Triathletes own and use an enormous amount of stuff; much of it isn't the latest, greatest and flashiest equipment on the market but just, well, stuff. We take it for granted. We forget just how good it is. We just assume that everyone else knows about it.

This short series of reviews is intended to sing the praises of all that great stuff and let people know that it is out there.

Today's bit of stuff is...

Bodyglide

Looking for all the world like a solid deodorant 'stick', Bodyglide is the open water swimmer's defence against that most annoying of triathlon afflictions; wetsuit rash. It's actually very good as a general sports lubricant so you can use it as a barrier to any chafing, not just the wetsuit collar, and it even comes in variants with sun protection.

Unlike Vaseline, or any of the other petroleum jelly products, it won't damage rubber so you can slap it on neck, wrists and ankles without worrying that you'll be slowly destroying the suit. It's thick enough to stick there throughout a full ironman-distance swim and, unlike some inferior imitators, won't just wash away in the first five minutes.

And, basically, that's it. It's a lubricant, it doesn't wash away and it doesn't damage rubber. Oh, and it works! What more could you possibly want?