Here is a list of my favorite gear. If it's on this list, I like it; if I find something better I'll take the old one off this list. Also, I'm not hired by them and only recommend them out of my own love of the product – however, I will use an affiliate link if easily available.

Not on this page, but elsewhere on the site:

Drinks

  • Yerba Maté - Great, super healthy alternative to coffee. I recommend the Cruz de Malta Yerba Mate, a bombilla (metal straw), and a gourd from Ma-Tea.com. You'll need a thermos for hot water too. Here's how to prepare the tea in the gourd.
  • AeroPress - Fabulous way to make excellent coffee easily, quickly, and one cup at a time.
  • HydroFlask Water Bottle/Coffee Mug - Stays hot/cold for very long. I personally have the 40 oz. big bottle with the straw lid for water and the 18 oz. coffee & tea flask.
  • Guayusa Tea - Better green tea. Cousin to Yerba Maté that bills itself as "Clean Energy". Great for drinking all day and not getting jittery like coffee or Yerba Maté.
  • Great Hot Pot for Coffee/Tea - It lets you set specific temps besides just boiling (great for teas and for impatient coffee drinkers), it keeps it at that temp for an hour afterwards (great for hard workers or distracted developers) AND it costs half of what a selectable temperature hot pot normally costs: $42 instead of $80-90. I have one and love it. Additionally, it has an alarm to kick off heating - this coupled with the keep it hot for an hour allows you to walk into your kitchen in an hour window in the a.m. and have perfectly heated water ready to go.

Outdoor Gear

  • Osprey Hiking Bags in General - Make the best backpacks for outdoor and travel. My bags:
    • Osprey Atmos 65L Backpack - For Backcountry Camping. I LOVE the vented back on this bag.
    • Osprey Manta 36L Hydration Pack - Perfect Day Hiking bag - I could easily do all I wanted to do with ~24L, but having the ability to add more stuff is super nice. 3L of water is excellent, the hip pockets rock, but the best is the vented back with an internal frame (yes, on a day pack) – it makes all the weight in the bag disappear.
    • Osprey Ozone 24L Daypack - Urban Transport - Holds all my digital goods, water bottle & coffee mug, organizational bliss without going overboard, and a comfortable back.
    • North Face Overhaul 40 - Business/Domestic travel all-in-one bag. I gave it a quick video hands-on review here.
  • Icebreaker Merino Wool Clothing - Simply the best. Comfortable, warm when cold, cool when hot, and very stink resistant - phenomenal travel clothing.
  • Reelight SL120 Flashing Compact Bicycle Headlight and Tail Light Set - These bike lights sit next to your spinning wheel, which has a magnet on it that charges up the light as the tire spins. You never have to worry about turning on or off your light or it running out of batteries. This model has a capacitor, so it charges it up to run without the magnet for an extra two minutes or so – that way, when you stop, your lights don't turn off.

Tech

Misc

  • Nada Chair - Fabulous back support in a tiny package, you can take this to coffee shops for work. Silly site; excellent product
  • Utili-Key - It hooks on your keyring and looks like a key, but when you unhook it, it's a knife, a phillips and flathead screwdriver (with a few sizes), and a can opener. Super basic, but super useful as the most useful tool is the tool you have with you – and you'll always have this with you.