A Peek Inside (Part 4)
Readers,
Yesterday we covered the clothing I wear for coaching. A small update:
I have ordered a rain jacket. North Face was having a tremendous sale, with free shipping and free returns so I decided to bite the bullet and try out a jacket.
Behold, the new - potentially - rain jacket: North Face Apex Flex w/ Goretex.
With that being said, let's move onto a shorter but equally important, "What I use day to day" list. Daily tools. Now, I've already covered the tools that I carry with me in my tool kit whether it be for traveling, or around the boathouse. If you'd like the rundown, check out the link titled, "The Tool Kit." This list will be the items I carry with me each day out on the water.
Leatherman
I never used to carry a Leatherman mostly because they were expensive, and I was concerned about dropping it in the water. For reference, I have dropped a cell phone in the river. So in about 10,000 years someone will find an iPhone 5 in a red case and wonder what the heck it's doing in the middle of a desert.
The multitool I use is the Leatherman Fuse. Apparently it has been retired and my particular tool did come with a knife unlike the one in the link. I do like it, but I haven't had to use it much. It's been handy for some quick repairs or the occasional, "I don't want to walk back to the trailer" situation. Like a majority of my tools and gear, I purchased this on clearance.
Kershaw
Now, anyone who knows me knows that I love my Kershaw knives. Nearly all of my cooking knives are from Kershaw - I do have one Japanese chefs knife - and they are all purchased on clearance at the company's annual sale the first week of December. If you've not gone, I suggest you go. All the knives are in great shape and are clearanced for various trivial reasons such as the label not being in the correct location. They still come with a decent warranty and lifetime free sharpening.
I like the automatic pocket knives and while I prefer to have a guard on the blade so it doesn't open, that's not always an option. I prefer the Leek with the serrated edge. A serrated blade comes in handy more often than not and while you can't technically sharpen this type of edge, the half serrated/half standard blade gives you the best of both worlds.
Currently I use the Misdirect because I need to replace my Leek - also at the bottom of the river - which is a decent standby though I do miss the serrated edge.
If you're gasping at the prices of these knives, a few words of wisdom. First, do yourself a favor and get to the factory sale. The prices are astonishingly low. Second, as I recommend on my tool kit page, spend the money. I lost my first knife and replaced it with a CRKT knife off the shelf and instantly regretted it. Not only was the blade not sharp, but the knife started falling apart only a few uses. You can't compromise on quality. Third, you want a quality knife when you need it. I've only had a few issues where I've needed the knife while on the launch, but it was nice to have a reliably sharp blade with solid construction when I needed it.
Stroke Coach
I am sure that I'm not the first the first to wish the NK stroke coach was cheaper, and also waterproof. Having sent one through the washing machine on accident - always check your pockets - I can tell you that while these things stand up to rain, they do not stand up to the heavy duty cycle. I am on my second stroke coach and I plan on making this maybe the last, or second to last depending on how long it lasts. I know there are cheaper options out there, but I've also not seen anyone with a cheaper option keep the cheaper option around longer than a season. This isn't one of those, "Buy quality" things. I think it's just that the stroke coach is what everyone is used to so everyone uses it. Having a different option usually means explaining how it works to someone who might be using it for you. NK and you don't have that issue.
That being said, as much as I like NK, I will not go with their Blue Ocean megaphones. First, the batteries and chargers are a royal pain. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to fiddle with either in order for the error display to go away. That is a constant headache for every program I've been at that uses them. Second, despite the claims, Blue Oceans are far from bulletproof. In fact, other than floating, Blue Ocean megaphones are bullet attractants. The speaker hole fails, it fills with water, the megaphone isn't as waterproof as it claims, the buttons fail, etc. I rely on the standard tour guide megaphone that is about 10 years old, runs on way too many C batteries - which have lasted four full seasons without needing to change - and other than adding a plastic bag to the microphone, are waterproof, or more so than any Blue Ocean. Save your money, buy eight standard megaphones for the price of one Blue Ocean plus spare battery.
Yeti/Hydro Flask
I have both. I have two Yeti tumblers and one large Hydro Flask that's basically two tumblers. Again, I was fortunate and found these on sale. I never thought these items went on sale, especially Yeti's but a company out in Eastern Washington seemed to always have a sale on them. Two companie: North40, and Tri-State Outfitters. Both are great stores with similar yet varied products. Tri-State has more outdoors gear while North40 is a little more boutique with clothing, and then a lot of farm equipment. Think Wilco but with more clothing and sporting goods.
Tumi
A few years ago, I went through several months where my bank account kept being raided. I was careful when I used my cards, and checked the ATMs to make sure there wasn't something trying to scan my numbers, but it kept happening. I decided that I likely would never figure out how they got access, but I decided that I'd upgrade my wallet. I went through a few options for RFID protection before settling on a wallet by Tumi that was nearly entirely made from RFID material. Whether or not this was how they got access to my account or not, I haven't had a single issue since purchasing the wallet. And while the price got my attention - $75 on sale at Nordstroms - the peace of mind has been well worth it.
This pretty much covers my day-to-day list. I use shaker bottles - you can find those everywhere - and protein powder and other supplements but those are so subjective that I'll leave those to you.
