For those of you that are familiar with goose down fill, you know that it is extremely warm, lightweight, and soft against the skin. The problem with down is when it gets wet, the warmth factor goes way down. This problem has been solved by Mountain Hardwear with the release of the Synchronicity jacket which is [...]
The Brooks Pulse Lite Glove is an excellent light weight and breathable glove for fall, spring, and even mild winter days. The Pulse Lite is made from Podium Waffle Mesh which provides a light layer of warmth and excellent moisture transfer when your hands start to heat up. Testers enjoyed the wide wrist band because [...]
Not only does the Men’s AllSeasonGear Reversible Longsleeve Crew live up to its hype, but we feel as buff while wearing it as the UnderArmour.com pictures say will (well, not really). Under Armour’s All Season Gear is meant to keep you warm and dry. Here’s the scoop: wearing the dark colored (and somewhat coarser and [...]
The Columbia Northern Peak II Full Zip is a good choice whether you’re looking for a casual jacket for the fall/early winter season or need a little warm while out doing your favorite activities. The Northern Peak II has a brushed polyester durafleece outer and a fuzzy fleece next to skin inner. It is a [...]
The Brooks Wanganui Softshell is the perfect jacket for cold weather running this season. The Wanganui is waterproof and windproof, sure to keep you sheltered from the elements and keep you dry and warm on the run. This jacket has a waffle like inner liner that is soft against the skin and adds warmth for [...]
Here’s a low-key, kick-around pullover from Columbia’s Titanium line to keep out the winter chills. The Downhill Climb is a quarter-zip cotton/polyester top made with Columbia’s rain and stain-resistant Omni-Shield technology. When confronted with a bit of Rocky Mountain mist, the Omni-Shield upheld its claims and kept the tester feeling dry. The Downhill Climb quarter-zip [...]
As every trail runner knows, all belt style hydration systems have one thing in common: the bounce. With the amphipod handheld, you are guaranteed to eliminate that annoying feeling of sloshing water and aggravated hip chafage. Amphipod has long been known as a staple of the hydration industry, and this latest update to line does [...]
Shoes tend to fall in three broad categories in regards to pronation. This methodology begs a question – what if my feet don’t fit into one of those three categories? The creative folks at Brooks have answered this question with a shoe that provides a hybrid of support and pronation correction that will rock your [...]
Mizuno’s “wave” system is engineered to disperse energy and weight along the entire outsole of the foot, and guarantees a smooth ride. Light footed, mechanically efficient runners will love this shoe for exactly that reason. The heel to toe transition in this shoe is smooth as butter, and even a little bouncy at times. This [...]
The Marmot Leadville Jacket is a great lightweight softshell that can be used for a number of different activities. The jacket has Windstopper softshell fabric with side panels that stretch as you move. We tested out the Leadville Jacket on cold rainy and windy hikes. The softshell material is water resistant and while caught in [...]
Sugoi is a Japanese word that means “incredible”. We think this Canadian manufacturer of outdoor sports clothing chose their name well. RSR is Sugoi’s designation for their premium sports gear, and the RSR running short is a worthy member of that classification. The RSR short is a technical running short with a longer inseam (9″) [...]
Sugoi has always been a favorite of ours for outstanding craftsmanship and great quality. The RSR Sleeveless running top is no exception. This sleeveless top is part of Sugoi’s RSR line, their premium active gear line. It features their best wicking fabric, which Sugoi calls “Gobi”, and we found it to be great for hot [...]
Looking for the relaxation of a sandal with the support and protection of a shoe, the Chaco Paradox might just be your answer. We’ve tested this shoe in water crossings, 1-15 mile hikes, and walking about the town. The polyester webbing and cinch strap wrap your foot to give you a secure fit which is nice [...]
The Saucony LX Opentech Sportstop is a new fall/winter 09 piece for Saucony that is good for active endeavours between 10-50 degrees F. The shirt is fairly lightweight, yet keeps you warm in colder climates. Although Saucony is a running brand, we also tested the LX Opentech Sportstop during cold weather hiking and camping as [...]
The Brooks Trance 9 is a premium moderate-stability training shoe and has been completely redesigned for 2009. The Trance incorporates Brooks’ new-and-improved Progressive Diagonal Rollbar (PDRB®), which gives it good pronation-prevention without sacrificing ride- these shoes really transition well from heel strike to toe-off. We are a big fan of Brooks’ BioMoGo midsole material- not [...]
Looking for a fleece that not only looks great, but is a top performer? We’ve tested the Mountain Hardwear Super Power Hoody for a good length of time and we found this to be one of our most versatile pieces of gear. We first tested the hoody while skiing and snowshoeing and hands down, this [...]
When you think of Woolrich, what comes to mind? Flannel? That was our first thought. Although Woolrich is famous for their flannels and other quality clothing, they have recently come out with a performance line that measures up with the rest of the outdoor industry. We recently tested the Woolrich Weatherchaser Vest, which is made [...]
The Turbo Tri Short from Sugoi is a no-nonsense triathlon short and a great value. The construction of this short features 6 panels and fits exceptionally well. The Matrix fabric of the Turbo Short is just compressive enough but not restrictive at all. We tested this short in training and racing situations and found it [...]
The Patagonia Nano Puff lightweight pullover is ideal for all types of conditions and activities for the outdoor adventurer. This Patagonia Nano Puff pullover is made of a water resistant polyester outer to keep you dry and comes with Primaloft insulation for warmth. Following Patagonia’s concern for the environment, the Nano Puff is made from 100% [...]
In the market for a lightweight training shoe? We’ve found the Brooks Ghost 2 to be an excellent neutral lightweight trainer that weighs in at a mere 10.8 ounces. We tested the Ghost 2 on track workouts, longer distance speed workouts, such as mile repeats and tempo runs, and the long distance runs. As imagined [...]
OK, its still August, but I’ve noticed on morning runs that the air is a little more crisp than it was a month ago. Thankfully, the Saucony SonicLite HD Running vest is an excellent light weight layer for when the temp dips slightly. This vest is made of Saucony’s SonicLite HD fabric which is extremely [...]
The Montrail Mountain Masochist is an exceptional trail running shoe for those looking to run on anything from fire roads to the rocky and rutted single-track trails. The Masochist has a Gore-Tex liner that prevents your feet from getting wet while running through puddles and in the rain. During testing, we found the shoes to perform incredibly [...]
The ProGrid Paramount 2 is a feature-packed shoe that doesn’t disappoint. At $170 MSRP, we went into this review expecting great things from this new iteration of Saucony’s top of the line stability trainer, and found a lot to like. The Paramount 2 features a new temperature-regulation system in the upper called Comfortemp, which, according [...]
