Sometimes the gear an Outsider uses doesn’t have to be fancy. Here are three examples of gear that I have been using a lot lately. Gear that works, gear you need and gear that costs about a trip to Starbucks with your buddy.
FunkAway
My wife was washing gear a few days ago and came across a pair of socks I had recently used on a run. She stood in the doorway of my office and said, “These socks stink.” She was right. I knew they did. Even worse, I thought the shoes that those socks had come out of were doomed to storage in the garage instead of alongside mates in the running rotation. So I turned to a product I picked up at The Running Event in Austin, Texas, last year: FunkAway.
According to FunkAway, they set out to make a product that doesn’t just mask odors, but gets to the source of the stink. FunkAway offers a whole line of odor eliminators for the kind of odors you find in “hockey locker rooms, garbage dumps, public restrooms, or even worse, a teenager’s bedroom.”
Sure, all odor sprays claim they eliminate odors, but do they?
I approached my pair of offensive footwear with can in hand. The instructions say to: 1. Spray it on (soak it good) 2. Air Dry 3. Live funk free. I sprayed it. I soaked it. Then I gave it another pass for good measure. I quarantined the shoes for a day, went back to them, stuck my nose in and inhaled. Sure enough, Chad 1, Funk 0. I was amazed. My wife would not, however, give it the test.
FunkAway says they developed something that encases odor molecules in a bubble, breaks them down and eliminates them. Ok. Sounds good. I just know it works.
Lock Laces
I didn’t know I was missing out on just slipping on shoes until I installed a pair of Lock Laces. My, how very convenient. I thought at first I’d just use them on shoes I wore around the house, to the store or in the gym. But, I have since run in them. And I like it.
Based in Durham, North Carolina, Lock Laces are the original “no-tie shoelaces.” Installation is simple: lace your shoes with your new Lock Laces, thread the ends of the laces through the double eyelet lock and slide the lock to the tongue of the shoe, then trim the excess lace with a pair of scissors, and snap on the cord clips.
With Lock Laces, you can easily slip your shoes on and off— no more tying. If you find you need to tighten or loosen your laces, simply adjust the locking device for adjustable tension.
One size fits all, and all of the Lock Laces are designed trim-to-fit, so they are great for athletes, seniors, kids, special needs and more. And they come with a 100 percent lifetime satisfaction guarantee.
JUNK
JUNK is a northwest Arkansas-based headband company that designs, manufactures, prints and sews their headbands all in the little corner of the Natural State that has so many sick trails to test your bike skills. These guys made JUNK headbands out of necessity. Arkansas gets hot. And humid. And sweaty.
Their lineup includes headbands, ear warmers, neck gaiters and even a performance hoodie. They have more print patterns than you can shake a stick at and are machine washable. They even partner with GovX to provide a 15 percent discount on all eligible products to military, military families, first responders, government employees and teachers.
There are a lot of headbands out there. But they don’t look as cool as JUNK. Just check mine out next time you see me. I’m sporting the Jolly Roger. AAARRRGH Matey!
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