Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $449, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, and plenty more! Go check out the full list here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
2
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
3
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
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My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
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The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
I think it might just be a little over kill for the 1 lap of the pool that I swim most days…
Coach Dion: But you will attract attention as nobody else in the pool. :-))
I was making baccalao and took cooking advice from the cod producer. Turns out, I bought twice the cod I needed. Not to draw any parallels.
Don’t worry, you only need to wear one swim buoy, thus no need to by twice the number of buoys.
Up until this very moment, I loved the Safer Swimmer i bought last summer.
Shipping to europe is quite expensive ($ 29.99)..too bad!
I got mine in UK, Europe from http://swimsafetydevice.com. They have now 1 eur shipping offer for December.
I don’t do any open-water swimming but I do think it would be great if you could offer some other items that I might be interested in – I’d love to support the site.
I am planning on buying a Magellan Echo and a footpod after the first of the year (don’t want stuff caught up in the seasonal shipping while I will be in and out of town).
Thanks so much for the interesting site and providing the valuable service you do with your thorough product reviews.
If you’ve got suggestions for other items, I’d love to hear them!
I think you’ll enjoy the Echo, and the new Adidas footpod with it is a nice pairing (or, a Garmin footpod + ANT+ Adapter). Enjoy!
Gutsiest business move I ever saw.
I wouldn’t associate with a safety device, even with a 10-foot rescue pole.
At the end of the day, I simply want swimmers to be seen swimming openwater. The unit has been on the market for some time (made by the non-for-profit group International Swimmer Hall of Fame), and this simply offers another avenue for folks to pick it up.
I purchased one after your initial review. I have used it with all my open swims when I am alone. People asked questions about it and I would say, “easy to see me”, and “if it is not moving I am probably dead and you’ll know where to find me.”
One note, was useless in my pre swims in the days leading up to my first ironman in Florida. With the surf being high the buoy would help facilitate my being dragged along with the tide.
You can also but a $10 giant dolphin inflatable and that will save you money and week be easier to spot
Give Wiggle uk a call. Its one of the cheapest stores in eu. They will sell loads of buoys, open water swim is huge in the UK alone. Id buy one but $45 for the unit $30 for shipping and $10 for import. Is a no go.
They look great but shipping to the UK is silly :(
I purchased one for open water swimming and in water up to one foot chop it works as advertised but when you swim in three foot chop with winds a above 15 knots it is more of a hindrance. My friends who are life guards say it is very easy to spot up to 1 kilometer off shore, where I like to swim in English Bay Vancouver Canada
hey rain! is possible to ship it to italy?
Yup, they’ll ship no problem. Though, it’ll cost a bit more for shipping unfortunately.
i found a guy who ships these items (unfortunately not dcr-branded) within europe, for 40€ plus shipping (currently for the symbolic price of 1€). Ordered one and hope it arrives within the next days. Don’t know yet if i have to add VAT – the website provides only little information. If anybody is interested: link to swimsafetydevice.com
Can you hold onto it in open water in case u need a minute break?
Per ISOF’s site the unit: “..can be used as a floatation device when you need it in the case of cramps, dizziness or injury and it can also be used to rescue others”
Where exactly do you fix the watch?
My buoy turns upside-down due to weight of watch (garmin f5+)
link to strava.com
You may know this but the specific items you link to on Clever training and Amazon are out of stock (and the DCR branded one is out of stock too).
I ended up buying an ISHOF Safer Swimmer from Amazon (prime would get it to me faster than CT), after navigating there via your link.
I hope you get credit for that but am concerned you might not — thus this post. I’m a long time fan and I would have for sure would have bought the DCR branded version had it been available.