What sportsbag works the best for you?

I’m off skiing in the next couple of weeks and have started thinking about packing my kit bag. Just like last year and the year before, I find my self trying to pick the perfect bag to get all my bulky ski gear in. It’s great when you are driving to your destination as the size and amount of luggage does not really matter that much, it’s all going in the boot of the car. But when you are flying – especially with a low-cost airline – the weight and size really matter a lot.

Last year I took everything in a holder. I just managed to squeeze it all in, but the bag did not have wheels and was really heavy to move around. I remember thinking that I would never do that again…

My son has a proper ski kit bag. It has two large compartments and you can enter from the top and bottom into the bag, so you don’t need to take everything out to get to the bottom items. It’s great, it has wheels etc. but it has one major downside – it weighs a ton on its own. Maybe it’s OK for boys on a ski trip, but us girls need so much more heavy gear than boys with toiletries and make-up as well as a selection of shoes accompanying us what ever the holiday. So that’s no good…

A friend of mine packs most of her sports cold gear and stuff in with the skies and just takes a cabin bag for the rest. That way, she does not pay for an extra bag. That’s really smart, but I hire my skies and therefore don’t have such an option.

A suitcase works well on any other holiday but skiing, it does not seem right somehow… you really look like an amateur turning up at the ski resort with a suitcase. No, I can’t do that!

Rucksack? Hmm… I did take a frameless rucksack when I climbed Kilimanjaro last year (honestly, I did!) and it was definitely the right thing to do, but for skiing I need to take a smaller day bag rucksack as hand luggage instead of a handbag, so I can’t carry two of those on my back at the sometime…

A new bag? Yes, I think I may have to go and invest in a new holder with wheels. A lightweight bag with wheels that is big enough for all my gear including bulky ski jackets (yes, I take two!), ski pants, base layers – I wear Under Armour Coldgear as there is nothing quite like it – boots and a few nicer bits for the evenings.  I think I’ll also pick a bright coloured one with a pattern as I want it to stick out a bit on the conveyor belt. That will save me from lifting everyone else’s black holders when waiting for mine!

If I’m really lucky, I didn’t think about this too late and will still be able to find one in the end of January sales!

 

New year, new under armour sports gear..

The Sales are on and there are some bargains to be had for base layer sports gear. The biggest bargains may not be online. It is the large high street sport shops that are piling the stuff high and selling it cheap.

What you don’t find in the Sales though is the proper compression, high performance clothing. It is interesting that brands such as Under Armour and Canterbury don’t seem to have the need to drop their prices. Maybe it is because their client base understands the full value of the clothing and will not settle for anything less.

What these brands have in common is uncompromised high quality that offers an excellent experience when wearing the gear, durability, good design and a choice of items to suit the users particular needs.

Under Armour base layers are becoming big business here in the UK. The brand comes from the US where it was developed by Kevin Plank, an American football player who identified a need to good quality, highly absorbent sportswear. From the humble beginnings of a football shirt, the company has grown and now offers a wide choice of products for sports wear that is good looking enough to also be worn as casual wear.

Under Armour is sold through distributors in the UK, most of them online but also available on the high street. It has become the chosen brand for many sports team, including the Welsh Rugby team. The simple logo is simple and immediate identifiable. This brand seems to have got it right in terms of quality, desirability and price to grow by bringing value and comfort to the people that have chosen to wear it. It is easy to see why it’s following is growing fast – I bought a couple of items maybe four, five ago and have never looked back. This is the brand for me.

 

Time to get your Under Armour Coldgear?

Have you been out either watching or taking part in any other activity in the last month? Cold? I’m not surprised as the sub cero temperatures have really tested even the toughest of us..http://sportskit.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post-new.php

Not that I want to boast, but off the back of last years big freeze, I bought some Under Armour Coldgear to wear – as I though – when the cold hits again sometime in february! Never again was I going to get caught like I did last year freezing my bits at all outdoor events. This stuff is amazing! It insulates, keeps you warm, dries really quickly and looks good – all at the same time!I don’t like saying this, but it does take the Americans to come up with stuff like this…

I have got tops – both long and short sleeve – and leggings to wear as base layer under my fleece stuff and top layer. With three layers, I can take the top or mid layer off when ever the temperature changes which tends to happen during the day. And when the day gets darker and the temperature drops, it’s back on with all layers again to keep warm.This stuff comes with several colours – and not just the black and white but pink, green, red etc – and with a selection of gear for men, ladies and kids.

The Under Armour gear is also versatile as it does not matter what your sport or activity, it goes with anything – football, rugby, golf, hiking, riding and spectating.

I think I may need to take advantage of the sales and before the VAT rises and get some heatgear for the spring and summer as well. It’s the same stuff, but with a reverse effect. It keeps you cool when it’s hot and the excellent wicking capabilities of the material leaves you feeling dry and fresh even at top temperatures in doors and out side.

