PETZL NAO Plus Headlamp - SS21

Product Information

Storage pouch — a smart solution for carrying your NAO RL. It transforms into a lantern and can be used to store the lamp with enough space to accommodate an extra battery. The most useful part of the app is the battery management aspect. The app tells you exactly what percentage of the battery is left, a huge step up from simple 3-bar battery life indicators on some headlamps. It also allows you to manage the brightness of the beam to achieve a certain battery-life. Kind of sad to see this “I don’t want people to be following me in a race” type of attitude from a trail runner, but, well, it is what it is. Thanks for the article. Longer burn time, greater visual comfort, and less manual operation with REACTIVE LIGHTING® mode, which allows the light sensor to automatically adjust brightness and beam pattern, optimizing battery usage Like the Petzl Reactik+, the Nao+’s most impressive feature is the reactive lighting mode. This mode uses a sensor at the top of the headlamp to evaluate the ambient light and the proximity of objects to adjust the amount and type of light that should be emitted.

REACTIVE LIGHTING® Technology — a light sensor allows brightness and beam pattern to automatically adapt to your surroundings. This optimizes battery life for longer burn time, increased visual comfort, and reduced manual operation. So you can stay focused on the finish line. In my opinion reactive lighting is a beneficial feature & if you're after a head torch with this then try Petzl's Swift RL. Otherwise if it's just a high lumen count & long battery life then there are many other far better & cheaper head torches on the market.

I’ve always admired the robust quality of Petzl’s headtorches. Being an established and trusted brand founded in the mid-1970’s, there’s that overwhelming sense that with each headtorch developed there’s continuous innovation, and there’s a number of important considerations that Petzl take into account when designing the headtorch. They look at the design from the point of view of those who will be wearing the equipment and carefully design the product, its fit, the battery life, weight, adaptive sensory lighting, and much more. “This is the 5 th Petzl I’ve used, and I’m pleased to confirm that it lived up to my expectations.” Minimum burn time of 5 hours in REACTIVE LIGHTING® mode (STANDARD level), built to power through long activities like trail running and ultra-running

Three white lighting levels: MAX BURN TIME, STANDARD (better power/burn time balance), and MAX POWER Although these functions are very useful, we found that the app was most useful to set the headlamp up when you begin a night hike or activity and we did not use it after that because it is too much of a hassle to get your phone out each time. Great head torch, lights up dark country lanes and trails when running alone. Cars can see me from a good distance so feel safe from oncoming traffic. Batters life seems good but only really use for an hour at a time so not pushed it too hard. Speedy delivery from ultra marathon running store. Cosmetics aside it’s the performance and operating system where the main differences lie. The Nao+ has the same Reactive Technology which senses the ambient and reflected light and brightens and dims the torch accordingly. Some people don’t like this but if I find that it is very useful if doing a lot of navigating, especially with a plasticated or laminated map as it significantly reduces the glare. Yes the Reactive function is affected by fog and even condensation from your breath on a cold night, but one twist of the large button switches to constant mode. Although still powered by Petzl’s own 3.7 V 2,600 mHa USB rechargeable Li-ion battery, output has increased from 575 to 750 lumens (actually I found the existing power to be perfectly adequate, even in the Mamores in the wee small hours). What is more useful is the increased battery life which now gives a claimed 12 hours in Reactive mode at 305 lumens. Whilst I’m generally sceptical of manufacturer’s claimed performances I can say from experience that it does have great battery life. I used the Nao+ on the Bob Graham Round using the low (305 lumen) Reactive setting and after 6 hours use the LED indicators still showed 2 bars (3 bars being fully charged). My old Nao only just got me through the night during the High Peak Marathon as it dimmed to reserve mode just as dawn was breaking, the Nao+ is able to last all night.

Storage pouch allows you to turn the headlamp into a lantern in STANDARD mode, or carry an additional battery

I’d hoped that the Nao+ would have a strobe mode – it does but it can only be switched on via a paired smartphone (you can programme a Morse Code signal using the Bluetooth app). Not ideal if you’ve fallen and broken your ankle or become so hypothermic that you needed to signal for help! So whilst almost all cheap head torches can simply be switched to give an emergency signal the one torch that I am most likely to take with me to remote locations and runs where the consequences of injury are serious can’t!

Lighting performance

The Nao+ has a unique design. The front of the head-strap is made from durable nylon from which two elastic chords branch out. The chords are strong and surprisingly comfortable. They provide extra support which ensure that the headlamp doesn’t move around or cause discomfort when running or engaging in more technical activities. Spare battery available for long distance trail runs, or simply to switch out the battery when it dies (R1 battery available as an accessory)