I’m sitting on the couch icing a severely swollen ankle after tripping on a root the other morning on an early am trail run. I have an older petzle light that is fine for the road but doesn’t quite cut it for dark, uneven trails.
I also found that while it did an ok-ish job of illuminating what’s out front of me, I basically had no vision of where I was about to step as the headlamp doesn’t really light up what’s directly in front of you.
What’s a good set up for very rocky/uneven trails after dark? Are hip or chest mounted lights a thing? Preferably looking for something without disposable batteries.
When I used to run regularly on dark trails I had a cheap rechargeable headlamp on broad beam on a waist belt. On my head I had a super bright rechargeable head lamp on a narrow beam. The combination worked well.
Agree with everyone on the wasitlamp. Ultrapsire is nice. I’m also thinking a new headlight. check out Bio-lIte. can get at Rei and direct. Way brighter then what you I have I’m betting. They are priced nice and the battery life and brightness are top notch.
I think the demands of trail running are similar to mountain biking where the combination of both helmet and handlebar mounted lights are beneficial.
One of the biggest issues is that lights mounted close to your line of sight do not cast as visible of shadows. The lack of shadow makes it difficult to quickly assess the 3d structure of trail obstacles.
Having a general, broad beam, headlamp in combination with a waist or handheld light can add depth and contour to the terrain.
Personally, I haven’t used a waist-lamp, but I do like the Nathan running flashlights. The strap system means you’re barely holding them and I’ve become fairly adept at articulating my wrist through my arm-swing to maintain a consistent beam direction. It’s also nice to highlight and focus the light on various objects which aren’t directly in front of you (e.g. around corners, the noise in the bush, etc).
My experience of this activity is mostly restricted to racing up and down Snowdon (highest mountain in North Wales) at night (as part of the Three Peaks Yacht Race) over a span of 18 years, multiple races obv. Descending at speed, sometimes in mist or drizzle.
Though I also used to race night orienteering.
The best arrangement is a decent (night orienteering) head torch AND a hand held torch (1 x 18650) held below waist level to provide beam illumination on next but one foot plant.
Worked for me (and my running partner).
I know this is gonna sound weird but when I wear a headlamp, I can’t have it perfectly centered on my forehead; it’s gotta be just the slightest bit to the right or it doesn’t “feel right” - my noggin must be a odd shape or something?
