Gear blog Fri 19th September
Gear news
18 September 2008 17:48
Lightest Inov8 trail shoe ever
Phew, we’ve just got our hands on the X-Talon 212, the lightest ever from lightweight trail and fell running shoe designers, Inov8. Launched at the start of this month, they sold out of this 212g racing shoe within a week. It has an aggressive, sticky rubber sole and it’s the lightest in its class. Their Roclite 315 scooped the Best in Test in the last Trail review (May08), narrowly beating the La Sportiva Crosslights for the title. Now the X-Talon is on the block, will it be a winner? Inov8’s Graham Jordison says, “I’ve been putting the X-Talons through their paces and it’s ideal for cross country runners who don’t necessarily need or want to use a spike and also for fell and mountain races.” We’ve got Trail’s lightweight afficionado Peter MacFarlane to put his feet into both shoes for a head to head Used and Abused review of an upcoming mag. Keep reading Trail for the showdown.
New Marmot winter glove
The mountains are starting to prickle with frost, so we’ve wriggled the details of this season’s glove of choice from Marmot. The £40 X-T glove is their current best seller, and Martin from Marmot says, “It’s a multi functional glove best suited towards scrambling, walking and spring time skiing, with water resistant, breathable stretch fabric and a thin, warm and flexible thinsulate insulation.”
Go-lite gets even lighter
Apart from tying helium balloons to their kit, how can superlight outdoor brand Go-lite go any lighter? Well, they have changed the back system and hip belt on the Jam II backpack to reduce it to an incredibly light (620g size M) 51-21 litre sack, renamed it the Jam, with a £75 price tag. Not content with that, they had a go at their jackets and this month launch the Gammut, a £100 full waterproof at 370g for a size M. Great price for new walkers, great weight for lightweight zealots.
A new sock that rocks
Ahh the glamour of the outdoor world. You know it’s got you my the short and curlies when you get excited by the launch of a new sock. Teko bring out their latest heavy weight winter sock before bonfire night so your toes won’t freeze however far away you are from the fire.
Spiderman heads for the hills
Well, Spiderman wanabes head for the hills. If you’re too wussy to go the whole hog and put your pants outside your trousers, wrap one of these new Buff headwarmers round your head to keep your noggin warm this autumn. They are each made from offcasts from Spiderman’s suits that he has grown out of or stained with lithium crystals, honest. We’ve been in secret talks with the web-shooting man himself and he has agreed to send us five to give away. Email trail@bauermedia.co.uk before the next Friday’s gear blog (Fri 26th Sept) with the subject title “I wanabe Spiderman!” and complete the sentence: “I am too scared to wear my pants outside my trousers up a mountain because…” The best five will win a Spiderman Buff. Spiderman superpowers not included.
