Wednesday, July 21, 2010
I love gear. Hiking gear, running gear, cycling gear, kitchen "gear". I love it all. Now, this isn't to say that I go around buying every cool thing I see, but when I do find something I think will be useful, I do a LOT of shopping around, and usually am willing to spend a little more for a quality product with a good track record that I think will take the abuse I dish out. Now I've already talked about my bikes, so they don't need further mention... well they do, but they will get it later, when I can take proper pictures... maybe even of me riding them!
There are a few things I've gotten in the recent past that I'll throw up here to give you an idea of what it would look like if I melted in the woods, and only my stuff was left behind.
When I was in Michigan a few weeks ago on vacation, Betsy, her mom, and I took a trip to Cabela's. I love Cabela's. I love to go to the bargain cave and see what I can find super-cheap. On this particular day, I happened to stumble across a plum Columbia soft shell for a mere $40, down from $150. Good deal, eh? But that's not what I'm writing about here. I also finally broke down and bought a new CamelBak/day pack. I've had the same small day pack for a LONG time. It's been all over the world, served me well, and has lived a good life. But some of the zippers are busted, the corners are worn out, and it's just time to retire the thing. I wanted to replace it with a hydration pack (because I almost exclusively use it to hike), that has enough space that I can take everything I'd need for a full day hike, but can tighten up and not have extra flop if I'm just out for a few hours or not taking lots of stuff. I'd been putting off buying one because I hadn't found a model and color that I loved, and if I'm going to spend the money, I need to love it. But on this trip to Cabela's I found "the one". It's the CamelBak MULE, with a 100oz reservoir and multiple pockets, it's perfect. AND, it's bright yellow. Very much my style :) It's not been broken in yet, but the day will come soon.
A few days ago, I popped into Dicks Sporting Goods to see if they happened to have a chain to replace the one that I... damaged, doing work on my bike last week. They didn't... sad. But I did manage to stumble over to the shoe wall. I've had my current running shoes since about December which is FAR longer than I normally keep a pair. Usually, they stay around about 4 months before I wear them out and start to get blisters and sore feet. But the pair I have right now I got right before I hurt my ankle in January, so they didn't see a whole lot of use through the spring, and have taken until now to show their age. Now they are starting to squeak (a sure sign that SOMETHING is wrong structurally), and my feet don't feel so great after a run. So I decided to pick up a new pair while I was out. This usually involves me trying on about 14 pairs of shoes in many brands, and then picking one of about two styles I always go back to. I've been a dedicated Asics shoe wearer for years, with occasional traitor-ship to Nike and Mizuno. I'm currently running in the Nike Equalon, but have found that the forefoot stretched a bit (not necessarily a bad thing), and became too wide for my narrow foot (a bad thing). I've usually run in either the Asics Kayano or the 2130 (or equivalent model). I used to love the Nimbus, but Asics bulked up there shoes a bit and they just weren't as streamline as I liked. So, I went to the requisite trying-on of lots of shoes, and narrowed it down to (shockingly!) two pairs of Brooks shoes, the Glycerin 8, and the Ravenna. The Ravenna was lighter and more streamline, with a relatively simple design and not too much fluff. The Glycerin has a bit more "technical cushion" as I like to call it, or something fancy the company claims to work well. I am always wary of "technical cushion" and try to find reasons to not buy it if I can. I ran around the store with one of each on each foot, switched feet, put on both pairs, did it all again, and finally decided to go with the Glycerin. They just seemed to fit my foot better. We'll see if they hold up well over the long run or not, but I'm optimistic. I've also decided to put them in the closet and not bring them out until AFTER my ankle surgery when I am allowed to run again. New shoes always motivate me, and I have a feeling I might need a bit of motivation when the time comes.
Bruce and I were at Dicks Sporting Goods in Atlanta, STILL looking for a chain for my bike (no dice), and encountered some very appealing clearance racks. What's a person to do? Well, buy a bright orange hoodie, of course. Let me tell you the reasons I love this hoodie... 1) It was like 67% off. 2) It's bright orange (refer to two paragraphs ago re: my love of color). 3) It's under armour, generally good quality, although usually overpriced. 4) It's a full zip without elastic at the bottom. Hard to find. 5) It's this cool stretchy smooth material stuff on the outside with fleece on the inside. It's my fav. I have lots like it. But none in orange. Problem solved.
There are a few things I've gotten in the recent past that I'll throw up here to give you an idea of what it would look like if I melted in the woods, and only my stuff was left behind.
A few days ago, I popped into Dicks Sporting Goods to see if they happened to have a chain to replace the one that I... damaged, doing work on my bike last week. They didn't... sad. But I did manage to stumble over to the shoe wall. I've had my current running shoes since about December which is FAR longer than I normally keep a pair. Usually, they stay around about 4 months before I wear them out and start to get blisters and sore feet. But the pair I have right now I got right before I hurt my ankle in January, so they didn't see a whole lot of use through the spring, and have taken until now to show their age. Now they are starting to squeak (a sure sign that SOMETHING is wrong structurally), and my feet don't feel so great after a run. So I decided to pick up a new pair while I was out. This usually involves me trying on about 14 pairs of shoes in many brands, and then picking one of about two styles I always go back to. I've been a dedicated Asics shoe wearer for years, with occasional traitor-ship to Nike and Mizuno. I'm currently running in the Nike Equalon, but have found that the forefoot stretched a bit (not necessarily a bad thing), and became too wide for my narrow foot (a bad thing). I've usually run in either the Asics Kayano or the 2130 (or equivalent model). I used to love the Nimbus, but Asics bulked up there shoes a bit and they just weren't as streamline as I liked. So, I went to the requisite trying-on of lots of shoes, and narrowed it down to (shockingly!) two pairs of Brooks shoes, the Glycerin 8, and the Ravenna. The Ravenna was lighter and more streamline, with a relatively simple design and not too much fluff. The Glycerin has a bit more "technical cushion" as I like to call it, or something fancy the company claims to work well. I am always wary of "technical cushion" and try to find reasons to not buy it if I can. I ran around the store with one of each on each foot, switched feet, put on both pairs, did it all again, and finally decided to go with the Glycerin. They just seemed to fit my foot better. We'll see if they hold up well over the long run or not, but I'm optimistic. I've also decided to put them in the closet and not bring them out until AFTER my ankle surgery when I am allowed to run again. New shoes always motivate me, and I have a feeling I might need a bit of motivation when the time comes. 
Bruce and I were at Dicks Sporting Goods in Atlanta, STILL looking for a chain for my bike (no dice), and encountered some very appealing clearance racks. What's a person to do? Well, buy a bright orange hoodie, of course. Let me tell you the reasons I love this hoodie... 1) It was like 67% off. 2) It's bright orange (refer to two paragraphs ago re: my love of color). 3) It's under armour, generally good quality, although usually overpriced. 4) It's a full zip without elastic at the bottom. Hard to find. 5) It's this cool stretchy smooth material stuff on the outside with fleece on the inside. It's my fav. I have lots like it. But none in orange. Problem solved.I couldn't find a good picture of it, so I just took one in the mirror. Quality photography, I know.
What is your favorite piece of gear? Something you just love, or can't live without, spent lots of time saving for, or are saving for right now!
Tomorrow is my first shift in the ED.... be prepared for stories galore.
Cheers,
Kari
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