FIVE THRILLING CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS FOR ADVENTURE LOVERS

Five Thrilling Christmas Gift Ideas for Adventure Lovers

With borders reopening and restrictions loosening, it’s time to get back to motorcycling, abseiling, trap shooting and all those other pastimes that have our mothers terrified and our friends jealous. In this guide we’re running through the best in class hearing protection for all adventures. They may not value their lives, but at least encourage them to value their ears with these great Christmas ideas. 

Motorcycling: The All New Earjobs MotoMate

$34.99

Building on years of feedback from our motorcycling customers, the all new Earjobs MotoMate is a comfortable, strong set of hearing protection that reliably and securely protects your ears on even the longest or loudest rides. 

Before we go into details, a bit of the boring stuff: long term exposure to loud engines is damaging to your hearing. The solution should be something secure and comfortable, that doesn’t need to be adjusted mid-ride. 

The MotoMate comes with strong 27 SNR filters — similar to the ones you would use on a work site. These filter out wind noise without compromising awareness, keeping your ears safe. The tips are soft silicone, meaning no discomfort, while the narrow tip/flared base allow for a secure fit. Once they’re set, forget about them — they’ll stay secure on a long ride.

The tips are made of a hypoallergenic silicone, minimising the chances of disruption and are easy to clean with a wipe and warm water. The newly designed shape to the plugs fits the widest variety of ear sizes, almost everyone except the super narrow. 

A keychain attach aluminium case keeps them nearby at all times. The MotoMate is also suitable for gardening, engine work — and most loud exposures. 

Motorcycling with Tunes (or Google Maps): The Plugfones Liberate 2.0 

$171.99

A lot of motorcycle riders use either onboard audio devices or their phone’s bluetooth — and in these situations you want to be able to listen to your audio without risking your hearing. The Plugfones Liberate 2.0 is the best in-class bluetooth hearing protection for motorcycle riders: it’s a rugged unit, with strong noise protection and high performing audio. 

Designed with the same technology Plugfones used for their industrial range, the Liberate 2.0 comes with interchangeable Foam (29dB) and Silicone (27dB) tips. Both are sufficient for motorcycling, allowing you to find the best personal fit for comfort and sound blocking. The unit itself is hardy: sweat resistant with a rugged cord that’s designed to handle a beating. 

The unit’s electronics are effective too: Bluetooth 5.0 and up to 12 hours of battery on a single charge. With strong sound blocking from the tips, you’ll be able to hear music or calls more clearly while on the road. A noise isolating mic can also work to isolate your voice from other noises and does a good job with solid/consistent sounds. 

A nylon zipper case and cable management clip keep your Liberates organised when not on your ears. For an on-bike review of the Liberate 2.0, see here:

State of the Art Hunting and Shooting: ISOtunes Sport Defy

$209.99

Gone are the days of sliding the ear muffs off the head to have a chat or stalk your prey. A new generation of affordable, high tech shooting ear muffs are now available: they work to monitor and amplify ambient noises, while keeping you safe from gunfire and range sirens. 

The ISOtunes Sport Defy is the latest adaptation of the popular ‘Link’ range, a set of comfortable, hard wearing electronic Bluetooth ear muffs. In contrast to a lot of repurposed industrial headsets, these are built with shooters in mind — and made with a variety of comfort and usability optimisations for 2021. 

The ‘Tactical Sound Control’ technology amplifies sounds like footsteps, conversation and other noises below 85dB. The amplification increases volumes by up to 8x, without breaching the safe listening limit, allowing you to remain aware of your surroundings and communicate without compromising your hearing protection. The sound amplification shuts off within 2 milliseconds of detecting louder noises, allowing you to comfortably shoot without damaging your hearing.

The muffs themselves block out around 25dB of noise when properly fitted, roughly equivalent to a Class 4. You get 11 hours of charge with the rechargeable battery included, but can bump it up to 22 with a set of AAAs. They come with Bluetooth 4.2, IPX4 durability, and a noise isolating microphone for calls.  

No more mid-air ear aches: Earjobs Flying Ear Plugs 2.0. 

$15.99

Standing between you and your next adventure is 3-12 hours in the air, and with it the dreaded mid-flight ear ache. If you’re someone who experiences ear pain with pressure adjustments, a set of pressure reducing flying ear plugs can be the solution — allowing for a longer, more comfortable flight (and fresh eyes when it comes to land for your holiday!) 

The plugs work by moderating the changes to pressure that naturally occur mid flight. If inserted prior to take off, they will carefully vent the pressure, allowing your ear to slowly adjust to the ambient changes — mitigating the common aches and pains. 

As an added bonus, they include a medium degree of sound blocking — approximately 24dB of sound when properly fitted. This allows for a more restful and calm flight: allowing you to doze off, or at least ignore the arguing couple next to you. 

Each set of the Earjobs brand comes with TWO complete pairs of the ear plugs and two carry cases. You can either keep one set as a back-up or gift one to a friend, family member or partner. The sets are reusable and washable, allowing for indefinite use for even the most busy travellers.