Heads up!!! Here’s your massive Cyber Monday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $429, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $619, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, (or Hero 13 bundle for $339!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.
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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.Want to compare the features of each product, down to the nitty-gritty? No problem, the product comparison data is constantly updated with new products and new features added to old products!
Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? No problem, here's the platform I use - you can too!
Think my written reviews are deep? You should check out my videos. I take things to a whole new level of interactive depth!
Smart Trainers Buyers Guide: Looking at a smart trainer this winter? I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for indoor training. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here!
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Do you have a privacy policy posted?
- Why haven’t you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago?
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
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- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
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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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
If you are going to start doing a Gadget or Gimmick section, I would like to see your thoughts on ‘Expand a Lung” and see if it actually helps your times.
Hey Ray, you should consider doing a review on Camelbak hydration packs! Theres so many, how should one pick one that suits THEIR needs? Does the pack bounce during the run? does it feel cluncky and weird?
Im Currently in limbo between the Camelbak Octane LR 2011 which has some weird new water pouch style. Or the Camelbak Octane XCT 2011.
i am very glad that you wrote about this “toy”. I was thinking about getting one, but am glad that I didn’t. I would of thought that with water in the turbine and it bouncing around it would read that you drank more then what was in the container.
Hallo Ray.
I was a little bit surprised that there is no review of your CamelBak hydration pack.
I would love to hear your thoughts about it, how are you using it, which one you have and if you have tried / used some other ones.
I’m planning to buy one myself in the near future for my running. I think this would be interesting for others as well.
that sucks! ;-)
Thanks for reviewing this, it might actually be useful for me to have something like this. I use a camelbak for hiking and I found I was drinking continuously with the straw being right thre in front of me, probably drinking TOO much water.
Oh, just read in more detail (sorry, there is a ton of background noise where I am, plus its 8:15 AM so brain hasn’t woken up yet. ) :-P
First off: Congrats! :)
Second: Thanks for checking this out. I was contemplating getting one, but I guess I will wait until an upgrade comes along
If this is consistently wrong you could compensate with a little math.
For example by telling it you have 9oz less than you really have, it should read zero as you finished the liquid (in theory).
If it just sucks at suck measuruing (which it seems to) this would not help, but if it is largely a calibration problem, then a plus or minus or % adjustment could make it useful.
Just a thought.
Mike
Any estimate as to how much water was remaining in the drinking tube when the reservoir was empty?
Nice work, as always, and I hope your honeymoon is is going well!
An alternate approach to checking the meter with water volume is to weigh the camelbak before and after drinking through the tube. Since you know the density of water (1 g/cm³ to decent approximation) you can calculate how many ml of water have been removed = change in grams in the total weight of the bladder contents.
For those looking for a suggestion of which pack, the site Ray linked to was really quite good I thought:
link to runningandrambling.com
added a link to this post on their product page:
link to camelbak.com
under “post a review”
tee hee…
I used mine this weekend, on a 72 oz camelback that I over-filled to 78, and it was off by only 2oz at the end. I think if you take lots of small sips, it works better. The instructions are definitely awkward, and I had to email Camelbak to get a PDF of them, but I did have some good success. I also set it at 48oz/hr, and it was definitely accurate enough to remind me to catch up or slow down. I think my biggest issue was that when you put the tube on the left shoulder, the thing reads inverted. Also, if you touch any of the buttons when riding, it can confuse you or send you into uncharted territory, which then leaves it sort of useless.
With the Texas Heat Wave upon us, I’ll be using this every time I go out.
I bought it also and will be returning it since it kept saying I consumed water when I never took a sip. Then it work correctly, then it wouldnt. I need products that work when running ultras
is there any other equipment like this?
I am a 56 yr. old endurance mtn biker using the flow meter for about a month. I have had good results by taking measured smallish sips. Yesterday, on a three hour ride, it kept going back to select mode. I would stop riding and reset it. It would work intermittently, then go back to SEL again. I suspect the battery may be failing?
Thanks for your review! You saved me $30. I wish there was a good working version of this idea.
Hi
1. The above comments are rather old. Does anybody know if there have been any improvements of the product in the meantime?
2. Does anybody know about a similar product from a competitot?
Thanks and regards
Walt Gallus
link to mountaingear.com
Recall of these units
Hi. Anyone knows how to switch it off? I bought one from eBay, and came without instructions. Thanks!
Thanks Mr DC, you’ve saved me from wasting my money. Shame they don’t work, it was just what I needed.