It’s that time of year! And what a year it has been. I’m doing gear first, just like last year, because like last year picking the best days out is going to be much tougher. I’m not limiting myself in number this year, just listing as many standouts as were worthy.
I matured a lot as an outdoor athlete this year, and that greater experience reflects the certitude of these pieces of gear. Picking five last year was tough, picking six this year was very easy. So, in order of merit, the best pieces of new gear for 2008 are……
1) Ergon GR2 grips
This one is truly obvious. I rode the KTR, Prescott-Grand Canyon, and KMC with no hand issues. No soreness, pain, numbness, nothing. The day after each my hands and forearms felt as if they hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. Especially given that these three rides (480 miles at about 50 hours total saddle time) occured within one month, the potential for residual damage was substantial. I’m satisfied with that as an exhaustive test. I’m now waiting for Ergon saddle to solve the last contact point I have yet to dial in.
The design is great. Just enough cush, just enough support. Good with gloves or bare hands. The small bar ends provide a couple hand positions for cruising along, and are just enough to grab and hammer out of the saddle. The only thing I would change now is to get the carbon version to improve cold weather function. I like the size options too, and like the small size for the ease of grip. They take a little fiddling to dial in and acclimate to, but once you’re there, they are quite simply perfect. A rare thing indeed.
2) Bontrager Dry X/XDX 2.1 tubeless ready tire
The perfect dry weather endurance tread pattern, and a bullet proof sidewall? What more could one ask for! Except for sloppy conditions, which I largely avoid anyway, these are my ideal tire. Big enough, but not too big. Fast, yet good cornering and braking. A good blend of durability and sticky-ness. Run tubeless (and when I keep up on adding sealant) I have not had a flat with these tires. In fact, I didn’t have a flat during a race or big ride all year. They do suck in mud, but that’s how it goes.
I didn’t think anything would beat these out until I put the Ergons on the Leviathan.
3) Osprey Talon 22
I have a pack fetish, packs are one of the pieces of gear I enjoy collecting the most. Chiefly because in packs, even more than other things, understated and wise design pays real dividends. I’ve used and seen too many packs that focus on extras to the exclusion of basics like shoulder strap angle and zipper placement. Even pack size is too often neglected, there are several sweet spots of utility that are too often marred trying to split the difference.
The Talon 22 nails it across the board. Pockets, fabric, padding are all well thought out and executed. What most impresses me is the way a relatively simple, clean design is put together resulting in an impressively stable and functional product. I can throw 20-5 pounds in it and take off on the most technical ride or hike, and the pack fades away. It’s right in the zone of big day/minimal overnight, too. Though I did squeeze two three day hikes out of it in summer conditions. Only issue remains that I haven’t yet figured out a good way to carry skis.
There is a reason all the cool kids have one now.
4) Patagonia Critical Mass bag (2007 model)
I’ve ridden my bike many more days in the second half of this year than the first, reflecting that in Missoula I’ve become a different kind of cyclist. I leave for the day and often don’t return until late, and need to haul stuff for work, class, fun, riding home at night, and stopping to get groceries on the way. The green monster swallows it all.
I like messenger style bags for such duty, even though they don’t carry weight as well as a backpack. It’s easier to make a 3k cubic inch bag that will work in casual settings this way. It looks a little more respectable. I can get my lock in and out without taking the bag off. I can fit a whole frozen pizza, a six pack, and all the usual crap, no problem (which I did last night). The bag is burly, waterproof, and green. It has a nicely padded strap and a big reflector stripe. The only mods I’ve done was divide the front inside zippered pocket into two with a line of stitching, and shorten and trim the shoulder strap. Of all the packs I own, this is the one that gets more use than any these days, and it’s worth getting something nice for that. I’ve been compulsively command-s-ing for the duration of this post, a tic paradigmatic of academic immersion. Might as well own a pack to reflect that. I’m sure it will last decades (the pack and the tic).
5) Patagonia French Roast pants (circa 2005-6)
Patagonia makes good stuff. It can be rather silly to go outside and have your socks and shoes be the only thing you’re wearing not made by a company that lately has made some rather horrendous yuppie marketing casual wear, but then I have a zipper failure or am out in tough conditions for a day or two, and remember why I keep choosing Patagonia.
I picked these pants off the sale rack in Flagstaff last year, and hardly wore them until this fall. Since the Yellowstone trip with Chris in September, I’ve worn them all the time. The fit is trim, just enough room for long underwear and ski boots (not plastics), and after I removed the side seam-pockets the fit has been perfect. The highlight is the fabric, some sort of hard face poly knit with mechanical stretch (ie no hydrophilic lycra or spandex content). It is very wind resistant, very breathable, warm enough, and dries really fast (as I found out in September). Thus far they’re the ideal Montana pant. Too bad I can’t find anymore in back stock.
6) Patagonia Traverse PulloverPatagonia is doing well this year, especially as far as me not riding my bike is concerned. This number is threatening to make my Houdini obsolete except on rare occasions, it’s a phenomenally versatile shirt.
It’s made of a fabric very similar to the pants, but with a finer thread and weave, and thus a softer hand and drape. It’s correspondingly more breathable and active feeling. It has a nice tall collar, long sleeves, a trim torso, a good deep zipper, and a stupid bulky chest pocket that was a pain in the ass to remove. In combination with a capilene t-shirt, long or short sleeved, it makes for a system that allows you to keep moving fast through a wide range of changing conditions. It’s just windproof enough, just breathable enough, and just water repellant enough. The difference in warmth between fully unzipped and fully zipped is impressive, especially with a bit of a breeze. That combo, with the FR pants, light gloves and a light hat, will be the go to setup for skiing unless it’s on the lifts or really damn cold out.
Montana seems to be changing my values a bit.
What strikes me most about my quiver, even as plenty of new stuff comes in, is how much things stay the same, how much old favorites remain. For instance, in this picture taken on the top of Elephant Butte in the fall of 2005, all the clothes I have on got used yesterday. Cloudveil hat, Ready Mix jacket, R2 bodyrug fleece.
This evening I’ll be using a few new parts to build the Karate Monkey back up to almost exactly what it was exactly a year ago. The Lev is getting updated to SRAM, and will then stay as is for the foreseeable future (and hopefully beyond). You have to buy, sell, and mess with thing to learn, but a lot of what I learn in the process is that original thoughts have a lot of power. Not all the time (I like flat bars now), but quite often. It’s worth noting that the only item from either the best new or classics list from last year not still in near-daily use is the Nathan pack, and only because I gave up serious running. The rest remain essentials.
Next year will be interesting in the gear department. I presume we’ll see some skiing and packrafting gear next go around. My first goal, beyond any particular event, is to better integrate the outdoors with the academic, and not have another list that reflects so plainly the value I place on the bifurcation of my 2008.
May every year continue to be better than the last! B & P turns two in two days! 728 days, almost 700 posts, almost 1000 photographs. It’s been a fun trip.
Bedrock & Paradox 
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