Holy eggnog, I can't believe we're already at Gear Of The Year time for 2021! Above are some of my favorite items from the last year of testing and reviewing, but I'm sure I missed some of your favorites. What items would definitely be on YOUR list?
Hell yes to the Hoka Rincon 3!! Snagged a pair at the black friday running warehouse sale and they are so good. Tell Kim I am dying for her to do a ladies gear of the year video. I miss her on RU-vid.
BABE WAKE UP, GINGER RUNNER JUST DROPPED GEAR OF THE YEAR!! For real, I was chilling on the couch in the living room and when I saw the thumbnail, I dashed into the living room and started streaming this to the TV. My gear of the year: Top: rabbit EZ long sleeve Bottom: Janji Groundwork Tights Jacket: Janji Rainrunner Pack Storage: Salomon Advanced Skin 12 Gadget: Tie between DJI Osmo Action and Rooftree Percussive Massage Device 😅 Road Shoe: Hoka Mach 4 (These were the ones I should’ve worn for Chicago, but I ran in the Carbon X 2s, and my feet hated me at mile 20 🥲) Trail Shoe: TNF Flight Vectiv Nutrition: Spring Energy Drop Bag Necessity: Body Glide I don’t work from home, but I love the Vuori joggers!!
100% on Spring Energy and the Awesomesauce in particular. Expensive? Yep. Worth it? As someone who gets nauseous super easily, also yep. My favorite trail shoe of 2021: Topo Mtn Racer 2. I loved the original Ultraventure but hated the Ultraventure 2 so tried the Mtn Racer 2. Super grippy, comfortable and forgiving material, good balance of cushion and responsiveness. One con for me: I wish they drained water more quickly, but that hasn't been a dealbreaker.
My favorite of the year has to be the Patagonia Airshed Pro. Super packable and a great wind layer with a hood to add just enough warmth when the sun drops in spring/fall. Kept mine in my pack in my last 55k (in a small drybag so it wouldn’t get wet from sweat) and put it on at dusk, it kept the chills away. What I love is that the sleeves below the elbows are Capilene material so they can easily be pulled up if need be. Super well thought out design. I also wear mine as a midlayer under a Patagonia R2 in the winter. Super versatile!
I 100% agree about the The North Face Vectiv Enduris. Absolutely my favorite trail shoe of the year. I ran two 100 milers in this shoe and not issues. The price is also not too bad. I’ve been stocking up on this shoe. Can’t wait to see what The North Face has for us in 2022.
Asics 5" shorts were a game changer for me simply because I can wear them in running and regular life and they're equally comfortable. They aren't ultra light but they are ultra soft and don't feel out of place at kids practice like my lighter options. Runner up is my Hoka Cliftons I love them and I'll always have a pair in my rotation.
one comment regarding the nutrition. I was using GU gels for many years, and since the beginning of 2021 I discovered Maurten....man, these gels are like pure gasoline with no flavour. They are expensive, but I have never seen that "energy boost effect" neither with GU or High5 or nothing else. Worth to try them.
Maurten is the best fueling secret out there! Not so much in Europe but here more and more people are using it. I run a 50k a month ago and I was totally surprised how many runners on strava raving about it after the race!
Loving your work as always. Not much call for anti bear equipment here in the UK but I can think of a few people I’d like to stay away so perhaps there is a use🤣. Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2022.
Couldn't agree more on the NB RC Elite 2 for best-plated shoe of the year. Have run a number of 1/2s this year and my legs just never get tired in them. I have a number of plated shoes (Endorphin Pro 1, Atreyu The Artist, Vaporfly 1 and 2) and the RC Elite 2s are light years ahead of them all. Just awesome, comfortable shoes. Buy them...you won't regret it.
Yes! Atreyu! I received the Artist when it first came out in the spring of 2021. I wore it in my last two marathons and plans to keep running in them in 2022. What a simple, amazing and affordable racing shoe.
Yay! Love this list! Picked up a pair of the Rincon 3s earlier this year and love it! Just ordered another pair to alternate with, as I train for my next marathon.
Hey Ethan! I have an idea for you. Have you considered making a gear of the decade video? You have an important milestone at hand and over the last decade you have reviewed tons of gear. You could but the two together and make a review of the top 10 items from the last ten year that stud out for you. 😊
I know I'm a bit biased, but I've gotta say that the Altra Olympus 4.0's have far and away topped my list for the year. They nabbed me a few new fkts this year, and are still holding up super well!
