Petzl NAO® RL headtorch – Test and Review

As a race director for GB Ultras, the test of the new Petzl NAO^® RL has given me an opportunity to see how headtorch tech has continued to develop and improve over the years. Testing ground for the headtorch was in the Brecon Beacons National Park (50+ miles covering the central Fans and the Carmarthen Fans), as well as on one of Scotland’s great trails, the Southern Upland Way from Sanquhar to Lowther Hill and then once again, while marking the Chester Ultra 50 mile and finally, during a 75 mile recce run in the Lake District National Park. Conditions were sometimes pretty testing with wild weather, wind-chill, night running at times, along with the standard springtime hail and rain.

I’ve always admired the robust quality of Petzl’s headtorches.  Being an established and trusted brand founded in the mid-1970’s, there’s that overwhelming sense that with each headtorch developed there’s continuous innovation, and there’s a number of important considerations that Petzl take into account when designing the headtorch. They look at the design from the point of view of those who will be wearing the equipment and carefully design the product, its fit, the battery life, weight, adaptive sensory lighting, and much more.

“This is the 5^th Petzl I’ve used, and I’m pleased to confirm that it lived up to my expectations.”

On opening the box, there’s the headtorch, charging lead, storage pouch and instructions.  Simple really and all you need.  Firstly, the rechargeable battery is easily detachable at the back of the headtorch and is charged via a USB-C port.  In an emergency, if you’re carrying the necessary lead, you can charge other devices from the battery pack.  A proper Bear Grylls feature adapting to new challenges that we may face on the trail or mountains.

The battery pack also has a five-level power indicator to easily measure the remaining battery and allowing you the foresight to adjust the brightness setting and thereby help ensure that the battery lasts as long as possible.

On putting the headtorch on, its impressively lightweight, weighing in at just 145 grams.  Needless to say, when the chips are down, you’re looking to conserve your energy as you head into the long night on an ultra marathon, and you’ll be grateful to have a light piece of equipment.  In comparison to my previous Petzl models worn in the past, sometimes deep into the run, say 70+ miles in, my neck feels the weight of the headtorch, and it’s the business end of the ultra marathon, where everything counts.  The rechargeable lithium-ion 3200 mAh battery (included) is located at the rear of the headtorch, I found it helped to distribute the weight effectively over the entire head so there’s no longer the burden of neck ache.

The headtorch also benefits from an easily adjustable reflective headband, with the rear half being a clever elastic 4-string design ensuring that the headtorch hugs to the head and stays in place after repeated tests on uneven and mountain terrain.  At the rear centre of the headtorch, is an orange lock.  When you release the clip upwards, the strap unlocks and the elastic 4-string position can be adjusted, releasing the elastic bands for adjustment that hug to the head.  In testing weather conditions I found it was straightforward to adjust when kitting up and also when I decided to wear a beanie in the cold weather and wear the headtorch on top.

I found that the brightest setting was the only setting that was really suitable for high mountain trails with effective trail lighting, whereas the other two settings I found weren’t strong enough for me on high mountain trails but suitable for trails and forests.  My only negative for the reactive lighting is when your head is down focused on the trails and the weather is blowing in or with a mist coming onto the trails, or even when the heat of your breath meets with the cold air forming a mist, the reactive lighting reacts and adjusts the light on the trail. So it needed a bit of an adjustment in the position of the beam, otherwise it adversely affected its performance when needed. Where fog and the cold conditions weren’t a problem, the torch was absolutely fine and no additional adjustments was necessary.

There were times at night during a recent 75-mile recce in the Lake District that we hit the road with occasional passing cars on the narrow country lanes, so it was really good to be wearing the NAO^® RL with the ‘red lighting’ at the rear of the head torch as it gave great visibility to them. Petzl has developed this feature as a continuous or strobe mode for extra versatility.

Overall, I think the Petzl NAO^® RL is a fantastic and lightweight reliable head torch with a strong battery, comfortable and well-built to adapt to the many challenges a runner will face while taking part in an ultra marathon or trail running at night.  Its RRP is £135 so I feel it’s a great value and a superb choice to choose on the trails.

Review by Wayne Drinkwater

NAO^® RL
More details can be found here