All Terrain Recovery Rub
Test Series Report by Dawn Larsen
 
Initial Report 8 October 2009
Long Term Report 18 January 2010


Name: Dawn Larsen
Age: 48
Gender: female
Height: 5' 4" (163 cm)
Weight: 165 lb (75 kg)
Email address: vicioushillbilly AT yahoo DOT com
Florence, South Carolina USA

Backpacking Background:
I used to backpack in college a zillion years ago and just in the last few years have backpacked some private trails in Tennessee, Missouri and most recently South Carolina. I have been an avid car-camper for eleven years and I have kayak/canoe camped for four years, both in South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. I use a lot of the same equipment for both. I hike hilly/rocky trails especially in Missouri (my home state) and Arkansas. I live in South Carolina and am busy checking out the terrain here with my sixteen year-old son.

Initial Report
8 October 2009

Product Information
Manufacturer:  All Terrain
Year of Manufacture:  2009
URL: www.allterrainco.com
Listed Manufacturer's Volume: 3 fl oz (90 ml)
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price: $9.99 US
Made in USA



Ingredients listed on the back of the tube: Amica (Arnica Cordifolia) Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides, Caprylyl Glycol, Ceteareth-20, Cetyl Alcohol, Cinnamon (Cinnamonmum Zeylanicaum ) Leaf Oil, Citric Acid, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Kava Kava (Piper Methysticum) Extract, Olive (Olea Europaea) Oil, Sweet Almond (Prunus Amygadalus Dulcis) Oil, Sweet Clover (Melilctus Officinalis) Leaf Extract, Shea (Butyrospermum Parki) Butter, Steareth-2, Water, 1,2 Hexanediol.  I wish the company listed the ingredients on the website.  It would be nice to know what they were before I might buy the product.
 
The first night that it got cold here in South Carolina, I must have slept wrong (probably in a ball) because I woke up with a giant lump in my back between my shoulder blades, as well as with a blinding migraine.  Coincidentally, that day I had just gotten the package with the Recovery Rub in it.  When I got home from work that night, I rubbed some Recovery Rub on the knot in my back.  It really helped me.  I was surprised as the cream's smell is very subtle so I figured it would not be strong enough to take care of the big knot in my back.  After about 30 seconds, the area got warm and tingled and really relaxed the knot.  There was no greasy residue. My skin absolutely absorbed it all.  However, the feeling didn't last very long,  maybe 2-3 minutes. The relief is not nearly as helpful once the tingle is gone.  I used the cream for the next 3 nights with the same results.  

I have just begun a regular exercise routine.  I will bike to work 2-3 days per week and use the Wii Fit system when I can't bike.  I will also keep up my regular outdoors activities.  I have just been named the faculty sponsor of my university's camping club.  I hope to get the students out in the woods at least once a month.  I plan to test this product on sore muscles, as well as to loosen up muscles before exercise, like the information on the box states. 
 
What I Like
It works to loosen up sore spots.
 
What I Don't Like
The heat and tingle don't seem to last very long
 

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Long Term Report
18 January 2010

Field Conditions

Dreher Island State Park, Prosperity, South Carolina in November:  There are several hiking trails at this park.  The park is on an island surround by a big lake.  The wind from the lake carries a lot of moisture into the campsites and trails.  Temperatures averaged 45 degrees F (7 C) during the day and got down to 36 degrees F (2 C) at night.  There was a bathhouse that we used on park property.

Camping on private land near Sumter, South Carolina in November:  Temperatures about this same as above.  No bathhouse or running water.

Nature Trail in Wallace Woods, Florence, South Carolina:  I hiked this .75 mile (1.21 km) nature trail at least five times.  It is fairly level, but with cypress roots to trip me.  

I backpacked a trail along the Buffalo River, Arkansas one weekend: Trail was hilly, rocky, slushy with snow and mud.  This trail was 12 miles (19.3 km) that generally wound around and followed the Buffalo River.  Temperatures averaged about 35 degrees F (2 C) during the day and below freezing at night. There was some sleet and snow when we were hiking, but not much.  Mostly, it was just cold.

Stewardship Loop in Harbison State Forest, Columbia, South Carolina:  I hiked about 2 hours on the first warm day in about a week.  Temperature was 47 degrees F (8 C).  This produced ice melt from frozen rain earlier in the week.  This was a 3 mile (5 km) trail with about .5 miles (.8 km) worth of off-trail paths.  Terrain included: wet and dry sand, leaves, pine needles, really mucky mud.  The trail was fairly rough and ascended about 150 feet (46 m).   Restrooms were available with running water.

Other:  I used this anytime I had minor aches and pains, for example, after working out in the gym or riding my bike to work.

Field Observations
This cream feels very nice initially.  I tend to get stiff and sore in my hips and thighs after hiking. So I took it with me in the car on day hikes and on camping trips as well. I also took it backpacking, but put it in a smaller container because the tube is too big to backpack with. 

It rubs in very well and did not leave my skin feeling greasy or slimy.  It also made the application area very tingly and a little warm.  It seemed to loosen up tight muscles so that I could move them better and work the soreness out of them. However, the feeling does not last very long and that is problematic.  The feeling only lasts for about 5 minutes.  I had to keep reapplying on really sore spots and then work the soreness out rather than being able to apply it and just walk around and let it heal on its own.  

I also like that this cream is as natural as it can be.  Natural products do not usually have as drastic or dramatic results as chemical products.  By that, I mean that the tingly feeling is more subtle since this product is a natural one.  I like that.  I worry about what can happen to me after my skin has absorbed unnatural chemicals.  

Summary
This cream is nice because there are no chemicals.  It feels good on my skin and doesn't leave a slimy or greasy residue.  I had to use a lot of it, however, when I needed to use a muscle cream because the tingly feeling doesn't last very long.  I will probably continue to use this product, as I am concerned about chemicals and what they can do to me once they have been absorbed.

What I like...
It is not greasy and doesn't leave a stain on clothing.

What I don't like...
The tingly feeling doesn't last very long.

This concludes my Long Term Report.  Many thanks to All Terrain and BackpackGearTest.org for allowing me to test Recovery Rub.