I think sometimes we gear reviewers get so focused on what’s new and hot that we forget that some of the best products have been around for a while—and are equally deserving of a wider audience. So this week, I want to give a well-deserved shout-out to the two companions that have been getting me through my dark morning walks during the colder months of the past couple years: my Brooks NightLife jacket and gloves.

While Brooks no longer makes the exact items I own, they do sell updated versions: the LSD Lite Jacket and the Vapor Dry 2 Glove, both in NightLife, aka bright yellow and black. And by bright yellow, I mean shocking, neon, traffic-light-so-bright-it-makes-you-hit-the-gas-or-slam-on-the-brakes-depending-on-who-you-are yellow. There’s no way you can miss this color—even in the dead of a moonless predawn.

Which is basically the point, right? In my sidewalk-less and sparsely lit neighborhood, I want to be seen by those let’s-ignore-the-speed-limit-’cause-it’s-5:30-in-the-morning-and-who’s-gonna-be-out drivers.

But it’s not just about visibility. These are two really nice pieces of workout wear. The jacket is light and breathable, but resists wind and water quite admirably. (It won’t keep you warm on its own; this is definitely a layering piece.) The new version has a hood, which is a smart addition. And it fits well—sleek, but not too fitted, so you can still zip it up while wearing those aforementioned layers.

The gloves are pretty great too. They’re warm but not too warm, with a super-handy terrycloth portion for wiping my sweaty brow (and, OK, my runny nose). Plus, there’s a cool magnet on each wrist so they stay together when not on my hands. Need more? The new version also has nifty finger grips and a thumb pad that flips back to make iPod manipulation easier.

Early in the morning, a few days ago, I donned my jacket and gloves and prepared to head out into the darkness. My husband came into the room, saw me, and shook his head. “It’s just so yellow,” he said. Exactly.

Products: Brooks LSD Lite Jacket and Vapor Dry 2 Glove

Category: Apparel

Cost: $95 for the jacket and $30 for the gloves at www.BrooksRunning.com

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

Several of my friends have recently given up their gym memberships to save some badly needed bucks by working out at home instead. To do that properly, you need some equipment. Life Fitness, the folks known for their treadmills and elliptical trainers, are rising to the occasion with their new Body Shape Kit and Body Shape Kit Plus.

Both contain almost everything you could think of to outfit a basic home gym:

• Heart rate/pedometer watch
• 2 exercise DVDs
• 65-cm stability ball (with pump)
• Pair of 3-lb hand weights
• 2 resistance tubes
• 2 resistance rings
• An exercise mat (and even a towel!)

The Kit Plus also includes an 8-pound medicine ball, a foam roller, and an equipment mat to go under your treadmill or elliptical (assuming you have one; more on that below).

The heart rate/pedometer watch is relatively easy to program and it measures your heart rate via a fingertip sensor on the watch face, so you don’t have to wear a pesky chest strap. But I was suspicious of the pedometer from the get-go—how accurate could it be, attached to a body part completely unconnected to your lower half? Not very, it turns out. I put it on and sat at my desk. By the time I stood up, I’d already “walked” 21 paces. It wasn’t much more accurate once I started walking.

The two DVDs offer four different circuit workouts, all 30–35 minutes long. The strength moves are interesting, using all of the equipment in the kit (a really nice variety), and the instructor gives a lot of good form tips. You have a choice of levels to follow, too—basic or more challenging. That’s all good.

I had an issue, though, with the cardio portions of the circuits. The Life Fitness folks assume you own a cardio machine (preferably one of their treadmills or ellipticals is the message I got). The instructor makes a half-hearted mention about how you can go walk or bike outside instead, but really, who’s going to pause a DVD to go walk or bike outside for five minutes?

The other pieces in the kits are well-made and of obviously good quality. I wonder, though, about only including 3-pound hand weights; unless you’re a complete beginner, those aren’t going to last you very long, and you’ll need to buy heavier ones in order to keep building strength. Maybe in the future, Life Fitness could offer a choice of weights, depending on your level of experience and strength.

One more thing worth noting: You get a lot in these kits, but they’re a little pricey. I did some googling to find items of comparable quality and determined that I could put my own kit together for around $200—and that’s including the extras in the $399 Plus version. Sure, it’s easier to just order them together, but is that convenience worth paying twice as much?

With a few tweaks from the company, it might be. Are you listening, Life Fitness?

Products: Body Shape Kit and Body Shape Kit Plus

Category: Gear

Pros: The kits include an excellent variety of equipment, all of good quality, equaling an easy way to put together an almost-complete home gym. The instruction on the strength portions of the DVDs is solid, and the heart rate watch is easy to program and use.

