Hey! I’m the head cox on my team now (I’m a junior in HS) and I’m packing my very first fanny pack. Right now I have electrical tape, a 7/16 wrench and a Vespoli tool. Do you have any recommendations about what else should go inside? Also, I’m looking to buy a voice recorder. Obviously I want one on the cheaper side but it also obviously needs to be good. Any recommendations on that? Thanks so much!!
Definitely check out the post linked below for some ideas since you’ve pretty much got the basics already. I’d also throw in maybe a small role of athletic tape and some band-aids and then depending on how big your fanny pack is, maybe also keep a pencil and a small notebook in there (the small 3×5 inch ones), some Hot Hands for when it’s cooler out, and some chapstick (coxing with chapped lips = torture), preferably with SPF.
Related: Miscellaneous coxswain gear
For recorders, check out the ones in the post linked below. The problem with most of the cheaper ones (usually $40 and under) is that they don’t have USB ports, which means there’s no way to get the audio off your recorder and on to your computer. That’s pretty inconvenient since you wouldn’t be able to store anything. The ones I’ve included in that post are from Sony and Olympus – I’m partial to Olympus because that’s what my recorder is and it still works great after 10+ years so that’s typically what I recommend. Out of those options though, this Sony one and this Olympus one would be the two I recommend, though you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
Related: The best recorders for coxswains
Since most recorders don’t have a clip or way to attach it to your body some kind of carrying case would also be worth looking into. You could get a waterproof phone case and put it in there to carry around your neck or get a soft case like this one that’ll keep it protected if you sit it on the floor of the boat. I’ve done that in the past and haven’t had much issues with it getting thrown around or anything. I’d probably recommend the waterproof case though, just to be safe. One other recommendation I’d make is to buy some Duracell or Energizer rechargeable batteries to use with it, that way you’re not throwing batteries away all the time (depending on how much you use it). I’d keep a fully-charged spare set in a plastic bag or something in your fanny pack too just in case it dies while you’re on the water.
Thank you! This is perfect!!