Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

New Jerseys

Take a trip down memory lane and look at the unis worn by Bird and Magic, vs. Jordan and Isiah Thomas, vs. Lebron and Kobe, and you’ll see just how much the style of basketball has changed. The same trends have flowed through the college game. Yesterday, Nike unveiled what it expects to be the [...]

It takes two to tango

Speed or power? That’s the decision you’ll need to make before you don a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe VII System Supreme ($140-$180, Dec. 22). Two interchangeable inserts provide either full-length Cushlon midsole and ankle cuff for a power bias, or a Phylon midsole with Nike Zoom units and a low-cut power-stretch cuff for aiding [...]

Kicked by a Rose

We’ve spent a solid month with Derrick Rose’s signature shoe, the adiZero Rose 2 ($110). Actually, not just us but the also the best player we could find at our local court (thanks, Divine). With heaps of brisk afternoons full of asphalt carnage and battered egos, we’ve finally got our answers. It’s no secret that [...]

Eat it, Aerobie

The brainchild of two New York designers who found themselves inspired by a scrap piece of cardboard, the Hela Disc ($19) is an entirely new way to go about the much-addictive ritual of throwing a round, disc-shaped object with gusto. Developed with unique physics and in-flight mechanics, the Hela boasts an ability to be thrown [...]

Swing Away

Does your offensive production in the summer beer league make Mario Mendoza’s career average look good? Joe Mauer’s Quickswing PX4 ($130) can help improve sluggish bat speed and accuracy — as well as provide fielders with double play turnaround practice. Developed originally by the father of sports prodigy and three-time batting title winner Joe Mauer, [...]

Spray It Don't Say It

If baseball is America’s game, then yard work must be America’s chore. These officially licensed MLB Lawn Logo Stencils ($80) combine the two weekend time killers in a way that’s sure to bring joy to rabid fans and horror to their wives. Each reusable stencil creates a 52″ tall logo that remains visible until your [...]

Fast Feet

With the Women’s World Cup kicking off we’ve gotten a bit of the fútbol bug around the office. In that spirit, Puma has recently released their latest flagship soccer cleat the v1.11 ($180) and it’s fast. With a lightweight microfiber synthetic upper, the Puma v1.11 will help you win those 50-50 balls and blaze a [...]

Meet the Lightest Cleats in Football

The NBA finals were reliably interrupted with commercials of Derrick Rose peddling his adiZero “crazy” light basketball shoes as the lightest basketball shoe ever. The Adidas adiZero 5-Star cleat ($100) have the similar bragging rights in the world of football. Their uppers are made from a single-layer of proprietary Sprintskin synthetic, which supposedly provides similar [...]

By the Skin of Your Cleats

The term Cleatskin rolls off the tongue in a strangely unsettling way, but we won’t knock a company for being blunt about their product’s purpose. Made from a unique formulation of compression molded rubber called Skintek, they’re essentially galosh’s for your spikes — dare we use such a foppish term in the same sentence as [...]

Famous for their game and mane

Normally we avoid the funny t-shirt racket because our dorm room days are behind us. This new line of Hair-itage Tees ($20) just tugged too strongly at our inner sports fan to be ignored. The series features some of the most distinguished stashes, mullets, beards, and sideburns to ever grace the diamond, testing your knowledge [...]

Because We Can't All Be Ray Allen

Sick of air-balling those wide open jumpers during your weekly game at the gym? Or perhaps you’re just looking to give junior that extra edge come varsity try outs. In either scenario, the SKLZ Rapid Fire Basketball Training Aid ($125) is the next best thing to hiring a personal ball boy. It’s designed to be [...]

Loggin' in a better average

Baseball has been an American standard since… well, since old George W (the original) caused a ruckus in a certain British colony. During the intervening time, baseball equipment hasn’t changed much – leather skinned ball, three bases, sunflower seeds in the dugout – until the Baden Axe Pro Bat ($45). Woodsman, meet baseman. Rather than [...]

One Ball to Rule Them All

American Football is now sadly taking its seasonal breather, but it’s almost time for the knock out phase of the Champions League to begin. Right on schedule, Adidas has released this year’s “official match” finale ball, which will be used for one night only during the game at Wembley Stadium in London. It’s the 11th [...]

Game At Long Range

Think you’ve got what it takes to channel Larry Bird but never had the opportunity to show it off? Well the Sportscraft Step Back 3 ($150) might be your ticket. It works like any other basketball shooting game you might have played in your Chucky Cheese glory days with one welcomed twist in the form [...]

Lebron's Got Your Back, Kinda.

With music being the fundamental push behind the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android becoming a core workout accessory, all the major sports brands are looking to push the envelope with various workout companion apps. All with a focus to motivate and help track performance. Sometimes through old-fashioned techniques like, well, yelling. Nike Boom is a [...]