Gear Reviews


BROOKS PURE GRIT




The Grits be cookin' in the kitchen. Light, minimal, yet enough shoe to take a beating, these trail roasters will do the dirty work. Training-wise and race-wise this shoe feels like it can be an asset in both.  The Brooks Pure Grit provides an ample, enforced toe box to keep toenails from turning black, a low heal and low-cut ankle  and upper and a cushioned tongue and lining that could come in handy on long days. No frills, nothing waisted- not to mention they look really cool. Good job Scott Jurek and Brooks teamers.




Fenix hp 10 headlamp


After a recent night run on the trails, I was determined to upgrade my lighting system. I was using the Petzel Ticca Plus. Which offers easy operation, is cheap, light but only pumps 50 lumens and its low-battery fade-mode dern near left me blinking in the complete dark.


HP 10
After much research, I landed on the Fenix HS10 which boasts 120 lumen power for up to 7.5hrs and a boost-mode of 220 lumens- bright enough to singe an owl's retina. The lamp uses 4 AA batteries and has a battery pack that sits on the back of the head. The light is very bright at 120 lumens and makes night running almost like day running. One BIG CON: the head band is incredibly tight even stretched and set to its largest size- and no, I do not have a bulbous melon as i am sure you now suspect, I wear a relatively small hat. The fix- rig the h. band, not that big of a deal.


The Punch Line...
I contacted Fenix, which must be based in China, with turn of the millennium customer service- below are some excerpts from my correspondences where more than context is lost in translation Hilarious!!! Absurd!!!


my email:
 ...just got a Fenix HP 10  as a gift the headband is incredibly small and tight- I cannot even wear it comfortably with a stocking cap. I use it to run at night on trails. Is there a chance the headband is not correct- I don't have an incredibly large head- in fact I wear a rather small hat.


Fenix answers:
Thank you very much for using Fenix headlamp. 
I'm so sorry for the trouble caused to you, for the existing HP10, the headband seems not very long for some american people, because your head seems a little larger than Asian people, maybe you will feel tight when you wear it on your head, do you adjust it as longest as it can be. If so, it's still not comfortable with a stocking cap, you have to remove the cap, and wear the headlamp on the head directly, it should be OK.

For the future headlamp, here the R&D department will consider lengthening the headband.





SWIFTWICK OLEFIN 12s


Swiftwick 12s
To say I was skeptical of the notion that compression could be a good thing would be an understatement. I figured it was just skinny tire enthusiasts looking for more reasons to bare lycra publicly. Turns out I was dead wrong. Scored a pair of Swiftwick 12s and squeezed them on after a 20 mile workout. I was able to run a nice 10 mile trail run the next day without  being sore... a novelty because these back to back runs mean tired legs. The science? Ehh, compression aids blood flow thus accelerating muscle fiber mending...  I am no scientist- I am however an avid runner, and I am sitting at my desk at work- after a morning 10 miler (with speed sesh) in full office attire, but my secret recovery weapon? I'm rocking SW12s in my dress shoes.


http://www.swiftwick.com




INOV-8 F-LITE 195


This shoe is ideal for the minimalist runner. The no frills design of the Inov-8 F-Lite 195 focuses on what trail runners need- strong toe box/good upper design to keep out rocks and dirt, and a sticky, rugged sole. All this with the benefit of a mountain racing flat.

I add a Superfeet green insert- for my arch... so I add weight to it.
Super light mtn racer: F-lite 195

I ran in these in a recent 50k. I might mention that on big gravel it was easy to catch a sharp rock in the ball of the foot- but I was able to adjust my form and avoid too many painful moments. These shoes allow your feet to grip the ground while offering enough protection for long trails. I am not sure I will use them for distances longer than 50k, but who knows... maybe!

http://www.inov-8.com/Products-Detail.asp?PG=PG1&P=5050973125&L=27



Camelbak lobo


Talk about a crash course in hydration packs! I fumbled with the tube and bladder on the way down to Chattanooga- why not try a new hydration system when running an unfamiliar mountain (Lookout)? The pack holds lots of liquid and is fantastic, well balanced and well put together. I have long been a fan of the 2 bottle hand helds- but now I see reason to move. Two cons for mtn running- no shoulder strap pouches to stash nutrition and ipod and no liquid level gauge. Great overall pack if those two items are not top of your list.
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