What Our Editors Used and Loved in January 2023
A perfect running shirt, cold-weather essentials, and a versatile carb to fuel your active adventures - these a few of our editors' favorite things this month.
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Every month our staff tries out lots of triathlon and triathlon-adjacent things. Yes, we test new gear, but we also have old favorites and secret things we’re loving right now. That’s why each month we share our favorite tri-related things.
A soft (yet tough-as-nails) running shirt
Ten Thousand x Filson Versatile Shirt
$62, tenthousand.cc
I do love a good running shirt. I also really hate a bad one. I’ve tried both in my many years as the gear editor here at Triathlete, so I’m always in search for the next “top shirt.” When I saw that Ten Thousand—a clothing brand notorious for excellent collaborations and responsible for one of my favorite pairs of shorts—had a “collabo” with another one of my favorite brands, Filson, I was all ears. While I can’t speak to the “military effectiveness” of the Versatile Shirt, what with its 20,000 abrasion rubs and 100 pounds of pressure testing, I can say it has one of the softest, natural-feeling fabrics I’ve ever worn. Aside from feeling like Merino wool (it’s not), it also wicks substantially better than almost all of the other shirts I’ve worn. I also definitely like the Tactical Shorts that pair with the shirt, though I would say they’re probably better for running than storming a compound in the Middle East. Military hyperbole aside, both pieces of clothing are a big hit—just be sure you order yours before the collabo ends.
-Chris Foster, Editor-in-Chief
The glove that does it all
Craft Sportswear Hybrid Weather Glove
$40, craftsports.us
I spent the past month in Connecticut, which is much (much!) colder than what I’m used to, living in the Arizona desert. After my first run along the freezing-cold shores of the Long Island Sound, I realized my strategy of wearing all the clothes I packed probably wasn’t a very good one. Of all the things I bought on my resulting cold-weather shopping spree, my favorite has been this all-purpose glove/mitten hybrid. They’re super-toasty in their standard glove configuration, but when Old Man Winter does Old Man Winter things, there’s an extra waterproof and windproof cover that appears from a little pocket on the top of the hand. I have really big hands (all the better to swim with, my dearie!), so finding gloves that fit has always been a hassle. But these fit – well, like a glove. I’ve worn them on every run and mountain bike ride this month, and my hands have yet to go numb. My nose, however…well, that’s a different story.
–Susan Lacke, Senior Editor
RELATED: What to Wear for Running in the Cold, the Heat, and Everything in Between
A go-anywhere, do anything hoodie
Black Diamond Men’s Factor Hoody
$150, blackdiamondequipment.com
Wake up. Shuffle to the closet. Quickly throw on a warm layer before coffee, before work, before anything. What do you reach for? For me, nine times out of ten, it’s this hoodie. (No joke: I’m wearing it right now as I write this.) Black Diamond’s Factor is the Swiss army knife of midlayers, and I mean it—perfect for everything from your bunny-slipper morning shuffle to a cold mountain training ride or run, climb or ski. (I find the hood is shaped perfectly, too, just big enough to wrap a helmet around, if necessary, but not too baggy.) It’s even slick enough to wear with acid-stained jeans and a pair of Doc Martens for that arthouse indie theater date night—if you’re into that sort of thing. The Factor offers a stretchy, technical polyester/wool fleece checkered weave that can meet any conditions, and I can’t keep my hands off it.
– Nicholas Triolo, Senior Editor Trail Runner and Outside Run
A carb for every dinner
Koda Farms Kokuho Rose Heirloom Japanese Rice
$40 (15 lbs.), zingermans.com
Cooking in January, the darkest, coldest month, means opening up the pantry for inspiration. Night after night, I’d start dinner prep by setting up a rice cooker of Koda Farms’ Kokuho Rose rice to steam while I figured out what to cook. But no matter what I made, the rice was always the star of the show. The heirloom medium grains are grown in California by third generation rice farmers and the quality is unmatched.
-Mary-Frances Heck, Senior Brand Director, Healthy Living Group
RELATED: Studies Are (Again) Showing How Badly Athletes Need Carbs