The Rock Fight Takeover Part 1: Mystery Box

Do not adjust your screen. Do not reboot your computer. You are in the right place, and it’s time to turn up the volume. Welcome to THE ROCK FIGHT’s Geartrade Blog Take Over! I’m Colin True, host of the Rock Fight Podcast and your guest blogger, aka Guinea pig, for the next few days. Let me explain… To kick off Geartrade’s wise and thoughtful decision to become a presenting sponsor of The Rock Fight (available wherever you find your favorite podcasts), we figured we bring some of TRF’s energy and impact to the blog. From bike rides and hikes, to showing the world how poorly I surf, I try to get outside as much as I can. So when I asked Geartrade if I could commemorate a very special SECONDHAND SEPTEMBER by writing about some of my adventures, they gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up! With one caveat. I had to use what they sent me. Full stop. That’s it? That’s the condition? I can do that. As the epicenter of un-new, secondhand goods for outdoor enthusiasts, Geartrade has experience and access to all sorts of cool stuff. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on that unassumingly wrapped mystery box shipped directly to my house. What gear would they kit out this experienced and opinionated outdoor podcast host with? A hydration pack? A tech tee or two? Maybe some polarized wrap around shades to appease people like my eye wear nemesis Paddy O’Connell? Whatever the experts at Geartrade wanted put through its paces, I was down. Then I received my unassumingly wrapped mystery box. Evidently, the experts at Geartrade also have a sense of humor. Rock thrown. But enough of that. Let’s get to it. Here's the gear list they’ve entrusted me to review. How wise and thoughtful this decision proves is yet to be seen.

Item #1

O’Neill cotton t-shirt Ok good we’re starting simple. Long time listeners of The Rock Fight will know that I’m a big fan of doing weather appropriate outings in cotton and that I think that the phrase ‘cotton kills’ is a little over the top. So when I pulled this t-shirt out of the box I was stoked to both get a new t-shirt and to learn that the folks at Geartrade are obviously superfans of The Rock Fight. Fist bumps all around.

Item #2

Nite Ize night time dog collar It’s getting even better. I hate to have to inform any other dog owners out there of this but my dog Blue (a mini Aussie) is the greatest dog that has ever lived in the history of both dogs and the world. So any cool new gear that she gets to try out is cool and in this case we can do something at night. Bad. Ass.

Item #3

SegSac Traveler 30L Gear Bag Huh. We’ve taken a turn to the weird. I’ve never seen one of these before. Apparently it’s a combo stuff sack/internal organizer? Both ends of the bag are open but able to be closed by a drawstring and there are 5 internal compartments for your stuff. Then it looks like there is a compression element to the outside. Hold on, I need to see if someone has made a YouTube video about using this thing. Brb. Ok, got it, this is basically an organizer for camping and backpacking. Hmm. Well we’ll have to see how I use this thing.

Item #4

Goal Zero Power Bank + Solar Panel Now we’re cooking with gas. I’ve never actually owned or tried anything from Goal Zero. Stoked to build this into my outdoor plan for the Geartrade blog!

Item #5

Amerikilt Adventure Kilt Like for real. It’s a kilt. You adventure in. Apparently Geartrade thinks a middle aged dude with hairy legs in a kilt will get them a record number of clicks. Also it’s burly. Like heavy cotton twill with a WWE championship sized belt. I’m actually curious to see what hiking in this thing will feel like, but I’m dubious about finding a spot in the regular rotation of the outdoorsy bottoms that I own. I did some digging and it appears that the brand, Amerikilt, is no longer with us so I will have to do my best to honor the spirit of the Amerikilt. Also, in true Rock Fight fashion, I will make sure I wear the kilt with Bedrock Sandals and possibly some Braveheart face paint. Over the course of the next week, I’ll be taking Geartrade’s selection of items out into the real world. A little trial, definitely some error, and from the look of these items, a whole lot of utility. I live in Southern California so I’m going to keep it local and find a way to integrate each item into a day’s worth of adventure. Some biking, some surfing, some hiking, some coffee, some beer. You know the drill. Come back Thursday to find out how this gear omelet turns out. What I can tell you is I, like many of my fellow outdoor enthusiasts, will find a way. Rock Thrown. Be sure to listen to The Rock Fight available where you get your pods are on Apple Podcasts at the little ole link right here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rock-fight-an-outdoor-podcast-that-aims-for-the-head/id1654929486