Mike Dawson

550 Miles of Trekking, Mountain Biking, Mountaineering, Snowshoeing, Kayaking, Rock Climbing and more through record soaking wet Spring run-off conditions. The Coconas held up beautifully with the plethora of footwear required for this ultra-endurance race, providing a form-fitting, friction-reducing layer to keep our feet free of debilitating blisters. Team Nike ACG / Gore-Tex gives the Cocona Trail Sock a 5-Star rating!

This is just what a floor pump should be: simple, secure valve stem insertion; quick inflation with a rock solid base; accurate, easy-to-read pressure gauge; rapid disconnect; excellent quality at a fair price! What else is there that can be said about a floor pump??

During the 2006 Eco Primal Quest Expedition Race, my teammates and I found this stove to be indispensable at transition areas. The ease of set-up of this self-contained compact unit was key for sleep-deprived racers with diminished brain capacity. And with its efficient heat transfer design, the water was generally boiling before we could get our dehydrated meals set up.

The mOTION has a comfortable fit for unconstricted endurance paddling and many attach points and pockets for food and gear stores.

The vreck has all of the features needed for sprint through expedition-length adventure races. The stiff and lightweight shaft design transfers the energy of each powerful stroke directly into the large blades, which are rugged enough to subject to the abuse of shallow river bottoms. I display a goat on each blade with pride! If you are a 6'2" high angle paddler like me, do not go shorter than a 220cm, in spite of what the sizing charts say.

During the Eco Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race, the UnBottle went with me in my Greqory pack while biking and trekking and on my PFD while kayaking and swimming. It helped protect fluids from the heat, and had convenient attach points for strapping. I retrofitted mine with a tube director for hands-free usage -- a perfect combination!

This fully certified climbing helmet is very lightweight and adjustable -- perfect for adventure racing. I either wore or carried mine around for the majority of the 500 mile Eco Primal Quest Expedition Adventure Race. I display a goat on the front of this helmet with pride!

When the shoes delaminated and foot blisters spontaneously formed in the 130 degree sand during one of the many Eco Primal Quest desert treks, these poles performed a critical role of lessening the burden and allowing our team to carry onward. The lightweight and compact design also allowed us to get the sticks out of the way during rock climbing disciplines. One area of weakness is the locking mechanism for the length ajustment, which sometimes was penetrated with sand and slipped if not severly tightened.

I just put this pack through the rigors of Eco Primal Quest - Utah. On the plus side, this pack is lightweight, expandable, and versatile for the trekking, climbing, mountain biking, swimming, and kayaking events. On the neutral to negative side, the zippers required the use of both hands, more built in front strap pockets would be helpful, as would reinforced scuff panels for rock abrasion. Finally, stitching failures at the strap attach points showed some additional need for increase in durability. Gregory is a leader in lightweight pack technology, but they leave plenty of room for improvement.