Gear: Leatherman Squirt PS4

A quick video review of the Leatherman Squirt PS4 which has quickly become my favorite EDC and bike touring multi-tool. Super small and super useful.

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Gear: Russ’ Fly Fishing / Bike Touring Kit

Combining interests with bicycle touring is a great way to keep bicycle touring fresh and attracting others who may not identify themselves purely as hardcore touring cyclists. One of the activities I’ve most enjoyed while touring (this is no big surprise to long-time readers) is fly fishing. I actually learned how to fly fish WHILE on tour. On our first 15 month ramble around the United States we were constantly camping by idyllic streams, rivers and lakes. I would look longingly at people fishing and thought that would be a great way to relax after a day of riding. It would also provide a different way to interact with the environment, rather than just pedaling through and pushing on. I ended up taking a class in Fortworth, TX about 6 months into our first big tour and have been fishing ever since!

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Gear Review: Showers Pass Elite Pro

The Showers Pass Elite Pro rain jacket has the most superlatives in front of it than any other Showers Pass product, so it must be a good awesome product, right? In the spirit of lightening and optimizing our gear, I was on the search for a lightweight yet waterproof jacket. I have a Showers Pass Elite (sans Pro) jacket which I like for commuting in during the long wet and cold Portland winters. However, since we were heading off to New Zealand during their “summer” I wanted to find something that was a lighter weight, packed down smaller and was still waterproof.

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Gear Review: Lezyne Alloy Drive Pump

We’re beginning a really in-depth series of gear reviews of stuff we’ve tried over the years. So check the site every few days for a new review!

When we switched from Long Haul Truckers to the Bromptons we had to change pumps as well. I was using the Park Adjustable Frame Pump, which worked well with the Surly LHT but was too large for the Brompton. I wanted something small, not too heavy, well built and had a flex hose to reduce the chance of snapping off a bicycle tube valve.

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