Gear + Brands
What survives my seasons.
The kit I actually train and race in. It is grouped the way I teach people to think about what they carry: what moves you, what fuels you, what protects you, and what gets you home when something goes wrong.
What keeps you moving forward
Movement + Carry
Shoes, poles, and the pack itself. This is the kit that decides whether the ground works with you or against you, and it is where I am fussiest, because everything else can be endured and these cannot.
Shop all at spry:VJ ShoesMerrellnordaSalomonVibram FiveFingersUltrAspireSilva
At spryVJ Shoes
VJ MAXx 2
Butyl outsole, 4 mm lugs, mountain race shoe
My go-to mountain shoe. I took 3rd at Vertical Vendetta in them, ran the Bob Marshall Traverse out and back in them, and have summited countless peaks in them. On wet rock the butyl outsole holds when everything else skates.
Shop at spry→
At spryVJ Shoes
VJ FZN Aerofly
Lightweight VJ trail shoe
The Aerofly is the lighter, faster end of the VJ line, with the same grip philosophy underneath. spry stocks the FZN build for cold and frozen ground.
Shop at spry→
At spryMerrell
MTL Adapt Matryx
FloatPro foam, Matryx upper, ultra trainer
Enough cushion to stay smooth deep into a long run, stable enough that the ride does not fall apart when the legs go. It shines exactly where most training volume happens. Also made in a women's fit.
Shop at spry→
DirectMerrell
MTL Long Sky 2 Matryx
Matryx upper, Vibram MegaGrip, 5 mm lugs
The race-day shoe in the MTL line: a Kevlar-reinforced Matryx upper that does not stretch out, on a Vibram MegaGrip outsole with 5 mm lugs. spry does not carry this one, so the link goes straight to Merrell.
Shop at →
At sprynorda
norda 001A
Dyneema upper, Vibram outsole
Canadian-made and built around a Dyneema upper that does not stretch out or soak through the way a mesh shoe does. Also made in a women's fit.
Shop at spry→
At sprySalomon
S/Lab Ultra Dust
S/Lab ultra-distance race shoe
Salomon's ultra-distance race shoe out of the S/Lab line, built for long days on mixed ground rather than short fast ones.
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DirectASICS
Magic Speed 5
Carbon plate, FF Leap foam, road racer
The carbon-plated road shoe for the fast, flat work that keeps mountain legs honest.
Shop at →
DirectASICS
Gel-Kayano 33
Stability road trainer
The stability trainer for easy road miles, which is most of them.
Shop at →
At spryVibram FiveFingers
Trailope
Five-toe minimal trail shoe
Toes separated and almost nothing under the foot. I use minimal shoes to keep my feet doing their own work rather than outsourcing it to a midsole. Also made in a women's fit.
Shop at spry→
At spryUltrAspire
Alpha 6.0 Race Vest
Race vest, flask and kit capacity
The mountain workhorse of the line, and what goes on when the day is big enough to need a vest: flasks up front, room for a shell and real food behind.
Shop at spry→
At spryUltrAspire
Zygos 6.0 Race Vest
Higher-capacity race vest
The larger vest in the rotation, for the days that need more water, more layers, or a mandatory kit list.
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At spryUltrAspire
Purist Hydration Pack
Minimal hydration pack
Minimal carry for the days when a full vest is more than the route asks for.
Shop at spry→
At spryUltrAspire
Mountain Racer Waist Pack
Waist belt, bottle plus storage, no bounce
The waist belt I reach for when a vest is more than the day needs. It carries a flask, a shell, and a phone without a single bounce, so it rides my hip on fast mountain days.
Shop at spry→
At sprySilva
Running Poles Carbon Z Adjustable
3K carbon, Z-fold, 120 to 140 cm adjustable
Carbon Z-fold poles that adjust between 120 and 140 cm, so one pair covers steep climbing and rolling ground without a compromise in length. They fold small enough to live in a vest until the grade turns.
Shop at spry→Energy and hydration to sustain the effort
Fuel + Water
More ultras end in the stomach than in the legs. What you carry it in matters more than people expect, because a flask that weeps into your kit or a cap you cannot work with cold hands turns a simple job into a problem.
Shop all at spry:UltrAspire
At spryUltrAspire
800mL SoftFlask, Locking Cap
800 mL soft flask, locking bite valve
I carry UltrAspire flasks in every pack I own. The locking cap is the one that never weeps into your kit when the descent gets rough.
Shop at spry→
At spryUltrAspire
1L SoftFlask
1 L soft flask
The bigger flask for long dry stretches, when the next reliable water is further out than one 800 will cover.
Shop at spry→
Cover for the elements and for hours on your feet
Comfort + Protection
Above treeline in the southern Rockies the weather turns fast, and the shell you actually carry is the one that matters. The rest of this is sun, chafe, and feet: unglamorous kit that decides whether the back half of a long day is bearable.
