Inspired. That, before we go longform, pretty much, sums it up. In 2024, Pete Vordenberg sent me a draft gear review focusing on how the gear that he was abusing was holding up. Pete dove into the sweet gear items in his life that were, despite his beatdown, still held up. Something akin to high function meets high durability. Two attributes we like in heavy doses here at THR, and all the better when there’s a combo of the two.
I’ll begin with the La Sportiva Kilo, which I used extensively last season, from late winter through the spring. Some folks got hung up on the naming convention, “Kilo.” In a 27.5, it’s more than a kilo, but pretty close for this user, weighing 1136g with the stock liner and insole. As noted in last year’s review, the liner is lacking. But I was hell-bent on maintaining the high ROM and low friction, so I kept the stock liner in play.
