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gear review

FS Gear Reviews: Norrøna Loose Shorts

Thinking about a summers-end backpacking trip and wondering what shorts to bring? Or perhaps you are searching for the best pair of shorts for a run/hike/lake-dip outing? Look no further than the Norrøna’s Loose Shorts. These shorts top the ratings in terms of versatility and offer plenty of good pocket options to boot.  Made of more than 50% recycled synthetic fiber, the shorts are breathable, lightweight, and durable. Weighing in at 140 grams (that’s just...

Gear Review: Fischer Speedmax Classic and Carbonlite Skate Rollerskis

Depending on where you live, rollerskis may seem like a distant memory, retired to a storage closet not to be looked at again until next May. For others, sliding on snow might not be the agenda for another month. Perhaps you are foregoing Thanksgiving travel to snow this year due to the pandemic, or you are an urban-dwelling weekend warrior whose usual routine of traveling regularly to snow has come to a halt. Regardless of...

Gear Review: Nathan VaporHowe Waistpak

Nathan VaporHowe Review by: Casey Collins As cross-country skiers we’ve all defaulted to running with a standard drink belt. The sort we’ve skied with for years: a foam insulated vessel covered in nylon with a small zipper pocket up top – just enough room for a bar and phone. Suitable for skiing, not exactly the smooth water carrying companion you’d want on a trail run with the undue bouncing. The standard go-to for longer trail runs...

FS Gear Review: Swiftwick Flite XT

We’ll be publishing a few select gear reviews moving forward. It’s not business as usual for FS or readers: we are posting gear reviews as a brief respite from grim news. We know minds are on more serious Coronavirus related issues.  The sock drawer: part no-person’s land, part nod to orderliness with pairs folded using techniques like the roll & tuck, the fold over, the konmai, and part Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds kaleidoscope...

Your New Favorite Layer: The Skhoop Sadie Vest

We’ll be publishing a few select gear reviews moving forward. It’s not business as usual for FS or readers: we are posting gear reviews as a brief respite from grim news. We know minds are on more serious Coronavirus related issues. ‘Tis the season for layering. Here in Colorado, the high altitude sun wrestles with the snow packed mountains to create highly variable temperatures. One moment the sun is shining and I’m stripping down to...

This review is based on three weeks of product testing. During this time, the pack was used on ten outings, approximately 80 miles of running and one 20k rollerski.  Since my introduction to endurance sports in high school, my two loves have been running and cross-country skiing. After moving to the Roaring Fork Valley in Colorado in 2012, a mecca for trail running, I took to running in the mountains and dipping my toes in...

Gear Review: Salomon S/LAB SENSE ULTRA 5 SET Running Vest

  If you are still running with a traditional drink belt strapped to your waist — listen here: It’s time to give up the drink belt for running excursions. The fight is over and the running vest is miles ahead of you, already sipping a refreshing recovery drink at the parking lot––heck they might have even swapped their cold, sweaty top layer for a warm, dry one by now. Instead of spending time catering to your...

Living the Dream: Summer-Skiing Jacket Review

This is another installment of the “where you should be right now and hopefully you were able to heed this very sage advice and have since logged copious k’s. Since unlike the rest of you losers, I work for a living, so I couldn’t just sit around Bend skiing, excruciating detail, but if you somehow manage to goof this up, have no fear, as the “snow window” is still open. If you really want to go...