UPDATED: November 25th, 2017
I love gear! I love getting and playing with new gear, so here is a list of various gear I use in my sports adventures. I stole the idea for this list from DC Rainmaker. He is a WAY better writer than I am, but I was inspired to write all my gear down in one place.
General:
Activity Tracker: Garmin vivosmart 3. This was a tough one because I loved my Fitbit Charge 2. The only reason I switched to Garmin was my daily steps was the only thing not in Garmin’s ecosystem. I actually think the Charge was a better tracker, but I am still pretty happy with the Garmin. The one superior aspect of the vivosmart is the heart rate broadcast feature which allows me to ditch the heart rate strap for many activities.
Calorie Tracking: myfitnesspal. I honestly don’t know if there is a competitor or not, but I started using this one and only have minor complaints.
Water Tracking: Hydro Coach Pro. I am terrible about drinking water, so this reminds me to drink throughout the day.
Weight Scale: Garmin index Smart Scale. Its a scale. I care less about accuracy and more about consistency and this fits my needs.
Bike/Run Nutrition: GU Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Gel. I like these better than the non-Roctane variety.
Adjustable Dumbbells: PowerBlock Elite Dumbbells. Saves space and gives me a wide range of weights to use.
Medicine Ball: 10lb AmazonBasics Medicine Ball. I used this a lot more before I got the adjustable dumbbells, but I still grab it sometimes when I need a quick 10 pounds.
Stability Ball: Fitness Republic Stability Ball. Honestly never met a stability ball that I didn’t hate, but this works when I need one.
Balance Board: Bosu Balance Trainer. I have the worst balance in the world, so I use this to work on my balance.
Other Resistance Training: TRX Home2 System. I have a love hate relationship with this thing, but during my injury this worked great without putting weight on my leg.
Running:
Running Shoes: Asics GT-2000 4. I go through 2 pairs a year and have never had a single issue with them.
Running T-Shirt: Nike Dri-FIT T-Shirt. I own a lot of Nike mainly because I didn’t know what else to buy when I started running. So far it all works great and doesn’t seem to be wearing out too fast.
Running Shorts: Nike 7″ Dry Challenger Running Shorts. I hate internal briefs, so I cut them out and wear adidas Men’s Sport Performance Climalite Trunk Underwear underneath of them.
Running Socks: Asics Intensity Quarter Socks. The first year I ran in plain old cotton socks and amazingly never got blisters. Eventually I was shamed into buying real running socks and went with these because I hate no-show socks.
Running Watch: Garmin Forerunner 935. I really only need a running watch, but the high end running offerings aren’t as good as the 935, so I went with the 935 and haven’t regretted it. Additionally in order to get advanced Garmin-specific running data, I have paired my 935 with the Garmin Running Dynamics Pod.
Heart Rate Monitor: The 935 has built-in wrist-based heart rate monitoring, so I am set there.
Foot Pod: Stryd Running Power Meter. I just recently got this and am still working out how to use the power data to improve my performance, but at the minimum it is as good a foot pod as anything else.
Long Run Hydration: Nathan Peak Waist Pack or Solomon Advanced Skin 12 Backpack. I run a lot of loops, so I tend not to wear these very often. I just stash water somewhere along my route, but when I am out and about or doing a longer race one of these gets the job done.
Cold Weather Shirt: Nike Legend Poly Long-Sleeve Training Shirt. Good shirts. No complaints.
Cold Weather Jacket: Outdoor Research Deviator Hoody. I don’t live in the arctic, so this plus tights and a long-sleeve shirt suits my needs for just about any temperature that comes my way.
Cold Weather Tights: Nike Dri-FIT Tech Running Tights. I really hate wearing tights, but they keep me warm when necessary.
Cold Weather Gloves: Nike Element Thermal 2.0 Running Gloves. I am not in love with these gloves. The gauntlets are too long and the figures have a weird seem at the tips. However, they keep my hands warm when I need them.
Ice Running: Yaktrax Run. I don’t have to run on the ice very often, but these have likely saved my butt more than once.
Anti-Chafe: Bodyglide. Best stuff in the world.
Entertainment: Google Play Music and Zombies, Run! The hardest part of running for me is being inside my own head for so long, so music and zombies do a good job of distracting me.
Headphones: Plantronics BackBeat FIT Wireless Bluetooth Headphones. These are the first Bluetooth headphones I have found that haven’t died in the rain after a few weeks. They don’t have the greatest sound quality, but they get the job done.
Visibility: noxgear Tracer 360 Visibility Vest. I probably don’t wear this as much as I should on early morning runs, but when I do wear it you can see me from space.
Cycling:
Road Bike: Diamondback Century Carbon 4. I am partial to Diamondback because I get a 40% discount via my employer, but overall I am really happy with this purchase. I have kept most everything stock, with the exception of replacing the saddle with a Specialized Phenom Expert and stem with a 7 degree 80mm Bontrager Elite Blendr.
Power Meter: Garmin Vector 2 Pedals. This was a tough one. I seriously considered the PowerTap P1 Meter Pedals, which in most ways are superior to the Vector, but I have an affinity towards Garmin so I went with the Vector.
Bike Pedals: Obviously the Vector 2 Pedals, but I do own a pair of Shimano PD-R550 SPD-SL Road Pedals in case I need a set of regular pedals.
Water Bottle: 21oz CamelBak Podium Water Bottle. I have no idea where or when I picked these up, but they work for me.
Helmet: I am not even sure what it is. Its a really old Bell helmet that I should probably replace soon.
Sunglasses: Oakley Flak 2.0 XL PRIZM Road. I honestly would never buy expensive sunglasses, but these are prescription and insurance paid for them.
Bike Jersey: Performance Ultra Short Sleeve Jersey. These a good balance of price and quality.
Bike Shorts: Performance Ultra Bib Shorts. These match the jersey’s above and provide the same balance between price and quality.
Bike Gloves: An ancient pair of Pearl Izumi gloves. One of these days I will buy something with a little more padding, but honestly I am constantly forgetting to even put these on before a ride.
Bike Shoes: Shimano SH-R065 Cycling Shoes. I didn’t need anything to fancy, but wanted to go with a brand name. The stock insoles were not great for me, so I replaced them with ++Blue Specialized BG SL Footbed.
Cold Weather Clothing: At the moment I don’t ride outside if the weather sucks. Someday, maybe, but not today.
Bike Trainer: Wahoo Fitness KICKR. I ride indoors more than I ride outside using this and Zwift. In order to support my bike’s 12×142 Thru Axle I have to use the KICKR 142×12 Thru Axle Adapter. I have also replaced the cassette with a Shimano 105 Cassette, matching my bike, because I had problems with rough shifting while using the stock SRAM cassette.
Bike Computer: Garmin Edge 520 and Garmin Edge Remote. I know there are newer and fancier units, but I like the simplicity of the 520 and it just works.
Cadence Sensor: Wahoo Fitness RPM Cadence Sensor. Its simple and just works.
Speed Sensor: Garmin Speed Sensor. Easy to install and just works.
Heart Rate Monitor: Garmin vivosmart 3 in broadcast mode. I really don’t like wearing a chest strap unless I have to, so the broadcast feature in the vivosmart is pretty awesome.
Books:
