This is the fifth, and last, post in “My Essential Skate Gear” series (posts made in the order of importance). The final items are indeed not “essential,” but they are certainly nice to have and/or make (skate) life a lot better. See comments for details. No pictues for this one.
• 80HDs
• Grip Tape Cleaner
• Leaf Blower
• Phone/Tripod
• Back-Up Equipment
• Blue Tooth Speaker
Comments:
80HDs: These are soft Spitfire wheels. They unlock some seriously crusty spots. These are actually the most per se essential compared to the other items in today’s post.
Grip Tape Cleaner: This is basically a brick of semi-sticky rubber. You scrape/rub it on your grip tape, and it clears out the caked in dirt/dust. I skate some pretty dusty DIYs and parking garages, and having one these can be a real life-saver.
Leaf Blower: I have a collapsible battery powered Craftsman leaf blower (same rechargeable battery as cordless drill, saw, etc.) that lives in my car (along with the push broom). This thing can clear out a spot of dirt, dust, leaves, small rocks, acorns, etc. in seconds. Huge time saver compared to broom (which is still sometimes necessary).
Back-Ups: I always have my next deck and wheels on hand (not to mention random spare parts). Why? Well, if equipment breaks, or I decide it’s toast, and the shop is closed, or I can’t get to the shop for a few days, or they don’t have what I want, then that means I’m not skating for a bit. However, if I have a deck, etc. on-hand, then this problem entirely goes away.
Phone/Tripod: Self-explanatory. Certainly not essential, but good to have.
Blue Tooth Speaker: Skating to music is just…better.
And that finishes off the “essentials.” I may write a follow-up post sometime covering the mere “incidentals” (ex. a spray-bottle, clear non-diet soda, and water. Yup, those there things combine to create something very useful in skateboarding).
