I've never written about my gear on a personal style forum before. But there's been a lot of gear talk lately, so I figured I'd post my notes here, as some might find them interesting.

I always feel like I have *way* too much gear, but when I go and actually do a review, it turns out I have just enough, and am usually missing a couple of key pieces. My gear gets used for backpacking, canoe camping, day hikes and paddles, and some running (road and trail) in the spring/summer/fall. In the winter, I snowshoe, xc-ski, and hike (depending on trail conditions). I do a little bit of at-home yoga, but am not taking classes right now. I do work on and off with a contact improv and a playback theatre group, and use yoga/dance type apparel for those. I teach at an outdoor school once a week, and occasionally lead group day hikes for families with young children.

This week, I went through my gear drawer and did a count, removing things that either don't fit or are so worn they're no longer functional. My "cull" consisted of:

• 1 pair lightweight hiking pants (too big)
• 2 pairs yoga tights (too big, and too low rise -- I will replace with one pair of high-rise tights in a smaller size)
• 1 short sleeve merino tee and one long sleeve merino tee (full of holes)
• Chacos sandals (have had these pretty much literally for ever, have already replaced the straps and soles once, now the mid-soles are starting to give out, so it's time for a truly new pair)

I also noted several items which are due for replacement, but which I can't get rid of yet, because I'm actively using them:

• ski mitts (ten years old, no longer waterproof, insulation is very compressed)
• waterproof breathable shell jacket (five years old and starting to delaminate right on schedule)
• fleece quarter-zip (Sad story: I wore this while cutting DS's hair earlier in the fall, and it now has tiny little hairs woven into it. It's become a hair shirt! Insanely itchy.)
• merino tank top (full of holes)
• winter softshell pants (too big, attract lint like crazy)

Here is the remainder of my gear kit:

• 2 pairs running shorts
• 2 pairs river shorts
• 2 swim suits
• 2 tank tops (one merino, one synthetic — merino needs to be replaced this year)
• 2 short sleeve tees (one merino, one synthetic)
• 2 lightweight long sleeve tees (one merino, one synthetic)
• 1 pair lightweight tights (yoga/dance/theatre)
• 2 pair midweight tights (hiking/trail running)
• 3 winter baselayer tops (light merino, midweight merino, grid fleece)
• 3 winter baselayer bottoms (capilene, merino, fleece)
• 1 winter midlayer top (merino with hood)
• 1 puffy skirt
• 1 hiking/sport dress
• 1 wind shell
• 1 wind pants
• 1 waterproof/breathable pants
• 1 down vest
• 1 lightweight down jacket
• 1 super-warm down jacket
• 1 pair trail running shoes
• 1 pair road running shoes
• 1 pair waterproof/insulated hiking boots
• miscellaneous accessories: liner gloves, wool mitts, waterproof shell mitts, running gaiters, waterproof gaiters, wool hats/toques in several weights, big sun hat, lightweight running cap, merino Buff (multi-use neck gaiter).

It looks like a lot when you write it all out! I'm really looking forward to shopping for replacement gear. I like reading about new technologies and deciding which ones are worth exploring. And I *love* being able to replace one piece of gear with something a little bit lighter weight (makes a big difference for backpacking).

I know a lot of folks complain about gear colours, especially for women's fitness wear, but I'm actually really pleased with the colours I see in my gear drawer, despite never having planned out a deliberate colour scheme (I mostly buy clearance items or secondhand). There's a solid base of black and dark grey as neutrals, with lots of fuschia, aqua, and purple mixed in. I don't wear bright jewel tones much outside of gear, but I like them in this context. Going forward, I might like to add in some navy and some red/burgundy.