Gear
28 items in Gear
Agravic EVO SL
Adidas is determined to milk every last drop of hype from the EVO SL, and I can't say I blame them. I'm curious about this shoe, given how much I love the EVO SL, but tbd how it handles the increased stability needs of a trail shoe. The EVO SL, while great, is *not* the most stable shoe.
The North Face x Skims Part II
Sorry, I can't hear your hot take about how this doesn't fit the TNF brand over the sound of the dump truck full of cash that they're currently backing up. But also, yeah, ughhh. SKIMS is the *epitome* of shitty fast fashion. At least the gear is ostensibly made by TNF, and branded SKIMS, not the other way around. It's going to sell out immediately.
The Endor Collection
Columbia has been doing these for a while. It must do pretty well for them, otherwise I don't think we'd be seeing these year after year. Whatever your thoughts, it's more effort than the outdoor industry typically puts into most (slap a logo on it) collabs. Can't say I'd ever actually buy anything, but the kid in me kinda wants to. And those kids ewok jackets... 🥺.
R&D Helium Loop Anorak
It's only a proof of concept, but super cool to see. A big challenge with the circularity outdoor apparel is often disassembly, and these 'smart stitches' seek to ameliorate that by melting in controlled conditions. Cool stuff from Peak.
ACG Zegama
Looks like a great shoe in their trail lineup. I feel like there are going to be takes out of TRE that mention Nike being 'back', although I think the 'sky is falling' takes from ~12 months ago about Nike's failings were probably wildly overstated.
H1
Alright, early-ish days still, but I *really* like these. Lightweight, comfortable at a range of distances/speeds, and my new go-to for the 'winter' weather around London where my Evo SLs won't cut it. A "plus" version with *slightly* bigger lugs (and without the double lacing system) would be 🤘.
Afterlight Collection
I always enjoy Bandit's lookbooks. Really captures the winter running vibe in a city.
Men's (Ski) Sport Coat
First thought: Are you really market this coat as my ski midlayer? Second thought: there are probably a ton of people (casual skiers, Europe) that this is probably great for. If anything, it's an interesting take, even if the knee-jerk reactions from most will be negative. I don't personally think I'll give up my ski midlayer, but I'd wear this around town.
Taika Snow Shell
Ok. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it was probably a semi-inevitable expansion as Vuori grew. It's probably pretty good (as is most stuff). But, their entire new snow collection does feel a bit uninspired...it's just not quite clicking for me.
Rab x Gramicci Collab Collection
I've been a fan of Rab for a long time. Their ethos has always been very tied to the rugged, unforgiving climate of the Peak District and Scotland. But, I've always wondered when they'd wade into a more 'style' based collab. I thought it might be with a more iconic UK brand (my thought was Barbour with Rab insulation), but I'm a fan of Gramicci as well.
Adizero EVO SL Shoes
This shoe has gotten a lot of hype. I'm here to tell you that it's worth it. No, it's not the most stable shoe. But for the price it is a *fantastic* daily/up tempo city shoe. Tbh I've struggled a bit finding my running groove in London, and at least part of that was probably due to not having a dedicated 'city' running shoe. Picked these up a few months ago after seeing the online buzz, and they are so much fun to run in. Will basically everyone at the run club also have them? Yes. Don't expect to feel special. But damn, they're great shoes.
Men's TourTech Bib
Half the fun of a new Raide launch is watching a video of Kyle talking about how much thought he put into every decision. Yeah, they're expensive bibs specifically for touring, but damn, they're so thoughtfully designed.
HY 13 FREE
Look, I can't quite articulate why these bindings feel sexy. But ATK makes one of the highest-quality feeling products in the ski market and I'm excited to see their first "true" hybrid alpine/touring binding. That machined aluminum...ooof.
Ever Rest - Desert Sand
New brand discovery for me, actually love the style of these. Boston clog-esque with gorpcore twist.
Alpine GORE-TEX C-Knit™ 3L Shell Jacket Men
Idk what it is, but I'm a sucker for a good white/off-white kit.
Mammut x Cabourn Direttissima IN Hooded Jacket
It's Mammut, so this $900 jacket is definitely not streetwear. Mammut is for *real* alpinists, not people who live in cities, so you know it's good. Katie Burrell definitely won't show up to the streets of London and tear this right off your body as you walk to an East London Third Wave coffee shop. In fact, I think these are only going to be sold from a pop-up somewhere on the Aletsch Glacier.
TrailTech Short
The latest from Raide Research, as they slowly expand their collection with more apparel. Especially like the water bottle style and integrated pole loops.
Outdoor Expedition Book 99
I had the chance to check out a full exhibition in London last week featuring much of the vintage collection showcased here. It was a very cool dive into the history of mountaineering, apparel, and building techniques.
Rippy™ Modular Windbreaker
The modularity is actually quite cool. Satisfy takes a lot of heat but they're still doing some interesting things when in comes to apparel (MothTech is not one of them).
Tech Hoodie Port Vermut
It's hard to argue against a jacket that Kilian put to the test throughout the entirety of his climbing 14k ft peaks all over Colorado and the West Coast.
T2 Ultra 5
The T2 Ultra 5's innovative design and limited edition color make it a must-have for serious trail runners looking for both style and performance.
Exposure 10L Vest
It's a running...hiking...camera...vest? This is sone of those things that seems interesting at first glance but after a second of reflection I can't figure out who or what it's really for. I've run hundreds of miles with my Salomon Adv Skin 12 and a camera, and it's also just a great running vest...without being designed for cameras.