Come here to talk about your favorite athletic gear, ask for shopping advice on anything from yoga pants to camping tents, and share/seek tips and tricks for anything involving physical activity. Discussions on routines and goals and sharing progress is also welcome.
This thread is inclusive of all ability levels! There will be no “that’s not real xyz” gatekeeping here.
ooh this is excellent. I don’t go camping often (mostly because sleep is hell without my CPAP), but I am in need of a pad to go under my sleeping bag. my back, hips, and knee may as well be 70 years old with how bad they are, and my budget is under $150.
I have this pad: https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/213379/big-agnes-insulated-axl-air-sleeping-pad
I’ve only used it once so far, but as someone with herniated discs I found it very comfortable. Another gal I was backpacking with has used it for years and really likes it.
The sack used to inflate it is a little annoying/not as well designed as the ones for Nemo, but once you get the hang of it it’s easy enough.
I personally need to find a lightweight insulated sleep sack for backpacking trips to stay warm in my hammock.
Something like this? This is what I have, but I don’t know personally about any specifically, like, ultralight options: https://www.rei.com/product/897799/sea-to-summit-thermolite-reactor-fleece-liner-regular
Following because I need to buy pants and bras someone soon.
What’s your price range and purpose for the pants? (I’m no help on bras; mine are cheapies from Kohl’s LOL). I have these pants and love them because they’re super stretchy and comfortable even in hotter weather, but on the expensive side and don’t have my favorite pocket setup: https://www.rei.com/product/167089/mountain-hardwear-dynama2-ankle-pants-womens
um I’m not sponsored by REI I swear 
Anyone have a good recommendation for a tent? I don’t really care about it being lightweight. I care more about it being relatively easy to set up and comfortable. Thanks! 
Depending on what kind of camping you’re looking at, sibling and I went in on a Gazelle tent as a combined gift for parent and their spouse 3ish years ago and they’ve been very happy with it. They were looking for something easy to set up that would fit a full-size blow up mattress without a fight (sleeping on the ground is a no-go for both of them for various reasons), and while it’s not the most compact thing when packed down and would be a very bad choice for a campsite that requires even moderate hiking to get to, it does fit both of those qualifications very well. The poles are built-in, so setup is literally pop out the sides, throw on the rain cover, step inside and pop up the top, all of which is pretty doable for a single person. Take-down is about the same except reverse steps. Plus you can stand for getting dressed, which parent appreciates. At the time there was also least one smaller version available, but the dimensions were wrong so I didn’t look at it.
Found it–it was the 2019 version of this one (although it was nowhere near this pricy at the time)
Does anyone have recommendations for hot weather non-yogapants (or bike shorts) athletic wear? I don’t like the feeling of tight fitting clothes, but I’d like something to sport/work out in.
My boyfriend and I have the Nemo Dragonfly 3 person and it’s a great tent. Easy to set up and it survived extended hailstorms and torrential downpours lol. It is on the more expensive side tho.
Thank you! I will check this one out for sure. Our camping style is definitely not hiking or rugged, but very much car camping at a campsite. This looks like a nice option! I like that I could stand in it!
ETA: I’m looking more into this tent and OMG this might be the one! Thank you so much! It looks perfect for us.
Thanks! That’s def a bit high $ for what we’re doing but I appreciate it!
We sprung for a Colman blackout fast pitch and have really been liking it. Tall! We got a massive one in the hopes Bub2 was going to join us earthside and we’d have room for safe sleep.
Oooh we just got one we love. Exped. We got a little electric pump on Amazon to inflate and deflate it. It’s been great. 4 nights so far on it and we like it besides the fact that my toddler punts my husband off- separate pad for him needed since we underestimate the space she needed 
We got ours for $264 from Backcountry. REI is more expensive. Also amusing to realize that’s more expensive than our home mattress was
If you need elbow or knee sleeves, wrist wraps, knee wraps, belts or straps (for lifting) you can’t go wrong with Cerberus. I used to like SBD but they don’t stand by their warranty
Talk to me about swimsuits. It’s been over a decade since I bought a swimsuit, ordering online won’t allow returns right? How do I find a swim suit bottom that have shorts built in? Like I kind of love the burkini look but I just want shorts and not all the way down to the ankles. I already have several long sleeve swim shirts in good condition so I’m less worried about swim tops.
For shorts, I just got a pair of these and really like them. I pulled the belt thing out. https://www.rei.com/product/184886/rei-co-op-sahara-amphib-shorts-womens
A frugal way to find good, general sports clothes is Marshalls or Kohls in the US. Their selection is usually really big, shorts are mostly in the $8-15 range (because they’re “last season” but that doesn’t really matter), and you can try on to check that fit, fabric, & cut are to your liking.
Like this?
Swimwear definitely allows for returns IME! I have a suit similar to the above, I think I bought it from sierra so there are non-amazon places that sell this style. I just search “womens swimsuit shorts one piece”.
