Corporate Fitness Promotions: Trail Running Extreme Gear

The purpose of this post is to share with you a few items I found indespensible for my double-crossing of the Grand Canyon (Rim to Rim to Rim.) This was achieved in November 2010. Climate conditions ranged from 5F to 50F+, and included ice, sand, 6" snow, rocks, and of course very steep drop-offs. A good portion of the run was in the dark.

The first thing I want to rave about is my Craft Knickers. I know knickers are traditionally more of a women's running apparel, but they are so comfortable and versatile that I just love them. They cover the knees which it is nice to have warm in cool weather, and it's not like your shins really ever get cold. Another nice thing about knickers is that they have a slimming appearance effect. I am just like your next triathlete with a healthy amount of body image issues, but I always feel great when I am wearing these pants.

Craft Knickers

Craft Women's Active Knicker

The next thing I want to rave about is my Columbia Mobex backpack (show in the pictures above and below.) I have been running with a CamelBak M.U.L.E. for a few years when I obtained this new backpack at the Nashville Muddy Buddy. The basic concept is a dome tent. There are plastic poles that loop around and give the pack an open, large-capacity design. It doesn't come with a hydration bladder but you can easily purchase one that will fit in the designated pocket inside the pack. (I used 100 oz for this run.)

Cargo access is easy with several external pockets as well as a water bottle holder and a small pouch on the waist belt. It was very easy to have all the items, hydration, nutrition, lights, extra gloves, etc I needed without constantly taking the pack off.

The best part was that my companions on this run had their packs stuffed tight...Besides being a light packer this backpack offered so much storage capacity that I only had it about 2/3's full. It really worked great!

Columbia Mobex backpack--It comes in at least 3 sizes so shop around on Amazon to find the one that is the best fit for your needs.

Columbia Mobex Sprint Backpack (Black)

Yak Trax---I have never purchased Yak Trax before in part because I've never felt the need. If it is icy out I just go run on a golf course somewhere in the snow. But when I learned that we were facing some snow and ice conditions at the GC, I decided this would be the time to purchase a pair. (There is something about falling a thousand feet to your death that is off-putting.)

Simply put, these worked great. If you are in a scenario where you are trying to run (or walk) on ice or packed snow, definitely consider picking up a pair of these. I opted for the Yak Trax Pro which offer an extra velcro strap to hold them on a little more securely. They just slipped right over your shoe and don't really inhibit your footstrike when you are running on normal ground. In fact I kept them on some time after we had descended past the snow-line.