When you walk at night, you’ll need a little light to keep you safe from injury. Whether you leave your lights on the whole time you walk or just turn them on when things are at their darkest, it’s nice to have the option of putting them on and illuminating your way.
If your favorite time to workout is after the sun goes down, you should read our list of the best lights for walking at night.
Quick Picks – Top Lights for Walking at Night
Bias Alert: Our Night Safety Kit
We’ve just released a complete reflective gear set for runners. It includes an LED headlamp, reflective vest, arm bands, and red strobe lights. We think it’s pretty awesome, click below to check it out:
Why Should I Wear a Light While Walking?
Wearing a light is always better than carrying a flashlight while you’re walking. Flashlights are too easy to drop, and if they slip out of your hands and break or turn off, you’ll have no way of finding them on the dark ground.
Plus, it’s always a good idea to keep your hands free when you’re out walking in case you need to defend yourself. You don’t want anything to get in the way of you fighting your way out of a dangerous situation.
In addition to providing more light to see with, you should wear a light while walking so you’ll be more visible to motorists as well. If they can see you walking along the road, they’ll be less likely to accidentally run into you.
Walking at night can be dangerous so you should take any and all steps you can to tip the odds in your favor.
What If I Plan to Walk on the Streets?
Many walkers think they don’t need to carry lights just because they plan to walk on the streets. However, that isn’t always true.
Even when you walk along fairly well-lit streets, there can be stretches where there aren’t any lights or where lights are burnt out or broken. This can make it dangerous for you. You might trip, hurt yourself, or be unable to get to safety, which is a particularly likely hazard during the winter months.
What are some Qualities you Should Look for in a Walking Light?
Walking lights aren’t all the same, so knowing what features are important to you will help you narrow down your search for a good light. Because we take light features so seriously, we’ve even created our own light that’s great for running, walking, and hiking.
Here are some of the things you should look for in a walking light.
- Comfort: Stay away from anything that’s handheld as your hand may begin to cramp up after several miles. Instead, look for something you can wear that won’t be too heavy, bulky, or bouncy as you log your miles during your walk.
- Bright enough: You don’t want anything that’s going to be too dim to fully light your way, especially if you’re walking along a trail where you could get hurt if you can’t see the entire path. Make sure any light you use has enough power that you’ll be able to see upcoming hazards before they’re right upon you.
- More than one mode: It can be helpful to have more than a standard white light mode on your walking light. A strobe mode can come in handy in high-traffic areas because it will attract more attention to you. More attention means motorists will slow down and watch out for you.
- Price: Walking is a cheap activity––all you really need is a good pair of shoes. But extra add-on gear like lights can make your runs more enjoyable and safe on the cheap. You’ll be able to find a quality light that won’t put too much of a dent in your funds.
- Where you want to wear your gear: If you want a lot of light, there are two good options if you don’t want to carry a flashlight. You can use a headlamp or use a chestlight. They’re both great options that will throw off enough light that you’ll be able to safely navigate your route.
- Long-lasting battery: You don’t want to have to replace your battery every week if you enjoy long walks after dinner. If you know you log a lot of miles each week, it’s a good idea to find something that has a long lifespan.
5 Best Lights for Walking at Night
Bias Alert: Our Night Safety Kit
We’ve just released a complete reflective gear set for runners. It includes an LED headlamp, reflective vest, arm bands, and red strobe lights. We think it’s pretty awesome, click below to check it out:
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While I’m not a fan of carrying lights in my hand while walking or running, I make an exception for these knuckle lights. They slide over your fingers and rest comfortably on top of your knuckles so they won’t get lost if you happen to lose your balance and fall.
Plus, although I’ve never had to put this into practice, I think of them as an additional safety feature. If I ran into trouble with some predator on my path, I would feel better striking out at them with the weight of this equipment on my hands. It would probably do more damage than my bare fist.
Pros
- You get a light for each hand so if one conks out on your run you aren’t left in the dark.
- The light is a wide beam, which means you’ll get a better view of anything in your way.
- It’s easy to point the beam the direction in which you want to see––all you have to do is point your hand, not turn your whole body like you would with a chest light.
- It has three settings––low, high, and blinking.
- These lights can be used in rain, cold, or heat.
- The straps adjust to fit various hand sizes.
Cons
- They are pricier than many headlamps and chestlights.
- Some runners say the battery power isn’t great.
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If you want a light that you can clip onto your clothes and forget about, this might be a good pick for you. It’ll let you decide where you want to wear it, and it gives you the option of ordering a one or two pack.
Pros
- It’s rechargeable so you won’t burn through as many batteries.
- These lights are affordable.
- You can use either the flashing or flashlight mode.
- It also uses either red or white lights.
- They are small enough that they won’t bounce around a lot or constantly slip off your clothing as you walk.
- The lights come with straps for you to wear, if you wish.
Cons
- The clips on the lights can be a little too loose, according to some runners.
- The button that turns the unit on and changes modes is really hard to press.
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If you think you would be better off with a headlamp while walking, you might want to consider this one. It’s highly affordable, and even though it uses AAA batteries, you can use rechargeables to save some money on battery costs.
Pros
- This light offers both red and white lights.
- It’s waterproof, which is good news if you’re running through the snow or the rain.
- It comes in a few different colors for you to choose from.
- The headband is soft so it won’t feel like sandpaper grating against your skin while you’re walking.
- You can get up to 120 hours of light with this unit and its batteries.
- The lights are bright enough to give motorists a chance to swerve away from you if they come upon you.
- It will work even in cold temperatures.
Cons
- This light can turn on really easily, which isn’t a great thing if you are transporting it in a bag.
- The buttons are really small, which makes it hard to find when you’re ready to turn it on.
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If you want a lot of light when you walk, check out the Q-Seedling chest light. It throws up to 250 lumens of light by using three different modes of white light: high, low, and strobe.
Pros
- It has a main white light in the front, but it also has eight red lights in the back so you’ll be seen by motorists no matter what direction they are coming from.
- It has a flexible strap to make it feel more comfortable while you’re wearing it on your chest.
- The length of the strap is adjustable.
- It’s lightweight so it will feel comfortable.
- It is rechargeable.
Cons
- It’s water resistant, but not waterproof.
- If you’re on a really long walk, the light might not last long enough––a full charge only gives it two to five hours.
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These lights come in a two pack so even if one quits, you’ll still be able to get back safely from your walk by using your other one.
Pros
- These lights can clip onto your outfit anywhere you want to wear them––your hat, belt, shirt, or even shoes.
- They have five modes of light, including blinking and steady.
- They are long-lasting, providing up to 100 hours of light.
- The button that turns them on is easy to find and reach, even in the dark.
- They provide a lot of light so they’ll work well for you even when you’re walking in the darkest of conditions.
Cons
- These lights are water resistant but not waterproof––so you’ll have to watch out when walking in heavy rain.
- These aren’t rechargeable.
- The clips don’t hold as tightly as some walkers would like them to.
And the Winner Is …
The Bright Outdoors LED light is one of the best lights for walking at night. These lights can clip anywhere on your outfit, which is handy. Plus, because they’re rechargeable, you won’t have to worry about constantly buying new batteries.
These affordable lights have both flashlight and flashing modes and can be used as red or white lights. They even include straps to hold them into place.