Wired.com: EXO Running Gear Makes You Perform (and Look) Like a Superhero

Salomon's EXO IV Calf Sleeves

Performance-enhancing products are sticky things. When you ingest or inject them, you get ostracized and treated like a criminal. But when they come in the form of an external suit of armor, people call you Iron Man and make a comic book and a movie about you.
While the look of this stuff is more “Spider-Man” than “Iron Man”, Salomon’s EXO Sensifit compression running gear is designed to enhance your performance while pounding the trails. The outfit has an external layer of rubberized mesh, which staves off muscle fatigue and speeds up recovery by structurally supporting and enhancing blood flow to your muscles. You can go longer and recharge faster.
Consisting of shorts, calf sleeves, and shirts that put the squeeze on your body in key areas, the EXO Sensifit gear is sort of like a supportive, skin-tight exoskeleton. The company makes gear for both men and women. Salomon also makes a well-fitting hydration vest that carries water and nutrition. Think of it as a gas tank. Jet pack and wrist lasers sold separately.

Read the rest of the review on Wired.com.

Easton Mountain Products CTR-65 Ion Carbon Trekking Poles

A good set of trekking poles is invaluable when you're walking on varied or unstable terrain with a load on your back. In addition to keeping you stable during stream crossings or snowy treks, they also help to ease the load on your knees, a benefit that came in very handy on a recent trip.

I  received a pair of Eastern Mountain Products' CTR-65 Ion adjustable trekking poles (MSRP $99) and got the chance to put them through their paces on a recent trip to Yosemite National Park. In the weeks coming up to the trip, I'd started experiencing some tendonitis in my right knee, so these poles couldn't have come at a better time.

I haven't had the best experiences with trekking poles however, so the CTR-65's were going to have to overcome some prejudices to win me over.

The two main problems that I've had with trekking poles are their adjustment and their traction. The trekking poles I've used in the past tend to be a pain to adjust, or they have a tendency to slip. The pair I used on Mt. Whitney had loose adjustment clamps; the poles kept collapsing whenever I put my weight on them. Unpleasant, to say the least.

The CTR-65's adjustment and locking system proved unflappable; the twist-and-snap Rock-Lock clamp made it easy to dial down the length mid-stride, and once I shut the clasp, the poles didn't budge. One issue solved.

The other issue I've had with trekking poles is that their grip can be a bit tenuous-not a great feature when you're trusting these things to keep you upright.

Slippage wasn't a problem with the CTR-65's poles. The carbide tips stuck to everything; steep, scrambly granite climbs and icy descents to moss-covered rocks during creek crossings. After the first day with them, I happily trusted them to take the load off my knee (which held up over the course of the trip, by the way).

The 12.5-inch EVA handles accommodated a variety of hand positions, and when they weren't needed, they collapsed down to about 33 inches, and the all-carbon poles' 1.1-pound weight made it easy to forget about when it was on my pack.

I did have an issue with the adjustable wrist straps, however-one of the straps started to fray after a few adjustments. The CTR-Ion's wrist strap locking system uses a friction lock to hold the adjustment, and it looks like the lock frayed the nylon wrist strap.

Other than that, the CTR-65 Ions were solid over the 30-plus miles; snow, scree, rock and riverbeds were all well within its capabilities. They also helped ease the load of my 35-pound pack on my run-weary knees. And when the trail mellowed out, they hardly added any weight to my pack.

Take a closer look at eastonmountainproducts.com.

Merino Melee: Australian Merino to Break into Outdoor Sports

Gearing up for a cross-cultural bleatdown

Most people who know gear are well aware of the benefits of Merino wool sportswear. Keeps you cool when it's warm, keeps you warm when it's cold, it dries, it wicks, and most importantly (to me, anyway), it fends off the stink that goes hand-in-hand with the active life.

Much of the merino talk has come from New Zealand brands like Icebreaker, but Australian wool company Woolmark is looking to make waves in the outdoor sportswear market. By hiring co-founder of Pearl Izumi and former president of SUGOI Performance Apparel Stan Mavis, Woolmark is throwing its hat into the ring as a premium fabric in the sportswear world and challenging New Zealand as the producer of the finest merino wool. 

