PETZL NAO Plus Headlamp - SS21

Product Information

The Nao+ has a unique design. The front of the head-strap is made from durable nylon from which two elastic chords branch out. The chords are strong and surprisingly comfortable. They provide extra support which ensure that the headlamp doesn’t move around or cause discomfort when running or engaging in more technical activities. 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.” Rechargeable R1 battery can be used as a spare battery to charge other devices, such as phones or watches Fantastic bright light with an easy to change battery. Easy to change the brightness and automatically turns off when you move into a bright area. In my opinion reactive lighting is a beneficial feature & if you're after a head torch with this then try Petzl's Swift RL. Otherwise if it's just a high lumen count & long battery life then there are many other far better & cheaper head torches on the market.

I’d hoped that the Nao+ would have a strobe mode – it does but it can only be switched on via a paired smartphone (you can programme a Morse Code signal using the Bluetooth app). Not ideal if you’ve fallen and broken your ankle or become so hypothermic that you needed to signal for help! So whilst almost all cheap head torches can simply be switched to give an emergency signal the one torch that I am most likely to take with me to remote locations and runs where the consequences of injury are serious can’t! Long battery life — NAO RL provides a minimum of 5 hours of burn time (in REACTIVE LIGHTING® mode, on STANDARD brightness level), ideal for long trail runs or ultras. Minimum burn time of 5 hours in REACTIVE LIGHTING® mode (STANDARD level), built to power through long activities like trail running and ultra-running Ultra powerful and lightweight — with 1500 lumens of max brightness at only 145 grams, NAO RL sets a new standard for ultra running headlamps.Although these functions are very useful, we found that the app was most useful to set the headlamp up when you begin a night hike or activity and we did not use it after that because it is too much of a hassle to get your phone out each time. Storage pouch allows you to turn the headlamp into a lantern in STANDARD mode, or carry an additional battery

Spare battery available for long distance trail runs, or simply to switch out the battery when it dies (R1 battery available as an accessory) The new Petzl Nao+ retains the great features of its predecessor and adds even more brightness and battery life. It is certainly my first choice torch for long overnight runs involving navigation. However it is over complicated by reliance on a smartphone to change some of its basic settings. Sometimes simplicity rather than complexity is a selling point. 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. Powerful, yet practical battery — Lithium-Ion 3200 mAh battery, rechargeable with a USB-C port. It's worn in the rear to distribute the weight of the headlamp over the entire head, providing a balanced and comfortable fit. The battery charge indicator features a five-level gauge for precise monitoring of the battery life. Additionally, it can be used to charge other devices, such as phones or watches!Longer burn time, greater visual comfort, and less manual operation with REACTIVE LIGHTING® mode, which allows the light sensor to automatically adjust brightness and beam pattern, optimizing battery usage Like the Petzl Reactik+, the Nao+’s most impressive feature is the reactive lighting mode. This mode uses a sensor at the top of the headlamp to evaluate the ambient light and the proximity of objects to adjust the amount and type of light that should be emitted. Three white lighting levels: MAX BURN TIME, STANDARD (better power/burn time balance), and MAX POWER 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. The most useful part of the app is the battery management aspect. The app tells you exactly what percentage of the battery is left, a huge step up from simple 3-bar battery life indicators on some headlamps. It also allows you to manage the brightness of the beam to achieve a certain battery-life.

Great head torch, lights up dark country lanes and trails when running alone. Cars can see me from a good distance so feel safe from oncoming traffic. Batters life seems good but only really use for an hour at a time so not pushed it too hard. Speedy delivery from ultra marathon running store.

Our Verdict

This setting allows you to achieve the perfect light setting without the hassle of flipping through all the available light settings yourself. It will also extend the battery life of the headlamp by reacting to the light produced by others headlamps when you are hiking in a group. Just like the previous version of the torch the Nao+ gives a great spread of light and now has even longer battery life. The big switch is easy to operate even with bulky gloves. Reactive lighting means that you don’t get dazzled when looking at a map and it preserves battery life. If you don’t like the feature then one twist switches it off. The new bungee cord on makes it slightly more comfortable than the previous version. 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.