Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Toiletries > All Terrain Recovery Rub 2009 > Test Report by Sam Stamey

ALL TERRIAN RECOVERY RUB
TEST SERIES BY SAM STAMEY
This is an IR/LTR only test with no Field Report

INITIAL REPORT - October 05, 2009
LONG TERM REPORT - January 17, 2010

TESTER INFORMATION

Backpacking background: I started backpacking two years ago with my wife and two children (ages 8 and 10 at the time). We have been car camping for 20+ years. Most of our backpacking has been three season camping in the Sierras, 6000 -12,000 ft (1800 m - 3658 m) and on the Northern California Coast. We mostly do a combination of car camping and backpacking. Our family recently switched from one 4 person tent to using two 2 person tents. I usually carry most of the weight and my internal frame pack weighs between 40-50 lb (18-22 kg).

INITIAL REPORT

PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS

Manufacturer: All Terrain
Year of Manufacture: 2009
Manufacturer's Website: http://www.allterrainco.com
MSRP: US$9.99
Listed Volume 3.0 fl oz (90ml)
Other details:
This is a pain relieving cream that temporarily relieves sore muscles, joint and arthritis pain.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

Packaging is appropriate for this type of product. The tube of Recovery Rub comes inside a simple retail box printed with the company's logo and instructions. The tube itself is standard with a flip top lid.

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

Directions are printed on the back of the tube as well as on the box. Directions are simple and clear.
Directions:
Adults and children 12 years or over: apply to affected area not more than 3 or 4 times a day. Massage until thoroughly absorbed into the skin. Children under 12 years: ask a doctor.

Very simple instructions for a very simple product.

TRYING IT OUT

The Recovery Rub is a white creamy liquid that absorbs into the skin easily. The product contains 5% menthol which produces a nice menthol smell that made my eyes slightly water.

I used the rub on one of my calves after jogging a few miles so that I could compare the results of one leg with the product and one leg without.

The rub went on easy and absorbed into my skin rapidly. The smell was good and after a minute or two I could feel my calf tingling. I thought for awhile that the tingling sensation was supposed to be the pain relief and was a little disappointed. I was concentrating on the results too much. I forgot about the rub and went about my business and an hour later I realized the tingling was gone but my calf was less sore than the other calf that did not have the rub applied. It seems the first test went well and worked as advertised.

SUMMARY

The initial test went well and I will continue to test the rub over the next few months on various parts of my body that are sore. I will use it after running, hiking, and backpacking.

FIELD REPORT

FIELD LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

I have used this product exclusively at home as a post hike or sore muscle treatment. I have used it after hiking, running, and working in the yard. Conditions have been a combination of warm days and cold rainy days. My home is near sea level.

PERFORMANCE

Over the last two months I have used this product on my legs, arms, back, neck, hips, glutes, and hands. Anywhere that has been sore on my body I have tried to apply this Recovery Rub.

I have found that the Recovery Rub has relieved some of my pain from sore muscles. Mostly I have found that it has worked for me in muscles that are sore from exercise. Muscles such as my back and neck that I have pulled from using them in the wrong way (such as not using my legs when lifting) have not benefitted as much from the Recovery Rub. I have found that the tingling sensation that the product produces has helped relieve some of the pain but not as much as I had hoped.

The Recovery Rub has a nice creamy texture that is not greasy or oily, a fact that I had not noticed until I compared it to a similar product. It goes on smoothly and is absorbed into my skin quickly and has not stained my clothes. The creaminess of it makes it easy for me to rub into my skin and feels good to my sore muscles. It has as cool tingly feeling when first applied and slowly turns to an icy feeling that last for a few hours.

Being that is winter time now, I am not that excited about the icy feeling. The tingling feeling is nice but I don't want to be colder in the winter than I already am. I have applied the Recovery Rub to my sore muscles after a hot shower and that was a really good combination. The product seemed to be more affective when my muscles were warmed up and I did not mind the icy feeling. I think that the icy feeling will feel nice in the summer time when I am not already cold.

The smell of the product is a combination of menthol and other herbs that I find refreshing. It is not overpowering to me and it does not linger for long or make my clothes smell like menthol.

The Recovery Rub also says that it is good for pre-exercise to warm up muscles. I tried it on my calves before jogging and I cannot say that my muscles benefitted from that pre-run treatment.

SUMMARY

In summary I would say that this product gave me some relief of minor soreness of my muscles. For major muscles soreness I felt that the sensation of the tingling and cold distracted me from the soreness for a short while but did not relieve my pain.

I enjoyed the smell of the product, the ease of application, the creamy, non-oily texture, and I think that in the summer I will appreciate the icy sensation more than I have in the winter.

Thank you BackPackGearTest and All Terrain for giving me the opportunity to test this product.

LONG-TERM REPORT

TEST LOCATIONS AND CONDITIONS

I have used this product exclusively at home as a post hike or sore muscle treatment. I have used it after hiking, running, working in the yard. Conditions have been a combination of warm days and cold rainy days. My home is near sea level.

PERFORMANCE

I have used this product on my legs, arms, back, neck, hips, glutes, and hands. Pretty much anywhere that has been sore on my body I have tried to apply this recovery rub. I have also asked some of my family member s and friends to try it out.
I have found that the Recovery Rub has relieved some of my pain from sore muscles. Mostly I have found that it has worked for me in muscles that are sore from exercise. Muscles such as my back and neck that I have pulled from using them in the wrong way (such as not using my legs when lifting) have not benefited as much from the recovery rub. I have found that the tingling sensation has helped relieve some of the pain; it was not as much as I had hoped.
The recovery Rub is a nice creamy texture that is not greasy or oily. A fact that I had not noticed until I compared it to a similar product. It goes on smoothly and is absorbed into the skin quickly and does not stain my clothes. The creaminess of it makes it easy for me to rub into my skin and feels good to my sore muscles. It has as cool tingly feeling when first applied and slowly turns to an icy feeling.
Being that is winter time now, I am not that excited about the icy feeling. The tingling feeling is nice but I don't want to be colder in the winter than I already am. I applied the Recovery Rub to my sore muscles after a hot shower and that was a really good combination. The product seemed to be more affective when my muscles were warmed up and I did not mind the icy feeling. I think it will feel nice in the summer time.
The smell of the product is a combination of menthol and other herbs that I find refreshing. It is not overpowering to me and it does not linger for long or make my clothes smell like menthol.
The Recovery Rub also says that it is good for pre-exercise to warm up muscles. I tried that on my calves before jogging and I cannot say that my muscles benefited from that treatment.

SUMMARY

In summary I would say that this product showed some relief on minor soreness of my muscles. For major muscles soreness I felt that the sensation of the tingling and cold distracted me from the soreness for a short while but did not relieve my pain.
I enjoyed the smell of the product and think that in the summer I will appreciate the icy sensation more than I have in the winter.
Thank you BackPackgearTest and All Terrain for giving me the opportunity to test this product.

CONTINUED USE

Describe your expected continued use of the item, or explain why you will not use the item in the future.

Reviews > Personal Hygiene > Toiletries > All Terrain Recovery Rub 2009 > Test Report by Sam Stamey