In a recent press release, Woolmark touted the Australian Merino wool as "an amazing natural fibre with over 10,000 years in the making," and that “the majority of softer fine micron Merino comes out of Australia, dwarfing the rest of the world’s Merino market."

 

Consider the gauntlet thrown, New Zealand.

Trek Tech Redemption: Stanley's One-Handed H2O Bottle

 

A few weeks ago, I posted a pretty negative review of Stanley's Nineteen 13 One-Handed stainless steel water bottle. My criticisms were that while it was a solid idea, the basics failed to perform. The one-handed innovations were sound, but the lid leaked when the bottle was inverted and the carabiner clip broke off.

Stanley contacted me about the bottle the day after the article posted. They offered to send another one and asked for my original sample so they could see what was wrong with it. I was impressed by their quick response and accepted the offer.

The first thing I did when it arrived was fill it up with water and hold it upside down. No leaks. The lid was tight as a drum.

The one-handed spout works perfectly, and the rubber on the neck still provides a secure one-handed grip. I've purposely been a bit hard on the carabiner clip, and it's been holding up to much more abuse than the first one (I have a tendency to swing my bottle when I walk).

I've asked other people who've had both good and bad experiences with the bottle, and the consensus seems that the initial run (of which my first sample was part) had a few design flaws, but they quickly ironed out in later iterations.

As I said in my first review, if the company ironed out the kinks, this could be one of my favorite bottles for daily use. This new bottle has proven me right-on the bike, in the car, or just walking around the neighborhood, I'm dragging the One-Handed Bottle with me wherever I go.

Club Ride Go Long Shirt: Double Duty

Time was if you’re weren’t into lycra or neon, you were stuck with cotton if you wanted to ride your bike around town. It’s no big deal if you’re a hard-core roadie, but if you just want to get to the Alehouse Pub without spending gas money, you’d either be sporting day-glow lycra or a sweat-soaked t-shirt. Luckily, that's no longer the case.

My favorite trend in outdoor gear is the way bicycling companies are working towards making tech gear that doesn’t look like tech gear - clothes that perform on a ride, but also look good once the riding’s done.

The hard part about making gear that looks good is making feel good on a ride. Usually, long sleeve collared shirts are far too hot to ride, or they soak up and retain sweat like a sponge, and any shirt that fits well doesn’t easily accommodate a cyclist’s hunched posture.

After a few near-misses in trying out commuter wear, it looks like I’ve found a winner. I’ve been testing the small Idaho-based company Club Ride’s Go Long shirt ($95), and it hits the mark both on and off the bike.

The styling of this shirt is sweet - a neo-western vibe, right down to the pearl snap buttons - and the slim cut is extremely stretchy, thanks to its polyester fabric. I took it to barbecues and ran errands without garnering the attention that a traditional cycling jersey would. The only comments I heard were compliments on how sharp it looked, followed by surprise that it was a cycling shirt.

Of course, a performance piece is only as good as its performance. 

I was worried about wearing a full-sleeve shirt during rides in a Redding summer, but the polyester is lightweight and breathable, and the full-length vents along both sides of the shirt kept things cool on a 20-mile test ride. When I’d sweat during a commute, the fabric would wick it up and dry it out within minutes. No more looking like I was chased by a dog to work. It was a bit chilly during colder rides, but the Go Long has a zipper underneath the snap buttons to help stave off wind chill.

The only thing that betrays the shirt’s true nature as a cycling jersey is its gear pocket in the back. It’s big enough to hold plenty of food and it’s got a headphone port. I had my iPhone, two Honey Stinger Waffles, and a Brubar in the back with room to spare.

The Go Long is a rare combination of beauty and brawn; it kicks butt and it looks good doing it.

Take a closer look at ClubRideApparel.com.

Enjoy Magazine: Chasing Waterfalls

An article I wrote for a local magazine just published: 

Read the web version at EnjoyMagazine.net...