The Olympus 4, blew me away. Then I purchased the lone peak 5. Both amazing, but there's something special about the lone peak that kept me reaching for it over the Olympus.
@@cepheus03 I do actually reach for the Lone Peaks more often in training as well, but that's mostly because I'm saving the Kings /Superiors for fast race efforts, and the Olympus's for far race efforts. I kind of view the Lone Peaks as a good all around shoe, but not necessarily great for any specific thing (aside from maybe hiking). Totally just my opinion/experience though
Salomon Sense Ride 4 has become my go to trail shoe for longer distances. They added just a tiny bit more space in the toe box last year making them my all time favorite shoe yet!
Also a huge SR4 fan. They got me through my first 50K and they are my go to trail shoes. I am concerned at hearing all Salomon shoes might be moving to the energy surge midsole though...
@@NicolasCaron me too ! Still running a recently bought SR3, great shoe ! And as I was quite didappointed with the Ultra Glide (protection, warm upper, overbuilt upper for the intended use), especially how fast the cushion broke down (I'm under 70kg) and the shoe got lifeless, and there's a lot of Energy Surge...
@@Thefifaplayeryant I have a brand new pair of Ultra Glide that I am itching to try, but figuring the snow and ice are probably not the best conditions so it will have to wait til spring! The SR4 is by far my favorite running shoe for trails OR roads. From what I undersand, there might not be an update to the Sense Ride in 2022 other than new colors for the SR4. I guess we'll know for sure soon enough. If they move to energy surge I might buy an extra pair of SR4 while I still can.
I couldn't agree more about the Vectiv Enduris. It is a shoe that I am impressed with every time I put it on. They were comfortable on the trails all summer, and somehow also stay warm while doing runs in the snow. The grip and support are excellent. Best of all, it has really good arch support, which makes a big difference for me because I have particularly high arches.
Love this video every year! My favorite trail shoe that came out this year is the Salomon Ultra Glide. HOKA Evo SG and Evo Mafate are still my favorites to run in and I really hope that HOKA brings the Evo lineup next year 🤞
I agree with almost everything in there, I have the speedgoats on my list for wide feet, and I am a big fan of the clif blocks with caffeine, and the waffle from honey stigner
I always look forward to this compilation every year, always the best review video of the year. Great job as always Ethan! I agree with a previous reviewer that an accessories category would be great! Loved your shout out to the Gin gins and the Awesome Sauce, absolute go to items for me but an absolute must have for ultra distance is SaltStick Electrolyte Fastchews for anti-cramping.
Great video again every year you nail it. Personally loving the Nike invincible, it's expensive but so durable it might last twice as long as my other shoes
You are the man to be trusted since instarted trailrunning fifteen year ago. Please do a little more produkt reviews. We need best new raingear category. ☔️. You are the best and we trust your opinion. 👍
Agree on TNF Vectiv Enduris, just a great shoe ! I also ordered the Vectiv Infinite because this seems to be an option to run a bit faster...didn't try yet, will still run the Enduris in Winter :)
Love this list, and I get the idea of your favorite gear continuing to make the list year after year, but its kind of anticlimactic to wait all year to watch this video and see some of the same things from previous years videos. I’m wondering if these repeat items can just be “honorable mentions” in the future, to keep more room for new gear, more specific to the current year. Just a thought. Awesome list regardless.
Totally agree, sometimes there’s just not enough development or innovation to justify including anything BUT previous winners (that are still on the market, available to purchase and that I use regularly). If you found a product that is better than what I mention, lemme know in the comments! Would love to know what I missed!
The corona saw is such a good addition to this list! I love taking mine to do my part to keep trails clear
2 года назад
One must really love trail running for where it's leading us. For example, now I know what saw to take with me out there on the trails. Been really missing that use-case fully coverage on the internet. Hahah but seriously - superb video, absolute thrill to evaluate the best stuff in the last year. Cheers, mate!