Shop all at spry:Arc'teryxRabrabbitTripointToe socksUltrAspire
DirectArc'teryx
Norvan Shell Jacket
15D GORE-TEX ePE, ultralight running shell
The shell that has bailed me out above treeline more times than I can count. It weighs almost nothing and packs down to a fist, which is why it is always in the vest instead of at home.
Shop at →
At spryRab
Phantom Waterproof Pants
Ultralight waterproof pant
Waterproof legs that pack down small enough to justify carrying them. Cold rain on exposed ground is the fastest way to get into trouble, and a shell on top only solves half of it.
Shop at spry→
Directrabbit
UPF Deflector 2.0 Long Sleeve
UPF long sleeve
My sun-shirt pick for long exposed mountain days when shade is a rumour. Long sleeves beat sunscreen you have to reapply with dirty hands.
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At spryrabbit
High Country Relaxed SS
Relaxed short sleeve
The relaxed short sleeve I wear on and off the trail. It does not look like race kit, which is the point on a day that ends at the coffee shop.
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At spryrabbit
UPF Tee SS
UPF 50, ventilated quick-dry
Sun protection in a short sleeve for the hot days that are not long enough to need full cover.
Shop at spry→
At spryrabbit
FKT 4" Shorts, Women's
4 inch race short
A 4 inch short for hot, fast days. I bought these by accident and then kept running in them, which is the most honest gear review I can give.
Shop at spry→
At spryTripoint
007 Chobe Photochromic
Clear frame, Tri-X Chromic, category 0 to 3
Clear frames with Tri-X Chromic photochromic lenses. The transition does the work my hands used to: dark in the trees, clear on the ridge, no stopping to swap. I do not think about my eyes on the climb anymore, which is the point.
Shop at spry→
At spryToe socks
Vibram Summer Crew Toe Socks, 2-Pack
Five-toe design, blister prevention
My pick. Five-toe socks keep the friction off the skin when your feet are soaked and hours from dry. Individual toe separation has done more for my blister prevention than anything else I have tried.
Shop at spry→
DirectToe socks
Injinji Trail Midweight Mini-Crew
Five-toe design, COOLMAX EcoMade
The other toe sock I run. Same principle, different fit, and worth trying if the Vibram shape does not suit your foot. This is the COOLMAX one: the fibre is knitted into the sock rather than being a separate brand.
Shop at →
At spryUltrAspire
Performance Trucker Hat, Rising Sun
Performance trucker
Shade for the face and something to soak in a creek when it gets hot.
Shop at spry→What gets you home when something goes wrong
Problem-Solving
Light, first aid, and the ability to deal with a problem where it happens. This is the kit you carry for the day that does not go to plan, and the day it earns its weight it earns all of it at once.
Shop all at spry:UltrAspire
At spryUltrAspire
Lumen 600 5.0 Waist Light
600 lumen waist light, low-angle flood
Six hundred lumens at the waist, lighting the trail from a low angle so texture and depth stay readable when a headlamp would wash them flat. My answer to the night sections.
Shop at spry→
At spryAdventure Medical Kits
Ultralight Watertight 0.7 Medical Kit
Ultralight waterproof first aid kit
A real first aid kit that is small enough to actually carry. Waterproof inner bags, because a soaked kit is no kit at all.
Shop at spry→Availability and pricing live at spry. If a shelf looks thin online, call them or walk in; they can order most of this list. And if you are in the Pass on a Tuesday, the Crows Run Club meets at 7:00 PM; come see the gear moving.
For Brands
What partnering with Shep actually gets you
I am a working athlete who tests gear until it fails or proves itself, and I report honestly either way. A brand that works with me gets proof from the field, stories their customers believe, and a community that shows up in person every week.
- Gear tested where it breaks: 200-mile races, unsupported FKT projects, and four-season mountain training in the southern Rockies
- Honest public field reporting; a partnership never changes what I say about the kit
- An engaged endurance audience: this site, race-day communities, The Work Party athletes, and the Crows Run Club, a no-drop group that meets every Tuesday in the Crowsnest Pass
- A local retail loop through spry in Blairmore, so recommendations turn into purchases inside the community
The Community Loop
The gear goes from the mountain to the shelf to the trail
A partnership here runs on the gear getting used. It gets raced in real mountains, the write-up lands on this page with the receipts, the product sits on a shelf at spry where locals and visitors buy it, and every Tuesday the Crows Run Club puts it on trail in front of the exact people who buy trail gear. That loop is the value.
Ambassador programs, gear testing, event presence, and content partnerships all start with one conversation.
Partnerships
Build something that belongs
in the mountains.
If your product can hold up in the Kananaskis and the Crowsnest, I want to talk about it.