Regular readers here know that I am a quality over quantity kind of guy. Sometimes to a fault, my wife would say. 🤣
My wife also loves me and lets me splurge every now and then…so for Father’s Day I bought what is now my new favorite power bank…the Goal Zero Sherpa 100PD.
This isn’t the first power bank that I own. A couple years ago I purchased the Anker PowerCore+ 26800mAh PD…and it is arguably better in some ways. The Anker power bank gives you the same capacity and also comes with a 60W charger for faster charging of the power bank. (the Goal Zero Sherpa 100PD does not)
The Anker is great for traveling and saving every bit of space you can, it feels VERY durable, and just works.
I didn’t think this was a feature that I would care much about but now that I’ve used it a few times…it’s my absolute favorite feature. I don’t have to dig through my multitude of cables for the right one – some USB-A, some USB-C. I just press that blue “wireless” button set my phone on top, and BAM! it’s charging my phone. It’s not the newest, fastest wireless charging that comes with Apple’s new wireless chargers…but it works consistently and very well.
Plus the Goal Zero has the battery read-out that tells you how much charge is left in your power bank.
Should You Get One?
Now that I own this Goal Zero power bank…I am surprised at how much I use it, even at home. I can be working on my laptop and see my phone needs a charge and just set it on top of the Sherpa 100PD and know that when I pick my phone back up, it will be charged.
It is a bit more expensive than its Anker competitor, so if $199 for the Goal Zero is out of your price range, you can currently get the Anker over on Amazon for $129.
BUT…I can now highly recommend the Goal Zero Sherpa 100PD power bank. It’s definitely a quality piece of gear and I expect it to last me a very long time and throughout many upcoming travels.
It is my new favorite power bank and worth every penny.
Before Christmas I fell down a few rabbit holes. When I emerged like Alice from Wonderland, I ended up with some GORUCK backpacks (which I still need to review) and a bunch of their gear.
I also came away with one of my favorite things I got from that happy holiday…a “Every Day Carry” pocket knife.
This isn’t a genre I follow closely so when I started doing my research (as I so often do) I was shocked by the whole EDC world and community built up around it.
One of the best YouTube channels I found on this topic was Best Damn EDC. Taylor Martin does a great job showcasing TONS of stuff over there…and I eventually came across the below video that helped me make my decision.
I had received a $50 Amazon gift card for Christmas…so this video was perfect for me and eventually convinced me to get the Civi Elementum. The one I picked was actually about $60…but it was worth it.
Is is the best?
Yes….for me.
Why?
Because now I ALWAYS have it on me, it’s a quality knife, I barely notice it in my pocket, and I was able to use a gift card to get it! 😂
What is the best one for you?
Spoiler alert…its the one you have on you. Just like you may have heard for cameras…same goes for this. Now that I always carry it with me I find I have it when I need it most. (completely random times throughout the day)
While climbing, these kids are faced with intense and very real emotions such as stress and fear, but in a controlled setting. They learn to manage these feelings in a healthy and meaningful way, thus building the emotional intelligence necessary to develop into well-balanced adults.
Never thought about climbing this way…but it makes sense! 💪🏻
I mentioned that I would be writing about some GORUCK gear that I got for Christmas. Well instead a made a video. Put your questions in the comments and I’ll answer what I can!
About a month ago I mentioned my initial interest in rucking. Since then I ventured off in to the google-sphere to find out where the term “ruck” comes from.
The term “rucksack,” first used in the United Kingdom and later adopted by many other countries including the U.S., originated from the German word describing a location on the body —“the back” (der Rücken) — combined with the word for what was being carried — a sack.
As is my habit, I dove down this new rabbit hole headfirst, learning about the rucking community, the health benefits of rucking, and (if broken down) what rucking is.
In very basic terms, rucking is walking with weight on your back.
Digging deeper, the community (and the military) differentiates it from hiking by stating that rucking is more focused on fitness whereas hiking is more camping/journey/destination focused.
In these pandemic times with gyms shut down, social distancing, working from home and feeling like you are stuck indoors…what could be better than a workout that gets you outside, makes you stronger and functionally fit, builds cardio and burns fat, and requires almost no gear or costly gym membership!
