Gear

Folks have asked me about what gear I use and where they can get the same. Here’s a list of some of the items or services I use at home carry around. Thanks for using my affiliate link below.


TIRERACK.com - Revolutionizing Tire Buying
I need those 4 round rubber things at the corners of my cars so I’ve been buying tires at Tire Rack for probably close to 20 years now. Their research pages provide useful and authoritative information.

I drive in SCCA Solo and got tired of cutting my own magnetic numbers and decided to make magnetic number plates. The fonts on the number plates are 8″ tall with 1.25″ stroke while the fonts on the matching class plates are 4″ tall.  These are quality produced by CafePress yet affordably priced.
Here’s some Formula 1 and BMW apparel and 1 swag I designed. Enjoy!
Sometimes you don’t either have or want the real estate required to run P1Software on an elaborate pit stand setup or even on a laptop. For those instances, I like running the software on an iPad with a case with a hand strap. I’ve had this one by New Trent for a year now, and have been very pleased.
  
My most recent acquisition is this HooToo TripMate Elite travel router that I use when I travel to IMSA races.
It’s very useful providing WiFi coverage, connected to track networks, to my portable devices when giving demos.

  • It has a built-in rechargeable battery, so I can run it even when power isn’t handy.
  • Built-in power plug so no additional wall warts needed.
  • Its 6 amp battery can charge USB devices.
I’ve had several Anker batteries, but the Astro Slim3 is perfect for my Galaxy Note 2. It’s a 6 amp battery and can quickly charge my phone several times a day. Also, it’s one-piece with a built-in micro USB cable so everything is self-contained when you’re on the go. In a pinch, I can charge my phone in my pocket by having them lay back-to-back. It’s also great to charge your phone running Google Maps when navigating in rental cars. /td>
Do your eyes, neck, shoulders, and back a favor when you are using your home computer monitor (it must be VESA mountable with the standard 100×100 mm pattern). Reattach it to this mount so you can properly place your monitor the proper distance, height, and tilt to relieve eye and anatomical stress. Essential especially for me – I wear bifocals, and it’s more comfortable having the monitor close and low.

We have two that use the free standing mounts and a third that where the base is removed and the post is instead attached directly to the desk with the included hardware. The latter has the added advantage of then allowing me to place things directly underneath the monitor which would normally not be possible with normal monitor bases.

On the second arm, I attach the Notebook arm tray (below) to this stand’s 75×75 mm holes (it has both 100×100 and 75×75 holes).

I place my laptop computer on this Notebook arm tray, mounted on the second arm of the dual monitor stand (above). The laptop screen then serves as a second screen. I use an external mouse and keyboard. You really won’t be able to type on the laptop when it sits on this tray.
Sometimes my finger is not a fine enough instrument for working with my iPad and I get tire of mis-hits. I’ve tried a few styli, most of which tend to also have rather large rubber nibs. This Jot Pro is different as it has a precise fine tip allowing for better accuracy – no more mis-hits.
When traveling to IMSA races, my Monster Power Outlets To Go 3 USB has been a great for charging up my laptops and phone overnight. Many hotels do not have enough extra power outlets in the rooms. Some features that I particularly like:

  • It’s one piece, and the 3 prong plug plugs neatly into one of its own outlets so it fits neatly into my pack without anything dangling.
  • Besides the 3 power outlets, theres a USB power outlet as well, which is use for charging phones, cameras, iPods, etc.
  • Plus there’s a blue LED so I know if the room outlet actually has power and reduces the likelihood I’ll forget it in my room when I pack.
Less than $0.10 per velcro strap to manage my wires and cables. These are of the thin variety so it’s well suited for my computer electronics. I just snip them to the about the right length.
Hefty bags? Yes. When travelling carry-on with electronics, I’ve found it convenient to throw them all in a Hefty OneZip bag.

  • When I go through the airport TSA lines, I lay my Hefty bag out in the bins, just like my liquids bag. If they need to look at all the doo dads, it’s easy for them to do without having to dig through my pack.
  • It keeps your wires from getting tangled up and damaged.
  • Not only can you see what’s inside them, you can write your check list on the bag itself.

Certainly not high tech or sexy, but it’s exactly what I need. The smaller
Ziploc Snack Bag Value Pack, 100-Count(Pack of 3)
I find are useful for storing earbuds, small cables, power tips, etc. separately so they don’t get tangled together.


I’ve been happily using Expedia to make most of my travel and lodging arrangements. I find it slightly easier to use than some of the other travel sites.