OOOO boy. The snow kinda came a little late to Flagstaff this season, but we’re now two snowstorms into this winter and the San Francisco peaks are sparkly and white.
So, it’s officially winter recreation season!
Like pretty much every single person who loves going outdoors, I geek out over gear. A lot. GearLab is one of my most-frequented blogs, and I’m constantly counting down the minutes between REI 20% off coupon mailings.
Stocking my gear closet is expensive!
I’ve been trying to slowly add to my collection season by season, without breaking the bank. Luckily, I’ve accumulated the bulk of what I need for hiking, backpacking, camping and paddling — but I’m still always tempted by new and improved products. I also feel like I’m constantly picking up new outdoors hobbies that need new gear every few months!
Pst: Affiliate links!
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Running spikes. I’ve been getting more into trail running this year, and I don’t want to stop even though our urban trails are covered in a slick layer of ice and compacted snow. I have a pair of Kahtoola MICROspikes that I love for winter hiking, and I’ve been on the fence about getting the lower-profile EXOspikes for winter running.
Running vest. Similarly… I have a lot of down jackets, but I don’t have a good down running vest. Lululemon’s “Another Mile” has really good reviews (and a hood!) but I might wait to see if a more vibrant/ visible color comes out before I buy it.
Cycle shoes. I always find myself taking indoors fitness classes a lot more during the winters, and I’ve been spending quite a bit of time at CycleBar lately. Enough time, in fact, that I should probably buy myself a pair of cycle shoes so I can stop using the studio-provided shoes.
Yoga bolster. Ryan and I have been doing a lot of restorative yoga at home (we love my studio, but when the roads are bad, we’d rather stay home and play it safe!) and bolsters are the one yoga prop we don’t own yet.
Insulated water bladder tubing. I tend to stray away from using my water bladder during winter hikes and opt to use an insulated water bottle instead, so some insulated water bladder tubing might be a bit of a game changer for me.
Smartwool baselayer shirts. I own several of these, and I always want more. I pretty much live in them come winter. They’re perfect for snowshoeing and ice skating, but they’re also great for lounging around our apartment.
Wraparound sunglasses. Have you ever been snowshoeing/hiking in a brutal windy snow where sunglasses just don’t cut it, but ski goggles seem like overkill? These sunglasses seem to be perfect. They have polarized and mirrored lenses that wrap around to keep wind, sun and sleet out of your face.
Ice skates. I’ve been wanting a pair of my own ice skates for years, ever since I spent a day skating around some Truckee-area reservoirs! We don’t have a lot of skate-able surfaces here in Flagstaff since it doesn’t get cold enough for ice to safely freeze, but I do love to head to our indoor ice rink for public skates every so often. I’ve heard the Riedell Pearl, Emerald and Diamond series are great for beginner adults, but I might just bite the bullet and head to an actual skate shop to get professionally fitted.
Hard shell jacket. This is a want, not a need, but I would LOVE an outdoor hard shell jacket. Right now, I use either my Marmot rain jacket or Patagonia TorrentShell to keep out the wind and sleet, but if I had an extra $600 (!!!) to spare, I would definitely consider investing in this Arc’teryx version.
Solo Stove. OK, I definitely do NOT need this, but every time I see Solo Stove ads, I want one! They look so fun.
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REI member coupon, where you at?!
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