Gadget essentials to capture your race weekend

It’s a known fact that I love my gadgets, I don’t travel to race weekends without ensuring I have my gadget bag full of kit to help capture the moment – for me, for my friends and for content. My ” gadget essentials” list is getting bigger and bigger each time. But below is my “gadget essentials” and what I take with me on a race weekend.

My gadget essentials

• Gimbal – smartphone / action camera stabilser – Essential piece of kit for my phone and action camera. Even though they both have electronic image stabilization, the gimbal helps to smooth out the footage a tad more.
• Extending & floating selfie stick – This is mulit- use – for road racing and has an added advantage of floating, so in obstacle racing, if I maage to drop the camera (not done so yet) it wont be lost! The selfie stick folds out so can be around 1m in length whilst also has a screw on tripod stand – really useful for stable shots to camera
• Waterproof action camera light – I purchased this for use at WTM and ETM – uses the action camera batteries and is capable of charging iva USB so there is no need to take up any extra charging space. Waterproof, various brightness, and has the added use as a fill in light for any photography required.
• CrossTour Action Camera – I try not to go for brand names, this action camera is fully loaded (4k, Slow mo, image stabalisation) and comes with a ton of accessories, all for only £90. For me this was a much better value proposition than the brand leader. All my race videos have been captured with this camera- the footage speaks for itself!
• Action Camera batteries – Be warned, batteries last around 30 – 45 minutes so carrying spares
• Lapel Microphone – Useful addition when you are doing some Instagram or Facebook live videos (especially when you’re outside with a lot of ambient noise). I aim to upgrade to this RODE microphone soon
• Anker Headphones – not for capturing, content, but great for listening back or just blocking out unwanted noise (especially useful when camping and needing sleep)
• USB cables – because you need to connect and charge everything!
• Aftershokz Trekz Titanium headphones – I do find it difficult to do any length of distance running without music. These babies allow you to listen to music (or audio of choice) without blocking the outside world. ou can hear your surroundings and keep safe. On the other hand, these are terrible in the gym, use the anker headphones instead.
• Mini tripod – Your flexible friend! The legs are sturdy enough to stay in place, but can “grab” on to any surface – trees, fence etc to ensure you get the shot you want
• Portable Charger – The Aukey charger I have is 20,000mh – thats enough for 6/7 full charges of my Moto X. Has a quick charge feature and fits USB, micro USB and USBC (and probably Apple too)
• Stryd – OK – so this is a bit of a weird one as I am not quite capturing “content”. The Stryd is a footpod which connects to my phone or garmin and gives “power” readings and other feedback about my running. The theory is that running to Heart Rate is not as accurate as running to “power” whilst “power” feedback is immediate and heart rate takes some time to “catch up” with the change in running. You can read more about my initial thoughts here
• DJI Spark – One of my most ambitious purchases! This little drone has a 12mp camera giving 1080p video. With the addition of some automatic functions, its a great way of getting some quick footage

• Mobile phone tripod – essentially doing the same job as the flexible tripod above, however this one has a useful grip (much like a gun) making it much easier to run with
• Bluetooth speaker – Running around a Tough Mudder course can take up to 3 hours. Music is a great way of helping to liven up proceedings whilst keeping the adrenaline pumping. For this, a loud and waterproof speaker is essential. Back in the “office” I can link my laptop up to the speaker to listen to playback.
• Moto X4 (not pictured) – Current phone of choice. I have been a massive Motorola fan. The X4 is waterproof, has long battery life (with quick charge) whilst also takes 4k and slow motion video for any additional content I create without the actiom camera. BTW also a great selfie camera with flash!
• Microsoft Surface Pro 2 (not pictured) – My current surface pro is powerful enough to create videos “on the fly” without the weight of a full blown laptop. The keyboard (additional extra) is essential!

That’s it – my list of gadget essentials. My nearest addition – the DJI Spark doesn’t always travel with me, but pretty much everything else goes where I go. Is there anything you ALWAYS travel with and I have missed? Catch up in the comments below.