After committing to the True Grit 24hour endurance race in
June of this year I decided I need to start checking off things on both the
mandatory and advisable equipment lists. One of the mandatory items is a head
torch.
Knowing that I would be able to test this out in a shorter
race at the recently held Dirt Wars Survivor race I managed to wrangle a head
torch on to my Christmas list to Santa and I must have been a good boy
throughout the year because come Christmas Day a LED Lenser H7.2 awaited me!
Not being familiar with this style of equipment and also not
wanting “santa” to spend up too much I spotted this model in the Anaconda
catalogue and after some research the specs seemed to stack up pretty well for
an entry level head torch.
The H7.2 is rated at 250 lumens output with a maximum of
60hours burn time. It is powered by 4 x AA batteries which are located in a
comfortable housing at the back of the head strap. It is also waterproof up to
an IPX4 rating which is middle of the road
but suitable for most OCR/Trail run conditions. The quoted weight, with
batteries, is 165 grams which is noticeable but comfortable when worn.
When I first looked at the unit I was a little unsure of the
comfortability and stableness of it without having the over skull strap but
these worries were quickly alleviated when after a couple of strap adjustments
it was securely placed on my noggin. The strap provides an adequate amount of
padding both at the front and back of the head where the major components of
the torch are located.
The torch offers a low and high beam with the ability to
adjust the scope of the beam wider and narrower dependent on the conditions and
trails that you are running in.
Taking it out for the first run at Dirt Wars Survivor night
run recently was a surreal experience. My night runs previously were road based
and relied solely on the ambient light provided from the street lamps and cars.
I hadn’t ventured off road in the night before. The LED Lenser H7.2 performed
really well but I did find it difficult at the start to get used to running in
the artificial light. The beam itself was strong and ensured I had a good view
for my footing when running through the trails and was safe when going through
the obstacles. It got to a point where I didn’t even notice that I was running
with a head lamp (this could have been
fatigue related)and the unit remained secure throughout the race despite 100m
slides, up and over multiple cargo nets, through tunnels and over fences.
The LED Lenser H7.2 offers the helpful functionality of
being able to adjust the beam from wide to narrow which is helpful along a
myriad of different trails, roads and Obstacles. It is easy enough to adjust
just by twisting the outer casing (the grey bit) of the LED surround.
Below are some photos showing the light, granted not taken
in the best place but you get the idea.
1. No light
2. Low beam
3. High Beam
I am confident about running with this head torch at True
Grit Enduro and can see this being part of my kit for NF100 in 2016.
I will have to remember to bring a spare set of batteries
along with any event that I attend just to be safe.
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