Winners and losers: Atlas Mountain Race gear review

Written By Zach Morvant

Photo credit: Stephen Shelesky for the Atlas Mountain Race

My run-up to this year’s Atlas Mountain Race was a stressful one: a parade of equipment-related tragedies including some gear arriving defective, returns being swiped by porch pirates, things breaking during testing, lots of last-minute pivots… and then for the grand finale, Delta Airlines losing my bike on the way to the race.

It would eventually arrive in Marrakech, but not until the morning of the race. Then I had to get to Beni-Mellal, a 3+ hour journey by car. And if that wasn’t enough, the race organizers moved the start up an hour. Melting face emoji.

All of this to say I didn’t quite have the time for a proper pre-race gear check. So I’ll do you all one better: with a post-race gear review, highlighting some clear winners — and losers.

Winner: Tailfin Cycling bags

When it came to on-bike storage, I had no worries. Tailfin makes the finest bikepacking bags in the business (full disclosure: I am on their R&D Division and get my pick of their product line). The race started with a 6-hour flesh-numbing deluge, and even after all of that rain, everything in my Tailfin bags was bone-dry — which was crucial given that the temperatures than plunged below freezing, and I needed fresh layers to change into. I used the following from their lineup and wouldn’t change a thing:

The CargoPack opens from above, giving you a quick, clear view of your gear.

Loser: Klymit sleeping pad

Jesus Christ, this fucking thing. Not only did I get a one-two punch of $30 shipping and a $50 tairiff charges (lest we forget freedom isn’t free), it went flat before it even touched the ground, and was missing a patch kit. Never again.

The times I did nap outside (I did longer sleeps indoors), I ended up using any cold weather layers I wasn’t wearing as a makeshift pad.

Winner: Exposure Lights

Disclosure: Exposure supports me with free lights, so I am biased, but there are good reasons you see them at a lot of ultra events. Those reasons are brightness, runtime, and reliability.

I’ve got a handful of their lights, but for the demands of AMR, I ran these:

  • Six Pack 15: The king of front lights. 6,000 lumens at its highest output (which I rarely use, the other settings are so bright) and up to 36 hours of runtime. Plus the Reflex technology is awesome: it will brighten or dim your light based on your speed.

  • Diablo 15: My go-to offroad helmet light. Lightweight, brightness up to 2,000 lumens and runtime up to 24 hours on lowest output. Plus it’s got a nifty Tap feature where you can give the light or your helmet a little whack (or hard whack, it’s adjustable) to switch the mode — much easier than fiddling with a button.

Exposure: the best lights in the business. Photo by Gavin Murray.

Loser: Skratch Super High-Carb Hydration Mix

I don’t want to dump on Skratch too hard because they do make some good stuff. But this mix is not it. The flavor is just kind of tangy and salty, without a trace of sweetness, and I had to force myself to drink it. Maybe cluster dextrin just isn’t for me.

Winner: QUOC shoes and socks

A lot of people have asked what shoes I chose for Atlas. I went back and forth between the Gran Tourer XC and the Gran Tourer II, and eventually chose the latter because of its slightly softer sole and all rubber tread. In a longer event like Atlas, I’m not as concerned with power transfer, and anticipating long hike-a-bikes (or HABs if you’re nasty) I prioritized walkability. I’ve done my share of hiking in the XCs, too, and while they are up to the task I’m glad I went the way I did.

Second shoutout goes to QUOC’s All Season and Extra Fine Merino Socks. Not only are they comfortable in a range of conditions, but they held up supremely well against all the funky odors I generated in the course of this gnarly adventure. A quick air dry in my rear pack’s cargo pocket and presto, back on the feet they go!

Loser: PNW dropper post

Maybe this isn’t a fault of the product, and instead a reflection of the extreme conditions we endured. Regardless, after 6 hours of pouring rain followed by freezing temperatures, my seatpost wouldn’t stay up. I tried fiddling with the barrel adjuster but it wouldn’t grab anything, leading me to believe I had a broken cable. Various roadside repair attempts failed to work, so for 60 miles I had to pedal out of the saddle or from the top tube — which was about as painful and exhausting as you can imagine. When the temperatures finally rose above freezing the next morning, however, the cable freed up and I was able to adjust it. My quads and knees were pretty strained after that, but at least I could pedal somewhat normally.

Winner: Smith photochromic shades

I LOVE THESE GLASSES FOR ULTRAS. The Shift MAG with photochromic lens means no lens swapping — it flawlessly goes from night to day, plus is lightweight and barely noticeable on my face. 10/10, no notes.

Draw: Gorewear LUPRA 2.0 Goretex cycling jacket

With Gorewear shutting down, I wanted to cop one last waterproof jacket from them. On that premise, it delivered: my torso stayed warm and dry during the opening deluge of the race.

HOWEVER: who did they design these pockets for? The zippers are tiny and damn near impossible to grab if your hands are cold, or wearing gloves, or the slightest bit lacking in manual dexterity. Trying to grab any food from them was an exercise in frustration.

Winner: SOL Escape Lite Bivvy

This thing is such a versatile piece of kit. I like to use it by itself for a quick nap (it’s essentially a space blanket in sleeping bag form) but it’s also handy as a sleeping bag liner. Packs down super light and small. There’s almost no excuse to not always bring it with me on adventure.

There you have it!

A quick rundown of some of my biggest winners and losers (gear-wise) from this event. Have any questions or comments? Let me know below.

Zach Morvant