Walking Equipment and Accessories

Silva Smini Head Torch | Review

It might be small, it might be super light – but can it pack enough of a punch to guide adventures on the trail?

The new Smini head torch from Swedish lighting specialists, Silva, picked up a highly prestigious ISPO Award upon its release at the start of 2024 with the judges recognising it for its “remarkably light weight” and also its “versatility, durability, and user-friendly design”. I’ve been testing the Smini out on a bunch of night time runs and hiking adventures of late and I can confirm that this thing is a total pocket rocket. In fact, I’d say it’s now going to be my head torch of choice for future adventures.

Modularity

The Smini can be purchased either with a 15mm headband or with just a simple bungee headband. The headband option, which weighs 53g gives a more stable, reliable and comfortable feel and it also comes with a very useful clip-on backlight. The bungee option, the Smini Fly, weighs just 38.5g – which is pretty remarkable. This makes it ideal for any ultralight hikers or runners out there.

What’s pretty nifty is that the Smini is designed for modularity and you can buy all the components across the Smini range separately. I’ve got the Smini with the 15mm headband and backlight but I also have the bungee headband which comes with the Smini Fly, and I’ve been swapping the lamp head between the two straps depending on the types of trips I’ve been undertaking.

Will testing out the Silva Smini on a camping trip in the Lake District. Photos: Dave Macfarlane

So on my regular night time runs, for example, I’ve been wearing the Smini with the 15mm headband and with the backlight which provides extra visibility and safety on roads. Meanwhile, I’m gearing up to use the lighter Smini Fly set up (with the bungee) as my back-up head torch on future ultra races. A lot of races these days require a back-up head torch and the Smini Fly set up ticks that box perfectly.

What’s also really nifty is that the little back lamp that you can get with the Smini set is detachable and runs off its own battery. This means that you can leave it behind for any missions where it’s not required, while it also means that you can clip it onto the front of your running pack if you’re using the Smini Fly (with the bungee). The Silva Strive trail running vest even comes with a dedicated tab for this. I don’t think Silva have designed this backlight to be attached directly to the Smini Fly’s bungee but I’ve tried this and it does seem to sit pretty securely.

The Silva Smini Versus the Petzl Bindi

Over the last six or so years, the 35g Petzl Bindi has been my go-to head torch for long distance walking and for ultra running. I even took it with me on a three-week 500-mile fastpacking trip where I set the FKT for climbing all 189 of Wales’s mountains (we made a film about this, it’s called Taith Galed). Now I’ve got the Silva Smini, however, the Petzl Bindi has been relegated. It was on its last legs anyway, but I think the Smini does still have the edge in terms of performance. It might be a touch heavier, but it’s 50 lumens brighter, more comfortable and more durable too – plus there’s that excellent modularity to it. On that Wales expedition, I remember running on a pitch black road into Beddgelert and having to keep switching the Bindi around depending on which direction each approaching car was coming from. Having the Smini with the back light would’ve been very handy at that point and, if I ever do a similar challenge (I won’t), the Smini will be coming with me.

The Petzl Smini Fly (with a bungee head band).

Silva Smini Performance

This is a very simple head torch to use and it didn’t take long at all to figure out its processes, even without using its manual. The bulb is surprisingly bright given the overall size of the thing and I’ve felt confident using it at speed over difficult terrain. Just like with the Silva Free head torch (which is also worth checking out) the beam cleverly combines a long-reach spotlight with a close flood light – basically allowing you to get both a wide view close in and more targeted sighting in the distance. Some head torches can give a sort of tunnel vision effect, which, for me, can be quite dizzying. Fortunately, this two-beam combo counteracts that well.

I timed the battery life within the conditions of my own home and found Silva’s figures to be pretty bang on. The full beam lasting 1.5 hours and the medium mode around 2.5. Silva say that the Smini will last 20 hours on low mode but I actually got about 24.2 hours from it. This was probably helped by the fact that my test was done at room temperature.

When I’m on a long distance hike, I’ll mainly be carrying a head torch for emergency situations or for just using in my tent at night. In that kind of scenario, I can see this having the battery life to see me through a hike of, say, 8 days and 200 miles, without the need to recharge it along the way.

Charging the battery took 3.25 hours to go from empty to full, which is reasonably quick. I also really like the fact that you can see the charge level via little 4-step indicators.

The buttons on the front and back are pretty easy to operate, even with cold or gloved fingers, and you can pivot the front beam downwards (or upwards if you turn the head torch upside down) when you need to keep a close eye on what’s immediately in front of you. This is obviously handy for when reading a map in close quarters with other people too. You’ve also got a red light to help maintain night vision too. Handily, you can lock the head torch via just a long press to ensure it doesn’t accidentally turn on while in your pack or jacket pocket.

As expected, the head torch strap holds very well and doesn’t bounce or feel at all unstable when you’re running. I found it was comfortable to wear over the top of a beanie as well. The bungee also holds well but it is a touch less comfortable over long periods.

I was confident using the Smini in the rain. I’d say that it’s a head torch that you should be able to wear through all kinds of weather conditions. Just bear in mind that its IPX5 rating means it’ll see off heavy rain but it’s not fully submersible.

Final Thoughts

There are some decent sustainability efforts from Silva here. The headband uses 65% recycled materials, for instance, and the main lamp house and lens are made from the same 100% recycled plastic, making it easier to recycle when it comes to the end of its life.

The modularity also means that you can replace bits and bobs if they happen to break, while Silva have also deliberately assembled the lamp house with screws to make the product easier to take apart when repairs might be required.

Overall, there’s a lot of good thinking that’s gone into this and Silva have struck an excellent balance between weight and performance. I’d say this is a shoo-in for our round up of the best head torches for running and best head torches for hiking.

Price: £40 for the Silva Smini Fly and £50 for the version with a headband and backlight.

Buy the Silva Smini: £50 at Silvasweden.uk