Section index
Gear
Vests, belts, poles, shoes, and one elliptical bicycle.
Running gear is reviewed on a launch cycle and forgotten on the same one. Most of what is here has been revised, renamed or discontinued since.
It stays up because people still own this equipment and still race in it, and because a good review is mostly a record of what mattered at the time — how much a pack carried, whether the bottles stayed in, whether the velcro held. Those questions outlasted every product they were asked about.
Products supplied free of charge for review are identified at the foot of the page they appear on.
2017Three
Raidlight Responsiv 10L review: a dial closure and more pole options than anyone needs
The vest that got the fit mechanism right, and then kept going.
421 wordsNathan VaporKrar Waistpak review: minimal bounce, small velcro
One of the two best waistbelts on the market at the time, by the review's own reckoning.
377 wordsNaked Running Band review: no bounce, three litres, and some loose threads
The rare piece of gear that does the one thing every competitor claims and fails to do.
400 words
2014Two
Orange Mud HydraQuiver Vest Pack 2 review: 66 ounces, carried on your back
For runners who dislike bladders and handhelds, and don't want the weight on their front.
463 wordsNathan FireCatcher vest review: excellent with flasks, awkward with a bladder
The vest that sits between one handheld and a full hydration pack.
502 words
2013Three
Ultimate Direction Ultra Vesta review: a women's vest that isn't a men's vest in purple
The question everyone asked about the launch, answered by someone who could actually test it.
402 wordsHydration belt shootout: six small-bottle waist packs compared
Not every run needs a vest. Six belts, ranked by the things that ruin a run.
614 wordsMontrail FluidFlex review: 6.1 ounces, $90, and surprisingly little compromise
The trade-off every light trail shoe makes, and a rare case of it going the right way.
368 words