ozark trail canopyThe Bindi’s light cast about 40 meters into the distance—not as far as the Spot but still far enough for her to navigate safely. The Bindi uses a bungee cord instead of a thick headband. Many running headlamps include a strap that goes over the top of your head, which can be uncomfortable, but the Bindi’s cord manages to keep the headlamp secure without one. It’s also adjustable with one hand and much easier to wear with a hat or ponytail. It works with either regular or rechargeable batteries. The Spot 400 can hold either three AAA batteries (included with the headlamp) or Black Diamond’s BD 1500 rechargeable lithium ion battery (sold separately).
The 26-mile route follows Blair Creek south as it carves down a valley through oak-hickory-pine forest before merging with the emerald waters of the Current River. Here the 30-mile Current River section picks up, following the river for two miles before veering south toward Stegall Mountain. Enjoy views of the Ozark landscape as you gain 500 feet of elevation up 2.5 miles to the top of Stegall Mountain. Camp out at the top overnight, catching a glimpse of a full sky of stars if it’s clear. After Middle Fork, head into the 29-mile Karkaghne section, which mixes sweeping wetland prairies and ridge-lined valley views through the Sutton Bluff Recreation Area.
OT maps are a great resource to help identify places where you can access water. Backpacking stoves are a convenient way to boil water for dehydrated meals and instant coffee without adding a lot of weight to your pack. Find the best backpack for your next outdoor adventure using our independent reviews and ratings.
ozark trail backpackThis headlamp is USB-rechargeable only, so you’ll want to make sure you plug it in after a few shorter runs or one longer one—you won’t be able to swap in fresh batteries while you’re out on a run. The Bindi does have a battery indicator system with red, yellow, and green lights, which makes it easy to see when you’re getting close to needing a charge. Also note that the headlamp needs to be charged out of the box; ours arrived completely dead. And it uses a Micro-USB cable, which is becoming less common (many of the rechargeable headlamps we tested use USB-C).
This meant that during our 12-hour battery test, we had to keep turning the Wiz back on every two hours. But by the end of the test, it was still going strong—for far longer, in total, than Black Diamond’s advertised run time of five hours on high. The Astro weighs 1.5 ounces, which makes it one of the lightest headlamps we’ve ever tested (only the Petzl Bindi, our running pick, is lighter). The Black Diamond Astro 300 offers many of the good qualities of the Spot, for less than half of the price. It’s a solid option to keep in your toolbox, but for trail adventures, we’d want the battery-light warnings and red-light mode of our top pick.