Toys! Some off the gear I use for work and play throughout my day.
I am a bit of a gear junkie and fall prey to hobbies that are gear intensive. Following are some lists of some of the gear I use in my personal and professional life.
Work Gear
Workstation
16” MacBook Pro, M1 Max, 32GB RAM (2021)
I am so glad Appple brought back some commonly used ports. I really missed the SD card slot and HDMI on my previous Intel based Macbook.LG Ultrafine 27 inch Matte Display
Not a bad display. Not the greatest, but it gets the job done. I do appreciate the matte finish as opposed to the reflective glass my prior Thunderbolt monitor had.Apple Magic Mouse
I like these mice, but my only complaint would be that you can’t operate it while plugged in to charge. Thank goodness for the trackpad I guess!Herman Miller Aeron Stool
I mean if you’re gonna sit in a chair most of the day, get a good one and save your back.UPLift Desk
I have a standard 5’ UPLift standing/sitting desk with programmable seating positions. Having that option to stand for portions of the day makes a huge difference for me.
Development tools
Visual Studio Code
For React and NextJS you can’t beat VS Code.PHP Storm
I still do a lot of work in PHP (Symfony Framework), and for PHP work its hard to beat JetBrains.TablePlus
So far the best GUI I’ve found for working on databases. Typically that being MySQL.Git/GitHub
I mean... How does one survive without Git?
Design
Adobe Creative Cloud
I work daily with nearly the whole gammut of CC products. XD for UX design, After Effects and Premiere for motion design, Illustrator and InDesign for a variety of things, and of course Photoshop for everything.Figma/FigJam
I used Figma in some UX coursework I did. I like it but am more familiarized with XD so tend to prefer it. I do use FigJam quite regularly for User Flows, Journeys and Empathy Maps when doing UX research.
Photography
Camera Body
I was forever a Nikon fan until I discovered Sony mirrorless. My last camera body was a company issued Sony A7rIV. Unfortunately I don’t have this camera anymore and am currently without a camera body.Glass
Mostly I’ve used Sony G and G-Master E-mount lenses of the standard sort. 28-70 ƒ2.8, 70-200 ƒ2.8. For birds I have a Sony 200-600 ƒ5.6-6.3 G, and I also have a Sigma Prime 50 and a Sony nifty 50.Lighting
For studio work I use ProFoto B1S strobes and softboxes.Action Camera
For the fun stuff I have a GoPro Hero 10 Black.
Play Gear
Trail Running
Footwear
Finding the right trail running footwear has been an adventure of its own for me. I started out in Brooks, and after that got into a pair of Montrail Mountain Masochists. I stuck with the Montrails for several years until they were bought out by Columbia and quality took a nose dive. After that I ran in Salomon Speedcross for many, many years until I finally realized that some of my foot problems were due to the narrow toe box in these shoes. I tried out a pair of Hoka Speedgoat 5s after that, and found them comfortable but the soles were like sponges and had poor traction in wet conditions. Today I am running in a pair of Altra Olympus and I am really happy with them. Good grip, light, wide toe box. Love these shoes.Activity Recording
I wear a Suunto Baro 9 for almost all my outdoor activities. I love the elevation accuracy in this watch. I have this data tied into my Strava account for record keeping and tracking.
Biking
Mountain Bike
On trails I ride a 2019 Specialized Stumpjumper FRS Comp in Stormtrooper white.Road/Gravel Bike
On the road I ride a 2020 Specialized Diverge E5 in Carbon Black.Helmet
I protect the noodle with a Specialized Ambush MIPS helmet (if only it worked for collarbones).
Hiking/Backpacking
Footwear
I typically (weather permitting) hike in my trail running shoes. In cold/wet conditions I hike in a pair of La Sportiva Nucleo High II GTX.Snowshoes
I snowshoe in a pair of MSR Revo Ascents. I find these really grippy and they tend to take elevation changes and rough terrain pretty well. This is my first pair of snowshoes, so I don’t have much to compare to.Day Pack
My daypack is an Osprey Syncro 20. I love this pack. It’s made for mountain biking so it has a mesh barrier with a breathable boundary between you and your pack to help with sweat wicking. It also fits my 2.5 liter hydraulics system well.Extended Stay Pack
I went with another Osprey pack (The Kestrel 68 liter) mainly for the familiarity and that it accommodates my existing Osprey hydraulics set up nicely. I do like this pack. Its comfortable and easy to wear.Cooking
I use a Snow Peak Lite Max stove and a Toaks Light Titanium 650ml Pot for camp meals.Trekking Poles
For longer hikes with elevation, I’ll bring out my Komperdell Carbon C3 poles.Sleeping
I’m currently set up in a Durston X-mid 1 and a Kelty Tundra 15 on a Thermarest Trail Lite. Looking for that right summer bag at the moment.Water Filtration
I use a Sawyer Squeeze micro filter and keep some Aquatabs handy for those really nasty situations.Locator Beacon
I use a Garmin InReach Mini 2 personal locator beacon. This is a great little unit that gives me and my family peace of mind when out exploring.Crampons/Ice Axe
I use a pair of Grivel G10 New-Classic EVO Crampons and a 66cm Petzl Summit 2 Ice Axe.
Navigation
Map and Compass
I use a Suunto M3 baseplate style compass in conjunction with 1:24,000 scale topographic maps from MyTopo with UTM grids. The Suunto M3 has adjustable declination which is nice. The west is big and having to calculate declination for everything is a PITA.Digital Maps
Depending on the activity I will use Gaia, onX Backcountry and AllTrails for digital mapping.