Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

Rip yourself up, not your equipment

Sandbag training provides plenty of benefits for athletes of all stripes compared to routines centered only around formal weight lifting. Their awkward shape, along with the slight movements of the sand inside, provides an added endurance challenge, forcing users to constantly adjust to the weight. The no-handled variety are excellent for increasing grip strength too. [...]

Monitor your movements, compete against the world

Nike has finally decided to compete directly with startups like Fitbit to help consumers keep track of how much energy they’re burning throughout the day. To do it, the sports leviathan first had to develop a consistent measuring stick for comparing various activities (and people) head to head. So-called NikeFuel is the metric they came [...]

Your Life on Your Wrist

If you’re a runner, cyclist, hiker or skier, you (hopefully) know how important it is to carry emergency contact and medical information. It’s also a good idea to carry some money in case you bank far from home or just if you want to get a mid-ride ice cream. The problem is, where do you [...]

Bog Deep and 12 Miles to Go

For the uninitiated, or those of you who haven’t heard, Tough Mudder is one of the forerunners of the now fully entrenched obstacle course challenges and race phenomenon. The brain child of former British Army Officer Will Dean, Tough Mudder combines military style obstacle course components with an 8-12 mile trail run. In the last [...]

In the balm of your hands

If you experiencing a level of soreness in your joints or muscles after a workout that seems to increase exponentially (not so conicidentally, with age), then consider Badger Organic Muscle Rub ($10). Comprised of simple ingredients such as ginger and cayenne pepper to help galvanize your sore areas, the balm works as a great organic [...]

Shred Your Arms, Not Your Wallet

PowerBlocks aren’t new. In fact, they’ve been around since 1993 — if their website design didn’t clue you in. If you’re looking for a way to workout beyond the gym, PowerBlock Dumbbells are still the most affordable and flexible option when it comes to adjustable weight training. They’re designed like a simple weight stack with [...]

In the raw

Unadulterated, wholesome, whole-food goodness—Larabar was birthed from a Rocky Mountain hike back in spring of 2000. We often keep one on hand for a quick energy boost, and feel good knowing that we don’t have to have a PhD to pronounce its ingredients. The key to Larabar’s success is in its simplistic, raw composition, using [...]

The World's First Drunkpplement

A vitamin specifically formulated for drinkers? Say What? Yup, this is real. DrinkWel ($40) is designed to help support what’s left of your liver after weekends of debauchery, as well as help you feel better during those awful mornings the next day. It’s “doctor-formulated”, and features 30 different ingredients including things like Milk Thistle (WTF?), [...]

Real Icing, Bros

When we described the Moji Knee as an icing smart bomb last summer, we weren’t joking around. It did and does everything as advertised and has been a real life saver. So, when Moji let us know they were releasing a Moji Back, we decided to give it the Gear Patrol hands-on treatment. The Moji [...]

Surf the Concrete Jungle

Snowboard season may still be a ways off, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get practice in now. The Flowlab Skateboard ($80) is the brainchild of an effort to design a board for San Francisco riders that tackles the city’s steep slopes, and it works. The fact that it can replicate the feel of snowboarding [...]

Death to Protein Powder Globs

Situation: It’s been a hard workout. Your body is craving protein. To satiate, you make a protein shake, but globs of chocolate protein powder hover around the surface of the glass. You shake, stir, curse, but no amount of force will break it up. Sound familiar? A recent procurement from the local health store has [...]

Bringing Cross Training to Your Elliptical

As fitness routines have evolved, gym equipment have adapted. Octane Fitness has taken the great workout from an elliptical trainer and blended in the added benefits of cross training. The Q47 Elliptical ($4,095) features Octane’s signature Workout Boosters and the ingenious CROSS CiRCUIT+ strength-training program. To do this, Octane Fitness utilizes Powerbands and stationary side [...]

Handy Power

One of the most critical areas of strength, no matter what your sport, instrument, or adventure is hand strength. Problem is, it’s one of the most overlooked elements in a man’s workout regimen. Remedy that. The Gripmaster Pro Hand Strengthener ($15) provides several weight-resistances (7-11lbs) and exercises like fingertip pinch, flat fist, and powergrip – [...]

Fit & Finish In Full Attendance

Details. Exemplary attention to detail. That was the recurring theme that came to mind over and over on a recent test of Lululemon workout apparel. With our collegiate athletic issue gear singing its requiem we sought to test out Lululemon after hearing numerous people swear by it. Coming into the review skeptical but optimistic, we’re [...]

Cheat Sheet Mat

Sure, reading men’s magazines about different workouts and stretches is great, but like a Google search, I manage to forget everything I read in a matter of seconds. No takeaways and prefer leaving the “bring my magazine with me while I’m working out” doucheyness for the guy. The result? Same workout, every time. G2 has [...]