuts to put something that weighs close to 300g on your noggin'.  Even if it does have 8 LED lights and 12 settings, plus a small camp stove, it would be major overkill.  The Fuel is only 78g.  Heck, you might just forget it's there! 

Carrying a hand held flashlight cramps my running form, and besides that, at least one hand often has a water bottle attached to it.  I also find that it's great to have my hands free for eating, drinking, and wiping spider-webs off my face.

~B

2010-05-05 3:31 PM
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Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
Thread crash!

I thought I'd post this article from REI (full disclosure, I work for them). It talks about the specs of headlamps and what means what when you're doing your research. Thought it might help everyone wade through some of the technical stuff.
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/headlamp.html
2010-05-05 3:56 PM
in reply to: #2716852

Expert
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Albuquerque, NM
Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
lextek - 2010-03-09 12:50 PM
I've been using a Black Diamond Sprinter headlamp this winter. One of the great things about it's rechargable. Plenty bright.


Same one I use... I'm very happy with it.
2010-05-06 2:53 AM
in reply to: #2714956


3

Subject: RE: Best Head Lamp or light for night running?
There are tons of  LED headlamps on the market out there.  And I use two when running at night; a Petzl Tikka Plus around my waist and a Petzl Myo 3 on my head. I set the Tikka to flood so it illuminates the area within 10 feet of me, and the Myo 3 to spot so I can see further up the trail. You're safest using both.

http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3665063

http://www.amazon.com/Petzl-E47-PBY-Headlamp-Yellow/dp/B000N7M9PY


 
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