Quite a few members have been asking about headtorches for our winter routes. It seems that our evening/night-time off-road routes are getting increasingly popular, and a decent headtorch is a must. We’ve compiled a list of the best-reviewed products currently on offer; ranging from budget to pricey (i.e. £20 to around £150).
How bright does it need to be?
As a rough guide, 150–200 lumens is fine for our pavement routes, and 300–400 is best for fairly well-troden canal towpath routes. And over 400 lumens would be great for hilly and/or rooty trails.
The important thing to check is the burn time at the setting you’ll actually use, and aim for at least double your longest run. If any of your route is on roads, a red rear light is worth having too.
| Head torch | Price | Max output | Weight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PROVIZ Antares | ~£20 | 500 lm | 98g | Lit streets on a budget |
| Alpkit Qark | ~£40 | 580 lm | 95g | Best value |
| Ledlenser NEO5R | ~£55 | 600 lm (boost) | 104g | Chest-strap option |
| BioLite HeadLamp 425 | ~£60 | 425 lm | 82g | Most club runners |
| Petzl Swift RL | ~£100–£120 | 1,100 lm | ~100g | Brighter trails |
| Petzl NAO RL | ~£150 | 1,500 lm | 145g | Night trails and ultras |
The torches
PROVIZ Antares (around £20)
The cheapest way into a proper rechargeable running head torch, and Women’s Running’s value pick. It claims 500 lumens and weighs 98g. The catch is weatherproofing: IPX2 is the most basic splash rating in this list, so treat it as a lit-streets or dry-night option rather than something for a January downpour.
https://provizsports.com/products/led360-antares-headlamp-headtorch-running-light
Alpkit Qark (around £40)
220 Triathlon’s best budget pick, from a UK brand, and our value choice. It gives up to 580 lumens, a twist bezel takes the beam from wide flood to focused spot, and it runs on its rechargeable pack or three AAAs, so a flat battery mid-run isn’t the end of the world. The plastic feels a little cheap and there’s no battery-level indicator, which matters more than you’d think on a long run.
https://alpkit.com/products/qark-usb-rechargeable-head-torch
Ledlenser NEO5R (around £55)
Live For The Outdoors’ best-value pick. You’ll mostly run it at 300 lumens, which lasts about four hours, with a 600-lumen boost on a double tap. The rear battery doubles as a red light, and it comes with a chest strap if you’d rather not wear anything on your head. Testers found the thin strap less comfortable than its rivals, and it charges through a magnetic cable, so you’ll need your own USB plug.
BioLite HeadLamp 425 (around £60)
220 Triathlon’s best overall, and the one we’d point most members towards. The lamp sits flush in a soft, wide band, which makes it one of the most comfortable head torches you can buy, and at 82g you soon forget it’s there. 425 lumens with flood and spot modes is plenty for the canal and our winter routes, it lasts around four hours on full, and there’s a red rear light for the road sections.
https://www.thetrail.co/products/biolite425tealnavy
Petzl Swift RL (around £100–£120)
Petzl’s Reactive Lighting uses a sensor to adjust the beam to what you’re looking at, which stretches the battery and saves fiddling with buttons. The current version claims 1,100 lumens for around 100g, a big jump in reach for dark trails. It isn’t cheap and there’s no rear light, so pair it with a clip-on one for road runs.
https://www.furtherfaster.co.nz/products/petzl-nz-swift-rl-1100-lumens
Petzl NAO RL (around £150)
The one for night trails, ultras and anyone who wants to see every root. It gives up to 1,500 lumens in Reactive mode (900 in standard), the battery sits at the back with a red rear light, and that battery can top up your phone or watch in a pinch. At 145g it’s the heaviest here but well balanced, and it was Live For The Outdoors’ best in test. Overkill for pavement plods; brilliant off-road.
https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Sport/Headlamps/NAO-RL
Recommendation
If you want a good general purpose, light, and reliable head torch for club runs, we’d suggest getting the BioLite HeadLamp 425. If you’re on a budget, then the Alpkit Qark is a good buy, at £40 for winter running. And if you’re heading onto the trails or eyeing a night race, the Petzl NAO RL is worth splashing out on.
If you’ve got a favourite we’ve missed, please let us know either on the club private WhatsApp or Facebook pages, or drop us a note using the chat icon bottom right.
Sources: test verdicts from 220 Triathlon, Live For The Outdoors and Women’s Running; specs from the manufacturers; typical UK prices as of October 2026. Prices move around, especially near Black Friday.
