・G Series and Hiker

H : In terms of use, I think it's more suitable for hikers than trail runners.

Y : For trail running races, such as 50km or 80km , if the time limit is only three hours from the evening until night, it's probably fine to put it in your backpack as it weighs less than 50g . Compared to the G series, the MS-i1 is heavier.

N : I think it would be perfect for regular training, running at night on roads with few streetlights.

Photo: Sayaxx

Y: If you're running in the city, I recommend the MS- G2 . You don't need a long beam distance in a city with streetlights.

H : You can use it on your waist as well as your head.

Y : I feel like it has a lot of support from campers and hikers. I've heard that some people use the MS-G2 , and that Masaru from peg. (the owner of a cafe bar in Ebie, Osaka, where hikers gather) used the MS-G1 when hiking long trails in the US.

Left → Right: Nakagawa-san, Ike-chan, Masaru-kun.

H : It's the long trail I've always dreamed of. A UL hike.

Y : Ultralight hiking was originally a style of hiking where people kept their backpacks as light as possible for months on end on long trails in the US. Identifying the equipment you need and stripping it down to the bare minimum before heading to the mountains is a similar concept to fastpacking and trail running-style mountaineering.

N : Of course, you should go to the mountains safely, but in trail running, you need to be light on your feet to begin with. High mobility is also a form of risk management.

Y: I think the ultra-lightweight G series is a great match for that UL style. Like Ryo-kun from Yama to Michi Kyoto.

Photo: Ryo-kun.

George was really looking at the gram weights in the catalogue and said, "Some pages say 48g and others say 28g . Why?" I thought he was really paying attention.

Photo: Left to right: George and Beyan.

N: The 48g includes the weight of the belt. In the past, it was called 28g , but when it increased from 28g to about 50g , some people were wondering what was going on, but back when it was 28g , the belt wasn't included. Now we list the weight including everything.

H : That's a unique perspective.

N : The reason the wording is different is because you can use it by attaching the clip without the belt.

Y : Right now, Junki from Yama to Michi is hiking the CDT ( Continental Divide Trail : a 5,000- kilometer national trail between Mexico and Canada. A through-hike takes about six months) in the US, and he said he'll be using a clip. He's bringing his MS-G4 with him.

*Photo taken during a night hike in Kyoto: Junki-kun aka JK.

N : This is how it attaches to the brim of the cap.

This is what it looks like from the underside of the brim.

It's not suitable for trail running because you're swinging around a lot, but it's totally fine for hiking. The clips give you more uses, like on the shoulder harness of a backpack. At home, I use it to pick my son's ears.

Y: Even at home, the lights come out immediately. Just like the Wright Brothers (laughs).

H : Not the airplane, the shiny one (laughs).

Y : If you have lost your clip, please come to milestone TERADACHO and we will sell it to you for 660 yen (tax included).

H : They say a light is essential even for day hikes, but this light and compact size means it doesn't get in the way.

N : It's user-friendly.

Y : I think the MS-G3 and G4 are models that have connected us with interesting people in the hiking world, and Masaru also used them on the Arizona Trail ( a 1,300- kilometer long trail that runs through Arizona from the Mexican border to the Utah border).

*Note: From Masaru's Instagram @masama43

The Yama to Michi members were also looking forward to the release. When will George be released?

N : I'm happy.

Y : At first, I went to an event called "Hiker Night" held by peg . At that time, I met Masaru, who runs a bar, and Junki from Yama to Michi. We decided to go to the mountains with the members of Yama to Michi Kyoto.

Even people who do UL hikes look at the gram count, but they've never really focused on the functionality of a headlamp, so they wanted us to explain the product to them. They tried it out on a night hike and a party in the mountains. Next time, they'll camp using a headlamp at night and then go to work the next morning in extreme conditions. At that time, they tried out the demo units of the MS-G3 and MS-G4 .

・Temporary load

H : Come to think of it, in the first "Oshi! Mai" I wrote that it would be released around March.

N : That's right. I gave the go- ahead to the factory saying, " Let's go with this! " , but then I changed my mind and had them make some adjustments that I was satisfied with. That's why being able to light the light while charging was a first for Milestone . If you press and hold the button while the light is on, you can reduce the brightness to a minimum of 5% . In other words, 5% of 420 lumens is 21 lumens. With the initial setting, the brightness that could be turned on while charging was 21 lumens. But when I went to the mountains with 21 lumens, it really wasn't powerful enough, or rather, the light output was insufficient and it was useless.

