Good Gear: Scangrip I-View

Over the past couple of months I've had the opportunity to test A LOT of gear. So this year, a couple of posts till be dedicated to reviewing the cool gear that I get to wear in my training and racing.

Here is a cool headlamp that may have you wanting to get up at 4AM and head out the door just so you can use it:

SCANGRIP I-View Headlamp with Sensor Motion ON and OFF Function

Right before I set out for my epic journey on the Javelina Hundred 100K course in Fountain Hills, Arizona, some lovely folks sent a high-tech lamp for met to use during my early morning and night runs. I decided to use it for the third and darkest 15.5 mile loop of my 100k. This is a a lamp that is very different from traditional headlamps designed for the trail. It was actually first designed as a work lamp for professionals who need the entirety of their workspaces lit.

Scangripusa.com

On the trail, the lamp illuminated a generous and wide swath of space in front of me. It was a very bright light, that I imagine working even better in the light absorbing, dense forests of the Southern Appalachians. The lamp was GREAT, for about three hours and then the battery died. It was my fault completely. I hadn't read the directions and had apparently left the lamp on in my bag at the trailhead.  Lesson learned. Read the directions and the rechargeable battery lasts for up to six hours a charge.

This lamp is REALLY bright and has a wide
range of illuminating power

This lamp is a great piece of equipment to have, especially if you do a lot of night running for which you need adequate lighting say, on a very technical trail. The elastic band is fairly comfortable. Even the lamp part is big, it doesn't feel any heavier than say a comparable Black Diamond or Petzl headlamp. However, I think it could benefit from an extra adjustable perpendicular strap to further stabilize the lamp on the forehead, as runners do bounce around quite a bit. Even then, it was comfortable and not noticeable after a few minutes of running.

The coolest thing about the headlamp is that after pressing the one button to turn it on, you don't need to press anymore buttons during the entirety of your run. You can simply wave your hand in front to turn it on and off.  You do have to press the button again to adjust the brightness, but that's not even an inconvenience.

I highly recommend this lamp. Make sure you 1. have it fully charged and not sitting inside your drop bag illuminating its contents and 2. always carry an spare headlamp or small flashlight on your person.

This bad boy will run you about $75 and is well worth the investment. You won't be disappointed.

BUY IT HERE!