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Exploring the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, NM.
Here鈥檚 what we at 国产吃瓜黑料 used to enjoy the shift in seasons. (Photo: Aaron Thomas/Stocksy)

The Gear Our Editors Loved in March

Hey, spring, didn鈥檛 see you there

Published: 
Exploring the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, NM.
(Photo: Aaron Thomas/Stocksy)

New perk: Easily find new routes and hidden gems, upcoming running events, and more near you. Your weekly Local Running Newsletter has everything you need to lace up! .

Spring comes annually due to the tilt of our planet and the way that it orbits the sun. The days grow longer, buds emerge on trees, and the rays warm our skin鈥攁nd every year it鈥檚 just as sweet. Here鈥檚 what the 国产吃瓜黑料 crew used to enjoy the shift in seasons.

Janji Multipass Sling Bag ($50)

Janji Multipass Sling Bag
(Photo: Courtesy Janji)

You know you love a product if you鈥檙e聽devastated when you lose it. That鈥檚 what happened with from Janji: I went into a state of panic when I couldn鈥檛 locate it this winter (spoiler alert: I had just left it at my parents鈥 house). This distress was warranted, though, as it had become my go-to carryall for a variety of activities, including skiing, hiking, and running, both on the trails and during errands around town. Its two-liter capacity lets me pack all the small essentials鈥攐n a recent ski trip it carried my lunch, a snack, beanie, sunglasses, sunscreen stick, wallet, and ChapStick鈥攂ut my favorite feature is the hidden cross strap that can be deployed to secure聽the pack to my body when it鈥檚 in over-the-shoulder mode. Because of this feature, it鈥檚 the only sling I鈥檝e ever tested that doesn鈥檛 slide around while running or flip over my head when I bend down to tie my shoe. Plus, I鈥檝e received more compliments on this bag than any other. 鈥擪elsey Lindsey, senior editor


Power Tank 15-Pound CO2 Tank ($660)

Power Tank 15 pound CO2 Tank
(Photo: Courtesy Power Tank)

Airing down鈥攄ecreasing your tire pressures鈥攊s crucial for traction, ride quality, and puncture resistance off-road. But what goes down must come up. The low pressures you use off-road aren鈥檛 safe to use on pavement, and filling up oversize tires using a normal compressor can take 15 minutes or more. That鈥檚 been enough to discourage me from airing down as often as I should. The solution? Speed. Airing my 34-inch tires up from 15 to 42 pounds per square inch (psi) using CO2 already compressed inside a takes maybe 30 seconds a tire. And that time saving enables me to air down more often, ensuring that I鈥檓 getting the most traction, ride quality, and puncture resistance possible every single time I drive off-road. Bonus: the Power Tank can be mounted externally, and requires no electrical connection, so it鈥檚 easier to carry than a compressor, and more reliable too. Need more air? Any welding shop in the country will fill your Power Tank for just a couple bucks, and the 15-pound canister is enough to last half a year or more of use. 鈥擶es Siler, contributing editor


Smartwool Women鈥檚 Classic All-Season Merino Base Layer Long Sleeve ($85)

Smartwool Women鈥檚 Classic All-Season Merino Base Layer Long Sleeve
(Photo: Courtesy Smartwool)

I鈥檝e been living in base layer for the past few months. It鈥檚 my go-to for ski touring, as it鈥檚 lightweight (150 weight) and breathes well when I’m going hard, and it has a longer hem that prevents it from riding up under the waistband of a pack. A snug, flattering fit, cute crew neck, and casual, nontechnical look means I can also wear it out for casual dinners or brewery hangs, too. This one doesn鈥檛 sit in a drawer for long鈥擨鈥檓 either wearing it or washing it鈥攁nd it鈥檚 survived countless laundry cycles without being worse for wear too (though I do hang-dry it). If I could clone this layer I would. 鈥擥loria Liu, contributing writer


Swiftwick Flite XT Trail Socks ($24 to $27)

Swiftwick Flight XT Trail Socks
(Photo: Courtesy Swiftwick)

As milder March weather melted the snow, I spent most of my outdoor time running and hiking on trails. As a shoe tester, nearly every day I headed out in a different pair of runners, but on more days than not reached for merino-blend socks. The Flite XT Trails, with their wicking blend of merino and Olefin fibers, worked admirably at keeping my feet dry and reducing friction. But what made them stand out was the slip-resistant fibers in heel and forefoot, which helped anchor my footplants, particularly under the ball of the foot where I feel like I鈥檓 always compromising between locking down a secure fit and allowing a natural foot splay. This 鈥渕icro tread鈥 grip, combined with light compression support around the ankle and arch, made every shoe feel a bit more nimble on iffy terrain. The sock thickness and merino fiber might make them a bit hot come summer, but they鈥檙e perfect for the variety of temperatures and conditions of spring. I have two pairs, and re-wore them several times between washes without noticing odor or stiffness. 鈥擩onathan Beverly, senior running editor


Organic Cotton Raw Neck Boxy Tee ($52)

Organic Cotton Raw Neck Boxy Tee
(Photo: Courtesy Mate)

This month, I鈥檝e made a uniform out of a t-shirt from one of my favorite brands for basics, Mate. I have its聽 in two muted tones鈥攕age green and creamy white鈥攁nd I just keep cycling between the two. Made from 100 percent organic cotton jersey, the shirts are impossibly light and drape like your favorite vintage tee, while a subtle boxy cut feels flattering and modern. Perfect for tucking in or layering over, these shirts have become part of my capsule wardrobe: the pieces I can wear whenever, wherever, and know I鈥檒l be comfortable and look put together. 鈥擜bigail Barronian, senior editor