The only drawback you could say is the price, but I am a convert! As this gear is such good quality, you know that it will keep going wash after wash. It keeps it colour, it shape and excellent wicking qualities for much longer than any other gear I have ever paid for making it a much better investment in the long run.

Base Layers for climbing

Base layers are an absolute must for any type of altitude climbing, whether you are climbing a mountain in the UK or going further afield you need to ensure your clothing and equipment are in order.

Base layers come in a variety of colours and styles and you can choose the type of base layer that suits you the best.  Base layers can either be zip up or over the head and can

Coldgear Subzero Mock

come in short sleeve or long sleeve.  I prefer to wear a long sleeve base layer underneath and a short sleeve base layer over the top, with fleeces over the top of my base layers.

Everybody is slightly different in how they prefer to wear their base layers and with the variety of styles and colours available in the market place there is certainly something to suit everyone’s needs.  Base layers are the key to keeping warm when walking in cold climates or at altitude.  The base layers trap the air between them and keep you warm.

Base layers are also very comfortable for climbing as they are made from materials that provide comfort as well as warmth and allow you the flexibility to climb with ease.  Generally base layers are very light too so you do not feel weighed down by your clothing and this gives you the freedom of movement required when you are out walking or climbing.

Also base layers pack up very small in your ruck sack, particularly important if you are carrying all your kit with you when you are out climbing, you can take quite a few changes of clothes with you as far as base layers are concerned at they pack up into a very small space.  If you choose your base layers in a variety of colours these will also be very easy to identify in your rucksack, when space is at a premium you need to be able to identify your clothing very easily.

If you are out trekking for some time and need to wash your base layers, they dry very quickly as they are very light weight, which means you don’t need to take too much with you as you can be confident in washing through your base layers and confident that they will dry very quickly.

The base layers are designed with the climber or trekker in mind and every aspect of wearing them including weight, comfort and washing has been thought about, they are a brilliant a very good invention  and I am sure are mandatory packing of clothing for every climber or trekker.

Additional if you are wearing short sleeved base layers such as Under Armour Heatgear in a warmer climate the design of the material keeps the moist away from your body ensuring you can still walk or climb in comfort.  Base layers are absolutely essential whether climbing in a hot or cold climate.

The Sport Power List 2010

Sport Magazine has for the third year running put together a Sports Power List, a 50 strong list of Big Guns of British sport in 2010. The names were put together after much digging and deliberation. Everyone on the list can exert power and influence on the sports we watch and play today.

Some of the names put bums on seats, some nourish the grass roots and others have the ultimate power by pressing the flesh and signing deals worth millions of pounds to the industry. But they have one thing in common – they have all helped shape British sports in 2010 to some degree.

Here are the Top  5 for you to read about and digest:

Man City Shirt

1. Sheikh Manour – the game-changing sheikh, a member of the Abu-Dhabi’sruling family, he took control of Manchester City in 2008 andhas lavished an estimated £800m on transfer fees and player salaries. Is it a coincidence or his influence that produced the Abu Dhabi airline Etihad’s logo as the new sponsors on the sky blue shirts and base layers of the team?
2. Lord Coe – Mr 2012… a smooth and influential operator who worked tirelessly for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Would successful games in London net him the top job at the IOC?
3. Jeremy Darroch – Sky’s chief executive is responsible for the £1.62bn deal with the Premier League which secures 115 of the 138 live games until 2013. When he says jump, football asks how high?
4. Fabio Capello – he is the down graded don, only holding his place due to his position, rather than anything he achieved during the year. Leaving or not, England still expects – far, far too much…
5. Richard Scudamore – the top man at the Premier League, earlier this year he concluded a round of rights negotiations that netted the Premier League a whopping £3.3b in their pocket over the next three years. Like him or not, that is an astonishing result in hard times proving that this man has true influence.
6. Sepp Blatter – to many a preposterous old fool, but he is the man in charge of world football and as such holds a momentous amount of power over sport here in the UK. But will he, won’t he finally get his act together and bring technology into the game? He is notoriously fickle…
7. Chairman of the FA – apply within if you dare… but when in the job, the position will give you power and if you do a good job, the only way is up…
8. Sir Alex Ferguson – Manager, Manchester United and a man with unquestionable power with the board of directors, the players, the fans and the media. Fergie has truly earned his status after 20 years of titles and triumphs.
9. Wayne Rooney – Hero/villan/hero… the highest placed sportsman on the list, not because of his salary but because his club and country need him – when Rooney struggles for form, so does club and country!
   