Totally agree about Spring Energy products and the new Awesomesauce flavor. I also tried their drink mix Pina Colada this year and it’s great. too. I may try that Hero 9 or 10. I’ve been wanting a Go-Pro for a long time! A suggestion I have is Xoskin apparel (tops, shorts, tights, socks, underwear). I’ve been wearing their gear since 2018 and it works for all distances but especially longer runs and ultras...love it! They are a small U.S. based company located in MD and everything is made in the U.S. John Kelly wore some if their gear on one of his Fell events and raved about it!
How about a best waterproof shoe category. Since versions can differ, in some cases significantly, for the same shoe (I.e. regular model versus GTX model) it’d be nice to point out the best. As we know just because there’s a great trail runner doesn’t mean it’s waterproof version is worthy of the same praise.
I love the Rabbit t-shirts I got with GRGR, but they are hard to come by in Europe. And I don't seem to find the xxl on their website, it's only available with GRGR... For met the favorite road shoe is the Saucony Endorphin Shift (1 and 2), since I started using this shoe I have had a lot less issues with my shin splints and set some new PR's!!!!
I found the "Best Budget Bonus Item" section interesting. Having an expanded list, maybe top 10, from a group of experienced runners from different areas would be of interest. In general I like watching the Gear of The Year for items that I was just unaware of and would likely be worth checking out.
My laces are Identical buddy but I agree about "lace length" but still Absolutely Love my Pegasus Trail 3's.. Respect the honesty of your content! New Sub from Tucson, AZ 🌵🤙🏼🏃🏽
If you are a mascular guy and have bigger legs from weight lifting or cycling 5" shredders shorts are definitely not a good option. Shredders shorts started shredding my inner tights by mile 2 as shorts would lift up on inner tights as i am running , was barely able to get through my 6 mile run, will exchange them for shredders 2 in 1 as these have tights under and i believe this will help with tight shredding 🤣
I had to return the Nike Invincibles as they caused knee pain. I picked up a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus Lite 2. The uppers are made of 80% and the mid-sole 20% recycled materials. Apparently the 3 has even more recycled materials. They aren't as squishy as the Invincibles, but the gel acts as a shock absorber, so you get the protection all the same. The 3 are supposed to be softer. I cannot even imagine needing a hort to deter bears, we Aussies have no experience with such things. 🤣
Day late and a buck short as usual, but Tailwind has continued to be my most depended on nutrition/hydration supplement. It allows me to sculpt my hydration cycle through my work day so that I can be hydrated for my runs without having to pee all day! Also loving my recent Rabbit Tightz. Best fit and storage in the game.
Wish you would give your opinion on draining of water and drying of shoes in your reviews. Area around me has a lot of streams and rivers wich I often need to dive whole foot in! I know is not always fun to get yout feet wet but for some of us is important. Big 👍 from me!
Has anyone tried Sporthill gear? I have used their running gear for over 20 years. And I do recommend the Salomon Adv Skin 12. I picked mine up at REI based on the salesman’s recommendation who was a runner. I haven’t regretted it.
Love this annual episode as always Ethan! Did have a question for you and others on the Salomon Adv Skin 5 pack. I bought this pack in 2021 for many of the reasons you highlighted in this video (and possibly based on an earlier review video you did also). Love a lot about it. But one thing I don’t love is that it leaves scuff marks on my running shirts in the front shoulder areas. Have you or others has this problem also? And if so, any thoughts on how to minimize this from happening? Cheers!
What about the coros pace 2? Also, I seriously think that Puma velocity nitro is an affordable shoe that does it all. No mention of the endorphin speed's either! :( BTW, I find it funny that you're wearing tracksmith shirt and they haven't even made your runner-up choice when it comes to apparel. Peace
Tracksmith (this particular sweatshirt) made my list last year, I wore it as a subtle nod. And Pace 2 has made mention here before when I reviewed it last year. Endorphin speeds made list last year as well, just out-plated by this year’s offerings unfortunately.
Loved seeing Atreyu make the list! Such a huge honor for a small Austin-based shop on here. I’m running in their Base V2-they’re so light and an insane value at $85. Also, I’m definitely sticking the Rincon 3 on my “next shoes” list. I got the Rincon 2s before they went on sale and before the 3s were released… typically I’m not not to under-research too haha. At least I have something to look forward to!
I tried to love the vectiv enduris, but it has some weird pigeon toe roll and the rocker is a little tooooo...rocker. kinda seems like they doubled down on that last-cut over the whole line though. :/
