Hey Toby, think about the Catalina Eco Marathon! It looks beautiful.  Anyway, my favorite piece of gear is my Specialized S Works Road Bike.  Not only do I really love the weight of the bike, the geometry, and how it handles...I got it for a smokin' deal and I couldn't be happier.  I was looking for months for a new bike. There were so many different choices, and my top picks were in the $3,000 range.  I would always get so nervous...I could never pull the purchase trigger. Luckily, I ended up getting really sick and was in bed on a Saturday morning.  I received the Tri Club classifieds on my laptop while laying there, and a pro female was selling one of her old bikes! She priced it really fairly, and she had all of the best parts on the bike.  It is so light! I really enjoy it. I feel like I got the best deal...on wheels.

my REI half dome tent.  it was super simple to set up, take down, and provided good ventilation and more.  how does this relate to being active?  it was the greatest component during my camping experience at the 2008 Wildflower Triathlon festival.  

i raced the olympic.

and it was good.

funny that you'd make this thread toby as my favorite piece of gear was recommended by you!  my kahtoola microSPIKES are AMAZING for trail running int he winter in CT.

i couldnt believe how well they gripped when i RAN right over a solid sheet of ice and didnt even come close to slipping.  I dig into ice, logs, stumps, frozen ground, snow, slush, mud, completely changed how I trained this winter!

we actually just had a few days above freezing so most of its gone, but I definitely got my moneys worth out of them for the season.  i would recommend them to ANYONE with cabin fever =)  its so much fun to run over that terrain with no regard haha

now that its all melted down though, I get to go play in the mud =)  W00T!

reading my mind =P  I use Speedcross2's, they are AMAZING as well =)

THE NYKNYC SLEEK WEIGHT VEST IS ADDICTIVE ITS SO GREAT. I USE IT FOR MY WALKS AND RUNS IT HAS MADE ME LOOSE 3 SIZES I WENT FROM A SIZE 14 TO A 10 JEANS AND AM HEADING FOR A SIZE 8 SOON .

VEST HAS ALSO INCREASED MY ENDURANCE AND STAMINA PLUS MY LEGS LOOK FABULOUS! TONED FIRM SEXY SEE THE NYKNYC VEST IF YOU WANT TO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR WALKS AND RUNS.

MY MOTHER USES ONE ALSO TO INCREASE BONE DENSITY AND IT WORKS , SHE USES NO DRUGS OR ANY JUNK LIKE THAT JUST WALKS IN THE NYK VEST