Running Headlamp

Laura Becker

Tis the season....we are losing daylight and FAST. I need a new headlamp. Mine is just crappy....I can't see...the light is not bright enough and it falls down on my face as I run...

Any suggestions for a good headlamp?? 

Thanks from your vision impaired friend 

Alvin Hom

I do a lot of trail running at night so I've tried many. I highly recommend the Black Diamond Spot.

Edwin Croucher

Laura, I run at night only occasionally. With the Headlight, I can do it. However, I think my stride is negatively effected. I feel like I spend too much time with my head tilted down so my breathing is also off. I constantly worry about stepping in or on something that will cause an injury. Last year I ran on the treadmill more than all of the treadmill running I had ever done. It is controllable, safer and you definitely get the work done.  Not one time did I have to jump into a snowbank to avoid getting hit by a car or worse, "The Plow". We have a lot of snow and there are a lot of plows on the road. Good luck

Steve West

Living in rural Maine with only moderate amounts of traffic. I never run with a headlamp but do wear some reflective garb. I prefer to run in the dark, no lights. Eyes get accustomed to the limited light and I can see quite well for avoiding potholes and bad pavement.

As far as traffic goes, I have no confidence in anyone seeing me/avoiding me and rely 100% on my own personal vigilance to watch the path of oncoming vehicles. I am always ready to dive for cover if someone wanders towards me. Living in a University town is a 2 sided argument. On one hand there are lots of pedestrians about so traffic is sort of used to it. On the other hand, that puts a lot of young people who may be intoxicated to some degree on the roads.....

Worst offenders I see are distracted drivers and it is more common in daylight than in the dark. No headlamp or any light of any magnitude can get there attention - day or night. They scare the crap out of me when I see them.

John Withrow

I've run with headlamps a lot. I was the pacer for an ultra 2 yr's ago and me and we ran all night using the petzl myo rxp. We had the brightest torches of any runner we say. Also cool is that you can use it as a spot beam for trails, or flip the little lens cover and it turns into a flood light instead for running on roads or so multiple people can easily see from it. It is a bit heavy, but with the battery in the back it is very balanced. It also has a strap over the top so it won't slide down. I wore it for 8+ hours straight and it was great. The only con is that it does not have a rear light. If this was also so people see you, some of them have a red blinky light in the rear which would be a bonus. This is an AWESOME torch if you want to light up every single root on a trail run... http://www.rei.com/product/829549/petzl-myo-rxp-headlamp

To run the R2R2R this year I wanted the most lightweight torch I could find. I was willing to give up lumens to have something smaller because I knew it will be in my pack for 12+ hours. I bought this one, but it just shipped, so I can't give you a personal review yet. http://www.backcountry.com/princeton-tec-remix-pro-headlamp?cmp_id=EM_bcs_DDM64_M1

Like Steve, for most of my runs in MN (on roads or on bike trails) I wear a reflective vest. I also wear any cheapo headlamp (the lighter the better) but I leave it off and run mostly by moonlight/starlight/ambient light. If when I see a car off in the distance, I turn my headlamp on just so they could see be better.

Caltri

I've heard from people that have done Western States that they really liked the Petzl brand.

scott dinhofer

Good thread as I was looking for a new one, Per JWs suggestion, the Petzl is no longer available at REI but Amazon has it for $69

salzmadh

I have the black diamond sprinter headlamp which I use for my evening/night runs in the city. It is rechargeable, relatively light, and you can change the brightness. Also comes with a rear flashing red light (can turn on/off) as well for more visibility.