We Conquered the Grand Canyon, And This Is the Running Gear We Wore

What You Need To Know

It all started with a shoe…

Listen, we’ve all heard the story of what happens if you give a mouse a cookie. Surely, he’s going to want more. Well, this story is a lot like that. Only, instead of talking about cookies, Mount to Coast decided to give a shoe guy his very own silhouette — referring, of course, to Thomas and his very own take on the Mount to Coast H1. And, now that it’s become real, his next dream was to push the shoe to its limits.

That’s how he found himself at the rim of the Grand Canyon, accompanied by Karl, Lin from Mount to Coast, Floris from Path Projects, Ryan Hall (who needs no further introduction), and more. The crew woke up at four in the morning, laced up their shoes, and set out for an adventure they knew would exceed a marathon but weren’t quite sure where it would top out.

Nearly 12 hours later, they stopped their watches, having met their goal — and maybe a cactus or two along the way. There was more than enough blood, sweat, and tears to fill a Clint Eastwood flick, and enough beer to fill the canyon they’d just crossed.

So, if you have your own dreams of getting a trail adventure out of the group chat, this is the guide for you. Here’s a breakdown of all the gear our team wore to christen the Believe in the Run x Mount to Coast H1 in the Grand Canyon.

Path Projects and Ciele Apparel

BITR x Ciele GoCap

KARL: This hat is one of my favorite hats in my collection – not just because it says Believe in the Run on it, but because it’s comfortable and the fit is great. I also enjoy the slightly off-white color of the hat. Throughout the entire run in the Grand Canyon, I never felt like this hat got in my way or felt weighed down when the sweat started to build up. I also like to think the slightly white color helped reflect the sun during the most intense parts of the day, but I’m not a scientist and can’t say whether that’s true. Overall, I’m a big fan of this Ciele hat and will continue to wear it as I always have (of course, once I rinse off all the red dust).

THOMAS: Ciele set the bar for performance caps, so collaborating with them to create a signature Believe in the Run hat was a no-brainer. However, if you have a brain, this cap will rest on it nicely. We went with an off-white to keep the hat cool in the summer and still hide dirt. The hat will also accommodate people with big heads thanks to the generous adjustable strap.

There’s also a cool feature that was easy to see in the Grand Canyon while it was still dark enough to need headlamps: the Believe in the Run text is reflective. We definitely, totally didn’t plan for it to look so cool on the run, but what can we say, it was fate. When it isn’t being hit with a beam of light, the text just looks charcoal gray — still cool.

Path Projects Wadi LS and Sentinel Half Tight

KARL: I’ve been a fan of Path Projects since before I joined Believe in the Run. I bought two pairs of the Killam PX pants when I first started running, and I still wear these pieces to this day. I was ecstatic when I found out Floris Gierman (co-founder of Path Projects) was tagging along for the Grand Canyon adventure and would be outfitting the crew with pieces he found applicable to the run. Most, if not all of us, decided to run in the Wadi 2.0 hoodie, a lightweight, breathable hoodie with UPF 50 protection. This worked remarkably well, especially during the back half. Although it was 98 degrees, with the bare sun not only baking me physically but also deep-frying my soul into an unescapable abyss, the Wadi did a great job protecting my skin from the sun. I walked away from this trip without a single sunburn.

I also wanted to shout out the Sentinel half-tight, which I wore out of the box for this 26-plus-mile run. This is a fantastic piece of kit. There’s plenty of storage, and I love the way the garment hugged my skin without feeling overly tight. I’m happy to report I had no chafing issues either. Overall, I’ve been a massive fan of Path Projects over the years, and I’m happy to see them continue to pump out premium products.

THOMAS: Seeing the entire crew decked out head-to-toe in Path Projects gave us a real team (or maybe cult) vibe. Not only did the gear look good, but it came through where it really mattered: performance. I was especially keen on the Wadi LS with the hood. The light fabric lets your skin breathe in the dry canyon heat while you have full sun protection (50 UPF). As we ascended, my arms, neck, and ears were sheltered from the intense sun. I had no chafing even with a Tantrums pack over the Wadi LS.

I am mixed on half tights and almost went with the Path shorts. The night before, I decided to go with the Sentinel Half Tight. I had made the right choice. The tights are comfortable standing still and have tons of storage. I spent over 10 hours in the tights between travel, the canyon, and dinner. I didn’t have any issues and was comfortable the whole time, even after soaking them in Ribbon Falls. They dried quickly and felt great. Maybe I am a half-tight guy after all.

