Other Gear
Trail Running
Running Packs: an essential for all your trail running gear
Depending on the distance and where you plan to run you may choose not to carry anything. However I NEVER run without a phone when going off the beaten track for safety reasons.
On runs where you need food, water and other gear, you will need something to put it in.
A hydration belt may have pockets large enough to store some smaller items. But for runs requiring more trail running gear a running vest or pack is essential. They contain multiple pockets to stash your gear and options for water bottles and bladders.
Choosing the pack for you
When selecting the best option for you consider:
- Its capacity for gear and water storage, it’s better to have more water storage then less as you can always choose to fill it less for shorter runs.
- The design, it needs to fit comfortably and allow you to access your water and gear easily.
- Its features, does it have easy to access pockets and storage for additional soft water bottles?
Whatever you choose try it on. Make sure it fits well and ensure it can contain all your gear.
For most runs I use my Salomon ADV Skin 12 Set with soft water bottle and bladder options.
For more extreme runs when carrying lots of gear is a necessity it would be my Salomon 20 S/lab-peak.
Running with Poles
Some love them, Some hate them. And those that use them find they provide better balance and stability on steep climbs and descents. Before investing in poles consider:
- Their weight, the lighter the better.
- Their design, the ease and compactness of folding and storage.
- Their comfort, which is essential to avoid blisters on your hands.
Hold them and test them out. Open and close them. And if your pack has pole attachments, attach them with your pack on. However much you love them you won’t be using them all the time, so unless you plan to carry them in your hands you will need to store them somewhere on your pack.
Using poles can be fairly technical, so practice with them before you rely on them. If you can preferably borrow a set from a kind hearted friend before you buy. And do check before using them in an organised event as there may be rules against their use.
I wasn’t a fan and don’t use them on my regular runs. But my Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z Poles were definitely a lifesaver at times during the very steep and gnarly loose terrain of DU135.
And there is definitely an art to using them.