Rucking…that’s what!
Speaking of the health benefits of rucking:
As opposed to jogging, swimming, biking, or rowing, rucking is easy on the joints, places you in a strong and correct posture, and doesn’t compel the user to “go glycolytic” (using primarily glucose metabolism by training too intensely), as you are already moving at the top speed of your walking gait. You could, of course, load too heavy, find an uphill route, etc., to increase the intensity but you won’t get that feeling of needing to move faster for more conditioning once underway, as the “high” of the exercise-induced endorphins washes over you.
I can’t overemphasize the postural benefits from rucking. If you constantly correct your posture as described, you might just remove some of your constant low-back pain, lack of hip flexibility, and thoracic spine issues. You will most certainly tighten your “X” and build resilience into your trunk. This resilience will reduce your potential for non-collision injury, and increase your performances in other activities.
Done properly of course:
Stand up tall, take short but frequent strides, and drive your arms hard. The description from top to bottom: keep your head up with your eyes looking out ten to fifteen feet in front of you, using your peripheral vision to navigate the ground directly below your feet. Do not walk with your head down. You may need to drop your head periodically to negotiate obstacles (don’t step on smaller items in your path – step around them), but always seek good cervical spine alignment.
Here are a couple great podcasts on the health benefits of rucking if you prefer that medium:
What it comes down to for me, is that I like the idea of a simple activity that builds fitness. Similar to the story of Milo and the Bull, this is a fitness regiment that is functional and you can increase over time:
He decided to carry a newborn calf on his shoulders. Day by day, for more than four years, he carried an animal on his shoulders. While people were laughing at him, the small calf slowly grew into an adult ox and Milo got stronger and stronger along the way. What an awesome idea. Every day, when Milo woke up, he lifted the calf, put it on his shoulders and carried it around all day. After four years, Milo was lifting and carrying around an impressively big ox. By then, people stopped laughing a long time ago, when they saw Milo’s muscles and strength grow.
Now don’t get me wrong…rucking is for the more advanced athlete as well. I was a collegiate gymnast, turned rock climber extraordinaire, turned cross-fitter (with my CFL-1 training certificate), I’ve coached people in all of the above mentioned areas as well. Yet as I get closer to 40 I find myself continuing to look for areas of fitness to explore the will solidify my “functional fitness foundation”. Rucking is not just a “beginner” workout regime; it is for all levels of athletes and I truly believe that it can make your health foundation more solid than you realize.
Shoot me a comment if you are interested in this journey as I venture in to a new corner of fitness, community, and healthy living.
The aforementioned famous Greek wrestler and strength legend Milo of Croton got stronger by improving a little bit every day. Carrying the calf as it grew in to a bull. While the rucking experts don’t recommend going above 1/3 your body weight while rucking…the concept of small, continual improvements is the same.
There is so much that goes in to this concept [the 1% rule], but the basics of it are…well…basic.
Tomorrow, you probably won’t notice a difference. But what’s the result when 1% happens every day? Let’s ask James Altucher…
“Improve a little each day. It compounds. When 1% compounds every day, it doubles every 72 days, not every 100 days. Compounding tiny excellence is what creates big excellence.”
72 days later you might be twice the person you are today. Think you can’t manage that? Let’s do some math.
If you want to up your fitness regiment…or just want to change it up every now and then like me…then this may be for you.
Want a place to start learning about rucking? I highly recommend the below article as a good foundation on understanding why rucking might be for you.
I love Rucking. Put on a heavy backpack, walk outside for a while. Call it a workout. And it is a fantastic workout, a fantastic way to clear your mind, and the only workout which has stuck for me. I’ve been doing it for a little over three years now, and I wanted to share with you what I have learned along the way.
The more I read about the “sport of rucking”…essentially hiking…the more I start to enjoy what the community is about.
Plus…who doesn’t like to look at and learn about more gear? 😉
As someone who has wanted to go to Switzerland since I was 7 years old, this video…short film really…almost made me tear up. The views, the solitude, the pure glory of what God has given us on this earth is amazing.
Scott from California 