The Expedition Journals

The new Spire 5 from 361 degrees pushes the boundaries of comfort and performance for endurance running shoes. I have become a complete convert to the 361 brand: for trail running ( Review – Yushan 2 Trail Shoes ) and for everyday road running ( Review – Strata 5 Road Shoes ). The new 361° Spire 5 is a marathon worthy road shoe that excels in delivering the perfect blend of comfort, rebound and durability. Superior cushioning is the primary focus of the Spire 5—with the aim of producing a shoe that will let you run for miles and miles, without complaint. The new cushioning technology comes in the form of QU!KFLAME. The upper layer of the shoe platform is the proven 361° QUICKSPRING+ foam, but then the Spire 5 benefits from the introduction of a newly developed PEBA nylon elastomer — QU!KFLAME offers superior cushioning and performance: it is extremely springy and 45% lighter than traditional EVA foam, yet it is durable enough to maintain responsiveness. The result is excellent flexibil...

Rab Equipment is one of my favourite outdoor brands on the market – they produce the legendary Microlight down jacket (see my recent review of the Rab Infinity Microlight Down Jacket ), as well as sleeping bags that I have used on some of my longest expeditions.  A new piece of Rab Equipment that has landed in my kit store though, is the Rab Expedition 50 Kit Bag – a rugged and hardwearing 50 litre duffel bag that is superbly made and ready for any adventure. The Rab Kitbag 50 is made using a tough and durable 600D fabric and is coated with a TPU water-resistant film. Triple-stitched seams and a double thickness base add further to the ruggedness of the kit bag.  The contents of the duffel bag are easily accessible through a large, double zippered (lockable) main opening. On the underside of the lid there are two internal zippered mesh pockets, as well as two pockets at either end of the bag's internal main compartment. For transporting the Rab Expedition Kit Bag, there are tw...