Be Prepared

I graduated from highschool in 2004. That year, as a graduation gift, I was given The Scout, an amazing Nixon Watch. I wore that thing every day for almost two years. I crashed some skateboards while wearing it, and it held up perfectly. The only reason I ever took it off was cause the battery died.

I think I like it so much because it's such a chameleon.

If you want a watch that has the same vintage look as watches with worn leather bands, you've got it, without having to worry about ruining the leather. If you want a watch that looks like something belongs on a black-ops soldier, you've got it, and you'll never have to worry about getting called out to assassinate anyone in the middle of the night. (see also, Jason Bourne). I love the ability to wear The Scout to a concert one day and then wear it with a suit and tie the next. It's adaptable.

Sweat through it, get it wet, bleed on it, do what you will.... like a good scout, it's prepared.

BackpackFacts

Recently, I've been looking at the Ogio Politan.... It's a pretty cool bag. It's kinda simple and self explanatory, but just in case you need more explanation, this is what was given on http://www.ogio.com:

"DESCRIPTION:
If OGIO was human, he would bleed fuel. The Politan embodies OGIO’s DNA - built for speed with impact-resistant storage for up to 17” laptops, dual-side mesh storage for liquid goods, and a weatherproof fleece-lined audio storage compartment with headphone exit port.
FEATURES:
Top entry padded laptop compartment / Large center storage area / Power cord and mouse storage / Weatherproof fleece-lined audio pocket with headphone exit port / Neoprene top grab handle / Dual side mesh pockets / Sliding sternum strap / Deluxe organizer panel / Fits most 17" laptops / Laptop sleeve 18"h x 12"w x 2"d"

Honestly? I really didn't understand any of that. Guys like me need a certain type of communication.... i guess i learn more from cool sounding words like "BOOM!" So, lets take a look at another description from http://www.rememberdelaware.com:

.... OH NO!!!! It looks like I haven't made it that far yet. hahahah! I'll get on that. But for the time being, it looks like we do have a picture. And everyone knows that a picture speaks a thousand words.

So. This is what I learned from this picture:

The Ogio Politan is awesome. It's great for students who have tons of books, a lunch, and a laptop to lug around the school campus. It comes in a few different colors, including the crazy white and red checkerboard design you see above. So you can choose to be inconspicuous and go through school without saying much, or you could choose the red and white and make even your teacher or professor lose his/her concentration! Personally, I'd choose the red and white, but that's just me.

Anyway, back to the pack. So you've got plenty of space for books, food, and a laptop, but what else? Why else would anyone in their right mind want to buy this bag? Well, it's got plenty of padding to protect your laptop, you can store two waterbottles in the mesh side pockets, you still want more reasons? Ok, you like music? Well, with this bag, you can stash your iPod or other mp3 player in a pocket lined with fleece and run your headphones thru the exit hole so you can listen to your music and still have space in your pants pockets for more important things, like crumbs and trash.

I personally think that's plenty of reason to get this pack, and on sale for $62.95? That's awesome. I say go for it.... connect four?

mix and match

I've been riding a bike around Salt Lake City for the past two years. I spent a few months as a courier, so you've probably almost hit me with your car or at least someone I know. I guess I kinda fit into the category of hipster or whatever you want to call it. I wear shoes that look like i bought them in 1970, but in reality I purchased in 2006 at a store in the mall. I wear t-shirts that look old as well, and retro biking hats, and a messenger pack.... I think the only thing missing is that I eat more than my fair share of meat....

Guys like Travis Pastrana have been riding motorcycles for years. They spend their time getting paid to do crazy stuff you never thought was possible, so you've probably seen him and his friends on TV or on various DVD's. They definately fit into the Extreme Sports category. a little bit surfer, a little bit jock... However you describe that style, it's definately big. Buy anything at PacSun or Zumiez, and you can probably fit in. Jeans, Skate shoes, T-shirts, and cool hats, are defining factors in this style.

There's a few ways our two distinct styles collide.... Yes, I kinda work in the extreme sports industry, but no that's not what i'm talking about.

I'm talking about products and marketing.

There's tons of companies out there that market to distinct groups of people, but under all the hype, they're marketing to multiple other groups of people as well.