Cons: The pedometer feature on the watch is inaccurate, the DVDs assume you own a cardio machine, and the hand weights are too light for most exercisers. Also, the kits are a little pricey.

Cost: $299 for the Body Shape Kit and $399 for the Body Shape Kit Plus at www.LifeFitness.com

Extra tip: Use the Workout Program Calendar in the “Your Personal Body Shape Plan” brochure, which comes with the kits, to help you set up an effective weekly workout plan.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

With all the rain here lately, I’ve found myself living in a very damp climate—the kind of damp in which my bath towel never fully dries, a leather bag stowed in the closet sprouts mold in a matter of days, and my sneakers live in, well, a perpetual state of odoriferous clamminess. I was actually contemplating tossing my kicks into the dryer (and praying they wouldn’t shrink or pound the heck out of the machine) when I read about a nifty little invention called Stuffitts Shoe Savers, which claim to keep workout shoes dry and odor free. I ordered a pair without delay.

A week later, I’m wondering how my soggy self lived without these babies. The concept is sheer simplicity: a washable cover made of wicking fabric over foot-shaped cedar inserts (cedar is an excellent moisture- and odor-banisher); you slip one into each sodden shoe between workouts and it sucks the moisture right out. And you know what? It works.

Power walk in the rain? That was no match for the Stuffitts; my kicks were bone-dry the next morning, with nary a whiff of musty stinkiness. This is a revelation for me, as I often work out on back-to-back days.

The only catch is that I have just one set, so I’m constantly moving them from my sneaks to various pairs of wear-to-work shoes, weighing which pair needs them most. I remember a shoe shop guy once telling me to never wear leather shoes two days in a row, as they need to dry out. Well, sometimes a girl just has to wear her favorite black leather Børn slides on both Tuesday and Wednesday! And now I can—assuming my Stuffitts aren’t already busy sucking up the sogginess from my walking shoes.

It’s time to get another pair.

Product: Stuffitts Shoe Savers

Category: Gear

Pros: They’re super-effective at drying and de-stinking your shoes. Plus, you can wash the covers when they get funky.

Cons: None that I can think of.

Cost: $25 at www.stuffits.com

Extra tip: Spring for two pairs so you won’t have to choose between drying out your workout shoes and your work shoes.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

The idea behind the Boom Board Body Shaping System is intriguing: You use your own resistance to build strength. In other words, no need to scatter a bunch of dumbbells around the den. For that fact alone, it’s definitely worth a look.

The board looks like a wide, flat semicircle with two handles attached to retracting cables. The right-side handle has a button on the end and a slide in the middle; press the button or push against the slide to adjust the cable. Once you get the length you want, you use the arm opposite the one doing the move to provide resistance. While doing a bicep curl with your right hand, for example, the tension is provided by your left hand.

Once you get the hang of it (it doesn’t take long), it works quite well. I could really feel my muscles working, and I liked being able to adjust the resistance by just changing the force I was exerting on the opposing handle.

The board comes with a booklet that shows you how to do a variety of basic exercises. Although the moves are solid, they don’t indicate what parts of your body are being targeted, so it would be difficult for strength-training newbies to pull together a balanced, full-body workout from it.

The board also comes with a 15-minute DVD workout, led by a big hunk of eye candy named Sebastian Seigel. While I was automatically disposed to like him because he appeared in a couple episodes of Lost (my favorite show) last season, he’s an actor/athlete, not a trainer—and it shows in the workout. He gives very few form tips, and indeed, his own form on many of the moves is questionable (for example, his knee moves past his toes in the lunge moves, an excellent way to mess up your knees).

Seigel also gives no time between moves to allow you to adjust the cable length. His female counterpart, as well as the back-up people, occasionally look to be doing a different move than he is. The overall effect is rather confusing (and, again, not very helpful when it comes to scouting for proper form).

You also get two other noteworthy things with the board: One is a door “module,” aka a frame that fits along the bottom of the door to hold the board in a vertical position, allowing for “advanced abdominal use.” The problem is, it doesn’t come with any exercise suggestions, so you’re left to make up your own moves.

The second is a seven-day meal plan. It’s basic and somewhat boring but seems healthy enough. Beware the low calorie count, though—1,200 calories isn’t something you want to stick with for the long haul unless you’re a pretty small person to begin with. Most folks need a little bit more for a long-term diet, especially if they’re working out as well as cutting calories.

The bottom line: The board is a fine way to build muscle, but not a good choice if you’re looking for guidance during your workout. I also wonder about the durability of the plastic handles. Add to that the somewhat steep price tag, and I think I’ll just stick with my dumbbells.

