Ask any hockey player at any level and they’ll likely agree, there’s nothing quite like playing this great game outdoors. We’re seeing it at every level, from the NHL, to the NCAA, to High School and recreation, more and more people are making time for outdoor hockey each winter.
Like anything worthwhile, there is a price to be paid for these moments; there is work involved in getting prepared and the elements can be relentless. But still, we play and, even as we are recovering from the bruises, the muscle pain and potentially a mild case of frost bite, we are already looking forward to the next time.
So, with the spirit of the weekend warrior in mind, we thought we’d share a few of our favorite products that might make your pond hockey experience a little easier.
It is important to note that we have no relationships with these companies, we are simply fans of their products and wanted to share them with you.
The Pond Pack
How much more obvious can it get? It's all in the name. The folks at Pacific Rink had their thinking caps on when they designed this one. With exterior pockets designed for your skates, there's plenty of room left inside for your hat, gloves and other essentials.
Yeti Rambler
You might want 2 of these babies; one for cold and one for hot. Yeti is known for keeping ice cold beverages, well, icy cold on hot summer days, but did you know they are also pretty awesome at keeping things hot?
If you're planning to be on the pond for the day, you're going to want a little something to warm you up from the inside, out. You'll be hard pressed to find something better than the Yeti Rambler.
Manplow
If the name alone doesn't get you (there's a Womanplow, too), the utility will. Clearing the ice of snow and debris is often the hardest and most time consuming part of pond hockey. The Manplow helps make quick work of it. It's light weight, comes in a few different sizes and makes moving ice and snow easier on the back.
Toe warmers
Last winter it was -37 with the wind chill at the Lake Champlain Pond Hockey Classic. That's cold. If you're not accustomed to being outside in that kind of cold, you might not be aware of these gems. Designed with a thin profile, you can stick these right to the bottom of your skate and barely know they are there.
There are other variations as well, hand warmers, body warmers and more, but keeping those toes warm is often the hardest thing to do, these will give you a fighting chance.
Pro tip: Stick toe warmers to the top and bottom of your foot for extra warmth.
UHWK helmet cam
You're probably going to want to capture all the fun so why not make it easy. The UHWK helmet cam is designed for hockey helmets and is easy to use.
It's lightweight and it takes the press of one button to start capturing everything from the silkly smooth toe drags to the epic toe picks you're sure to want to relive.