Adidas FastImpact Luxe Run High-Support Bra ($80)

Adidas FastImpact Luxe Run High-Support Bra
(Photo: Courtesy Adidas)

I came of age in the late nineties, when the only sports-bra options for larger chested women聽consisted of uncomfortably tight racer backs or overly complicated body-armor-like devices with too much coverage and too many straps and clasps. So, as sports-bra technology has exploded over the past decade, I鈥檝e become a connoisseur. And has me head over heels. Why? The clasp system. All good high-impact bras that accommodate large cup sizes have some sort of mechanism to adjust the tightness of the bottom band, usually in the form of back clasps like you鈥檇 find on a regular bra. These are effective, and allow you to loosen the bra for easier on-off. But they only yield a small amount of size range. Plus, reaching behind your back is a pain鈥攍iterally. Adidas鈥檚 ingenious solution: a two-part bottom band with left and right sections that overlap in the back, stretch around the side body and then hook onto fabric loops on the front. Unhook one side to open the bra up wide to put it on without any arm wrestling, then stretch the band around and hook it to one of four loops (you can do this on both sides, yielding roughly two inches of range). All of these mechanisms are low-profile enough to avoid unwanted bulk. Did I mention the straps are adjustable too鈥攐r that it comes in the equivalent of a 30 to 46 band and an A to F cup? I have an embarrassing number of sports bras in my dresser, but since this one arrived a month ago, it鈥檚 the only one I want to use. 鈥擜riella Gintzler, senior editor


Blizzard Hustle 10 Skis ($800)

Blizzard Hustle 10 Skis
(Photo: Courtesy Blizzard)

I鈥檓 a 41-year-old dad with kids, and as such, my backcountry powder days are few and far between. Most of the time I ski whatever snow safely presents itself on the days I鈥檓 free. To ensure I still enjoy myself, I recently upgraded to the new skis (102 millimeters underfoot). They鈥檙e a good choice for those of us that can鈥檛 be too picky with conditions, and they鈥檙e a big step above traditional touring skis in terms of stiffness and drivability, while still being significantly lighter than a traditional inbounds ski (the 180鈥檚 I tested were a reasonable 7.8 pounds). Over the past couple weeks I鈥檝e happily used them to drive through breakable crust and cruise over icey chunder鈥擨 even enjoyed the hell out of them on a pitch of perfect corn. 鈥擩akob Schiller, contributing writer


Crocs All-Terrain Clog ($55)

Crocs All Terrain Clog
(Photo: Courtesy Crocs)

I recently came back from a couple days of backcountry skiing in Colorado鈥檚 Elk Range and noticed that Crocs were the preferred spring aprs聽footwear in parking lots. I got my hands on a pair of the new afterward鈥攁nd not just to fit in. Like the originals, the ultra-wide, foam-cushioned, and ventilated footbed is a wonderful resting place for tired and sweaty feet that have been crushed in vice-like ski boots for eight hours. And the slip-on design was exactly what I wanted after struggling to get those boots off. But the All-Terrains have a beefed up sole for a little extra grip on snow and dirt, thanks to some firm lugs on the edges. That, along with the adjustable heel strap that allowed me to ratchet them down for a more secure fit, made me thankful I had this in those slushy parking zones.聽 鈥擩.S.


The 搁别迟眉濒 bike fit in progress聽(Photo: Fred Dreier)

搁别迟眉濒 Premium Bike Fit ($400)

The bicycle is hardly a set-it-and-forget-it piece of gear鈥攊t鈥檚 a good idea to regularly replace tires, brake pads, and even your drivetrain. This fall I discovered another item to add to the list: your fit. One month after turning 40, I started to feel pain in my lower back during rides, and I noticed that my right foot shimmied awkwardly with each pedal stroke. My most recent bike fit was in 2014, when I was 33, childless, and raced regularly. Needless to say, my life has changed, so I scheduled a long overdue appointment with Todd Carver, one of the cofounders of the 3D bike fitting system , based in Boulder, Colorado. The session lasted nearly three hours. Carver asked me a long list of questions about my riding habits (miles per week, racing ambitions, and type of riding I do, and many others). He then measured my flexibility with a digital wand-like tool. When placed in 搁别迟眉濒s new proprietary software, this data鈥攎y flexibility metrics and my answers鈥攃reated a set of personalized bike fit parameters based on historical data from thousands of other 搁别迟眉濒 customers. From that, Carver knew, more or less, what angles my various joints should be at when pedaling a bicycle. Then, similar to my fit from 2014, I got onto my bicycle on a stationary trainer, and Carver affixed Velcro-mounted body markers to my joints. I then pedaled in front of a motion-capture camera, and watched a real-time avatar of myself appear on screen, pedaling furiously. Carver adjusted my seat height, handlebar tilt, and other measurements until my body hit the angles recommended from the off-the-bike assessment. Then, we refined those measurements until I felt comfortable. The motion-capture element has been part of the 搁别迟眉濒 process since its founding in 2007, but the company鈥檚 ability to customize a series of angles for your riding style based on historic data is new. Also new is a funky iPad tool that measures your sit-bones and matches you with the correct saddle width鈥攌eenly called the 鈥渁ssometer.鈥 As it turns out, both new elements helped refine my fit. We traded out my narrow saddle for a wider one. We also dramatically raised my seat post and pushed my saddle forward. Finally, we raised my stem by five millimeters and rotated my handlebars slightly upward. The position made it feel like I was pedaling a new bicycle. I鈥檓 now riding pain-free, and the shimmy in my pedal stroke is gone. I just wish I had more time to ride and race! 鈥擣rederick Dreier, articles editor

Lead Photo: Aaron Thomas/Stocksy

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