Product: Boom Board Body Shaping System

Category: Gear

Pros: The make-your-own resistance cable provides a good strength workout at a range of intensities, and the board is easier to store than a bunch of dumbbells.

Cons: The DVD is hard to follow—the instructor transitions too quickly from move to move and pays little attention to form. Also, it’s expensive, and there are no exercise instructions to go along with the door module.

Cost: $160 for the Boom Board Deluxe Exercise Package (including board, bag, mat, gloves, door module, instructions, seven-day meal plan, and DVD) at BoomBoard.com

Extra tip: If you decide to attempt the DVD, you’ll definitely want to become familiar with the moves ahead of time (using the book) and keep an eye on your own form.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

I love sleeping out under the stars. Although I’ve fallen out of practice during my adult life (something I’m hoping to remedy soon), I spent many girlhood summer nights in tents at various sleepaway camps. My husband, Eric, is no stranger to backpacking and camping, and we want our daughter Zoe to share our love for the Great Outdoors. Thus, testing the new Sierra Designs Lightning XT three-person, three-season tent was a delightful prospect.

When I first picked up the tent, packed into a bag about the size of my rolled-up sleeping bag, I was amazed at how light it was. Just around 6 pounds for a tent and fly for three people? Impressive, and something I could easily imagine carrying in a backpack without complaint.

Zoe, at 3 years old, isn’t quite up to backpacking yet, though, so we made due by setting it up in the backyard. Although it’s been ages since I last pitched a tent, Eric is relatively adept at it. Working together, it took us about 20 minutes to unpack and set up the tent and rain fly for the first time—and now that we know what we’re doing, it should be even quicker next time. Despite the somewhat sparse instructions (beware, tent-pitching newbies), the whole process was smooth and speedy.

The tent itself, sans fly, is all mesh, with two entrances and plenty of room for three sleeping bags. The idea of using it in the summertime, with the breeze blowing through, is simply delicious. There’s a rain fly for inclement weather; this closes things off a bit, of course, but the height of the tent leaves it feeling airy, and the fly provides a little vestibule in the front for taking off wet shoes and jackets—a nice touch.

With the exception of the spotty instructions, the only glitch with this tent came when we tried to secure the rain fly; no matter what we did, we couldn’t get the clips to secure tightly. When I asked Sierra about it, my contact there suggested using a slight twisting motion. That helped a little, but not enough that I would trust the clips to keep the fly on in a high wind. Eric and I secured it by tying the cords that came with the tent into a few knots.

I also question the wisdom of using this as a “three-season” tent. Certainly, the fly works well to keep wind and rain out, but it still gets pretty cold in there. It’s not the tent I would choose for early spring or late fall. So perhaps it’s more of a season-plus-two-half-seasons tent.

I took the tent down after a few days (it took about 10 minutes doing it solo), much to Zoe’s dismay. “Don’t worry,” I consoled her. “We’ll use it again in the spring.” And in the summer. Oh, yes, in the summer. I can’t wait!

Product: Sierra Designs Lightning XT 3 tent

Category: Gear

Pros: It’s super light and goes up quickly and easily, with plenty of room for three. The mesh tent alone is the perfect choice for a clear summer evening, and the fly provides ample rain and wind protection, along with a handy vestibule area.

Cons: The instructions assume you’re a seasoned tent-pitcher, and the rain fly clips are difficult to secure.

Cost: $389 at SierraDesigns.com

Extra tip: Pitch the tent once at home before taking it out on the trail, so you’ll have an easier time when setting it up in unfamiliar territory.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

I owe Shiva Rea a debt of thanks. A few years ago, when I got too pregnant to continue with my usual yoga class, I turned to her excellent Prenatal Yoga DVD to keep me limber—and I truly believe she deserves some credit for the relatively short, easy labor that brought my daughter into the world. Her newest DVD is Shiva Rea: Daily Energy—Vinyasa Flow Yoga; given our history, I felt compelled to give it a try.

Daily Energy offers seven 20-minute practices (along with a few shorter options) that can be mixed and matched to fit your particular yoga desires and time frame for that day. Some are enlivening (for those “I am woman, hear me roar” days), while others relaxing (for those “I’m so stressed I want to scream” times). When you select the Yoga Matrix option, you can click on as many of them as you want to do, in whatever order you want to do them. Or you can just click on one if you’ve got a mere 20 minutes to spare (which is often the case for me).

There are also shorter sequences, for meditation, core moves, forward bends, and Shavasana (aka, total post-practice relaxation); you can make them a part of your personal “matrix,” do them separately, or ignore them altogether.

