Nuts and Bolts of AGR
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I want to take a moment here to give everyone some insight to the Nuts and Bolts of AGR and what stands behind the web interface of all our reviews and content. My name is Kevin Fonger and I started ActiveGearReview.com. I started the AGR website in mid 2008 with the goal of informing consumers about the likes, dislikes, and functionality of outdoor and athletic gear. My background has included a number of activities: coaching both youth and adults in running and other various sports, working at a running store and outdoor retail store, running in high school and college, being a fit tester for outdoor companies, being a local mentor trying to educate about the outdoors, and a number of other things.
My personal activity background includes running, cycling, hiking, camping, backpacking, skiing, snowshoeing, rafting, and anything that gets my heart pumping. I’ve run 7 marathons to date; two of them were the Pikes Peak Marathon which was a blast. I’ve also run a number of 24 hour relay races, trail races, and a lot of local road races. I usually get out hiking 1-3 times a week, skiing 30-40 times a year, camping/backpacking 15-20 times a year, snowshoeing10-15 times a year, rafting 1-3 times a year, and over 700 dog walks a year.
I have always had a passion with talking to consumers and letting them know which gear is best suited for them and their activity. I have seen so many people that outfit themselves with the wrong gear, whether it be running shoes, camping equipment, hiking gear, and more. By picking the right piece of gear for you, it often can make your sport and activity much more enjoyable, which in the end helps with our overall happiness (my opinion). One example comes to mind about people picking the wrong gear. When I used to work at an outdoor store in Denver, I would often get people coming up to me and say “can I get a size 10 in these boots, I am going to be hiking Mount Evans”. Mount Evans is a 14,000+ foot mountain in Colorado, but by no means does it need a mountaineering boot or a super beefy backpacking boot for a day hike. To hike something like Mount Evans, all most people need is a light hiking shoe or trail running shoe, but a lot of people don’t know this. Now there is nothing wrong with not knowing what to wear, so never be embarrassed to ask questions when buying gear. Everyone has to learn sometime and somehow about the appropriate gear for each activity. Just remember, even the experts had to learn from someone else too. I have run into several hundred of these situations and I truly enjoyed helping people whether they are new to the activity or veteran, pick out the best gear for them. Thanks for taking the time to check out AGR, and I hope that you learn something from our reviews.
