She Runs by the Seashore

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Disclaimer: I received a SPIbelt SPIbeams LED hat to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review, find and write race reviews!

Colder-weather running generally means more stuff: Lights for seeing and being seen when it’s dark, more layers (although not for me yet) and gloves.

Why not combine two into one to make the load a little lighter? The SPIbelt SPIbeams LED hat features a headlamp built into a hat, so you don’t have to wear both. I’ve never loved the feel of a headlamp against my forehead, so it’s also much more comfortable to have the lights in the brim of the hat.

I’ve been testing the hat for BibRave, and anyone who’s been coming to the Eastern Shore Running Club group runs on Tuesdays and Wednesdays has probably seen me wearing it. Our current group run location is pretty well-lit, and I’ve noticed that the light is most obvious when it’s darker out, but it does do a good job of lighting the way for those darker runs. I’ve also run with the hat in a less well-lit area for better testing.

There are four lights in the brim of the hat, which can be turned on and off with a button underneath the brim. There’s a lightweight battery pack powering these lights in the side of the hat that is not noticeable on the run.

There are also two red lights on the back of the hat, which can be flashing, steady or off. The red lights have a battery in the back part of the hat that you can adjust for a more secure fit.

There is a switch on the side battery pack for the front lights and a tab to pull before using the back lights for the first time. I’d seen a note on our BibRave Pro discussion site, but there were also directions that came with the hat, so those were helpful (these things were easy to do — just something you might not think of right away).

 

I have also noticed that the light is more obvious if I tilt my head down a little bit. The lights go out somewhat far, so if you really want to see something that’s closer to underneath you, you’d have to tilt it down a little bit. I haven’t used the hat on trails yet, because I don’t run on trails at night by myself and I haven’t run with groups on trails at night recently, either.

The hat is also lightweight. I handed it to a friend at one of the runs and she mentioned how light it was, and it really is. I can wear it and hardly notice it — aside from the lights, of course.

I have enjoyed getting to test this hat for BibRave and will continue wearing it now that the time has changed and it will be dark for pretty much all of my weekday runs.

There are both hat and visor options, and there are three colors in each — black, which I tested, pink and a neon-looking color that is called “lime.”

Learn more about the hats and visors here, and take 20 percent off the $29.99 hat with code “BIBRAVE.” The code is valid through Nov. 12 and works on any item on the website. I just tested it with two and three items in my cart, and the discount was taken off of each. There’s also free shipping within the United States.

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