Gear Not Stuff: June '26 Edition

10 buy-it-for-life items

Today’s Friday Gear Not Stuff post hit your inbox on Saturday.

I was traveling yesterday. What should have been a two-hour flight turned into 13 hours of delays, captain and crew swaps, boardings, deboardings, reboardings, non-existent airport WiFi, and more.

Told you that to tell you this: As many of my fellow passengers melted down around me, I wanted to join them. But only for about half a second. Then I was fine. I had enough mental space to realize no amount of frustration (or screaming at the flight attendant, as many did) would get the plane in the air. We were all safe. We would get to our destination eventually. Might as well enjoy the time to do nothing.

I wasn’t always like this. It’s something I picked up by voluntarily doing things harder than waiting at an airport.

This, I submit, is why we weirdos in this Two Percent community go out and do hard things. Why we burn the ships, take on Misogis, and lean into life’s challenges rather than away from them.

In situations like my delay, we might feel first-world rage for a moment. But we have experiences that allows us to locate mental space to resist it and take a different point of view. That’s stress inoculation, and there are years of research behind it.

The real magic happens between the ears.

Thanks for being here. Keep on doing hard things. And let us know in the comments if you’ve had a moment—traffic, travel, DMV lines, whatever—where you kept your calm and perspective.

Now onto June’s Gear Not Stuff.

Financial savant George Kamel recently appeared on the Two Percent podcast. We talked about how to save money on health food and avoid the biggest financial traps.

George has a great YouTube channel, and he just posted a video I loved: My Top 10 Buy-It-For-Life Items.

He ran the video after asking his boss, Dave Ramsey—who has helped millions overhaul their spending habits and get out of debt—a simple question with a surprising answer, given that Dave is all about saving money.

• George Kamel: “What’s one thing you still refuse to spend money on?”

• Dave Ramsey: “What I refuse to spend money on is cheap stuff that’s not going to last. Instead, I’ll double the amount and buy one good one instead of five bad ones.”

Dave’s right. Some items are worth spending more on. Buy it once rather than five times—saving money in the long run. And you get something you love instead of something you settled for.

I’m following George and Dave’s leads with today’s Gear Not Stuff post. Ten Two Percent buy-it-for-life items.

I’ll explain why each category is worth the investment—why it can save you money over time, and why you’ll love it more. Then I’ll give my favorite pick for each category.

Let’s roll …

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• 🏃‍♀️ Janji makes my favorite endurance apparel—comfortable, durable, unique. I wore Janji on a (very) hot trail run on Sunday. They’re the only brand making gear specifically for 200-plus-mile adventures—the best kind. The 7” Multi Short 2-in-1 is a classic. Find Janji at Janji.com and at REI stores nationwide.

From here, you’ll learn:

• The one pair from my boot collection I’d wear forever

• Why legendary knife companies are getting worse

• The category where buy-it-for-life doesn’t apply, but cheaping out could kill you

• The carry-on that outlasts roller luggage

• Why you should marry one running shoe

• The single number that reveals a car’s true cost and reliability

• The coffee maker that’s already paid for itself

• How online reviews are secretly making your clothes fall apart faster

• A watch that tells the time, holds its value, and can bail you out in a pinch

• The free kettlebells I got 20 years ago that I’ll still be swinging in my 80s