Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Winter Outdoor Retailer 2018 Day Two Run Previews-adidas Parley, Under Armour, Sunday Afternoons Hat, Skechers Max Trail Ultra, Drymax, Lifestraw Soft Flask, Boa, Kahtoola Gaiters

by Jeff Valliere

Skechers GoRun Maxtrail 5 Ultra
Weight: 10.6 oz. (productions weights may differ)
Stack Height: 31 mm heel/27 mm forefoot (with sock liner), 4mm drop
$120. Available July 2018.

The Maxtrail 5 Ultra has deep and soft maximal cushion from its dual density midsole, an embedded almost full length Dupont Hytrel plate for rock protection, forefoot and mid foot stability, and also stiffness for a snappier climbing feel, drainage holes and a nice virtually seamless flat knit upper with debris collar that appears to be durable and supportive.
Update: Read our full multi-tester review of the Max Trail 5 Ultra here
The Max has 6mm lugs intended for great traction and unusually for such large lugs, multi surface comfort even on pavement.




adidas Outdoor

adidas had some great new offerings on hand, including their ever expanding environmentally conscious Parley line of product, where adidas makes these products from reclaimed ocean plastic .  A great idea that is a great step forward. See our 2017 article on the Parley's initiative here with Spring 2018 products now coming to market.



Parley Trail Short

A new short from adidas spun from Parley materials, mid to long fit, and 3 generous pockets in the rear including a large zippered pocket that will easily fit large smartphones in cases.

Agravic Long Sleeve Shirt

Featuring Polartec Alpha insulated chest as seen in the superb Alpha Shield Hoodie jacket (RTR review here), which adds a surprising amount of warmth while hardly weighing anything extra.

Felsblock Pants

Baggier than tights, but more running friendly fit than normal hiking pants, will accomodate a wide array of running/hiking/outdoor activities.  Also has very convenient hand pockets and a side zippered pocket.
Terrex Two Parley

Featuring a knit upper, bootie style with no tongue for fewer seams and more comfort, lightweight EVA midsole and Continental rubber outsole.
$140 - available August 2018

Terrex Agravic XT GTX

Boost midsole and Gore Tex upper.  Bootie style tongueless design for greater comfort, this shoe will be very protective on wet or snowy trail runs.

Under Armour Horizon BPF1

Specs yet to come, but this shoe is surprisingly light and well built.  I am guessing this will be a very responsive race shoe with good protection, stability, security and traction.


Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat

For summer mid day runs/high mountain summer runs, I am constantly looking for a hat that provides better sun protection than a normal ball cap, yet allows for some breathability and airflow.  With light and breathable materials/design, this could be much closer than hats I have tried in the past.  Also has a clever slots to hold sunglasses.


Drymax Socks

With Anti Blister System, 3D advanded fit, protective padding, active odor control, we look forward to taking our test samples out for a spin.


Lifestraw Flex 22oz. Filtered Soft Flask

Fits in most running vests, this soft flask features a filter that is easy to drink from and protects against lead, chemicals, bacteria, parasites and can be used as a straw with the soft flask, attaches to plastic water bottle, hydration bladder or can be used as a gravity filter.



BOA System

In addition to the wide array of applications in running shoes, boots, packs, snowshoes, traction devices and much more, they are also bringing their technology to medical and prosthetics.  Boa was on hand at the show installing their lace system on showgoers' shoes for free (this seemed to be quite popular).


Kahtoola

Without a doubt one of my favorite stops, Kahtoola was not only showcasing their wide array of traction devices (nothing new this year), but highlighting their upcoming lightweight gaiters to be released exclusively at REI in July.  We have samples of all 3 and are currently testing.  Performance thus far is excellent.

The lowest of the 3, the INSTAgaiter Low, for minimal weight/coverage, great for racing.

INSTAgaiter Mid, for all around use, scree, bushwhacks, light snow.

The tallest version for snow, the NAVAgaiter GTX and LEVAgaiter GTX are ~mid calf height to protect from deeper snow, yet are still quite light and packable.

Other cool stuff

More cute pups.

And I got to meet the oh so recognizable extreme skier Glen Plake!

Comments Questions Welcome Below!

Visit our 2018 Previews Page here for 2018 run shoe, apparel, and gear previews. 
Watch our YouTube Channel  here for 2018 Run Shoe Previews and Wearable Tech Reviews 
Visit our Index Page here for over 80 in depth 2017 & 2018 shoe and gear reviews

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6 comments:

Drew said...

I liked the look of the Skechers GoRun Maxtrail 5 Ultra as well. The UA BPF1 looks like a nice upgrade over the Horizon RTT. I like that they're using the Continental outsole compound. Did you see the new Salomon Outline? I know you cover running shoes, but it looks like a nice light hiker option.

Ben said...

The upper of the Under Armour Horizon BPF1 looks very similar to the previous uppers used on the Horizon RTT with too many overlays and a layer of glue sandwiched between the mesh and the overlays. This really caused the shoe to heat up quickly and not dry fast when wet. Does this upper appear to be similar in person?

rms said...

The heavily cutout arch of the Skechers is the mark of disaster in a big shoe. What happens when your arch tires and you begin pronating? I can only assume this is a pyrrhic attempt at cutting weight

Sam Winebaum said...

Rms,
Don't be so sure about that. Note that it has that almost full length Hytrel plate in the mix. I have actually run in them and was surprised how stable the underfoot is overall and in that area. Can't say more at this time.
Sam, Editor

rms said...

Ok...but I had both the GRU1.0, and the MT1010V2 (with it's infamous 'floating arch') and remember clearly that once the midsole began loosening up, how quickly pronation collapse became a deal-breaker. Anyone with leg-imbalance issues learns to be very leery of wasp-waisted high-stack shoes

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