CW-X compression socks: a review and an attempt to explain compression clothing.

I recently purchased some CW-X compression socks. I like them. You should buy them. they work well, they feel nice, they have not ripped yet.

After that terrible review (seriously, great socks, work as told), I'm going to dive into compression clothing as a training modality.
Looking at a study by Kemmler, compression stockings (think socks), actually affect running anaerobic, aerobic, lactate threshold, BUT not VO2 max. Essentially, the let you suffer for a little bit longer on the run. They don't really help you raise your horse power, but they give you a little more gas. With a sprinting test on moderately in shape runners, athletes were able to pump for an extra 1.41 seconds. Doesn't sound like a lot, but that really adds up in the long term.

Black Diamond Windweight Gloves Review

I"ll air my grievances first. The seams inside the gloves are a little annoying and I don't like how the fleece attracts hair. Now that we have the dirty business ironed out, I can extol the good graces of the Black Diamond Windweight Gloves.

Marmot Exum. Only One Complaint.

I've been putting off writing this review for a while. Why? You know when you love something so much that your heart hurts to say something bad about it, especially in public? It's just hard to say something mean about anything you love so much. I'll get back to that point after I extol all of the Exum's good graces.

Between the snow shoes and the GT 2140 Trail I choose...

In life, you often have to make choices. Do I want to huck this 20 foot cliff onto a sketchy landing with ice and rocks? Do I want vanilla or chocolate? Should I fart in public or not?

Some of those questions are easy, some are not. What shoe to wear on a particular run should be fairly easy. Asics managed to make it fairly extremely not.

Let it be said that I LOVE Asics. They typically fit my feet perfectly, and my wife will never ever stray from the Nimbus. If I ever have any doubts on trail conditions and general comfort, I go for my Trabuco GTX (see very favorable review here).

For quite some time man has struggled with road vs trail running. Two very different beasts, yet oh so similar. They both involve running... and well, running. One happens to be the scourge of the earth and boring as frozen bacon, but that's my problem. Asics has tried to bridge the road to trail gap with their GT 2140 Trail shoe. It's a hybrid shoe, more or less a cross between their 2140 road and their trail sensor line. Keep in mind that they have updated to a 2150 line this year, but very little has changed.

In effort to make road running more comfortable from a trail shoe point of view, they reduced the overall stiffness of the shoe, de-tuned the aggressiveness of the sole, and added a bit more EVA foam to the mix. The whole point is to make road running possible from a trail shoe, which brings up the question... Why?

Your given trail runner isn't a wuss. They've been hitting the road in trail shoes for years, toughening their feet and minds in the process. Next question... why would I ever run road in a shoe that weighs a good 5 oz's more than a standard road shoe, per shoe!

I found many, many problems with these shoes. As a trail shoe, they didn't provide enough support, allowing my wife's chronically bad ankles to get torn up, and had tread grip that was about as good as Old Navy flip flops. Oh man, don't get these wet either. They drain about as well as a plastic bag.

Now as a road shoe... this is where they flopped even more. Their flex wasn't great, the trail sole was awkward on the road, and the weight penalty is just stupid.

The real question is... if you have to compromise one way or the other, either road or trail, wouldn't you lean to the side that you'd be stuck on more often? You can always run trail in road shoes, especially in good weather, and handle things pretty well. If you're on a trail that is really that technical, you wouldn't dare touch it with road shoes anyways.

As shoes go... These get a big, bold NO GO!

Asics puts out plenty of other great stuff... just this isn't their shining achievement.

iPad. I'm a sucker.

As a medical student I'm always looking for a good smartphone or smaller, utilitarian net book. Other than the iPhone, you can look to android for a decent phone iu. But... Androids market blows. It has not been fully accepted by the medical community, plus it's full of porn. I had been a disgruntled htc eris user, but frankly it was slow and buggy. Did I mention that the android market blows? I wasn't willing to go back to AT&T, since I literally had to press my head against the window to get reception in our apt. So I did the next much better thing.

I bought the iPad.

After a Lot of math and long introspection, I decided to go for it. After much longer pleading and whining, my wife broke down and let me go for it. Win, Win, Win if you ask me (name the reference and win, probably nothing tangible though)

As an outdoor athlete, I thought I could come up with a good arguement for and against the iPad as the outdoorsmen computing device of choice (I'm not comfortable calling it a full computer yet)

For:
The iPad weighs nothing and a half. It's light as turds and so easy to use that most grandmothers can jump right on up to playing with it.
I'm very impressed by the appearant computing power behind the iPad. Truly you're only limited to what developers come up with. Developers will come out with some truly amazing crap, so what you see in the App store isn't the only option indefinitely.
The 3G connection is an awesome addition. You can now backpack this thing in, and as long as there is some cell connection, you can access the web as necessary.
Plus, the battery lasts for 10 hours straight... RUNNING HD VIDEO! I have been able to routinely use the iPad for 3 days in a row (with heavy use) and not have to charge.

Against:
You're stuck on AT&T. See above statement about head pressed against the window
The keyboard can be unwieldy, but really you get used to it very, very fast.
The screen is pretty scratchproof, but really its not.
I don't think the iPad can handle a drop onto a rock. Of course, most computers can't. Hopefully companies will be coming out with much tougher cases in the future. They do have waterproof bags manufactured, both "made for iPad" and the normal ziplock.

