out hiking in the middle of the night made me think how cool it would be to do trail running at night with a good headlamp. anyone done this? any advice on picking the right headlamp for the job?
out hiking in the middle of the night made me think how cool it would be to do trail running at night with a good headlamp. anyone done this? any advice on picking the right headlamp for the job?
don't be stupid. do not try running trails at nite. regular nite running CAN BE dangerous enough.
are you asking for a twisted, strained, sprained, possibly BROKEN ankle, among others.
plus you don't know what weirdos are out there.
had to be harsh.
Try this ...
http://www.altrec.com/shop/detail/15934/?froogle&other=1
Petzl Tikka Plus
During the winter here it seems like the sun goes down behind the mountains at 4:30 ... so a good headlamp is nice to have, especially on the trails.
Contact any mining supply company.
fgerere wrote:
don't be stupid. do not try running trails at nite. regular nite running CAN BE dangerous enough.
are you asking for a twisted, strained, sprained, possibly BROKEN ankle, among others.
plus you don't know what weirdos are out there.
had to be harsh.
Driving a car on July 4th is way more dangerous but, I bet u drove. Don't be pussy and stay of the boards Grandpa.
Running trails at night is a blast!
Where I live night running in the winter begins at 4:30-5:00 pm.
I run with a group of 8-12 guys every Wednesday night. Be prepared to run a little slower than usual.
You do need a more high powered light than the one posted above. I got that light as a gift, tried it and it was next to worthless for real trail running.
Expect to spend over $100 for a real quality headlamp.
I have the Black Diamond Moonlamp. It works great. I run on the golf course at night and need to be able to see.
so you think i need to get something other than LED only lamps? those aren't powerful enough? can you suggest a model?
LED lamps are the best! The first week that I had mine, the reflected light on the street signs was so bright, that I kept thinking that there were cars behind me.
I have a friend with the Moonlamp ... it is great as well, probably better than the Tikka Plus.
Those inexpensive LED lights are not powerful enough if you are doing real trail running. They seem to be good enough for golf courses, but really not out in the woods on single track trails with roots, rocks etc... They also don't work well in fog,mist, rain etc...
I can't find my light right now, I'm not much of a techie and don't remember the model. I'll get back to you on the names of some good lamps.
I wonder what 'real' trail running is?
Almost any of the 3-light or 4-light LED units are good for almost any kind of trails. Most of them are adjustable from two lights to four lights, or bright to dim.
Some people don't like running with headlights and use handhelds. Handhelds vary from the big single-bulb units to 14 LED types (mine can use 3, 7, or 10). Blue, green, red, and white lights--find out which color you like.
Big decision on headlamps is deciding if you want the battery in the light unit, on the headband, or on your waist.
On technical trails (lots of rocks, roots, and turns) people seem to prefer the combination head and hand lights--gives a little more depth perception.
Biggest advantage of the LED lights is battery life. They last a long time. There are still combo units with LED and Xenon or regular bulbs--variation in brightness means variation in battery life.
Don't go out without a backup light. Get a small 2AA single bulb unit in case your main light goes dead.
running with a handheld seems like it would be very awkward. i'd think you'd have to adjust your form/arm swing to keep the light focused on the trail ahead. do you use a handheld?
Oddly enough, most people tend to be left (or right) handed for carrying a light while running. I carry it steady in my right hand, but always carry the hand-bottle in my left hand even if I don't have a light the bottle ends up in my left hand. It takes a bit of experimenting--just like the head versus hand thing.
If you are on trails where you don't need the extra brightness, the handheld is not needed. When we are on dirt roads or on full moon nights, I tend to put the handheld in the sheath and just use the headlight.
My wife prefers headlight over hand. Uses green lights in handheld.
My son uses whatever is closest to the door.
The woman I paced at Western perfers handhelds.
I use both (handheld in sheath on fannypack belt most of the time)--prefer green lights.
There is no 'right' one to use.
The type of trails you run can affect your choice. Trails (or dirt roads) that are not technical (technical=lots of rocks, roots, and stuff you need to look down for a lot) generally don't need as much light.
The Princeton Tec Eos (retail $38.95) is a great headlamp for night running. It uses a 1 W LED and is MUCH brighter than the Petzl Tikka/Tikka Plus/Princeton Tec Aurora, etc. that use the smaller LEDs, but retains the small size. There are a couple other commonly available headlamps that are in the same class as the Eos (Black Diamond Zenix IQ), but I think the Eos is the best deal. The Petzl Myo XP is the next step up in brightness, but it costs $70.
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/princetontec_eos.htm
http://www.flashlightreviews.com/reviews/blackdiamond_zenix-iq.htm