   London 2012 Olympic Games

10. Jess Ennis – face of a proud nation! The 24 year old world and European heptathlon champion is one of the true sporting heroes of the year. She also has the rare quality of a start able to perfect an international sporting career with a vibrant personality, capable of charming one and all. A big hope for the London 2012 Games!

Do base layers really work?

Technical sportswear such as base layers claim to improve your sports performance but do they really work?

You can buy base layers for cold and hot conditions. In the cold conditions they are suppose to keep you dry and warm. In the hot conditions it will be the opposite, keeping you cool. This kind of technical sportswear certainly looks good. You can buy the tops in long sleeve, short sleeve and even sleeveless and in various colours. For the bottom half, you can choose from shorts, long johns and underwear. But it is not cheap to buy, so does it really help not just your looks but your performance?  Most people who wear this kind of kit are in agreement – yes, they really do think that the technology works.

In technical sportswear, thermoregulatory functions regulate the body temperature, both inside and outside of the skin. For peak performance, it is important that your body temperature is regulated. Getting too cold or overheating will prevent your body from performing and can be detrimental and even dangerous to a person’s health if exposed to large variations over a longer period of time.  When we start exercising, the core body temperature rises. Your body mechanisms will kick in trying to regulate the core temperature to avoid overheating. These mechanisms include things like sweating and panting. Body temperature also regulates enzymes in the body. They control energy pathways and all the other vital functions of the body. These do not work as efficiently when body temperatures become too high or low, therefore preventing the body of performing at capacity.

The thermoregulatory mechanisms of technical sportswear are the most efficient when the difference between the higher core and lower skin temperature is larger. It is at the skin where heat is lost and the core temperature drops. This is where the base layer gear comes in either helping you to retain or lose the heat depending on the environment you are in. The base layer cold gear is typically used in cold environments retaining heat and keeping the wearer warm. In the hot conditions it is the opposite as base layer heat gear allows the heat generated by the body to be lost at a faster rate, keeping the wearer cool. These facts have both been scientifically proven.

In conclusion, this gear – despite its price – is ideal for those wishing to put themselves though training in comfortable, extreme or varying conditions. They will help the body to keep a more even temperature while training. The wicking qualities of the materials will also keep the garments dry and more pleasant to wear. This gear will make training less of an effort and, as you can shop for the training gear that suits your style and taste, will without a doubt make you feel better and proud about how you look and feel about yourself.

 

Base layer that will do the job

If you really want to make sure that your base layers are going to do the job when you are in sub cero temperatures you need to try products from Under Armour. Whether you are skiing, playing sports in cold weather or aiming to climb the highest mountain in the world, these products – such as Under Armour Cold Gear Mock – more than any other, will provide you with the protection you need.

Under Armour Cold Gear Base Layer

This is not the garment to be worn indoors. Once you have it on, you can immediately feel the warmth it provides. The product fits in very snug, has a shiny, lycra feel to it and may fool you to think that you need several layers with it. If you are outdoors in anything warmer than -5 C, you can just have a thin second layer to go with it. If it ever gets wet, it dries very quickly unlike materials like cotton, or even fleece, which – once wet – will take time to dry, leaving you exposed to cold and discomfort.

This product is ideal for skiing and high altitude mountaineering where cold weather is a real issue. When skiing in sunny weather, the temptation to sit out doors for lunch is almost too much to resist. By the time the food arrives, you wish you would have sat indoors as the cold starts setting in. When mountaineering in high altitude, you will need to stop regularly to catch your breath, to drink and to take in snacks for energy. It is very easy to get cold which makes coping with the high altitude even harder. Unless you are wearing appropriate clothing, it is very easy to get cold and make the activity much harder than it needs to be.

It is absolutely worth paying the premium price for this kind of sports gear. It is not without a reason that top sportsmen in high intensity training and games wear high quality technical sportswear such as product from Under Armour and Canterbury.

The product range includes items for both cold gear and heat gear, sleeveless, short and long sleeve tops as well as underwear, shorts and leggings. The products are available for men, women and junior in various colours. And for those who feel the cold in their limbs or like accessories can also pick up products such as head gear, gloves, arm bands and rug sags.

There performance sports gear product are now widely available at affordable prices online. Top sports men, women and teams are wearing the products giving them their expert endorsement.

Under Armour

Under Armour is an American sportswear company, best known for its introduction of form-fitting, moisture-wicking clothing designed to be worn under sportswear. Founder Kevin Plank was an America football player who got tired of having to change out of the sweat-soaked T-shirts he wore under his jersey, so he made a tee shirt using moisture-wicking fabric for athletic performance and founded the product on January 29, 1996.

The company is now a supplier of a much wider range of sportswear and casual apparel such as footwear, which they have been offering since 2006. The company continues to expand its offerings and are now widely available, not just in the United States but in the United Kingdom, Europe and elsewhere all over the world.