What's the best piece of athletic/sporting equipment you've ever owned and why?

[M R DAWGS]

1968 Browning BAR in 30-06. It was given to me by my grandfather when I was in 10th grade. I’ve put down at least 30 deer with the rifle, no telling how many he did.


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He was a WWII veteran, and I think BAR’s held a special place with those guys. Likely saved many American infantryman’s lives.

 

[SteelCurtain74]

I don't think you can go wrong with the Shake Weight. It's real popular with the Mrs.

 

[Jrobb]

Mine is the Apple Watch. I've gone from a few years ago thinking it was a silly gimmick to firmly believing it's the best product ever to aid me in keeping active. Heart rate monitor, fitness tracker, GPS, it streams music, makes calls, reads me texts.... If it would make me a sandwich and get me a beer I'd marry it.

KUIU Carbon frame backpack. Hauls elk like a trailer. As long as your wheels work

 

[cowbell88]

I also had a green Easton, wish I’d never demoted it to rock hitting and snake busting duty.

Have some special guns that belonged to grandfathers that I’m proud to own.

I don’t know if ATV will qualify as sporting equipment, but I had a Yamaha 225 moto 4 that I had for 15 years. That machine went more through more jumps, wheelies and the occasional brick wall than a Evil Kenevil cycle.

 

[garddog]

My 35 inch 31 ounce B5 "Green" Easton bat that helped me tie the NCAA Home Run Record and set the NCAA Grand Slam single season record in 1981. Definitely the piece of athletic equipment that did more for me than any other.

We had one of those that our high school coach bought, then we got the black magic bat. It was always satisfying swinging either of them.

 

[SpeckTaker]

My first real boat. 22’ Blazer Bay with 150 Yamadog 2 stroke. Still using her close to 20 years later. Every time I think about replacing her I get extreme sticker shock. I paid around $23 K new back in 03. That won’t get you a motor now.

 

[Emma’s Dad]

Dunlap Maxply Fort tennis racket -circa 1972. A gift from a nationally ranked player from Long Island NY who stayed in our home during a tennis tournament when I was 12.

A close second - my Yogi Berra “autographed” catchers mitt from around the same time. Caught a lot of balls in little league and used it practice-catching with my son 30 years later.

 

[PhredPhantom]

The thing I had the most fun with was an aerobatic biplane called a Firebolt. It had 300+ hp, 4 ailerons on symmetrical wings, full inverted fuel and oil plus a smoke system, and 2 seats with a full canopy. Funny story: Back when my daughter was about 10 years old I would take her for rides. She would sit in the front seat but she was too short (at the time) to see out the front or sides so I would roll inverted so she could see the ground through the top of the canopy. She was strapped in, of course, and from where I was flying from the back seat I couldn’t see her in front of me (because of the instrument panel between us) until I rolled upside down and we were hanging from the straps, I could see her two pigtails hanging down/up. Later, when she *and* two of her brothers were at Mississippi State all at the same time, I needed to turn it into money so I did. I loved that airplane but, of course, I love my children more.

 

[KentuckyDawg13]

Ibis Ripmo mountain bike

Have owned dozens of bikes (old school BMXer to modern road), and have to say the newest full suspension 29" mountain bikes are game changers. The Ibis Ripmo is an enduro mountain bike (160mm suspension) and is an absolute beast. It's a bit overkill for most xc trails, but when the **** get real, say Pisgah/bike parks, that's when the Ripmo shines.
Also have a Ripley, more of the trail version (130mm suspension) and it's an amazing bike too.

 

[KentuckyDawg13]

Steel? I've owned several steel frames, they ride great. Have a Surly Cross Check and a Serotta Colorado TG that are steel. Also, a Merlin Extralight titanium frame. Most of my modern bikes are carbon except for a Kona gravel bike, it's alumimum. \^^/
Steel is real!

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

1968 Browning BAR in 30-06. It was given to me by my grandfather when I was in 10th grade. I’ve put down at least 30 deer with the rifle, no telling how many he did.


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He was a WWII veteran, and I think BAR’s held a special place with those guys. Likely saved many American infantryman’s lives.

The thought of 20 rounds of 30.06 lead coming at one in quick succession is terrifying.

 

[mstateglfr]

Steel? I've owned several steel frames, they ride great. Have a Surly Cross Check and a Serotta Colorado TG that are steel. Also, a Merlin Extralight titanium frame. Most of my modern bikes are carbon except for a Kona gravel bike, it's alumimum. \^^/
Steel is real!

Ooh, I considered buying a Colorado a couple years ago, basically early pandemic as a project frame to modernize. Always liked Serotta's history in the US cycling scene.

Yeah, what I built has Columbus Zona steel tubing. Upper mid-level option and while not the lightest, still plenty responsive and much easier to work on as a beginner.

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[dudehead]

I hauled many a load through the Rocky Mountain west with a Lowe Contour internal frame backpack circa late 1980s for a decade or so. I went through several stoves, water filters etc. but she kept on keeping on.

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[dstatechamps]

Guilty!

That old Green Easton was so easy to load with tennis balls. End cap was almost like a screw off. Had an end cap come off and tennis balls go flying in a game one time. Good times!

Did that one time in high school. Swung it one time in a game. Hit a homerun. Held my breath until I rounded first and saw that it was still intact. Put it back in my bag as soon as I got to the dugout and took the tennis balls out of it when I got back home. The next day, one of our guys was taking BP with it and the end cap popped off. Whew.......

 

[dstatechamps]

I played a lot of softball in 70's, 80's, and early 90's. Our little town had no little league and our high school baseball team had no money and played in their bluejeans and football jerseys so I never played baseball when I moved away from another town with little league at age 12.

What I did have was an awesome men's slow pitch team with my church that played in another city league. These guys were awesome and taught me a lot when I joined them at age 15.

Anyway... I invested in two custom ordered bats in the late 80's that. I can't find a picture one was an Easton Black (Not Black Magic) 34 inch/35 oz. and a 35 inch/38 oz. which I can't remember the brand but it was silver with a green brand print. Later in my late teens and twenties I played league ball M-F and played in B, C, and D class tournaments on the weekend as a free agent. I got to play a couple of years on a really talented and great C class tournament team that played on the bigger 300 ft plus fence fields and those two bats really helped me hit the occasional long ball to the opposite field.

I really wish I was mobile enough to play in an old farts league

You mention a 38 oz. bat. Those went the way of the dinosaur. Lolz. When I firs started playing weekend softball (early 90's) my bat weighed 35 ounces. By the time I quit. (Mid 2000's), my bat weighed 26 ounces.

 

[HRMSU]

The discovery of ASICS Gel Nimbus. Only shoe I've found that keeps my right knee from swelling after a run.