My trail shoe of the year is easily the Saucony xodus ultra. So good on the sloppy UK wet trail, can run an ultra out of the box with no blisters they are that conformable and solid
A suggestion for another class (yeah, 1 more BUT I think its good for everyone) is 'Best Warmup/Recovery Item - for runners who are not injured but which could make your running more enjoyable' eg. roller, stretch bands. We all should be warming up/down before & after our runs, and there are items which could help us stay healthy.
Thumbs up for the Janji Groundwork tights! The easiest tights to slip into, and also super comfortable, warm, and breathable. Love the pockets as well! For lounge wear I’d choose the Vuori Sunday performance joggers. I live and breath in those. Favorite trail shoe would be the Saucony Peregrine 12 in terms of price, weight, traction, and comfort.
You know what, Ethan? I took a break since March 2021. Now, that I'm attempting to get back, you're the first guy I go to when I wanna get some info on shoes and all. Glad to see you again, man!
the thing about post run jogger pants is that they need to be able to be quick dry as well, cause no doubt the sweat from the shorts underneath will add perspiration to the pants.
In the casual category, I put the NB Fresh Foam Arishi MarisD. Maybe it’s a Japan exclusive, but it’s a super comfortable and I think stylish sneaker. Actually thinking of grabbing a couple of extra pairs, that’s how much I like them: dark to light gray fade front to back, a heel covered with (fake?) cork, it’s elegantly casual. Oh, and the sides of the soles aren’t white, something I personally dislike in most casual shoes.
Glad you liked the shredder shorts too! It's a game changer of shorts. For me, my trail shoe of the year was the nnormall kjerag. The combo of the comfort, durability, light weight, and the grip is just a winner for all conditions.
running belts have been a go to for me this year! Either the naked belt or compressport makes one as well that I really like! And ciele hats are great, throw them in the wash as much as needed. I'm with you on injinji socks....the best.
Great list, Ethan, even if you didn't include Aplets and Cotlets! 🤣 And thanks for the reminder, I need to get myself an air horn to go with my new saw! 🪚📣
Merry New Year GR. The more I run, the more your input finds truth on trail. Wide footer so the NB Super Comp were my go to pavement Princess shoes. Thanks for all you do.
Always enjoy the Gear of the year video. Ethan, have you thought about doing a gear of the decade review....maybe place a teaser for the new movie in gear of the decade video. Happy Holidays.
A great nutrition item that I saw on RU-vid Run4Adventure and now take with me on every long run is Luchos guava blocks. They taste great and if you buy the 10x box you get minimal plastic as each block is wrapped in a dry leaf so you can just scrunch it up and scatter it on the trail ❤
I LOVE both of those trail shoes! If I were to compare them, I'd say the Zegamas are firmer but have a longer lifespan. I've put over 200 miles in them and anticipate running another 100+ miles before I retire them. The Mafate Speed 4's are super comfy out of the box and offer more cushion than the Zegamas but loose their stability before or at 200 miles. The Hoka Mafates have been my #1 shoe for years but the Speed 4's are a bit "gooey" for my taste. Great reviews Ethan! No one does it as good as you!
Would love to see a category for best hat - so many options out there. Also, hope you get a chance to try some stuff from Path Projects - love their separation of liner and shorts.
Awesome list! Pretty sure rabbit and GU have a co-lab every year (January-Feb-ish) where if you buy a "waffle" item, you get some Stroopwaffles in your order. Cool idea!
The best item is the one you have and use. I’ve been running in a decade-old Aeropostale zip up hoodie. Is it compressing or even flattering? No. But it keeps me warm. Warmer than my athletic zip hoodie. Also has pockets for my keys and cell. So…yeah.
That Amphipod company has been making good hand-held water bottles for ultra runners for so so long. Great list as per usual Ethan! Well done 👏 And glad your ears are ok after that intro. 🙉
+1 on the Zegamas...loving them (races, Rim to Rim to Rim, daily trainer) and surprisingly don't see them out and about too often...kind of tired of hearing about Hoka Speedgoats...