Ogio's big moneymaker right now is Motocross and other extremesports. With products like the Erzberg, they center on moto riders. Bullet bikers have the No Drag and Less Drag, as well as the Fenderbag and a few others. Skateboarders can have their own corner of the Ogio scene with bags that hold their skateboards for easy travel. And surfing has even found a place in this empire, run by a company based out of land-locked Utah.

But did you know that Ogio's "gateway drug" was golf bags? A few years bag, the coolest golf bag I'd ever seen was a yellow one my dad brought home from a visit to the Ogio compound. Thankfully, they're still makin those wonderful bags, and hopefully there's a few golfers reading this that'll get stoked (however golfers get stoked, i'm not sure...) and go buy one.

And now, we've been given products that also appeal to the hipsters and road bikers out there. Messenger Bags! I mean, honestly, I'm perfectly happy with any backpack (especially one from Ogio), but how much cooler will I look with a real messenger bag? I could go with the Hip Hop, or even look a little more corporate (like my dad!) with the Director. Decisions, decisions.... Maybe I'll completely forget the messenger pack completely and get a fannypack.....

Other companies that obviously cater to all different types of people (companies who's products we happen to sell) are DC, Dakine, Nixon, Smith, etc. I think it's important to make a statement, as a company, as to who you're main target is, but also, as a consumer, remember to be open minded. Just cause you don't ride a Honda two stroke doesn't mean Ogio won't have something for you. And just cause you don't skate doesn't mean you won't like what DC has to offer. So come on into the store and look around for something that catches your eye!

Supercross in SLC!

Unfortunately I wasn't able to go to the supercross event at Rice-Eccles last saturday (april 25th), I was too busy watching Real Salt Lake tie for the highest scoring game in MLS history. They dominated New England at 6-0.

Anyway, back on topic, I've been having troubles with the internet today for some reason so it took me three hours to find this stuff.

Here's what i found:

It looks like James Stewart won (again), with Chad Reed in second, and David Millsaps in third.

Unfortunately, i can't brag about any Ogio riders this time, but then, with a rider like Stewart, there's not much chance of anyone else winning for a few years. He's the new Carmichael. Nuff said.....

Hmmm.... "Nuff"..... sounds kinda like Neff!

A couple weeks ago i was able to help pick out next years Neff products... Let me tell you, if you haven't seen their stuff, you should. It's gonna hit you like a ton of neon colored bricks. Once you stand back up and dust the brightly colored debris off your knees you'll realize one of two things. You absolutely love Neff's products or you absolutely hate Neff's products. There's no gray area. Only pink and purple and blue and green and black and yellow and red and........

Math Problem of the Day

"x + m = j"

x= extreme sports (anything related to anything sold on http://www.rememberdelaware.com/)

j= joy, happiness, amazingness, adrenaline rush

So, what does "M" equal?

It's my firm belief that to attain complete happiness, one must mix extreme sports or anything related to them with.... MUSIC!!!!

I absolutely cannot imagine what it would be like to fly off a kicker on my bike without my music pumping me up. Imagine your favorite snowboard or ski movie.... Now take out the soundtrack. It's still pretty cool, but it's not even half of what it would be with some killer tunes!

All my favorite videos have soundtracks with blood pumping beats and screaming guitars and crazy drums. Stuff like Swollen Members, Rush, Slayer, Rise Against, and the list goes on. Coincidentally, a lot of my favorite bands have ties into the extreme sports world as well. The Aquabats have a Vans Shoes sponsorship, as does Rise Against. Tons of my top bands have played at sports events like the X Games, the AST Dew Tour, and the Gravity Games. Travis Barker has a signature DC shoe.

So what does this have to do with http://www.rememberdelaware.com/ ?

Well, to begin with, here at the office, we've always got music playing. I actually get kinda nervous when it's quiet here. And then there's the fact that we sell awesome headphones like the Skullcandy TI....

The Skull Candy Ti Headphones are built for one reason and one reason only. And this reason is because you want to rock whenever and wherever you choose. Skull Candy makes some of the best audio systems on the market from the Smokin Buds to the Hesh, the Double Agent to the Pipe, Skull Candy is an awesome edition to your music arsenal. Slip them over your ears before and after a ride, whether on the slopes, the trail, or the backcountry, for the calming effects of your favorite tunes or to get pumped up higher than you've ever been in preparation for the craziness that you're about to engage in. Or put in the Smokin Buds and bump it while you run around on an adrenaline rush!

We've also got an extensive stock of audio packages for helmets like the Singleshot, the Twin Tip, and the Bluetooth kit!

