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It took a van loaded with gear to get from my house tothe airport. Then in the terminal, I juggled a cart stacked with three rollingduffel bags, a carry-on suitcase, and a daypack to wear on the airplane (andsurreptitiously stuff down by my feet on the flight to Chile). And didI mention the hard-side plastic bike case with my Giant Anthem X1 inside? DeltaAir Lines charged me $300 — each way! — just to get the mountain bike from Minneapolis to Tierra del Fuego.
Thus was my gear nightmare en route to last month'sWenger Patagonian Expedition Race, where team GearJunkie.com faced a week ofwilderness competition in kayaks, on bikes, rappelling cliffs, and trekkingungodly distances across lands few humans have seen. The good news is that wefinished the race, nabbing a fourth-place prize. The gear, from headlamps tokayak paddles, was key in helping us move fast and stay safe for days on end.
In a previous column, I covered a few standout productsin some detail from the race. This article takes a wide look at several gearpicks I packed along and employed during the weeklong event.
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Of all gear items, shoes are among the most important. InPatagonia, as in many other races in recentyears, I wore the Inov-8 Roclite 285s, which are lightweight and flexible shoesmade for off-trail use. They have a mesh upper that breathes well but onpurpose does not keep water out. The feathery shoes — they weigh about 11.8ounces apiece in my size 13 — has minimal support, at least in a traditionalsense. There is almost no padding in the midsole and scant protection for thetoes. But the “barefoot-style” of the shoe is something I love. Itlets your foot flex and absorb the terrain. Mile after mile in the race, theshoe felt fast — and just supportive enough — to never let me down.
. Go to for additional reportsand photos from the 2010 Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race.
