Head Torches
- Details
- Category: Safety
General advice on Headtorches
First published Sep 2019
As you will all have noticed its quite dark in the evenings now. For the main Arrows groups that start at 7:30 pm its pretty much already dark when they start but for the beginners groups starting a little earlier there is still some light - but its going really quickly now.
At the Arrows we strongly advise people to wear a head torch (and hi viz clothing) even though you may be comfortable that you can still see well enough. Its just as important that you can be seen as that you can see. We try to be safe by picking routes carefully and observing good road safety but if wearing a head torch saves just one accident then its worth it.
You never know - one winter evening you may even be tempted to do some night trails with us. Not scary - actually quite good fun!
Head torches have improved dramatically over the last few years and now - unless you are going off to run up Snowdon or something - a perfectly reasonable head torch can be obtained for between £10 and £20 from any number of suppliers. Amazon for example has hundreds to choose from.
So - what do you look out for?
First of all is probably comfort. You are going to be running in this so look for something that is not too heavy and has a nice adjustable headband. The lighter torches have their batteries in the actual lamp but some have a separate battery compartment round the back - so although they may be slightly heavier (and perhaps more powerful) they may 'balance better. Some come with a simple strap while other come with an additional strap that runs over the top of your head. Make sure the headtorch has some sort of adjustment to allow you to angle the torch higher or lower.
Secondly although all head torches are battery powered, not all are rechargeable. Being able to give the torch a recharge whenever you need it is way easier than fumbling around trying to find another AAA battery and very quickly pays for itself too. Many (most?) headtorches use a USB socket now - so they can use the same charger potentially as your phone - and you always know where your phone charger is, right? People also forget that almost anything with a USB socket on it can potentially be used as a charger too - your laptop or PC, tablet, Music system, TV, printer, car... So if you should always be able to find something to give your head torch a quick boost before you run.
Waterproofing. Lets face it, you are going to get wet at some point so look for a torch that at least claims to be showerproof! There is an official system of rating how waterproof something is. If it doesn't have an "IP" rating then they are aren't claiming its waterproof or they have not had that properly verified / certified. If it does then basically the higher the number the better. IP55 is better waterproofing than IP44.
Brightness. The brightness is measured in Lumens. The bigger the number the brighter the light... but also the brighter the light the shorter time the battery will last. Read the description to see how long the battery will last on each of the 'modes' the light comes with. You probably aren't going to need a torch offering thousands of Lumens - especially if its going to run out inside a couple of hours - and when running in a group you risk upsetting everyone else who will be blinded by your torch. Personally I'd go for something that offers a few hundred lumens and two or three brightness settings and a more substantial battery life - maybe 10 hours plus on a single charge. That way you dont have to charge it every outing!
Red lights
Some torches can display a red light too. I dont know anyone who actually runs with a red light but its a useful feature as a backup cycle light or to wear around camp if you are camping. Some headtorches - especially those ones with back of head battery boxes sometimes have a red light shining backwards as well as the white light at the front. Thats good because it means traffic coming up behind you should spot you more easily.
Chest lights.
If you really cant get on with something on your head then there are lights which fix to a chest strap - but do make sure the chest strap is a nice fit for you and is secure. The downside of this type is that with a head torch you can just look where you want to go but chest strap lights are harder to point. If its very very dark or the terrain very difficult then some ultra runners wear a chest light for general illumination and a head torch too, for pointing at specific areas.
There are literally hundreds out there so I'm not going to recommend a specific one but have a look at these on Amazon, and don't forget to read the reviews and then decide. These currently range from £7.99 to £16.99.
Budget model USB chargeable - worth a punt?
Basic Headtorch USB chargeable
Headtorch with back battery and top strap
