Guinea Pig at Your Service
Every year in the United States, consumers spend more than $45 billion on sports gear--including bikes and other equipment, apparel and footwear--according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Assn.
Some gear is inexpensive; other pieces of equipment are pricey enough to warrant an installment plan. Either way, wouldn’t it be great to have someone field-test it for you first? Or at least get a user’s opinion?
That’s the purpose of Getting Into Gear. Our new feature on workout gear will focus on what’s new, what’s worth buying and what’s better left on the store shelves. Look for it every three weeks in Health.
Blister Guard Socks
Longtime devotees of those other well-known (and expensive) padded socks will probably be dubious, but they should give the newest socks on the block--styles with Teflon fiber woven into toes and heels--a chance.
The new Teflon fiber socks, a joint project of Dupont, the Teflon people, and PTFE Inc., a licensing and sales marketing company, are slippery since they’re designed to reduce friction between skin and sock, thus minimizing the chance of calluses, hot spots, irritation and blisters.
Our wear test results: Even after several washings, the stiffness remains--and that’s good. Ditto the padding. And Blister Guards feel just as bouncy as the other big-name padded socks.
They will be sold under some major brand names (Fox River, LPGA) and private brands, but all with a label that says Blister Guard, for about $5 to $15 a pair, depending on style.
Look for them at Nordstrom and REI and other specialty stores.
Pocket Pump
Is there anything worse than a deflated ball right when you’re up for (or in the middle of) a basketball, volleyball or football game? The Pocket Pump, tiny enough to fit into a sports bag or even a big pocket, can plump up a ball in no time. (The San Diego inventors got tired of flat volleyballs on the beach.) The $10 pump, which can be operated with one hand, is available in sporting goods stores or by calling (888) 488-3502.
Personal Air Filter
When it’s smoggy, you still need your exercise. The folks behind SmartMouth, a personal air filtration unit, are hoping you won’t leave home without it on such days. The snorkel-like mouthpiece is attached to the hard plastic filtration device, with replaceable filters designed to remove particulate matters of dust, pollen, molds, spores and industrial pollutants as tiny as 0.1 micron. A slim black cord holds the device around the neck when not in use.
The concept is great, but the practicality leaves a lot to be desired. Jogging with this thing in place is distracting. Run while using it, and you look as if you’re at a casting call for a bad sci-fi flick. Then there’s another worry: Will this gizmo, if you fall on it, ruin years of dental work in a split second?
SmartMouth, at $39.95, can be ordered by calling (800) 835-8802.
Our advice: If it’s that smoggy, stay home and put an exercise tape in the VCR. Or at least hold out until they come out with a smaller (read: less geeky) version.
BootGlove
Cold feet can quickly turn an afternoon of great skiing into a miserable experience. To the rescue is BootGlove. Billed by its developers as “thermally correct,” this contoured piece of Neoprene with Velcro straps fits over ski boots without interfering with the bindings. Slip them on and trim to fit.
In tests at Moose Mountain Ski Resort in Fairbanks, Alaska, sponsored by the manufacturer, Off-Piste Inc., company officials found that after skiing one mile at minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit, the wearer’s outside boot shell temperature was also minus 5. But when the BootGlove was added, the shell temperature zoomed to 47 degrees above zero.
For less than the price of most lift tickets, it’s probably worth a try. One size fits all adults, $29.95; children’s style to fit sizes 13 to 4 is $27.95. To order call (888) 633-7478.
Easier Hydrating
Who doesn’t know about the importance of carrying water while exercising outdoors? Now, it’s easier than ever for mountain bikers, thanks to the Bandido from Camelbak, a lumbar pack worn on the hips (and thus closer to one’s center of gravity). Its 64-ounce reservoir is connected to a delivery tube that’s worn over the shoulder. No more lugging of water bottles. The pack is comfortable and feels like a jumbo fanny pack.
Some mountain biking buffs might think the $95 price tag is worth it just for Camelbak’s logo stitched on the back: “Hydrate or Die.”
At cycling shops, or call (800) 767-8725 for availability.