by Dave Chenault
Trail gaiters have a simple job to do, and are at their best when they do it with minimal material. Designing a gaiter which keeps pebbles and sand out of a shoe is easy. Building a light one which disappears in use while staying attached through thick brush, stream crossings, and the occasional bout of postholing is another matter entirely.
by Charity Johnson
The VIVOBAREFOOT Neo Trail is designed to be used as a trail running shoe and for “Light Mountain walking.” The upper is made of a “Hydrophobic Mesh & Microfiber: Non-toxic, breathable, lightweight, water-resistant thin mesh and microfiber quarter panel with nylon webbing.” This gives the shoe optimal flexibility, while still keeping the feet dry. The V-Trek sole (with multi-directional “V teeth”) adds traction and stability on wet and slippery terrain.
by Damien Tougas
We all have different shaped feet. If you take 10 people with a size nine foot, no two will be the same. In an ideal world, footwear would be custom made to each persons exact specifications. Because we don't live in an ideal world, we have to find work-arounds to get a fit that is optimum for our needs. Xtenex aims to optimize the foot-shoe interface with an innovative shoe lace design. Is it good enough to take the shoe lace throne?
by Damien Tougas
Concocted out of a mix of chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut, coconut sugar, goji berries, and a few other natural ingredients, Saquito mix is not a bar but a seedy mix similar in texture to coarsely ground birdseed. You might even go so far as calling it a southwestern take on Furikake. However you describe it, one thing is for certain: it tastes great.
by Huib van der Wal
In the past Ecco used to be my favourite shoe brand. I owned several pairs of Ecco shoes for daily wear and when I switched to lighter weight hiking shoes the first pair I bought was a pair of waterproof, ankle high Eccos. When I started to switch to minimal shoes I realized that I had to let go of my Eccos, except for one pair that was close to a minimal shoe: lightweight, flexible and a low drop. When Ecco announced that they would start making minimal shoes too I was excited and now I have had the opportunity to test a pair.