I just returned from Denver after a great weekend at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. Looking back at last year, my highlights were very product focused. This year, I find myself focusing more on the important topics and ideas in the outdoor industry. I’ve put together a list of the 5 major industry related highlights that stood out for me.
The Access Knit is an approach shoe from Five Ten that looks, feels, and rides like a running shoe, yet provides the ultimate in underfoot security with a sticky dot rubber outsole. The one-piece knit upper on the Access Knit makes this shoe amazingly comfortable on long trail days and in hot weather.
The Terraventure is a neutral trail running shoe from Topo Athletic with a foot shaped anatomical last, breathable upper, and a dynamic underfoot ride. The Terraventure strikes the right balance of providing a lightweight shoe with just enough underfoot protection.
Hiking and travel pants are an incredibly important piece of kit, especially since most of us “lightweight packers” will only bring along one pair for a multi-week trip. I’ve tried many pairs over the years that just didn’t make the cut. Here are four that have endured the test of time.
For the fourth year running, I have compiled a list of the trail running and lightweight hiking shoes I’m looking forward to most. Like previous years, Salomon, La Sportiva, and Altra make the list. There are also some newcomers. Here are 25 of the most exciting trail running and lightweight hiking shoes of 2018!
The KUHL Spyfire Down Hoodie is a stylish and lightweight jacket with loads of comfort and features. In this review I’ll cover the fabric and build of the Spyfire, as well as provide my thoughts and opinions on it’s performance out in the field.
The Wildhorse 4 is a trail shoe from Nike offering loads of comfort, protection, and performance. At just over 13oz (12.5 US), the Wildhorse 4 manages to stay light for the amount of trail protection it offers. Built on an 8mm drop platform and having a last with a wide toebox, this shoe has a stable ride, and is one of the only non-zero drop offerings with enough splay room upfront. For the Wildhorse 4, my standard size 12.5 fit true to size.
The Salomon Sense Pro Max is a max-cushion trail shoe from Salomon that comes in at 12.8oz (12.5) and has a 6mm drop. With 33mm of midsole stack height in the heel and 27mm in the forefoot, the Sense Pro Max provides a lot of underfoot protection. Unlike the softer max-cushion offerings from Hoka and Altra, the Sense Pro Max feels pretty firm and responsive on the trail.
I get to try my very first Adidas trail shoe in the Adidas Terrex Swift R. What makes the Terrex Swift R so interesting to me is that they’re actually designed to be used as a hiking shoe. Almost every other shoe I use is billed as a trail runner. Here is my review.
If you loved the Wildhorse 3, you’re going to love the Wildhorse 4 even more. The midsole and outsole remain unchanged, with the only real updates coming to the upper. The upper updates are major though, and in my opinion, very positive. I’ll cover all this and more in the preview below.