Kailas Fuga and Tantrums Vests

Kailas Fuga Air 8 IV

KARL: I received this vest for review last summer while we were in Chamonix, but I just never got a chance to use it until this trip. This is another piece I wore out of the box (I should preface by saying you should not be doing this, always test your gear before race day or a big event to make sure it works for you), but this vest was straight-up comfortable from the jump and with 8L of storage, I had more than enough room combined with the Path Projects Sentinel half tight.

Kailas Fuga is a brand from China with a stronger presence in the East than in the West, so some of you reading may have never heard of it. It specializes in technical trail equipment. I still have one of their shoes (the EX 330) that I will be testing, but if the vest is any indication of quality, then it’s something I’m looking forward to putting miles in. They have their own BOA–style rotating dial to cinch up the vest and obtain a very good fit.

As mentioned, there are plenty of storage pockets on the front and back. I didn’t bring poles, but it has a storage system for a quiver, and it comes with two 16-oz bottles with a bite-top design. The bottle tops also use a push-pull system to prevent leaks when you’re done sipping, and they swivel 360 degrees so you can sip comfortably while on your run.

I was able to carry my Insta360 Go Ultra camera, sunscreen, food, an extra HydraPak, and LMNT packets, and still had a ton of room leftover. I wouldn’t hesitate to use this again for an actual ultramarathon. The 8L of storage can go a long way, and once the fit is dialed in, there’s very little bounce, and everything feels secure — nothing feels loose, and no items feel like they’re going to fall out.

Lastly, I’ll say I love the Jade Green colorway I received. It complements the silver tone of the Path Projects Wadi hoodie and is a nice way to stand out in a sea of black hydration vests or over-the-top colors currently on the market.

Tantrums Crest 6

THOMAS: This is the best vest I have ever worn, full stop.

Okay, you need more information, I get it. The Crest 6 is light, 135 g for the medium I wore. The heat in the canyon wasn’t a problem at even 98º Fahrenheit. The pack is designed to let you breathe rather than become another heat source. Taylor gave me a medium size to wear, and while it worked on my 42-inch chest, the large size will give me more fitting options. Even with the smaller size, the pack locked in and felt comfortable for 10 hours.

I used two 600 mL soft flasks, developed with HydroPak, mounted on the front of the pack, and kept nutrition and extra gear in the spot where you can fit a 1.5 L reservoir. There was no bouncing, no chafing, and everything was secure. I’ve run in Salomon, Nathan, Camelback, The North Face, and other packs, and the Tantrums Crest 6 was the only one where I’ve felt like you aren’t compromising comfort to carry supplies. Besides my two soft flasks, I carried two ziplock bags of Nerd Clusters, an extra shirt, extra socks, chapstick, two action cameras, six Maurtens, and a ziplock of RNWY Salty Carbs.

I also brought the Raide LF 2F as a backup storage option, packed with a little extra nutrition, but I largely felt covered by the Crest 6.

BITR x Swiftwick Crew Socks

THOMAS: I wore a soon-to-be-released colorway of the Swiftwick Mid Calf Crew and brought a backup pair just in case. I ran dusty trails, submerged my feet in a river, stood under a waterfall, and kept the same pair on for about 30 miles. No blisters, no hotspots, no need to take the socks off and switch to the second pair. The BITR H1 and Swiftwick combo works. My feet are still ugly, but they felt great.

And, of course, The BITR x Mount to Coast H1

KARL: What else can I say about the H1 that hasn’t already been said? I love the gaiter-style cuff, and it really helped keep rocks and debris out. One of the other guys we ran with, Spencer, only had the regular H1, and within half a mile going downhill, he was already collecting a decent amount of dust and debris. One of the things I like to gloat about on this trip (especially since I came DFL) is that I didn’t trip or roll my ankle once during the entire run.

I felt like the BITR H1 really dialed the fit in with the gaiter and more or less disappeared on my foot, which is what you ultimately want with any piece of kit during a race or long run. Even afterward, my feet felt completely fine (my quads, on the other hand, did not). I had no blisters or hot spots, which I was nervous about since I’ve never done a run this long in either version of the H1.

But when all’s said and done, this shoe felt great from start to finish. Thomas and Mount to Coast did a fantastic job developing this edition of the H1, and I’m excited for other people to try it out.

THOMAS: Damn, I love this shoe.