Happy Holidays. The Christmas and Holiday season is upon us and I recently got the chance to try out some items for free that might make good gifts for those on your shopping list.
First off, my wife and I loved these convertible mittens. Technically they're for women, but I was able to convince her that I should get them. They're 3 season mittens, but I might need something with more heft for the coldest DC commutes. Still these have become my primary biking/running gloves, at least until I inevitably lose one. I generally prefer convertible gloves anyway, but I like the reflective strip which is in a good place for cycling, both riding and signaling and the magnetic hold on the thumb cover that keeps it out of your way - same for the pocket for the mitten. They clip together so that people who are better at not losing things than I am can keep them together and they're just generally solid mittens. I also got a handwritten note with them, which is nice. The whole website looks like a good place to shop for winter sports enthusiasts.
The most interesting thing I got was Wind Blox. This is product specifically designed for cyclists with the purpose of reducing wind noise when you bike. Now I'd never really put wind noise as something I was bothered by, and now I always wear a helmet that covers my ears, but I tried them with an older helmet and they really do work. We even put the focus - the ear muff ones - on my wife's helmet. They put your ears into a pocket with a little space around them for better hearing. The problem with riding in DC is that even if you can get rid of 80% of the wind noise, you just get more of the traffic noise. One thing about these is that we had some trouble getting them in place and realized that the straps to my wife's helmet are a little farther from her face so they don't work quite as well. But it's a novel idea that is probably not something your gift recipient already has. There's an array of products for different helmets and different users - even those with hearing aids.
We lose water bottles in our house like it's our job, so when we got the bubi bottle my son quickly claimed it as his own. This is a water bottle that's made from silicone instead of plastic or metal. What we like about is that it doesn't get dinged when dropped, can go through the dishwasher and stores easily. But we still get a slight chemical taste from the water that we hope will stop over time. I'm not sure it's a bike gift (it's not rigid enough for a water bottle cage) but it might be a good stocking stuffer for a kid.
These goose down socks haven't been as big of a hit with Mrs. Washcycle as I expected, but I like them. If she puts them on before her feet get cold they stay warm, but once her feet get cold even these can't save her. I've had a different experience. Putting them on warms up my cold feet and they might be a good for post winter biking triage. I haven't tried them winter camping yet, but it's almost like the activity they were made for. They're incredibly light for backpackers too. They're a little awkward to walk around in though.
The one thing I can't really say much about is the Faran Sport Mosquito repellent shirt. It came just as the mosquito season ended in DC. It's a well-made, comfortable technical shirt. Does it repel mosquitos? I have no idea because we had none to repel, but Outside magazine thinks so. I'd never heard of a "Bug repelling" shirt so my whole world is open to the idea of clothes that can repel mosquitos, which get intolerable around here in the summer. We're willing to give this a shot when the critters come back, and I really hope I can give a positive report then. Fingers crossed.
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