And if you’re either too lazy to put your own program together or not sure the best way to combine the routines, there are also several preset practices to choose from.

It’s all very cool.

Rea’s delivery, as always, is soothing and melodic. She gets a little New Agey at times, but uses some vivid, effective imagery to help get your body moving in the right way (one of my favorites, in the Water segment: “Imagine your body is like a buoy in the ocean.”) And if you get tired of listening and simply want to do, you can choose the “music only” option once you become familiar with the routines.

There’s a lot to be impressed with here: There’s a good variation among the seven main practices, and Rea packs a lot of creative moves into each one. Plus the set, with its blues, golds, and greens, is captivating, with Rea undulating on a circular wooden center stage like a joyous mermaid on an ocean-encircled reef.

Some words of caution, however: This DVD is not for yoga newbies, and not just because some of the poses are challenging. Rea moves very quickly from pose to pose, sometimes even getting ahead of her words, and it can be hard to keep up. I do yoga regularly and still found myself falling behind time after time. I might have been more successful if Rea had used the English names for the moves, but she mostly sticks with the Sanskrit versions, some of which I’m not familiar with. If I had known which pose we were headed into, perhaps I could’ve gotten there faster.

Rea also gives very few form tips, so it’s up to you to make sure you’re not hurting your body. Many of these poses undulate, which could be hard on your knees or back if you aren’t careful.

All that being said, if you know what you’re doing and don’t mind playing a little catch-up the first few times through, Daily Energy is an excellent way to get your om on.

Product: Shiva Rea: Daily Energy—Vinyasa Flow Yoga

Category: DVD

Pros: You can create a variety of workouts to match your mood and available time, the routines are creative, and the presentation is gorgeous. Rea’s delivery is calming too.

Cons: Rea moves a bit too rapidly from pose to pose and she gives little advice regarding proper form. Not for beginners.

Cost: $20 at AcaciaCatalog.com

Extra tip: The first few times through each routine, keep the remote close by so you can pause to allow yourself time to get into each pose properly.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

Dressing for a fall outdoor workout can be a challenge. It’s usually a little nippy when I start out, then by mid-workout I’m ready to shuck a layer. But I’ve never been a fan of the tie-your-jacket-around-your-waist look, and I hate that flapping feeling. What’s a girl to do? To my rescue: the New Balance Lightweight Convertible Jacket, which converts easily from a jacket to a vest, thanks to removable sleeves.

I’m a sucker for a good workout jacket, and this one has all the key elements. It’s lightweight and soooo breathable, with stretchy, almost mesh-like fabric under the arms and along the neck and shoulder blades—in other words, the heavy sweat zones. Plus, there’s actual mesh down the center of the back, ingeniously covered with fabric in a way that keeps the wind out but lets air circulate.

It’s really cute, too, with a flattering cut and thumb holes at the ends of the sleeves—nice for when it’s chilly but not frigid enough for gloves.

Lastly, it offers groovy little extras like an iPod pocket and a bright yellow “in case of emergency” strip (with room to write your name, address, phone number, etc.) attached to the inside of one of the pockets, so you don’t have to worry about taking ID along.

Yes, that’s all well and good—but what about the sleeves, you ask!

While I’ll gladly acknowledge the versatility of being able to remove them—and be left with a fine-looking vest to keep my core warm—there are some drawbacks to the style.

The biggest one: The zippers that connect the sleeves to the rest of the jacket feel a bit uncomfortable under the arms, both with the sleeves on and off. It was also a little difficult—though doable—to unzip them while wearing the jacket.

Once I’d removed the sleeves, I stuffed them in the jacket pockets, as I’m sure I was meant to do. But that raised another problem: I suddenly looked like I was several months pregnant. This isn’t a huge deal, but I did feel I had some explaining to do when my husband caught sight of my newly rounded “belly” upon my return home.

So the jacket’s not perfect. Still, I do like the versatility, and this is truly the most breathable jacket I’ve ever worn. It may well remain my go-to jacket until winter arrives—or until word gets around the neighborhood that I’m “expecting.”

Product: New Balance Lightweight Convertible Jacket

Category: Apparel

Pros: It’s stylish, breathable, and allows you to switch from jacket to vest mid-workout.

Cons: The underarm zippers are a bit uncomfortable, and removing the sleeves while wearing the jacket is a little tricky. Also, the sleeves add bulk when stored in the jacket pockets.