The balance between input and output during charging...for example, if it was set to 20 %, the output would be too high and the input would not be able to keep up. After a struggle, we settled on 10% . I'm sure it was a good change. However, because we ended up overturning it, we had to redo the circuit board design from scratch, which delayed the release by several months.

N: I said I was going to go with this! But then I turned it over and said it wasn't right after all (laughs).

Y: The famous "Osamu-chan's table-flipping" (laughs). People who work with Nishioka-san just think, "Oh, that's the usual thing."

N : It costs money and takes time, but rather than releasing something that I'm not satisfied with, I would rather do multiple tests and create something that I'm satisfied with, even if it means being late.

Y: In the short term, it puts a burden on those around us, but in the long run, the factory wants to sell well and make good products, so we're both definitely moving in a good direction, and I hope they understand that if you think about it, it's better that way.

N: It's not just between us and the factory, but also with the retailers. The release was delayed, but we believe that if we've made a good product, it will be a good product that retailers will also be able to sell, so I'm glad we turned it around. I feel like we're doing the best we can right now.

Actually, wouldn't it be better if you could use it while charging? That was the first thing that came to my mind when we released the MS-G1 . It was Kei Kuwahara of RUN BOYS ! RUN GIRLS ! (a pioneering trail running shop in Tokyo).

I thought, "That's so true!" and it had always been in my mind that it would be great if we could do that. I kept asking myself, "Can't we make it in a factory?" And now it's finally come true. So when they saw the MS-G3 and MS-G4 , they said, "We did it!" and I was really happy.

I think it's hard for overseas manufacturers to get their opinions across to their home countries, but we listen to everyone's opinions and turn them into something. So I think Kei-san thinks that we've given shape to what he said.

Y : By the way, this minimum light output ( 5 %) is great for a campsite. On the other hand, you don't need it to be too bright. If you use the MSB-002 lantern shade, 5 % light output is enough.

・MS-G2 secret mode

N : The design of the belt changes for each series, and this time it's inspired by the coniferous forests of Oregon, California.

By the way, the MS-G2 has a leaf design. The black color is also a classic.

N: Actually, while developing the MS-G2 , I argued with the factory, saying, "There's no way this will sell! What if it runs out of charge? A headlamp that doesn't light up is a burden. It would be better if you could just open it up and pop the battery in. No one will use this." The factory told me to give it a try. I remember thinking, "Sorry, they were right (laughs)."

Y: (laughs)

N: The reason it lasts for two hours at maximum brightness is because the battery capacity is set at 600mA . If the capacity were any larger, the headlamp body would have to be larger and heavier. Many people don't like that. Some people are happy with two hours of light in the morning or evening, so they just want a little light. The MS -G2 really has a good balance between price and performance.

Y: The flashing red light can be attached to the back of your car while driving to increase your visibility, like with a clip. The flashing light will last about six hours.

N: Did you know? The MS-G2 's red flashing light has a secret mode. SOS mode. I haven't told anyone about it though.

H: That's important information. Please tell me (laughs).

N: If you press and hold the button while it is flashing red, it will flash in Morse code "knock knock knock, two two two, knock knock knock"

Y: I didn't know that!

N: It's not really mentioned, but it's only the MS-G2 . I just checked, and it's not written in the instruction manual either (laughs). By the way, the MS-G3 and MS-G4 don't have a blinking light, and you can adjust the brightness by pressing and holding the red light.

Y: That's also great. There are various theories, but they say that insects can't see red light. In the summer, insects are attracted to lights.

N: It's not just bugs. We also make fishing tackle, we're a fishing tackle manufacturer. Fish don't notice the red.

H : Can we try red in the Dark Room ?

N : To your heart's content. There are no bugs or fish though.

Y : We don't offer any attractions like fishing or catching insects in the store (laughs).

This time, we talked about the MS-G series of headlamps, popular among hikers. The MS-G3 and MS-G4 , which can be used while charging, are appealing, and it's hard to decide which one to get. Furthermore, the MS-G2 's functions are also hard to pass up. I'd like to imagine the situations in which I'll use them and head to the Dark Room at milestone TERADACHO to see the difference in visibility. While I'm pondering, I might end up staying a while, drinking a W-IPA (9%) beer. (Store-exclusive craft beer: Minoh Beer x milestone)

Stay tuned for next time.

Text and composition: Hagiwara Ken