Silva Trail Runner Free Headlamp - SS22

Product Information

When it comes to brightness and burn time, the Trail Runner Free H has three settings. Being a Scandinavian brand, hence used to developing products that will be used throughout a wide range of temperatures, Silva provide additional performance stats for cold and hot environments. Most people will be aware that the cold has a negative effect on battery life, but very few people will ever have seen a quantifiable measure on exactly what that may be, so hats off to Silva here, because it's an important factor to take into account during the winter months. with AAA) The 1.5Ah Hybrid battery is an optional accessory for the Trail Runner Free and is supplied with the ‘H.’

Our lumen values are measured 30 seconds after switching the lamp on. We measure lumen according to the ANSI FL1 STANDARD. Trail Runner Free is the fifth generation of Trail Runner, our popular head torch for running, both in urban environments and the forest. Because the head torch is water resistant according to IPX5, it can withstand heavy rain. The only downside with this headlamp is that switching out the battery is difficult. While it’s easy to carry a spare battery on an all-night run, getting it replaced in the dark and while sleep-deprived is challenging.

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 Silva Intelligent Light system, which simultaneously lights up the ground at your feet and also the trail much further ahead, is superb. Out on the trails this translates into less head movement (you don’t need to look up or down to see what’s happening, you can just run like you do during daylight hours) and more confidence, which means lower levels of fatigue, less trips and slips, and better performance. There are three brightness settings (max, medium, minimum), plus a flashing mode, and an innovative short-burst rapid-flash indicator lets you know when you’re on full beam. Unlike some other headlamps, the medium and minimum settings are still bright enough to be useful. The on-off button (also used to toggle between modes), is large and easy to operate, even if you’re wearing gloves. Trail Runner Free H is a comfortable and lightweight headlamp for everyone who loves running. Its features and light beam are optimized for a runner’s needs. Free H comes with a rechargeable Hybrid battery (1.25 Ah/4.6 Wh) and the Hybrid battery case.

Choose Trail Runner Free with the Hybrid battery case and 3 x AAA batteries if you don’t run on a daily basis, but still value long burn time.Okay, bear with us. The official definition of the lumen is: “International Standard Unit of luminous flux, a measure of the total quantity of visible light emitted by a source per unit of time.” In runner terms, this tells us how bright a headlamp is. The brighter the light, the further you can see onto the trail. The average headlamp maxes out at 300 to 600 lumens. That’s because as lumens increase, power usage increases, and battery run time drops.

Trail Runner Free Ultra is a comfortable and lightweight headlamp for everyone who loves running. Its features and light beam are optimized for a runner’s needs. Trail Runner Free Ultra comes with a rechargeable 4.0 Ah (14.8 Wh) battery as well as the Hybrid battery case. We found that the battery is a bit more than most people need for a daily trail running headlamp. While we would have considered this headlamp for the ultrarunning category of this guide, it doesn’t have a sweet spot of brightness and run time that works well for a whole night of running on trails. Instead, this headlamp will be incredibly bright for several hours during a pre-dawn or post-dusk run. Unfortunately, it won’t hold steady all night without a battery change. That said, the main downside of this headlamp as a daily runner is its weight. On this fifth generation of our original running headlamp, we present a new kind of technology where the power cord is 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.

Best Running Headlamps

The primary downside of this headlamp is the comfort factor due to having all of the weight on the front, but as we said, this can be mitigated with a thin gaiter or a similar layer underneath the headlamp. The next model in the series is the Trail Runner Free H, where the H stands for hybrid because it comes with a rechargeable 1.25 Ah hybrid battery. Weight: 108 grams.

Best Running Headlamp for Trails — Runners-Up: Fenix HL18R-T Rechargeable Headlamp, Petzl Swift RL, and ZebraLight H600d Mk IV 18650 XHP50.2 5000K High CRI Headlamp Silvawith the Trail Runner Freehave taken the head lamp to a superb next level offering a specific product for running with 400 lumen output. Comfortable,lightweightwithbeamsoptimized forrunning this is proving to be my ‘go-to’ lamp. The ability to useAAA batteriesor an optional rechargeable battery in aHybrid battery casemake this extremely user friendly, even for long and relentless outings. Use 3x AAA batteries or a rechargeable battery for ultimate flexibility. There are no downsides to report with this headlamp. This is a fantastic minimalist take on giving you loads of light with a long-lasting battery.The headband is simple, soft, and comfortable, and the batteries are easy to swap out on the run, making it easy to recommend this headlamp as a daily trail running companion. Just don’t ask us to say its name aloud five times fast. The freein the product name refers tothe power cordbeingintegrated into the headband.This providesa comfortable headlamp experience without distracting cords or tangled wires.The headband is softwith a silicone on the inside to stay in place. Gladly there is just one strap that goes around the head, there is no strap over the top of the head. 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. Silva has created what it calls “customised light distribution”. This means there is a long reach spotlight and a close flood-light incorporated into the light beam. The aim is to give you better vision in the dark, with a longer and closer light distribution. As a user of the lamp, you don’t really know this is happening, except that you do enjoy great night vision.