Got the Vectiv Eminuses (Emenii?} after your first review and love them. They also helped me rehab out of knee pain - for a while the only shoe that left me pain free! Awesome shoe and a total bargain.
Even though I live in the UK where we can’t get some of your gear recommendations, I still love watching your gear of the year. Happy New Year, Ethan and Kim ❤
Always a fan of your videos, thanks Ethan! I will say, featuring a wireless mic was a bit disappointing. That’s something that doesn’t really pertain to 99% of us who are watching. But definitely glad it worked for you! Happy new year, and keep the great content coming. 🙂
I definitely don’t have as much exposure to this kind of stuff as you and Kim do, so this isn’t exactly a new item, but my game changing gadget this year was the Ultraspire Lumen 600 3.0 waist light! Your review of it was actually what gave me the confidence to pull the trigger, and I’m soooo glad I did! Thank you for lighting up my night running!
Best summer shorts I’ve come across are the New Balance Q Speed 7” shorts. Super light, perforated in the front(!) along with having 4 rear slots for gels and a separate zip pocket. Q Speed tops are also pretty good. Swear by the CEP Short Socks and the Ultralight Short socks. Great at preventing blisters and the compression helps, if like me, you get big ‘ol swoll feet on your long runs.
My favourite yearly wrap up ! Some gear I will have to check out. On cloudstratus were my go too shoe this year and Salomon active skin 8 was a great addition to long runs.
Fantastic year-end review 👏🏻 Kinda shocked to see you include the Mach Supersonic. That seems more divisive to me than the Zegama-Mafate choice. The Supersonic was one of the worst shoes I ran in this year and has sat in my closet for most of the year. Found it too stiff, unresponsive, and the upper too constricting. Put me off Hoka for year really. As soon as the Endorphin 3 landed I never looked back at Hoka. My choice for shoe of the year too! I like the new categories a lot and getting your take on products we runners all use, but don’t often get mentioned in reviews (shout out to the bear air horn!). I’d like to see a “best why of the year, fingers crossed for next version” category next year. Like, you tried and wanted to love a shoe, but just couldn’t. I could see the Altra Mont Blanc landing in the top two (BOA and laced) of such a category this year. Thanks for keeping us informed and entertained in 2022. Looking forward to 2023!
The Mach 5 has been absolutely stellar! Don't let the Supersonic put you off too much, pretty much everyone (including most Hoka fans) agree that it was kinda weird and very old-school (too stiff, very little comfort).
I too love the Injinji Ultra Run socks but prefer to buy from Injinji directly (or my local running stores if they have them). Great socks for use any time although my little toe sometimes doesn't want to cooperate with its part of the sock. Great, comfy socks!!
Those quick close Hydraflasks failed me miserably. I tested them first but in a big race they leaked. Also, the bite valve popped off during the same race. Lost half of my water and tripped while trying to fix it (cut my hand really badly). I switched to the regular Hydrapak flasks/Amphipod bottles and have never looked back
Need to know where I can pick up that handy set up pliers you were toting in the Janji tights. I frequently need something substantial like those to fight off bear attacks. Became a huge fan of Rabbit gear this year. Looking forward to trying out all their new stuff. That On top might slip into my purchases in 2023 as well.
Always love watching your videos! So stoked about the upcoming movie! I’m super curious about the DJI Mic. When you said you could record on the mics themselves. Does that mean you don’t need to use a receiver at the same time? How long of a recording is capable?
Love the concept of the Hydrapak flask but is it compatible with any of the newer Salomon packs, like Adv skin 12 or Sense Pro 10? It looks too small for the Adv skin and wrong shape for Sense Pro. In any case, awesome video, I always look forward to these
Compress running belt Nike Zoom fly 4 Hoka Speedgoat 4 gtx these were the items that I literally destroyed last year and they held up awsomely and they worth every cent of their price.
