The headlamp hack

I lost my trustworthy rechargeable headlamp after about 10 months of great service. It was obnoxiously bright, and the price was right. I resisted the urge to buying the same unit because I didn't want to use a headband, even if I wear it over my hat. I felt I would spend most of the run obsessed over losing it.

So I bought a cheaper clip on. And it was a piece of shit, the illumination pattern was crap, the batteries aren't rechargeable. It's OK to show oncoming traffic that you are there, but it is useless as a true headlamp.

I learned my lesson, so I bought an exact replacement of my original headlamp. Only this time I didn't use the headband, instead I glued some velcro to the bracket and stuck it into the front velcro patch of my "operator" hat. The end result is a much better placement for the lamp without having to worry about it slipping over the hat. I wore it today for about 8 miles and it worked perfectly. I was worried about the light bouncing around, but it stayed solid throughout the dark part of today's run, about 8 miles. Once it was light enough I swapped it for my usual US-flag patch and recharged it once I got back home. 

The only downsides:

1. By wearing the headlamp over the hat you lose part of the illumination pattern, probably 60-90 degrees off the full circle.
2. It is painfully bright, please mind opposite traffic, especially pedestrians and cyclists. Around here people either turn off their headlamps to avoid blinding oncoming traffic, or purposely aim it away until passing. I prefer to aim it away.