Our Favorite Gear 2018
Everybody on the TWR wrote about their favorite piece of gear for 2018. Here’s our choices.
Doug: My favorite piece of gear this year was the Black Diamond RockLock Magnetron Carabiner. Now you’re probably thinking, a carabiner as your gear of the year? But I climbed a lot this year and, in the process, had too many biners start to unscrew, typically while hanging at a belay or on rap. Each experience was pretty frightening, but also par for the course with a traditional locker. Making the full-time switch this fall to a triple-action autolocker that’s also easy to open was a real game changer. And unlike any other piece of gear I got this year, this one gave me a piece of mind in some exposed situations.
Tim: In the past, climbing trips have either meant spending way too much money, going out to eat, or trying to cook passable meals on a collection of backpacking stoves. That is until this year with the purchase of a Eureka Spire Camp Stove—my favorite piece of gear in 2018. Although I had hoped to use it more than I did, the Eureka Spire paid for itself on its maiden voyage, a week-long bouldering/biking trip to Alabama and Tennessee. That week I cooked all sorts of meals—jambalaya, fettuccine alfredo, quesadillas, breakfast scrambles—and avoided the fast food that has punctuated so many previous trips.
One of the things about the Spire that I really like is that it’s fueled by portable propane canisters (or a large propane tank with the purchase of a special accessory hose), making fuel readily available almost anywhere you’ll travel. Also, the Spire’s large, two-burner cooking area provided plenty of room on the cooktop, allowing me to sautee chicken on one burner and boil water on the other. And unlike my backpacking stoves, the heat was easy to regulate.
One more great thing about the Eureka Spire, it’s tough. After some hard use and repeatedly being tossed in and out the car, it still looks new.
Mickey Spades: I narrowed my choices to 2, then couldn’t decide. So I made an executive decision and called it a tie between the Klim Krios Karbon Vanquish Adventure Helmet and the Backcountry Research Tulbag. You got a problem with that?
The Adventure Helmet is my helmet of choice for Dual Sport riding. Weighing just under 4.5 lbs, you can hardly tell that it’s on, making those long miles I’ve been logging a lot more comfortable. Better yet, the lens technology is so good that fogging is a thing of the past. Finally, Klim’s 5-year crash replacement warranty means if I go down hard I’ll have the peace of mind that my head and investment will be protected.
As to the Tulbag, I bet you’re wondering how such a tiny pouch become one of my favorite pieces of bike gear. For one thing, it helped me ditch the pack, giving me the piece of mind that tools stashed in a jersey pocket won’t stab me in the back. It is also waterproof, has an anti-slip surface so it won’t fly out of my pocket, and is built like steel. The best thing though is that my multi-tool hides in there wonderfully and doesn’t get sweaty (meaning it won’t rust). And, as I mentioned before, it’s a great place to stash the key when riding.
Gen: The Arc’teryx Psiphoon SL Pullover Women’s is one of the nicest outdoor tops that I have and my gear of the year for 2018. It’s ideal for running in temps between 35 and 50 and I don’t stress the wind factor, as this top can handle a breeze. Besides that, it’s lightweight, can handle a drizzle, and is formfitting.
I have the medium and the fitted design skims over my body but doesn’t hug any part of me, in part due to a piece of foam in the seam at the hip that pulls the jacket off the body and streamlines the look. Although, I frequently wear a small, I wouldn’t in this jacket, especially to leave room for layering underneath; if you’re between sizes, go up. I even love the color. The Poseidon Blue is a deep, clear blue that could be described as cobalt.
The jacket is advertised as a climbing jacket but I wear it running throughout the fall, spring and on milder winter days. I run hot and sweaty, so I don’t usually add layers beneath the coat and warm up a few minutes into the run. It’s a clean jacket with no extraneous features, great on a run, hike or climb, and will keep the wind at bay. It’s a worthy investment for any outdoor adventurer.
