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Merrell Freewheel 2 Shoe
Merrell has been making shoes a long time, and we've been right there with them. We have a pair of their original slip-on leather clogs that just hit twenty years old, and the sole is just finally starting to separate. That's after two decades of serious abuse, and never bothering to perform even the most…
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Kahtoola NANOspikes Traction System
One thing you can rely on in Anchorage, Alaska is frequent freeze-thaw cycles in the winter. It makes walking to school and work a challenge and sometimes outright dangerous. Also high on the suck meter is trying to get someone's car unstuck on an icy road while you're slipping around yourself. The solution is some…
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Kahtoola INSTA Gaiter Low
You want gaiters, we got gaiters. With apologies to Molly Hatchet, we're living in gaiter country. The latest resident is Kahtoola's INSTA gaiter low, which they bill as their lightest and most breathable gaiter. How does it measure up? Pretty well we think. We switched from boots to low-top trail runners/hikers a long time ago…
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Kodiak McKinney Composite Toe Boot
As an Alaska-based reviewer we will freely admit to having a bias for anything named after Kodiak, the second-biggest island in these United States behind the big island of Hawaii. Kodiak is known for big-ass bears that are definitely tougher than you are, and Kodiak boots gives a solid nod to our ursine friends with…
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Kahtoola EXOspikes Footwear Traction
With apologies to Mr. Frost, if two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and one of them was really icy and wanted wear, you would definitely choose that one. If, that is, you had your Kahtoola EXOspikes on your feet. We love all our Kahtoola traction devices: the NANOspikes for bare ice, the MICROspikes for…
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Inov-8 Arctic Talon 275 Winter Running Shoe
First of all, the name: you just can't go wrong with Arctic Talon. It's serious and scary all at once, but don't be intimidated: this shoe is your best friend for traversing icy trails on the run. Inov-8 has made a reputation for producing shoes designed for some of the nastiest trail conditions you'll ever…
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Kahtoola MICROspikes
When it comes to getting a sure grip on ice, Kahtoola knows what's what. We've relied on their NANOspikes for years to get around the icy streets of our hometown of Anchorage, Alaska, where the freeze/thaw cycles are often a daily hazard. The NANOspikes are the smallest of Kahtoola's footwear traction devices, and at the…
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MBT Navada X GTX Hiking Boot
We've reviewed MBT fat (phat? thicc?) shoes in the past and come away impressed. Their cushy midsole and generous rocker takes a lot of the pounding out of pavement running, so it stands to reason that the same benefits accrue to off trail use as well, and the Navada X GTX hits all the right…
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MBT Hurracan 3000 Road Running Shoe
Fat shoes are all the rage the past few years, and for good reason. A thick (or as the kids say, THICC) midsole combined with a generous rocker (kids: PHAT) takes a lot of the pounding out of pavement running. So if you're putting in the miles (kids: KILOMETERS) on the hardball you might want…
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Garmont Toubkal GTX Hiking Boot
Here at Gearflogger we've always appreciated the companies that focus on one kind of gear and consistently produce great products as a result. Garmont is one of those companies, focused like a laser on building great footwear and nothing else. Based in Northern Italy, it's no surprise perhaps given their location in the shadow of…
