Winter Favourites, Disappointments and Spring Excitement!

Baby Got...Gear?

Now that the winter is finally starting to wane the runners of Alberta are tenuously starting to bring out their shorts, their ankle tab socks, all.the.spring.things. Just the other day I was putting my Running Room mitts into my gear box realizing that I likely won't wear them again this season (knock on wood....all of it!) and I got to thinking about all the great gear I had come into this winter, especially for the planners among us who will be buying up clearance gear in the weeks to come for next winter!

Note: While I am an ambassador for Salming Running North America I have not been asked to review the products contained within this review, I will not be compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions are my own. I have not been compensated in any way for any other review herein.

Favourites:

This season I bought a few key items that were absolutely spectacular for a winter spent out on trail. During winter 2017/2018 I ran in more sub -20 degree weather than even I thought I would, I ran deep snow for much of it and I raced a tough 50k on trail. I needed all the gear I could get! My stand-outs detailed below are; the North Face Resolve 2 jacket, Ron Hill's thermal stretch headband, = and the Salming Trail 3 trail shoe. Shout out to the Manzilla's Women's Adventure 100 mitts as well, I didn't get enough time with them this season to be comfortable recommending them but they did well in the short time I had them.

North Face Resolve 2

I honestly wish I had purchased this jacket earlier in the season. It is admittedly on the more costly side for a shell jacket/wind break layer, but the insulated collar quickly eliminated my need for a goiter and it was far more breathable and less likely to overheat than my Fabletics wind break layer. The taped and zippered pockets were great for days that I wasn't keen to take my pack and would be out for less than 25km. This is a phenomenal layering piece when used in tandem with a good mid-layer (I personally used a Fit Wear mid layer by Running Room most of the winter but also used a define jacket by Lululemon a few times with success).

I highly recommend for other women with broad shoulders or who are taller. I have a lot of difficulty getting my shoulders into anything below a women's L/XL despite being an S/XS and have sleeve issues for days at 5'10"- as seen below the Resolve fit very well for my dimensions. For reference I purchased in a size medium to be able to layer under it.

The Resolve 2 can be found here for $109.99 CAD.

McBride says: 9/10

Ron Hill Thermal Stretch Ear Band

Little known fact: when I was 16 I managed to develop pretty significant frost bite in both ears being a too-cool-for-school teenager. As an adult I work really hard to prevent that reoccurring and damaging that tissue further- I kind of like having ears!

When the snow started to fly I headed to Running Room and tried a couple of different earbands, but the most secure was the purple Ron Hill band that I went home with. It has held its size and shape despite daily wear for several months and the only sign of wear has been the logo rubbing off, which I expected by this point. I honestly can't remember a single point in the season that I was suffering because of my ears, and can say from personal experience that they function well in temps as low as -42.

McBride says: 8/10

Salming Trail 3 

I firmly believe the T3 saved me at Gord's in February and it has performed amazingly as a winter trail shoe over a few hundred training kilometres. It repels moisture much better than all of the Saucony shoes I have run in the past, to the point where I have had my socks frozen to my shoes at several points since they arrived but my feet have stayed dry within. The grip on ice has been about what I expected from a higher end trail shoe. They are a bit "loud" in my opinion, especially if you are running highway out to trail, but I think that just speaks to it very much being a trail shoe that isn't trying to be anything else, which I like.

Excited for my size in the T5 to be back in so I can compare but I am very happy to have run my winter season in the T3, by far the best winter shoe I've run. The T3 can be found here , if you are interested in giving them a go feel free to use my discount code MCBRIDE20 for 20% off.

McBride says 9/10

Disappointments

While the bulk of my gear purchases this winter were great decisions, there were a few things that, if I had my time back, I wouldn't have purchased. Explained below are the Swany snowboarding glove and the turtle fur balaclava. It should be noted that neither product is a bad product in and of itself, I just don't feel they are well suited to long distance winter running.

Swany Snowboarding Glove

In fairness to Swany their gloves are not intended for running, but I assumed that since they were intended for winter sport that they would perform well. Unfortunately below about -15 they became very cold/drafty around the seams. I often had to layer a thinsulate glove under it and it was still not enough coverage once you got nearer -30. I also had zero dexterity in my hands while wearing these which was frustrating while adjusting gear. For well over $100CAD they are not something I would purchase again.

McBride says: 4/10

Turtle Fur Balaclava

My biggest issue with this product was the "turtle fur" itself. It was suffocating at the best of times and froze very quickly and uncomfortably. I also found the fit to be awkward when the hood was up, but that could have been the result of my ponytail. It does its job, but there are much more comfortable and effective products on the market for as much or less money than the Turtle Fur. Big thanks to my buddy Erik (@teachertrailrunner on IG) who sent me his spare UA hood that ended up replacing the Turtle Fur for the back half of the season.

McBride says: 3/10

Looking Forward

Looking back at all the gear that got me through some serious sub zero training time has me ready to look forward to the spring and summer releases I am excited to jump on including the Salming Race 6, the (hopefully restocked) Goodr sunglasses in Nessy's Midnight Orgy, maybe some new colours in the Feetures no-show tab ;) , the new Spandos shorts at Oiselle and the Wunjo X5 Ultra Pack. If you haven't checked out Wunjo's whole new line shipping in April what are you waiting for? Use code WUNJOWOMAN for a discount on your purchase. Note, I do not receive compensation if you use my Wunjo discount code, we just want you to be able to enjoy Wunjo products now and for less 😊

Tell me what are you looking forward to buying this coming season? What products kept you running this winter?