No sponsorships. No filters. Just an outdoor gear review with three pieces of gear that survived another week of dirt, sun, and questionable decision-making.
elta md uv daily
We’re in the throes of a six-week road trip to the Pacific Northwest, which means a lot of time outside—working, riding, running, sweating, reapplying, repeat. Both Ryan and I are sunburn-prone and sunscreen-picky. EltaMD is the only stuff we’ve found that actually works and feels good.
A few cyclists in the club I used to ride with recommended it and after trialing a few different face sunscreens, this has been the clear winner. It goes on light, no white residue, and—best of all—doesn’t make your face feel like a grease trap.
When I’m riding, hiking or running, my biggest gripe is sunscreen that feels like it’s making me sweat more. For me, it’s all-consuming and completely kills whatever I’m doing. This is one of the few sunscreens that I don’t even know is there. We reapply every 60–90 minutes and it’s been solid, even compared to some of the hyped-up Korean brands I’ve tried.
It’s not cheap, but neither is skin damage.
APIDURA TOP TUBE PACK
We’ve ridden years with small saddle packs to store our patch kits, spare sealant and multi-tools. Sometimes we can get our phones jammed in there. Other times, we opt to leave them at home or hope for the best leaving them in our bike jersey pockets (which on one occasion ended with me getting my phone returned by a complete stranger).
So, we upgraded. Ryan did the research (of course he did) and got the Apidura Top Tube Pack – the Expedition 1.0L. A few weeks later I decided to follow suit, only I got the Backcountry 1.0L.
We’ve had the top tube packs for about a month now and love them. The zipper on top provides quick and easy access to snacks during our rides and our phones fit perfectly.
The one thing Ryan would do differently? Choose the Backcountry 1.0L like I did. It has three straps instead of two so it doesn’t move around as much, but there’s still some subtle shifting if I catch it with my knee when I ride uphill.
If your bike has bolts on the top tube, the bolt-on version is even more secure. But since we like to swap bags between bikes, we stuck with the strap style.
orange seal tubeless sealant
Our tires are almost entirely tubeless these days—gravel, road, and mountain (except Ryan’s current MTB, but he’s eyeing an upgrade). And honestly? We wouldn’t go back. Tubeless means fewer punctures and more durability.
To keep everything running smoothly, we use Orange Seal Tubeless Sealant. It seals small punctures fast, doesn’t dry out as quickly as other options, and we’ve had great luck with it on all road types.
We top off sealant every 3-4 months and carry a small bottle for longer rides. If you’re switching to tubeless (and you should), Orange Seal is a solid choice.
Got gear that’s held up through the chaos? Drop it in the comments—or tell us what we should try next.