Stay safe out there!
Yesterday we covered the clothing I wear for coaching. A small update:
I have ordered a rain jacket. North Face was having a tremendous sale, with free shipping and free returns so I decided to bite the bullet and try out a jacket.
Behold, the new - potentially - rain jacket: North Face Apex Flex w/ Goretex.
With that being said, let's move onto a shorter but equally important, "What I use day to day" list. Daily tools. Now, I've already covered the tools that I carry with me in my tool kit whether it be for traveling, or around the boathouse. If you'd like the rundown, check out the link titled, "The Tool Kit." This list will be the items I carry with me each day out on the water.
Leatherman
I never used to carry a Leatherman mostly because they were expensive, and I was concerned about dropping it in the water. For reference, I have dropped a cell phone in the river. So in about 10,000 years someone will find an iPhone 5 in a red case and wonder what the heck it's doing in the middle of a desert.
The multitool I use is the Leatherman Fuse. Apparently it has been retired and my particular tool did come with a knife unlike the one in the link. I do like it, but I haven't had to use it much. It's been handy for some quick repairs or the occasional, "I don't want to walk back to the trailer" situation. Like a majority of my tools and gear, I purchased this on clearance.
Kershaw
Now, anyone who knows me knows that I love my Kershaw knives. Nearly all of my cooking knives are from Kershaw - I do have one Japanese chefs knife - and they are all purchased on clearance at the company's annual sale the first week of December. If you've not gone, I suggest you go. All the knives are in great shape and are clearanced for various trivial reasons such as the label not being in the correct location. They still come with a decent warranty and lifetime free sharpening.
I like the automatic pocket knives and while I prefer to have a guard on the blade so it doesn't open, that's not always an option. I prefer the Leek with the serrated edge. A serrated blade comes in handy more often than not and while you can't technically sharpen this type of edge, the half serrated/half standard blade gives you the best of both worlds.
Currently I use the Misdirect because I need to replace my Leek - also at the bottom of the river - which is a decent standby though I do miss the serrated edge.
If you're gasping at the prices of these knives, a few words of wisdom. First, do yourself a favor and get to the factory sale. The prices are astonishingly low. Second, as I recommend on my tool kit page, spend the money. I lost my first knife and replaced it with a CRKT knife off the shelf and instantly regretted it. Not only was the blade not sharp, but the knife started falling apart only a few uses. You can't compromise on quality. Third, you want a quality knife when you need it. I've only had a few issues where I've needed the knife while on the launch, but it was nice to have a reliably sharp blade with solid construction when I needed it.
Stroke Coach
I am sure that I'm not the first the first to wish the NK stroke coach was cheaper, and also waterproof. Having sent one through the washing machine on accident - always check your pockets - I can tell you that while these things stand up to rain, they do not stand up to the heavy duty cycle. I am on my second stroke coach and I plan on making this maybe the last, or second to last depending on how long it lasts. I know there are cheaper options out there, but I've also not seen anyone with a cheaper option keep the cheaper option around longer than a season. This isn't one of those, "Buy quality" things. I think it's just that the stroke coach is what everyone is used to so everyone uses it. Having a different option usually means explaining how it works to someone who might be using it for you. NK and you don't have that issue.
That being said, as much as I like NK, I will not go with their Blue Ocean megaphones. First, the batteries and chargers are a royal pain. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to fiddle with either in order for the error display to go away. That is a constant headache for every program I've been at that uses them. Second, despite the claims, Blue Oceans are far from bulletproof. In fact, other than floating, Blue Ocean megaphones are bullet attractants. The speaker hole fails, it fills with water, the megaphone isn't as waterproof as it claims, the buttons fail, etc. I rely on the standard tour guide megaphone that is about 10 years old, runs on way too many C batteries - which have lasted four full seasons without needing to change - and other than adding a plastic bag to the microphone, are waterproof, or more so than any Blue Ocean. Save your money, buy eight standard megaphones for the price of one Blue Ocean plus spare battery.
Yeti/Hydro Flask
I have both. I have two Yeti tumblers and one large Hydro Flask that's basically two tumblers. Again, I was fortunate and found these on sale. I never thought these items went on sale, especially Yeti's but a company out in Eastern Washington seemed to always have a sale on them. Two companie: North40, and Tri-State Outfitters. Both are great stores with similar yet varied products. Tri-State has more outdoors gear while North40 is a little more boutique with clothing, and then a lot of farm equipment. Think Wilco but with more clothing and sporting goods.
Tumi
A few years ago, I went through several months where my bank account kept being raided. I was careful when I used my cards, and checked the ATMs to make sure there wasn't something trying to scan my numbers, but it kept happening. I decided that I likely would never figure out how they got access, but I decided that I'd upgrade my wallet. I went through a few options for RFID protection before settling on a wallet by Tumi that was nearly entirely made from RFID material. Whether or not this was how they got access to my account or not, I haven't had a single issue since purchasing the wallet. And while the price got my attention - $75 on sale at Nordstroms - the peace of mind has been well worth it.
This pretty much covers my day-to-day list. I use shaker bottles - you can find those everywhere - and protein powder and other supplements but those are so subjective that I'll leave those to you.
Stay safe out there!
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