Perhaps more than any other category (besides GPS watches), the technology used in head torches seems to have progressed at light speed since I’ve been reviewing outdoor kit. But as they get cleverer, many of the have become prohibitively expensive, with price tags drifting well north of $100 / £100, which puts them beyond the reach of many people who would love to go night hiking and camping. How refreshing, then, to see what appears to be an innovative and robustly constructed headlamp like the Claymore Heady+ being released for half that price (and this is the brand’s top-end model, there are several more torches in the Claymore range that are much cheaper than the Heady+).
At least, it all looks good on paper. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been testing the Heady+ out in the wilds to see how it really performs in comparison to the very best headlamps available today, as well as assessing its performance next to the . The Claymore Heady+ is a single-unit head torch, with an integrated rechargeable battery contained within the same housing as the optics.
It’s water resistant (but not submergible) and is available in a couple of colors. The Heady+ comes with a headband, and when it’s worn as a headlamp, the weight is all up the front. Also included is an integrated hinged clip (complete with a fold-out hang hook) that can be used with or without the headband (to stand the unit up on a , or suspend it from a guy line for example), and a second crocodile clip, f.