Gear of the Year Awards 2006 :: Gear Review :: December, 2006

GOOD GEAR CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE. This past year, as I competed in a dozen ultra-endurance adventures around the country, the value of top-notch outdoors equipment continually hit home.

A case in point: Three days into the Primal Quest Adventure Race in Utah this past July, my body was wrecked. Sun blasted down. Temps hit 120 degrees. But my shoes, clothes, backpack and trekking gear—all specialized equipment made for the desert—let me keep on for another five days to finish the event.

From the deserts of Utah, to mountains in Vail, surf in San Luis Obispo, and whitewater in West Virginia, the following ten products stand out as gear that kept me going this year through tough and epic times in the great outdoors.

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1. OR Sun Runner Cap
My head would have fried in the deserts of Utah without this cap, which has a wraparound neck skirt to ward off the rays. A bill blocks sunshine on the face; mesh strips on the side let your head breathe. Plus, it’s light enough to wear in temps high above 100 degrees.
$26; www.orgear.com

2. Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem
Bottle after bottle of this creamy, hydrating, replenishing concoction were consumed by me and my teammates during various adventures this year. Two scoops of the powder supplement in 10 ounces of water creates a 260-calorie shake that goes down easy.
$2.29 per serving; www.e-caps.com

3. Surefire U2 Ultra
The 6-inch U2 Ultra flashlight has a retail price tag of $279. Yep, two-hundred-seventy-nine dollars for a flashlight. But I’ve found nothing brighter and more compact. Its beam—which the company rates at 80 lumens of brightness—burns through the night to create a window of virtual daylight.
www.surefire.com

4. Smith Reactor Max
Corrective eyewear in the outdoors can be annoying. But Smith does it right. My Reactor Max glasses and accompanying Rx lenses are intact and scratch-free after months of abuse. An interchangeable lens system lets you switch out clear lenses for tinted ones in the sun. The prescription is sharp and dead on, too.
$265 with one set of prescription lenses; www.smithsport.com

5. Co-Motion Streaker
This svelte single-speed cycle was my favorite ride of the year. A flip-flop rear hub lets you switch between a fixed-gear and a freewheel. Its feathery frame, carbon fork and minimal components keep total bike weight under 17 pounds.
$2,395; www.co-motion.com

6. Suunto t6
The t6’s three main function areas—time, heart rate and altimeter—are tools I needed during training as well as competition this year. It can track your aerobic inner workings, including such things as heart rate, elevation gain and loss on the run, and time, and then feed them to a desktop computer for in-depth analyzation at home.
$399; www.suuntousa.com

7. Camelbak 100-ounce Omega Reservoir
It ain’t sexy, but the Camelbak Omega reservoir was my constant hydration companion during weeks of adventure this year. I drank almost exclusively from this bladder’s bite-valve for a week straight in Utah. It never leaks. It’s strong and burst-resistant, and water tastes good from its generous 100-ounce depths.
$30; www.camelbak.com

8. Macpac 35 Amp
For eight days straight I wore this pack in the Utah desert. It’s perfect for adventure racing, mountaineering and ultra-light backpacking, with 2,200 cubic inches of capacity. Intricacies include hip-belt pockets, shoulder holsters for water bottles, a small removable sleeping pad that doubles as back support, and a sternum strap buckle with built-in whistle.
$130; www.macpac.co.nz

9. Smartwool Boxer Brief
These boxers are perfect underwear for the adventure set. They’re made of a thin wool fabric that doesn’t itch at all. They breathe exceptionally well and stay dry and non-clammy for several days straight on the trail. Trust me, I’ve been there.
$40; www.smartwool.com

10. Light & Motion Arc Li-ion Ultra
This was my big-gun bike light for the year, allowing me to ride technical singletrack through the inky black of night. The HID bulb seems nearly as bright as headlights on a car. The Arc Li-ion is not cheap, but for its task there’s nothing better.
$600; www.bikelights.com