The holidays are here again. And if you are looking to get a gift for an Ultimate player, it can be difficult to think beyond the disc. Look no further than our 2012 not-obvious gift guide, filled with great gift ideas for any ultimate frisbee player.
December 17, 2012 by Charlie Eisenhood in Other, Review with 3 comments
The holidays are here again. And if you are looking to get a gift for an Ultimate player (or perhaps you want to gift yourself something), it can be difficult to think beyond the disc. Sure, you can grab a jersey, but what if you’re buying for someone who already has a thousand of them?
Look no further than our 2012 not-obvious gift guide, filled with great gift ideas for any ultimate frisbee player.
The Waterproof Bag: No more bringing a garbage bag with you to protect your gear from the rain. The Kwik Tek waterproof duffel bag has plenty of room for cleats, discs, jerseys, and more, with outside pockets for quick access to nail clippers, sunscreen, etc.
All your stuff will stay bone dry as your teammates scramble to put their stuff under umbrellas. There’s really nothing like putting on dry socks after a day of rainy ultimate. Which brings us to…
Wool Socks: First of all, nobody really likes getting socks as a present, so you’ll have to pair this with something else on the list. But nobody ever buys socks for themselves either, so they’re a welcome addition to the winter gear department. Wool socks are great because they keep your feet warm even when they get wet.
These Pearl Izumi performance wool socks are designed for cyclists, but work great for ultimate players because they’re warm without being bulky.
Gatorade Powder: After a long point, water is delicious, but Gatorade is divine. And it’s nice to be able to control the strength of the beverage by mixing your own with this Gatorade powder.
Search Amazon or the Internet for bigger sizes and different flavors, but this Glacier Freeze flavor comes in a perfect size to last for a few tournaments (if you’re not sharing) and fit nicely in the above waterproof bag.
Water Bottle: The Nalgene is the gold standard water bottle in ultimate for a reason. It’s unbreakable, holds a lot of liquid (water, Gatorade, other things…), and you can put stickers all over it. Yea, you can be thrifty and use a gallon jug, but they aren’t always so convenient. Amazon has dozens of Nalgene colors and designs for as little as $5.99.
And, hey, you need a place to put that Gatorade powder.
Speakers: Every sideline needs some music to keep everyone’s energy up during the warm-up and post-game stretch. But big speakers can be tough to transport and boomboxes usually don’t sound great. Enter the JAMBOX. A portable Bluetooth device connects wirelessly to most modern cellphones, tablets, and computers and pumps out high quality sound in a small package.
The rechargeable battery lasts for over ten hours, plenty for a Saturday of Ultimate.
Budget Speakers: JAMBOX out of your price range? Check out the Rock-It Portable Vibration Speaker. The device itself doesn’t actually produce sound, but when you stick it to something hollow (like a cooler, gallon jug, or trash can), it turns the object into your speaker!
These don’t offer the greatest quality sound, but for the price they are amazing and perhaps the most portable option available.
Hand Waterproofer: It can be frustrating to play in the rain (or very high humidity) because your hands get wet, making gripping the disc difficult and resulting in turnovers. Enter Dry Hands, a “lotion” that you apply that repels water and immediately improves grip in any adverse conditions.
This stuff is used by golfers, bowlers, and pole dancers (seriously, check out the website) — any sport where you need consistent grip. You’ll be able to throw and catch much more easily while maintaining the feel for the disc you can’t quite get with gloves.
Clif Bars: Every ultimate player needs to refuel during the day, but it can be hard to stomach yet another banana or dry bagel with no cream cheese. Thankfully you can get some Clif Bars. These White Chocolate Macademia Nut bars are probably the most delicious flavor and, since they’re expensive, they make a great gift.
With both quick and slow carbs for sustained energy, Clif Bars are a great nutritious snack during the brutal tournament format that Ultimate employs.
Pickles: Pickles are a mainstay of game-day nutrition. But giving someone a jar of pickles for the holidays doesn’t really scream ‘thoughtful.’ So pick up this Brooklyn Brine Pickling Kit, which comes with mason jars, step-by-step instructions, and spices to make your own pickles (with cucumbers or other vegetables).
Pickles are great because they deliver essential nutrients and help prevent muscle cramps (seriously). They also just taste amazing when you’re craving salt, which is all day during ultimate tournaments.
Mesh Snapback Hats: Mesh “trucker” hats have long been a staple of the Ultimate player’s wardrobe. And suddenly that style is fashionable outside of Ultimate as well. That means selection is better than ever and new designs crop up all the time. We love these NBA and NCAA mesh snapbacks. You can rep your city or your college in style on and off the field.
Ultiworld is based in Brooklyn, so you’ll see us rocking this Nets gear at a tournament sometime soon.
Jerseys and Bro-Tanks: Maybe this counts as too-obvious for our gift guide, but we couldn’t let you leave without telling you about our sweet new Ultiworld gear. We’ve got spot-sublimated jerseys, bro tanks, and shorts in our classic logo design and a new modern look available now in our store.
Until Saturday, you can get 15% off with our exclusive discount code for readers, UltiworldWeb.
So check out the store (soon to be featuring a fully sublimated jersey) and grab some Ultiworld gear for a friend — or yourself.
