We tested the Rumor Hoody trail running, hiking, and used it as a heavy baselayer (or light mid layer) on colder winter adventures.  We found that it has a little bit of wind protection for colder breezy days, while also breathing when you get your heart rate pumping.  While hiking, it has become an essential piece we put in our pack in case we run into unexpected cold weather during the warmer months.  An example of this would be hiking or climbing a 14′er in Colorado.  Outside of the hoody’s ability to help regulate your temperature, it also does an amazing job at moving as your body moves.  With a stretch fabric, the Rumor Hoody can handle almost any movement and motion you throw at it.  Outside of the fabric and fit, this hoody comes along with thumbholes which were a favorite among testers.  Thumbholes are a great feature when you want to keep your hands warm, but don’t want to take along a pair of gloves.  The Rumor Hoody also has a baklava style hood that is form fitting to your head and keeps you toasty and protected from harsh wind. Because of the tight fitting hood, we were able to throw a bike, ski, and climbing helmet over top. 

Outside of athletic performance, the Rumor Hoody is a top performer out on the town.  On chilly spring and summer nights, it’s a great piece to take along with you becuase it doesn’t look overly sporty or like you are headed for Everest! Overall, we found the Outdoor Research Rumor Hoody to be a favorite and highly suggest taking a look at this hoody.  For more information, please visit  OutdoorResearch.com

Trail running can be a fun alternative to road running, but having the right kicks can make or break your day.  We’ve been running in the Columbia Ravenous trail running shoes on the rocky, rutty, muddy, slushy, uneven trails in and around Colorado. While we are used to the usual suspects in the trail running industry, Columbia has been able to make a big splash by delivering the Ravenous trail shoe.  The Ravenous is best used during warmer conditions as they are very airy with much of the upper being covered in mesh.  When getting these shoes wet in the mud, they dried extremely fast which helped on our longer runs where weight becomes as issue.  One of the features that sets the Ravenous apart from the rest is the a material used in the heel and upper called Tech Lite, this material has a sponge-like/foam feel to it and conforms to your foot giving you a snug secure fit.  The most notable feature we want to talk about is the amazing traction system on the Columbia Ravenous.  With multi-directional traction lugs, we found ourselves completely secure on every trail we encountered.  This shoe does tend to be less beefy than your typical trail shoe, but we didn’t find this to get in our way of enjoying the trail.  Overall, we were extremely happy with the Columbia Ravenous and highly suggest you giving it a try when trail running season starts for you this spring.  For more information, please visit Columbia.com

We also found this video to be helpful without it being too marketing oriented.

Many times, outdoorsy guys, myself included, don’t care to buy or wear a pair of $200 jeans whether in the great outdoors or out on the town. The prAna Axiom jeans, fortunately, do not carry a $200 price tag, but it is pretty hard to tell the difference between designer jeans and the prAna Axiom jeans.  These jeans have a relaxed fit through the hips and thighs with a slight boot cut. The Axiom looks good with hiking or trail shoes when on a short hike to a bouldering spot or can be worn with a pair of flip flops while chilling at the local pub. Not only do these jeans have a great look, fit, and feel to them, they also perform! The Axiom jeans are made of a cotton and spandex blend, which allows for some stretch; a characteristic that used to be only found in jeans for females.  The added stretch in the inner thigh and the triangular/gussetted crotch allows for a greater range of movement and eliminates any hot spots from unwanted seams. These jeans also have added details such as rivets and extra stitching to give these pants a stylish flare.

Here at ActiveGearReview.com, we always try to find a way to balance our reviews with both the positives and the negatives for each product. However, with the prAna Axiom jeans, we could not find any faults. So, if your in the market for a new pair of stylish/functional  jeans, you should check out the Axiom jeans by prAna.  MSRP $75, they run true to size, and are available online.  For more information, please visit prAna.com

Are you looking for the perfect all around Spring/Summer Jacket?  We may just have a solution for you.  The Patagonia Simple Guide Jacket ranked #1 out of all the jackets we have tested out for the Spring.  Between performance, fashion, and price, this jacket is superior.

Whether you’re out running in town or on the trails, hiking, mountain biking, backpacking, climbing, spring skiing, or snowshoeing, the Simple Guide is an amazing performer. The Simple Guide is made of a highly breathable and stretch woven softshell fabric that keeps you dry while exerting yourself in high energy activities and keeps you protected from the harshest weather.

Since many of us like to use one jacket for a lot of activities, we often like a jacket to work in varying temperatures and weather conditions.  This said, we sometimes like to wear a t-shirt and in cooler temps wear a thicker long sleeve for added warmth. The Simple Guide layers nicely with a variety of baselayers, while also maintaining a streamlined fit.

With a MSRP of $119, we found this jacket to be a steal.  It’s a jacket that you will be able to use for a number of different activities and look good around town.  The material is also super durable which helps with the longevity of the jacket. As you might imagine, we have found this jacket to be our editors choice for this spring jackets.  For more information, please visit Patagonia.com

The Helly Hansen Hayden Jacket is the bomber jacket that you can trust whether you’re flying down the slopes on sticks or shredding some gnar.  We’ve tested plenty of jackets this year and the Helly Hansen Hayden was our favorite, hands down.  This jacket not only performs like a rock star on the slopes, but you also look pretty sharp grabbing a cold one after a long day.  The Hayden comes with a snow skirt to keep powder from flying up your back, wrist gators with thumbholes to keep snow from getting up your sleeve, and a helmet compatible removable hood to keep your head warm and snow from going down your back.  The Hayden looks like a hard shell from afar, but when you put the jacket on, you’ll notice this jacket actually has an outer made from 4 way stretch softshell fabric, giving you great flexibility when you’re playing in the park or pushing the limits down the steep slopes. To keep you warm, the Hayden has the Helly Tech XP with Thinsulate insulate. To give you an idea, we usually wore a long sleeve thin moisture wicking shirt and we stayed plenty warm.  The pockets are a little unconventional in that they open in a horizontal fashion, but this makes it super easy to keeps your hands warm or store some easy to access items such as a sandwich or a cell phone.  Last but definitely not least, the Helly Hansen Hayden comes with the Recco Reflector system that allows you to be found if Recco equipment is available and you are caught in an avalanche.  This does guarantee that you will be found in case the unexpected happens, but it helps.  And to those who say you are resort skiers or snowboarders and avalanches don’t happen there; think again, they do sometimes occur in even the nicest of resorts as well as in the backcountry.  As you might imagine; we highly recommend this jacket to those who like top of the line gear. We promise you won’t be let down.  For more information on the Helly Hansen Hayden, please visit HellyHansen.com

Product Testers Say

Features

• Polarized

• Quick change interchangeable lens system

• Advanced Visual Acuity

• Adjustable nosepiece

• Hidden side hinges

• Adjustable arms to fit head

Includes

• Hard Case

• Silk stow bag doubles as a lens cleaner

The Tahquitz pant is a performance pant that also looks great off the trail. The pant is quick drying and made of four way stretch fabric, thanks to a nylon, bamboo, spandex combo. This pant provides ample storage for keys, phone, compass, etc. with a flat cargo pocket on the left thigh, a vertical zip pocket on the right thigh, and small front/rear pockets. The integrated belt system and number sizing system ensures a good fit. Testers enjoyed the lightweight feeling of the pant, the extra leg length to cover hiking shoes, and the quick drying ability. Only downside is that the pant doesn’t come in more fun colors! This pant is suited for not only hiking, but also yoga, climbing, and lounging at the campsite. For more information, please visit prAna.com.