Welcome to Gear Talk: The Löw Tide Böyz and Swimrun Labs review show!

In this episode, the gang shares their holiday gift ideas for the Swimrunners in your lives…or just yourself.

Before we get into that, we have some gear updates.

Gear Updates

Just a few short gear updates this week.

Annie tried out the Seavenger SeaSnug socks during a walk in her neighborhood and got a blister on her foot. She pretty decided not to even try them on a run after that. (Sorry Brooke!)

Chris used the SurfEars 3.0 ear plugs during Ödyssey Swimrun Austin and they worked beautifully. Chipper could rest assured that Chris could hear him even though Chris may have been ignoring him.

High Gear, Low Gear

New segment alert!!! In this new segment, the crew will break down what gear they wore at their latest race and give their High and Low rankings on what worked well and what didn’t work so great. Chipper and Chris recently raced Ödyssey Swimrun Austin and shared their kit setup and what they liked/didn’t like.

Chipper’s Swimrun Kit:

Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 goggles

Ark Sports ORNO 2

Ark Sports Kangaroo top

Regular sport underwear

Swiftwick Aspire 12 socks

Hoka One One Speedgoat EVO shoes

Ark Sports Keel+ (Lasso Mount)

Ark Sports Blade Swim Paddles (Medium)

High Gear award: The Keel+ worked perfectly and Chipper had no issues whatsoever. 

Low Gear award: Chipper thought that he had his shoes dialed in but during the race it felt like the uppers of the shoes felt a little stretched out and his foot was moving around in the shoe.

Chris’s Kit:

Aqua Sphere Kaiman goggles

Ark Sports VIGG

Ark Sports Kangaroo top

Swiftwick Aspire 12 socks

Salomon Slab Amphib shoes

Ark Sports Keel+ (Simple loop waist mount)

Roka Swim Paddles (Medium)

Ultimate Direction waist belt (Discontinued)

High Gear award: Pretty obvious here, but Chris thought that the Ark Sports VIGG was the perfect wetsuit for the air and water temperature in Texas.

Low Gear award: Chris thought that the Ultimate Direction waist belt was less essential this race because of the Kangaroo top from a storage perspective and it was basically being used to store the compression bandage and attach the tether. 

Holiday Gift Guide for Swimrunners

Now for the main event! The gang broke our ideas for cool gifts into three categories to take into account different budgets.

Stocking Stuffer/White Elephant Gift Level (Under $30ish)

Annie:  Ödyssey Swimrun hand-Thrown, Custom Glazed Coffee Mug ($30)

Brooke: Zoggs Predator Next Gen Swim goggles ($19.99)

Chipper: Swim Stretch/Bands ($15.99)

Chris:  Swiftwick Aspire Socks ($14.99-29.99 depending on sock height)

“Nice” Gift Level (Under $100)

Annie: NU Orza Pull Buoy ($50)

Brooke: Wild Swimrun Annual Club Membership ($58)

Chipper: NU Lapa Bra ($60)/NU Lapa Shirt ($90)

Chris: SurfEars 3.0 Ear Plugs ($59.95)

Trying to Impress/In the Doghouse/No Limit (No $ Limit)

Annie: “Year of Swimrun” (Price Unknown; Entry to either Orcas Island or Casco Bay Swimruns, Two full Swimrun kits (a beginner kit and an intermediate kit, training camp weekend in Europe with Wild Swimrun, and private coaching by Swimrunner John Stevens)

Brooke: Ödyssey Orcas Island Long Course Swimrun Race Entry ($450-$650 depending on when you register)

Chipper: Ark Sports VIGG ($430)

Chris: All expenses paid trip to ÖTILLÖ Malta (Flights: ~$2,000; Hotel: ~$1,000; Food/drink: ~$500; Race entry: ~$650)

Closing Thoughts

That’s our best thinking on what to get to that special Swimrunner in your life. If you’re on the fence about what to get, giving the gift of race entries is a great way to support race directors and help keep the sport of Swimrun growing in the US and elsewhere. We hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday and remember to stay safe, wear a mask, and all that.

That’s it for this week’s Gear Talk show. If you are enjoying the Löw Tide Böyz, please be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast player. You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Google Podcast. You can also follow our meme page on Instagram and on Twitter. Email us at [email protected] with any feedback, suggestions, and/or meme suggestions. Finally, you can also support us on Patreon…if you feel so inclined.