Perfect gear for the mountains: trail runners, jacket, mountain bike, watch, more.
Text by Steve Casimiro, with gear recommendations from Adventure's Retail Advisory Board

1. The Trail Runners GoLite Sun Dragon A revolutionary concept, the Sun Dragon ($95; www.golite.com) takes the usual soft EVA midsole and uses it in an outsole of 12 flexible and independent lugs. The result is the most comfortable and responsive trail runner we've seen in ages.
2. The Shell Editor's Pick: Best Value Columbia Faster and Lighter   Recently the market has seen a slew of insanely light jackets, but in the backcountry you need outerwear that hits the sweet spot between wind-blocking ultralights and pricey waterproof breathables. Case in point: the Faster and Lighter ($180; www.columbia.com). The eight-ounce seam-taped garment is luxuriously soft, breathes like a dream, and sheds water as well as shells twice the price.
3. The Video Camera Elmo SUV-Cam   The smallest, most weatherproof video camera on the market, the flash-memory SUV-Cam ($1,200; www.elmousa.com) isn't IMAX quality—just 704 x 480 pixels—but it's a no-brainer if you want to post your helmet-cam heroics on YouTube.
4. The Mountain Bike Editor's Pick: Best Innovation Santa Cruz Nomad X9 AM   Simply put, this bike ($4,100; www.santacruzbicycles.com) reframes the definition of a "cross-country" suspension ride. A 30-pounder (914-kilogram) with six inches (15 centimeters) of travel that ascends like an Otis elevator? That's like a monster truck that can race the Indy 500. Awesome.
5. The Training System Polar RS800sd watch and adiStar Fusion shoes and shirt   Apparel and electronics working together to help you train—that's the latest from Adidas and Polar. Sensors in the Fusion shoes ($120; www.adidas-polar.com) and shirt ($65) transmit speed, distance, and heart rate to the burly RS800sd ($489), which in turn displays training zones, elevation, calories burned, and cadence.
6. The Rope Petzl Nomad The new 60-meter Nomad 9.8mm ($210; www.petzl.com) is the company's first foray into ropes, and a darn good one. Thicker than the ultrathin ropes of late (without being too heavy), the Nomad will stand more abuse, handling rock and alpine routes with equal grace. It is marked at the midpoint and six meters from each end so you don't rappel yourself into space.
7. The Daypack Editor's Pick: Best Comfort The North Face Neutron 32  Any daypack can carry a peanut-butter-and-honey sandwich, but can it handle a long haul as well as the front-loading Neutron 32 ($109; www.thenorthface.com)? Probably not. The molded-foam back panel, stiffened shoulder straps, and wide hip pads carried 25 pounds (11 kilograms) better than any other day-tripper we tried.