Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 for just $699, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals 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.
4
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.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas
Looks like you had a lovely Xmas.
Looking forward to Next years updates and stories of your adventures
Merry Christmas! While reading I was planning to ask about the brand and model of the juicer (so could you please share this) and further I thought that considering the quality of your tech reviews I would like to make a x-mas wish that DCrainmaker would spin off to kitchen gadget recommendations as well. Would double my interest towards the blog ;-)
Yeah, me and kitchen gadgets are dangerous!
Though, I’m currently serving a kitchen gadget ban. Else, we’d have had waffles in there. I should have never given my waffle maker to my brother prior to moving. Now I’m waffle-less. :(
The press is a New Star Foodservice unit, and is highly rated on Amazon (link to amzn.to). It’s a beast, and just kills citrus in one swift press. I used to have one of those that was electric (roughly like this link to amzn.to) that worked fairly well, but somehow the plastic top piece got left next to the oven one day and then melted into a mess.
I also had one of the Breville Juicers (like this link to amzn.to), but found that they were a complete mess to clean. Just not really worth it.
Probably my favorite kitchen gadget is simply a Kitchenaid with the pasta roller attachment thing (link to amzn.to). :)
Yummy breakfast! Google “bacsilog” … a slightly different version from my homeland in South East Asia …Merry Christmas!!!
Such a smiley, cute little peanut!
I had Filet just like you. Now I need some enormous tech talent and to be skinny and we could be twins! Hope you have a great end of year.
ZipCars have names and homes in the States also. They are also experimenting with some ZipCars that have multiple homes, so you can do one-way rentals.
I never knew chocolate could go stale, it never lasts long enough in our house to find out…
Hey Ray, I’m in Paris for the week and was right now wondering if Disneyland is enough or if Disneyland + Walt Dlsney Studios park would be a better choice…
Any take on that?
Happy holidays!
Hi Raul,
It depends on who you’re going with? For us with the Peanut, just the 1 park was enough. We couldn’t really do much of the rides because she’s only 6 months. So it was nice to just for for 5 hours or so and walk around, see the Christmas lights, some of the characters, and watch others on the rides. We also arrived about an hour later than we had hoped which made a big difference because of sun set these days.
If your kids are older or its just you and another adult you could pull off both parks as it’s not as big as the Disney in Florida. I think it’s about 10eur more? Don’t hold me to that. Personally I would still just do the 1 park in 1 day even if it was just Ray and I because I hate feeling rushed and I would want to go on every ride and saunter around the park! But that’s me… Ray probably would want to speed walk and time how fast he can get from one ride to the next, making it a strava segment!
Either way, let us know what you did! Enjoy!
Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!
Your “free gadget” posts are definitely more popular with comments. Just wanted to wish you happy holidays. Enjoy every moment of your family and little bundle of joy.
Merry Christmas! Seems you had a nice weekend! Enjoy!
I did beef too this year, but fore rib… Yum!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Just wanted to say that been a follower for a few years and this blog is absolutely amazing, keep up the great work!
Ray, here’s wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Ray and “The Girl,”
What do you use for the Peanut’s hands and feet when you’re out and about in the cold? Our little man is 8 months old and we live in downtown DC, so like you, we usually travel around town in the carrier and not the car. We found a great fleece suit for him to wear, but we can’t find:
A) feet covers/socks that are warm and stay on;
B) hand covers that he doesn’t immediately put in his mouth and soak through or pull off.
And one teething tip we learned. We used to leave a damp wash cloth and metal spoon in the fridge at all times. Our little guy used to love chewing on both when they were cold!
Cheers,
Patrick
Patrick,
Hmmmm we don’t have the problem with the hands in mouth when using the carrier? The Lille that I use sort of keeps her hands hanging down so they can’t reach the mouth… or shes just too lazy to reach?
For the boots/sock option. That drove me bananas for the first few walks as I spent the whole time checking if the boots were still there! I happened to luck into a pair of Carters slippers -link below- that had elastic around the ankle and she can’t kick them off. The girl is like Houdini with her socks and boots, so if for some reason she’s wearing a different pair of boots I have tied a ribbon to the back of the boots that I string up through the pants and back down to the other boot. It’s not perfect, but it works.
link to carters.com
Okay, so this is a random question, but how is the bacon in France in comparison? Every time I’m out of the states, it seems like the one thing that’s never quite as good as back home.
It’s really variable.
Generally it’s cut much less thick than American bacon. In our case, we can ask for whatever thickness we want from the butcher, since they’re cutting it on the spot.
However, I find that when I get it from the butcher I have to remove two little bone bits (super easy, since they are like the size of a M&M).
I’d say the butcher stuff is roughly on par with most American bacon, whereas the rare super-market stuff isn’t so awesome.
Merry Christmas! Sounds like a great weekend :)
My husband would love a power meter
What is it…. I don’t know!
Belief in Santa makes reindeer fly. Belief in penguins makes The Girl fly.
Dude, The Peanut is a cutie.
It looks like The Girl is to penguins what I am to pandas. Aka, lose my sh!t :D