I think the iPad is a welcome addition to any backpacker, climber, or expeditionist needing the utility of a computer but hates carrying the weight.
It's really only limited by what developers have put out (and it doesn't run flash... I think it's more a battery issue), so the utility will only grow. Can you imagine maps on this thing? GORGEOUS!

Cocona Fabrics

I've recently become a tester for Cocona Fabrics. They're a Colorado based company that specializes in coconut fiber infused synthetic garments. A few companies, such as Marmot and Mammut have begun to incorporate them into they're line ups.

I'm pretty impressed with the utility of the fabric. The fabric feels great right out of the box. The shirt I was sent is a basic 1/4 zip, black, long sleeve tee. Nothing was amazingly spectacular looking, just a pretty basic long sleeve tech shirt.

After my initial inspection, a few glaring errors came to light.
1. Who doesn't incorporate a chin guard into their zippers? This is pretty much inexcusable in a tech garment. This instantly put the shirt fairly low on my long totem pole of cold weather running gear. Plus, the neck, when unzipped, has just enough weight to not stay in place (or simply stay down in the first place) but manages to flip up over and over and over in the runners face.

2. The logo on the left sleeve is pretty subtle. I like that, looks good. What I don't like is that the fabric/stitching behind the sewn in logo is not backed to prevent chafing.

3. SEAM PLACEMENT! I see this mistake all the time in prominent label athletic apparel such as Nike and Adidas. These companies typically aren't concerned that their seams are obtrusive and downright annoying when wearing a backpack or camel-bak. These companies aren't really developing their sports apparel to the outdoor athlete, and that's fine. It's not fine when the shirt is obviously marketed toward the outdoor athlete.

4. It's not a make it or break it deal, but there are no pockets, anywhere, on this shirt. Even one pocket really opens up the possibilities for the shirt. A gel, iPod, or small cell phone can all be put into a shirt pocket, and are typically less obtrusive than running short pockets.

5. Sizing is a little off for a straight medium. It's a little too small, especially in the armpits. Just a tad short. I wear mediums in just about everything, and I would probably jump up to a large in this shirt.

Check back soon for the first few workouts.

Jet Boil Stove

I can't really add a whole lot to a large bank of reviews that people have come up with for the jetpoil pcs system. I think it'd be best to give the profile of a person who should consider the system.

1. Doesn't mind the "jail cell" you've put yourself in with canister based stoves. You're stuck with canisters, not the utility of multiple fuel type stoves. Kinda puts you in a bind if you're going overseas.

2. You LOVE the complete simplicity of canister based stoves. NO thinking, just catch it on fire and cook.

3. Likes to use ready made food, mostly dehydrated based food. That being said, still works with regular food (pancakes, meat, that kind of thing).

4. Loves accessories. Jetboil puts out a ton of them. Most of them are pretty well thought out and are good for what they're made for. Plus they all back into the stove itself. Pretty awesome!

Good stove, fairly light weight, but kinda pigeon holes you in a "fast packer" group.

Mountain Hardwear Quasar Running Cap

This hat is great. I have literally one complaint.
1. It's a little deep. You really can't push this hat up very high on your forehead. This is a terrible complaint, but I had to come up with one.

The good:
1. SOOO much mesh
2. perfect sized bill, with just the right weight and stiffness.
3. real nice wicking band around the WHOLE head. I'm speaking to you bald fat guy that passed me on our first trail marathon and made me want to give up.
4. Let's face it, it doesn't look lame. It reps Mountain Hardwear without the obnoxious/firm "nut" they put on everything. They decided to use a decal rather than a fabric patch (why I hated my Mountain Hardwear beanie)
5. I forgot I was wearing it during my run.
And that's all you really need to know...

ps... Mountain Hardwear... I stole your pic straight up, my bad.

Montrail Mountain Masochists. Unboxing

The Montrail Mountain Masochists have won gear of the year for the past 2 years now. They come with super high marks, lots of good press, and a relatively new, but strong, following.

I bit the bug recently (and I think legally I'm req'd to tell you I got them on the cheap) and bought a pair for Mrs. AK and myself. I'll give you the unboxing, then a run down on the first five miler soon.

Unboxing:
1. I was sent the wrong color... bummer for about five seconds... and then I put them on. Very few shoes cradle and smooch your foot as much as these. The footbed is anatomically based, which may put off certain runners. For me personally, it's awesome, not so much for my wife. She didn't fall in love with them as much as I did first, yet she's willing to give them a shot
2. Lot's of mesh = great ventilation
3. double eyelets on the collar give some awesome tying options. This is a feature sorely missed on my La Sportiva Lynx's.
4. the heel cup has two rather deep wells for the malleoli, nice for road, not my fave for trails (not as secure for ankle protection)
5. Super aggressive toe bump cap. You won't be breaking a toe with these suckers
6. GREAT flex in the forefoot, crazy stiff midsole, very padded heel. I'll talk about that in a bit.
7. The tread is pretty darn aggressive with uphill lugs, with a surprisingly few (only on the medial side of the foot) downhill lugs.
8. I'm a big fan of the midsole lugs (only 3 of them). They give just the right amount of grip when pushing off a log.
9. Not the most impressive scree gaiter. Don't look forward to any running in sand with these.