Of all the running accessories owned, we suspect that a good headlamp is the most useful one you can have. Here are 11 uses for your headlamp ranging from the obvious and practical to the lesser known and disgusting. Some may be silly, but we promise that these are actually tasks we don't do without our headlamps!
1. Running and/or walking
Hey, we said some of these uses might be obvious! Yes, in the fall and winter months, a good headlamp is an essential part of your gear. Whether on the road or the trail, a headlamp lets you see your surroundings while also being seen by vehicles and other pedestrians.
2. Camping
Another obvious use, but must be on the list. Putting up a tent in the dark, going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, cooking after sundown...the list of hands-free things you can do goes on.
3. Skiing and/or snowboarding.
Night skiing is a very popular (and fun!) activity. After a complete yard sale, a headlamp can help you locate your equipment so you can hit up the chalet for some serious aprés ski by the fire tout de suite!
4. Surviving power outages
A headlamp can turn your power outage into an adventure! Got kids? Throw a headlamp on their head and watch the fear of the sudden darkness disappear. A headlamp for you means you can light candles quickly to bring back a more comforting ambiance without skipping a beat.
5. Putting away your kids laundry
Laundry has a way of piling up. Sometimes the only time to fold and put away is after the kiddos are asleep! Sneak into their room with your headlamp on its lowest setting and stash those folded clothes like a ninja. A headlamp means you won't step on that tiny piece of LEGO and swear a blue streak, waking up your little angel!
6. Finding LEGO
"MUM! I can't find the most important piece of LEGO for my creation! I CAN'T SURVIVE WITHOUT IT!" Sigh...When searching your house for those obscure tiny pieces, throw on your headlamp for looking under the furniture. With any luck, the pieces will catch the light and allow you to find them quickly. Or you could just vacuum them up and no one would be the wiser. KIDDING!
7. Cleaning behind your toilet
This is one you won't want to do, but that hard-to-reach place will never be cleaner if you do!
8. Taking out the recycling
It's dark in the mornings. With a headlamp you can use both hands to drag that rolling bin out to the street.
9. Getting firewood
Whether you're collecting it or choping it, you need both hands free! A headlamp means you can avoid the creepy crawlies in the woodpile and aim your axe with precision.
10. Cleaning puke out of your car
Maybe you decide to drive to Tofino on a Friday evening, and someone gets carsick while you're driving through the pass, and you end up pulled over cleaning the vomit out of every nook and cranny in your car. Don't laugh—this is not hypothetical!
Running Crew member David would like to add, "Headlamp in every vehicle and change the batteries annually! If you have ever changed a flat tire on a rainy night holding a flashlight in your mouth you will never be without a headlamp in your vehicle!"
And our absolute favourite use for headlamps is...
11. Reading in bed!
Nothing provides better light for reading than your headlamp—especially if you share your bed with an early-to-bed partner. A headlamp provides the perfect amount of light for your novel, but won't disturb that sleeping beauty lying next to you.
There you have it. Our favourite uses for our favourite running accessory. New headlamps are here for fall—find your perfect headlamp here and access the inaccessible.