Shade is your friend – especially if you have red hair & freckles. This instant pop-up tent is great for all your outdoor needs. A well-shaded nap after a super surf session is a must in the tropics. A nap in direct sunlight in the tropics will have the same effect as daylight on a vampire in True Blood – a sticky mess.

Socks are essential when it comes to snowboarding, skateboarding & standing around watching surfing. Stance has come out with a comfortable fit and an artsy design catering to an action sports-minded athletic supporter. The one thing I look for in a sock to skate or snowboard in is: no quitters. Socks around your ankles after one aggressive body motion are: quitters.

Lets face it – what goes up must come down. Sometimes coming down can be a violent and painful event. That’s just where the pain starts, though. The hospital will give you a different kind of pain shortly after you receive the first ER bill. Having good insurance is something people really take for granted. Many of action sport’s most talented individuals are without some form of quality insurance. This is where the Gnarjar Foundation can help. Dedicated to helping those in need of medical treatment without the means to get what they need to get back in the action.

You have a lot to remember in life – so why not write it down. Journaling is now just as popular as skin tight black jeans and makes you look even more hip at the coffee shop, while your sipping your espresso. Have pen will travel! Write it down & remember later!

Bond outerwear is pretty new on the snowboarding garment scene. Don’t let that discourage you – I think they have some of the tightest gear available. By tightest, I don’t mean constricting…like emo snug, I can see your genitalia…but tight, as in the urban slang – they have it together.

I wanna go fast! If your other hobbies don’t take you close enough to the ER on a daily basis, than getting into ripping around on your very own shifter kart definitely will. Imagine sitting on the ground, accelerating up to 100 mph and back to zero again in under 6 seconds. If you’re into sport driving, car karts will make a tent in your pants! Get good enough at kart racing & maybe you’ll be plucked into formula 1.

The name Matuse has long been associated with quality wetsuits. This 3 mil jacket is great for those chilly mornings when you can trunk it, but the air has a nip to it. Out here in Southern California, we haven’t had a morning with water over 64 degrees all summer. So maybe, if you’re on the East Coast or someplace where it doesn’t seem like King Neptune left the cold water running all night long, this jacket would work out great for you.

Surfboards with a sustainable vision. Beautiful wooden creations that are strong and light. These boards really are a sight to behold. I’m so used to seeing the usual foam creations that anytime I see something different…it gets me excited.

The sleeping bag hits just keep coming. The first was the Shark Attack sleeping bag. Now, the bear sleeping bag is less of an attack and more of a costume. You can lay in front of your fireplace & instantly your house becomes more sophisticated. Who doesn’t associate a bear skin rug with sophistication? I just wish it was for sale.

The Birdman is letting snowboarders come to the party in a new version of his namesake line of games. Tony Hawk Shred uses the plastic skateboard unit that came with his last offering Tony Hawk Ride. Several of my pals are featured in this game, so I really am looking forward to giving it a test run soon. Coming out before X-Mas.