New Gear

Today I headed over to Appalachian Outfitters in Peninsula to use a couple gift cards that I received from Christmas. The 2 main items that I was looking for was a new hydration/backpack for long unaided excursions in the woods and some new underwear that will eliminate any chafing problems caused from sweating. First I looked at the backpacks they had available for running and talked with a couple workers. I learned that besides Camelbak (which is a leader in hydration packs) they only had 1 or 2 other brands that weren't really that good. I was hoping that they had some packs made by GoLite since I had tried on one that my friend Jim bought (I think this is the one he has - click here) and liked it. Oh well.. they did have a Camelbak M.U.L.E. though, which is one of their larger packs. I borrowed this pack from my friend Bob to use on the 70 mile run I did last month on the Laurel Highlands trail and liked the way it felt and the ability to carry everything you need. The only other pack I was considering was the Camelbak LOBO which is similar to the M.U.L.E. but carries less stuff and doesn't have as many compartments. Plus the M.U.L.E. was only $10 more than the LOBO so I figured I might as well have the extra space to work with and ended up buying the M.U.L.E. --->

Just as I was about to leave I saw Patagonia had an area for briefs/boxers so I went over and checked them out. One pair of briefs was $40. I couldn't believe it. I mean, I did want to get something that will work for long, sweaty workouts but I'm not going to pay that much for a pair of underwear. I did see a pair of men's active briefs though that were made out of lightweight 100% polyester with reversed-out stitching to prevent chafing and they were only... yes... ONLY $19.50! So I decided to get a blue pair.

This store has a ton of outdoor stuff and you can easily spend an hour or more looking at things you might not even need but find interesting. At the checkout counter I was still looking for more things to buy and noticed that ClifBar has a new hot apple cider electrolyte & hot chocolate recovery drink mix for the wintertime, so I picked up a packet of each to try out. This is a pretty good idea. Hopefully they taste good!