Headlamp recommendation for ultra endurance

Hi all!
I am new to this forum but I have read a lot of threads and feel like I learned a lot. Still, I thought I'd ask to see if someone has specific advice for me.
I'm looking for a headlamp to use for skating. I have two purposes:
1) when I skate at night during winter when it is dark. This is never more than 2 hours. I skate on a bicycle road with no traffic lights. I find this somewhat scary because there is often debris/stones/twigs at those roads, or even holes in the road.
2) I am participating in an ultra skate event this summer where I'll skate for 24 hours. Sunset will be at about 22:00 and sunrise at 5:30, so I expect it to be dark enough to need a light for about 7 hours. This event is on a closed bicycle circuit with no lights. There is no other traffic and there are no crossings, but there are tiny animals on the road at nights (snails etc.) and of course there's always the possibility that a small stone or twig or something will be on the road.

I have skated quite a bit in the dark with a 80 or so lumen headlamp and I hate it. I feel like I don't see a thing, this makes me apprehensive. I am always a bit scared that I miss a stone on the road and trip. Can't skate too slowly though, since with skating, going too slowly will make you trip over stones and twigs that you would otherwise just roll over. I would prefer a headlamp that has both a bit of flood and throw, so I can see the pavement right in front of me and also the road ahead.

My partner has the same headlamp and feels that it is just fine, so I think I might have worse night vision than they do, or perhaps I just prefer more light.

My main consideration for a headlamp is a combination of lumens and runtime. It is possible for me to change batteries once or twice during the ultra, but I find that many headlamps only run for less than 2 hours in 300+ lumen mode, and that's not really an option. The two headlamps that I'm currently interested in are the Zebralight H600W and the Coast HL27. I'd go with the Zebralight in a heartbeat if I could just buy it here in Europe in a shop for the same price as on the website, but, I can't. Ordering from a UK shop is expensive, ordering from Zebralight is a risk (it's on back order now, shipping takes long or is expensive, I'll have to pay import taxes that are rather high). Also, I'm not in love with the need for specialized batteries+charger that I will not have any other need for. I will buy all of that if it really makes the most sense, but if there's a good enough option that works with regular AA batteries I would like that a lot better. I don't need a perfect light, just something that's a lot better than what I currently have. On paper, I like the HL27, especially the variable brightness. It's a bit unclear to me how long it will run on the 300 lumen mode though. I wonder if the HL27 would be good enough (considering it's about half the price of the Zebralight and can run on regular batteries), and would appreciate comments on that. If anyone has other recommendations, I would love to hear them too!

I read the threads about ultrarunning here, since I think what I do is similar. I don't have as much of an issue with bouncing as runners do. I am a slow skater, I go about as fast as a runner (15 km/hour, 9-10 miles/hour), so in that regard I think I have more in common with runners than cyclists.

Hi ultra
Try to see the Zebralight H602 or H600F (or H602w-H600w for neutral tint)

H602 gives you a very wide beam still, but it has little throw
If you use high levels, however, it might be enough.
There are also Zebralight AA but for your use, you should always keep them at maximum brightness and change the battery every 45 - 90 minutes
In Europe you can find Zebralight at a good price on a Dutch website, I do not know if you can mention the name of the site ? (forum Rules) in the case, send me a message.

(Translate With Google)

I ordered a H600W from Zebralight,s website a couple of weeks ago, it was on back order but shipped about a week later.

I have one of the H51 mk1's and it's been a great head light I usually use the 120lm mode. The H600w should be plenty of light for skating.

Thank you both!
Stefano, could you tell which website you recommend? I tried messaging you, but I don't have the right permissions yet (presumably because I'm a new user). I love your video's and have studied them extensively already. Thank you very much for them. From those video's I got the impression that the H600W is what I want. While in theory I think I like some flood, the video's made me see that I really would feel saver with more throw, and I think that with the higher intensities there is still some spill (I hope that is the right word) in the H600W.

I guess the Zebralight really is the way to go and nobody recommends something else?

Spark sd6 is a great headlamp. 460lm of neutral light. Looks very natural. And it's a mule. So it puts out no distracting hotspot. The light is even and smooth.

The nitecore hc90 is another great one. This one runs 900lm and is infinitely variable. Which means you can pick any brightness you need. It's also running on a single 18650. And the best part is you need no charger. It's usb mini rechargeable.
I own both and love them.
For your needs, the sd6 would be perfect. Nice even wall of light, that has super wide spill. It's also got an optional belt clip, and a magnetic mount, so you can stick it on anything metal. Just a very versatile light, I'm sure you'd carry even when your not skating. You can also get a reflector for it to project the beam. That will be great to see things further away you need to avoid.

