Silva Trail Runner Free Headlamp - SS22

Product Information

We're working out what we think about Silva's Trail Runner Free 2 Ultra Headtorch, we'll add our comments here in due course. If you always run long, the Trail Runner Free Ultrahas the largest battery and burn time offering 9-hours on full-power in good weather. This can reduce to below 5-hours in sub-zero temperatures.

Trail Runner Free 2 is a comfortable and lightweight headlamp for everyone who loves running. Its features and light beam are optimized for a runner’s needs. The basic version of the Trail Runner Free 2 series is used with 3 x AAA batteries (not included) and the Hybrid battery case. Best Headlamp for Ultrarunning — Runners-Up: Silva Trail Runner Free Ultra, Fenix HM65R Rechargeable Headlamp, and Nitecore UT32With the 2:nd generation of Trail Runner Free, the cooling has been optimized with a more powerful cooler that lets the lamp produce up to 550 lumen (depending on battery type) while keeping its comfort and low weight. Our ultra runners have been an important part of the design process and the Trail Runner Free 2 series is made for running in every aspect. All three headlamps in this series feature Silva Intelligent Light. This means that you get a double light beam technology in your headlamp, with light settings that are perfect for running. Our unique combination of a long reach spotlight and a close flood-light, results in less head movement, better control, improved balance, less fatigue and higher speed.

The battery charge lasts about two hours on the 400lm setting. To make the charge last longer, I’d need to reduce the beam brightness. All Trail Runner Free lamps have the power cord integrated into the headband. We call it Free Technology – a comfortable headlamp experience without distracting cords or tangled wires. No hassle – Just free the energy. Other reviewers have speculated how hard it might be to replace the wiring, given that it's integral to the headband. Whilst this is - to an extent - an interesting question, and we should definitely be thinking more about how we can repair the equipment we own, my question in return would be - if you break any other brand of headtorch's wiring - how easy would that be to repair? Generally, not very, so I don't think it's a concern peculiar to this design.The Petzl Nao RL is the highly anticipated updated version of the Nao+, which has been the go-to ultrarunning headlamp for a half-decade. Most headlamps have a few general modes: a constant or flashing white light and a constant or flashing red light. More complex lamps allow for more adjustments: the lumens of the white light can be turned up or down, affecting battery life, and the width of the beam can widen or narrow, sometimes automatically, as with Petzl’s Reactive Lighting technology, which can be found on the Petzl Swift RL and the Petzl Nao RL.

For many runners, brightness is the top consideration when finding the best running headlamp. However, it’s worth noting that brighter is not necessarily better. We believe there is such a thing as too bright, and we’ve found both too much light and too little light will cause eye strain. Additionally, too much light can blind your fellow trail users. I was worried the 400 lumen output would not be sufficient for night running – this is my main use of a head torch. It is fine for many situations but on dark woodland trails I found I needed a brighter beam. Burn time: This is the battery life of the head torch. How long it lasts will depend on the number of lumens and setting you use. Generally, the brighter the torch, the more power is required to keep it shining, so it will burn out sooner. If you’ve ever wished for a bike light for trail running, then the Nitecore HC35 is your headlamp. This headlamp’s powerful beam pumps out 2,700 lumens for 45 minutes. Impressive as that is, the settings that provide 800 lumens for three hours or 270 lumens for all-night runs are the most practical and, therefore, grab our attention as runners. Add in the fact that you can quite easily change the battery in the field and keep going, and you’ve got a setup for a night of running on a brightly lit trail.The main downside of this system is its weight and bulk. It’s not lightweight, and for those looking to shave grams, this can be a hefty load to bear. Similarly, the waistbelt makes this light bulkier than others when the sun comes up, and you want to stuff it into your hydration vest. However, this could be a great option if your priority is having a powerful waist-worn light to get you through a long night of running.