Silva Trail Runner Free Headlamp - SS22

Product Information

This is an upgraded version of the original Nitecore NU25 (hat tip to the thru-hiking community, which has known about this little gem for a long time). In addition to increasing the lumens and the size of the battery, the NU25 UL has a different headband than its predecessor. 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. 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. Before diving into this headlamp’s technology, we’d like to take a moment to appreciate the headband on the Petzl Swift RL. Its padded softshell material on the front half is incredibly comfortable without adding a weight penalty. In fact, this is one of the most comfortable headbands we’ve found in our search for the best running headlamps. 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.

The hybrid battery case makes this a rechargeable head torch, and you can use both a rechargeable hybrid battery and alkaline batteries. The lamp itself is small, rotates up and down easily (even with gloves on) and the switch on the left-side is easy to press for illumination. Green shows good power in the battery, red shows recharging or new batteries are required.Range: Brightness isn't the only factor that's important. You'll also want to consider the distance ahead that the light will illuminate, known as the range. Again, this is going to depend on where you're running and how far ahead you want to be able to see.

Lightweight and perfectly balanced with smooth adjustments and a flat, soft textile extension cord that does not tangle. 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. When it comes to build quality, the battery case doesn't feel the most robust, but equally - it hasn't (thus far) shown any actual signs of wear. The rest of the headtorch, particularly the strap, feel like they're manufactured to an exceptionally high standard. Choose Trail Runner Free Ultra if you want to go for really long sessions with the 4.0Ah long-distance battery. With Free Ultra you also get the Hybrid battery case which can be used with either 3 x AAA batteries or by complementing it with a Hybrid battery (1.15Ah).Trail Runner Free 2 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 2 Ultra comes with a rechargeable 4.0 Ah (14.8 Wh) battery as well as the Hybrid battery case. With 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 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. Customized light distribution: With 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.