Petzl

Thanks again for your advice! I weighed the options and bought a Zebralight H600W. I found it at a relatively good price (75 euro) at a reputable Dutch store. It wasn't in stock before, but they got it this week, so that's great. The ZL had the best balance of price/weight/lumens/running time for me. I got two expensive batteries and a charger too so I'm still recovering a bit from "did I really pay that much for a headlamp" thoughts, but, on the other hand, I have now discovered the concept of keychain and necklace lights...

ultra24 said:

Thank you both!
Stefano, could you tell which website you recommend? I tried messaging you, but I don't have the right permissions yet (presumably because I'm a new user). I love your video's and have studied them extensively already. Thank you very much for them. From those video's I got the impression that the H600W is what I want. While in theory I think I like some flood, the video's made me see that I really would feel saver with more throw, and I think that with the higher intensities there is still some spill (I hope that is the right word) in the H600W.

I guess the Zebralight really is the way to go and nobody recommends something else?

Click to expand...

Sorry for the delay in the response.
I do not know why you can not send messages ..
You bought the Zebra by Arjan ? (Dutch website) A few days ago I bought from him a H600Fw I hope to have it soon
You made a good choice, the H600 will not disappoint.
If you need more flood using a piece of tape (3M Magic Tape)
Thanks I'm glad you liked the video, but they are very essential, perhaps more than a few hours I realize more videos H600w and H602w in a forest

(Translate with Google)

I have the Zebralight H600 MK II and used it for a 8 mile run tonight. Worked wonderfully and headband kept it secure.

from best,..

1.Scurion,
2. Rude Nora,
3. Elspeleo,
4. Kavelight,
5. Pulsar,
6. Petzl Ultra,..

lusifer said:

from best,..

1.Scurion,
2. Rude Nora,
3. Elspeleo,
4. Kavelight,
5. Pulsar,
6. Petzl Ultra,..

Click to expand...

These are some heavy hitters... in weight, size and price but they are exceptional lights. They are all (except the Petz Ultra) predominantly first and foremost designed as caving lights with multiple beams/leds etc for different types of lighting in a single unit.

The Petzl Tikka RXP or the Petzl Nao 2 (newest version with the grey activation knob -- not the black knob since that will be last years version) gives the same multiple beam output and programability that could get you the runtime that you want. While at the same time not breaking the bank.

Couple of things to point out...
1) you have used an 80 lumen headlamp before and you didn't like it... that does not necessarily mean that 80 lumens wasn't enough... it could mean that the beam pattern generated by the headlamp you were using was not adequate for your task. The lumens of a headlamp only tell a piece of the story. How the manufactures utilize those lumens and create their beam patterns relative to your task will be the true test of lumens and output/brightness. Spot/Flood or combination, dark circles in beams create shadows etc are all things to pay attention to and start to rule out certain lights. Generally long spot only type beams have a tendency to give the wearer tunnel vision.

2) The speed at which you will be traveling will also somewhat dictate the type of beam pattern etc that you will need. walking vs running vs biking vs skating may not all need the same type of beam pattern and output

3) do you know if you want a regulated light (constant output over the potential duration of task) or a light that starts out really bright and diminishes steadily over time? For the skating that you are doing I would think that you would want to utilize a regulated light to maintain output throughout the ultra etc.

4) will there be others skating as well with you during the ultra with lights on their heads as well?

Hope all the posts from everyone here is proving helpful. Welcome to CPF!

There are some things you can do to help maintain night-adapted vision while out and about.

Vision is a complex system. Our understanding of it is still changing. A simple way to think of your vision system is like this:

Your eye captures light which triggers light-receptors. These send signals to your brain. Parts of your brain 'process' the signals, telling you about shapes. Another part of your brain processes those shapes to tell you about the world that makes them.

Your eye is a little bit like a camera, with a lens, an aperture, and a sensor. However, your lens is jelly and changes as you age. It will get yellower with time. You may get cataracts (Cloudiness) from UV or other damage as you age. This makes it tough to see dark things next to bright things - Like shadows near street-lights. Your eye's sensor are groups of nerves that detect Red, Blue, and Green light, in varying effectiveness. You also have brightness-detecting nerves that work in VERY dim light.

Your 'cones' detect colored light at moderate and bright lighting levels - Full sunlight (50 kilo lux) to a living room at night (25 lux), with a light on in the next room (For most people). Some people can see color under a clear full moon (1 lux), but most eyes will work differently under moonlight than brighter light. Your 'rods' detect light and dark. They mostly are used in DIM light - 5 lux and less. However, all eyes are different. Age, health, heredity, practice, and daily conditions affect how well you can see in a given place.