Cost: $99.99 at NBwebexpress.com

Extra tips: Wear this over a short- or long-sleeve workout top instead of a tank or sports bra, so the zipper won’t irritate the skin under your arms. And keep track of which sleeve is which left and which is right, since the zippers are slightly different.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

I do a lot of walking, so I’m picky about my shoes. My last three go-to pairs have all been the same style of Rykas: I fell in love with the first pair, then eventually bought two more before the style was discontinued. Recently I wore through the last of them. As if on cue, Reebok sent me a pair of their new Versawalk DMX Max walking shoes to test out. Excellent timing!

When I slipped them on the next morning, I felt decidedly wobbly. The shoes have what’s called a “hollow two-pod cushioning system,” which lets air move from one pod to the other, supposedly to provide individualized cushioning. What it was providing me with, though, was a definite feeling of sliding inward toward my arch. I gave it a moment, though, and to my surprise, my feet adjusted and began to feel level again.

Once I got used to the shoes, I quickly discovered how comfortable they are. I felt like I was almost bouncing with every step (fun!), and that’s some feat when you’re walking on asphalt. At the same time, my feet felt well supported.

That’s not all there is to like about these shoes, either: There’s plenty of room in the toe box (even for my wide toes), and the heel fits snugly. Plus, the keep-my-feet-cool ventilation is excellent, thanks to the mesh across the top front of the shoe.

But there’s one big drawback, and it’s one that plagues nearly every walking shoe out there: They look like boring white nursing shoes. Why, why, why do shoe companies believe that serious walking shoes have to be almost all white? Are we walkers so much less cool than runners, whose shoes come in every shiny, groovy color you can think of? Are we to think that when our knees can’t handle the impact of running anymore, or we want to try Nordic walking, or we just plain prefer walking to running, we automatically become undeserving of good-looking shoes?

For a while, a couple years back, it seemed like walking shoes had taken a comely turn and left the Great White Way (those Rykas I loved were a testament to that: a cool silvery gray with a touch of aqua). Alas, it didn’t last, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why.

And so, I am issuing a challenge to all the fitness shoemakers out there: Please come up with some cool-looking shoes for serious walkers!

One big question remains regarding my new Reeboks: Will the comfort factor trump their plain Jane looks? Will substance win over style? Given the current lack of stylish options, I may not have a choice.

Product: Reebok Versawalk DMX Max

Category: Shoes

Pros: They’re super comfortable and cushiony, they support well, and they keep your feet cool.

Cons: They look boring.

Cost: $65 at Reebok.com

Extra tip: Keep track of the miles you’re putting on these shoes with the Shoe Odometer, reviewed in this blog on Sept. 4.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

Sure, pocketless workout wear looks sleek, but it presents a bit of a problem when it comes to finding a place to put my keys and ID when I head out to skate or Nordic walk.

I’ve tried holders that clip to my waist, wrap around my arm or ankle, or clip to my shoe, but they always turn out to be too bulky or they shift around or they just don’t hold enough. As a result, I’ve never been totally satisfied—until now. Allow me to introduce the SPIbelt.

The SPIbelt (SPI stands for “small personal item”) is a pouch made of a stretchy material attached to an elastic waist belt—but don’t let its simplicity fool you. The pouch looks tiny at first, as if there’s no way I could cram all my stuff into it. But here’s the thing: It stretches to accommodate just about anything you’d want to take with you—in my case, a cell phone, ID, keys, a couple of cough drops, and some tissues (can you tell I have a cold?).

I harbored doubts about how comfy it would be, and when I put it on, my keys were indeed digging into the small of my back. But I reached back, adjusted the placement of the items, and bingo—it felt just fine.

Here’s the coolest part, and the one that really sold me on the SPIbelt: It didn’t shift, move, bounce, or ride up, no matter how fast I was moving. I actually forgot I was wearing it.

I’ve since discovered that the company also sells a reflective version on its website—a nice touch, but at $10 extra, the cost seems a bit excessive.

But hey, I can always clip a light onto the belt I have. This is one workout accessory that, from now on, I won’t be leaving the house without.

Product: SPIbelt

Category: Gear

Pros: The pouch adjusts to fit either a little or a lot, and it still manages to be super comfortable. Best of all, it doesn’t shift while you’re moving.

Cons: You have to pay extra if you want the reflective version.

Cost: $20 at SPIbelt.com

Extra tip: It’s a bit of a stretch (no pun intended), but you can fit a passport and some cash in the pouch and wear it under your shirt or jacket for security while traveling.

Previous posts by Su Reid-St. John:

Francesco Mosto

Whether your cardio plan involves walking, running, cross-training, or trail-running, our list will help you find the best new sneakers for your workout.
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