We've also got tons of helmets with the audio packages already on them.

Choose wisely young grasshopper!

Save Lives, Not Money

About three years ago I was riding my bike in a small, upperclass town in Georgia. It was about nine o'clock in the evening and it was starting to get dark. Me and my friend were headed back to the apartment from a quick ride to the Wal-Mart. I stood up on my pedals to get a bit of force into my stroke so I could get up the next rise without problem. I put a lot of power into my pedals and then it happened. My chain skipped, causing my feet to slip off the pedals and hit the pavement. I was doing about twenty miles an hour at that point so it's not like I could just put my feet down without problem.



When my friend caught up with me i was laying face down in the middle of the street, snoring, in a puddle of my own blood. I personally don't remember any of this. In fact, the last thing i remembered was waiting outside our apartment for my buddy to finish tying his shoes. I had lost four hours of my memory. I was in and out of conciousness for the next hour as i rode to the hospital in an ambulance.



I didn't know where I was or why I was there. I knew who i was, but it's extremely frightening to not know where you are or remember how you got there. While I rode on the stretcher in the back of the ambulance, all i could think of was "Was I wearing a helmet?" and the EMT riding with me was getting a little annoyed that i kept asking him that...



Yes, I was wearing my helmet. When I ate pavement I opened up my right hand and shoulder, sprained both wrists and both knees, suffered a concussion, and got road rash up the right side of my face. While the helmet did save my life, it sliced my eyebrow clean open when it made contact with the ground. I got seven stitches over my right eye and wasn't able to open it for a week and a half. I looked like I got in a fight with a full sized gorilla.

There's a rule that most people don't know about helmets. Once you've crashed in a helmet once, no matter how hard the impact, the helmet needs to be replaced. Well, my helmet was completely ruined. Blood all over it, and one side pretty much ground up to oblivion. I wouldn't be suprised if there's still pieces of my helmet in the pavement on the dark street in Georgia.

There's also an even less well known rule about helmets... If it's a good helmet, one that's actually gonna protect you in an accident, it's gonna cost you a bit more money than a lid you'd find at Wal-Mart.

Well, I bought a new helmet... It over-drafted my checking account, but the point is, I needed a new one and i bought one. I wear my helmet whenever I ride. In fact, I have four helmets to choose from depending on what type of riding I do.

My point in telling this story is, It's important to wear a helmet. Ya, helmets are expensive, but in the long run, that extra money will save your life. Another argument may be bouncing around somewhere, helmets make me look dumb.

1) would you rather look dumb, or be dead?

and

2) there are tons of helmet companies that have come out with absolutely awesome helmets!

Buy yourself or your loved ones a good helmet.

what's in a name?

The Enduro at Erzberg is a 35 kilometer (21 miles and around a thousand yards) rugged and hazardous trail-based motorcross race where only 30 riders out of 1500 will finish. It's pretty gruesome.
You can see footage of this deathrace on Travis Pastrana's dvd "Nitro Circus 3". If i remember correctly, our boy Travis doesn't even finish the race. Now, if you follow his antics at all, you know that he's darn near invincible. He wins at absolutely everything. He wins even when it means looking past broken bones and disconnected shoulders in order to push forward and destroy the competition. So what does this tell you? Travis Pastrana, the wonder boy, didn't finish Erzberg. This can mean only one thing: Erzberg really is that hard.

So, if you're on a motorcycle in the mountains of Austria (or anywhere else for that matter) and you want to get a hydration pack that will do it's job, but you want to make sure it'll go above and beyond, which one would you choose?

I think it'd be important to go with a company that makes quality products, so lets go with Ogio. They're kinda the obvious choice here. Now, if all you were given to make your choice was the names of the bags, you'd have a couple to choose from. You've got the Baja pack, the MX Hydration pack, the Flight Vest, or... wait... what's this? The Erzberg?!

Leaky bladder problems are now a thing of the past with the Ogio Erzberg Hydration Pack. With a low profile, you won't even notice that you are lugging around extra fluids. Ogio would even suggest you take this on a 20K marathon just to make sure it works.

Or even better, take it on a 21 mile motorcycle race from hell. You know Ogio made it strong enough to hold up to that. The real question is, are you up to it?

I know i'm definately not....

So, back to the title, What's in a Name? When you look at it this way, there's more in a name than you think.