Eyes generally get worse at night vision as you age. The lens loses flexibility and the cumulative damages of daily life collect. Diseases can change your night-adapted vision in several ways. People inherit eye diseases or eye effectiveness - My aunt is terribly night-blind, but others in my family are not. Practicing seeing in the dark improves your ability to process low-light vision. You also learn some techniques that preserve night adaptation. And daily conditions affect how sensitive your eyes will be tonight.

I can't tell you how to change your age or heredity. You can take care of your eyes - Get the right key vitamins. Wear UV-blocking sunglasses when outside a lot. Don't poke your eyes with things. Wear safety glasses with power tools.

Exposing your eyes to full-noon sun desensitizes them. Your light receptors use chemical reactions - Chemical A changes to chemical B when hit with light, and your nerves detect that. This effect slowly reset - This is why you see green/red spots after looking in a bright light. Sunglasses during the day and avoiding looking directly at light sources at night help your eyes see better when it does get dark.

A key technique is to block light sources from glare-blinding you. A baseball cap can be great for this - The brim blocks overhead light sources while skating, hiking, or jogging. You should also avoid shining your own light source on things nearby, like your hands. This can de-sensitize your eyes.

Practice (Safely) seeing in dim light. Your brain has to work differently when it's dim. It will not damage your eyes to use them in the dark, although it will make them (And your brain) tired. I don't mean to skate without light, or even without adequate light.

How long does it take to let your eyes adjust to the dark? A 10x reduction in light over 10 seconds will be difficult to follow. It really depends on YOUR eyes, though. Blocking glare, taking care of your eyes, and practicing seeing in dim light will help. But it won't give you new eyes.

maybe: http://www.karbonabikes.com/led-bik...20-2855lm-cree-10w-led-headlamp-4-cell-batter

http://www.karbonabikes.com/images/KFLED Nit-eye.jpg

Image tags removed see Rule #3 Do not Hot Link images. Please host on an image site, Imageshack or similar and repost – Thanks Norm

I think the new Petzl Nao 2014 is good enough

hongchai90 said:

I think the new Petzl Nao 2014 is good enough

Click to expand...

It would be at least enough for me.

unless the battery capacity is higher should be more than enough by the time :devil:

So I have been using my Zebralight H600W for a month now. It's awesome! I first used it during the 24 hour event and I loved it. It was exactly what I wanted and I was really relieved by that. When I first got the light I was a bit unsure because I couldn't really test it. Sunset was about 22:30 back then, and I live in an urban area, so it was difficult for me to get to a dark area outside to test it, and it was impossible to get a good impression with all the lights in my area. But with the ultra, it was perfect. I was surprised that the medium setting was actually enough, most of the time. It turned out that this:

you have used an 80 lumen headlamp before and you didn't like it... that does not necessarily mean that 80 lumens wasn't enough... it could mean that the beam pattern generated by the headlamp you were using was not adequate for your task.

Click to expand...

was exactly right. At one point I skated next to somebody who was wearing my old headlamp and I kept marvelling at the difference. Even though the Zebralight Medium is only 65 lumen, it was much better than the 80 lumen light of my partner. The old light had a really narrow beam, The difference was night and day. I know all of you already know this, but I still marvel about it now that I'm thinking about it again. I did use the higher setting too, and I can see that getting a lot more use in winter here, where the roads are not so great and I have to be more careful.

After this event I went on holiday and we went hiking a few days. We never do that because we don't live near mountains. The light was awesome for that too. Really great. I usually used the medium setting here too, but the high setting was useful for the further throw sometimes (to check out if there was a road further down, for example). One day, we had to walk back to the camp site at night on a road where cars drove too fast (we did not plan it that way) and I was very happy with my 900 lumen light then. I normally am always super careful not to blind other people with my headlamp, but I now found it very useful to really let the cars know that we were on the road, to be certain that they saw us.

After the hiking, we went a few days to a big city. I removed the head strap and took the lamp in my day pack. We often returned after dark and had a 10/15 minute walk, and it was useful/fun to have a good flashlight with us. I wouldn't have carried a heavier flashlight or a dedicated headlamp, but this felt like it was worth the space/weight.

I'm very happy that I went with neutral white too. I can imagine that the cool white is a tad brighter, but I haven't needed that, and I loved how this color was "quieter". It's hard to describe what I loved so much about it. For a light that I have on my head for hours at a time, it really was nice that it is so easy on the eyes.

Thank you all again for your advice.

AnAppleSnail said:

There are some things you can do to help maintain night-adapted vision while out and about.

Click to expand...

Awesome article and useful information !!!
Thank you very much [emoji1][emoji1][emoji1]

There's no need to quote the entire post to add a two line reply - Norm