The Luna Fire from Nathan: A Hands-free Option For Those Who Hate Headlamps

Are you a headlamp-hater? The pressure on your head, the sweaty strap against your forehead, and the loss of light when wearing one with a hat?

Are you also someone who needs your hands when you run? Maybe you have to juggle the dog’s leash (and your dog refuses to stay on one side) with a water bottle, or maybe the bouncing light just gives you motion sickness. Perhaps you’ve blinded yourself one too many times when wiping sweat away and shining a light right in your own face.If anything above resonates with you, check out the Luna Fire, from Nathan. (Yes, the same Nathan that makes really nice hydration packs and handheld water bottles.)

The Luna Fire is a small, powerful clip-on light that can be worn around your waist or chest. It comes with an adjustable elastic band with an S-hook, but can be removed and clipped onto a waistband or reflective vest. The Light’s clip has a hinge so that the beam can be angled, so you can shine the light further in front or directly in front of you on the ground. “It’s really focused,” said my running friend Shannon, who wore it at a group run one night. “It would be really great for a night trail run!”

This rechargeable light can be plugged in with a mini-USB, the port for which is recessed and protected with a cover that swivels for charging. One feature about this lamp that tripped me up for a minute (okay a few minutes) is that you have to press and hold the ON button for about 5 seconds to activate the light or turn it off. This is so you don’t accidentally turn it on in your gym bag and then find a dead light when you show up at your run.

The light has varying levels of brightness, and can last for 25 hours at it’s lowest setting (33 lumens). It can also shine at 100 lumens, 200 lumens, 250 lumens, and flash on/off.

I found the light to be most comfortable around my hips, about where my running belt sits (the Nathan Hipster). It didn’t bounce very much, and I liked it lower because when I tried it higher up, I got distracted when my hand would go in front of the light. This is just a preference; the elastic band can be tightened or loosened and still has enough give to be snug.

You can find the Luna Fire online at Nathan.com or through local retailers (if they don’t have it in stock, they can order it for you).