Seiji Ishii grew up cycling, backpacking, and camping in North Texas. He joined the AllGear team after decades of involvement in action and adventure sports as a trainer and outdoor gear designer as a freelance writer. Ishii transitioned to an editor position in 2020 and is based in Wimberley, TX, where continues his lifelong love of outdoor adventure, mostly climbing and cycling while raising a daughter and small herd of pets.
Number Of Products & Number Of Hours Expert Has Tested: 1,000+ products, 10,000+ hours
Education & Certifications
Education: Bachelor’s of Kinesiology, University of Texas at Austin
Years of Writing: 20+
Certifications: American College of Sportsmedicine CPT (expired), AMGA Single Pitch Instructor (expired), WFR (expired), CPR (expired), Registered Massage Therapist (expired), Avalanche 1
Club or Association Memberships: American Alpine Club
Awards or Recognitions: Nifty 50 Product Development Award (motorsports)
Previous Publications: VeloNews, Dirt Rider, Upshift Online, Gear Institute
Experience
Ishii was a regular freelance contributor before taking the reigns of Cycling and Climbing as an editor at GearJunkie.
Ishii’s outdoor experience began as a teen, backpacking and cycling around his North Texas home. He competed in road and mountain bike racing through high school and college in Austin, TX. He also started climbing in college and began training and coaching competitive cyclists and climbers upon graduation. Ishii then served as Vice President of Product Development for a company manufacturing outdoor products using heavy textiles and worked as a climbing guide.
Ishii was a regular freelance contributor to many outdoor and sports training-related publications starting in the 1990s, including GearJunkie.
As Editor at Large and GearJunkie Climbing and Cycling Editor, Ishii contributes editorial and managerial efforts to primarily, but not limited to, GearJunkie.
Ishii continues his outdoor pursuits and gear testing while living on a wildlife refuge in Wimberley, TX. He also continues to train rock climbers and professional motorsports athletes.
Career Highlights
Regionally competitive cyclist for 15 years
First Ascents on multi-pitch ice climbs in Alaska
Participating in 10+ Outdoor Retailer Conventions
Trained motocross and supercross athletes to multiple amateur and professional national championships
A Word from Seiji Ishii
Everything I’ve done from my teen years to adulthood funneled me into this job at AllGear. From my participation in competitive and non-competitive outdoor sports to my stint as a gear designer, it seems like my personal and professional interests put me on a path that ended here.
Indeed, it isn’t easy to discern when I am working or not. It’s all the same to me. I get to be outdoors, pursue my passions, add keystrokes, and carve out a livelihood. I feel very fortunate and as if my professional destiny has been fulfilled.
Although I enjoy the editorial side of my work, my most prized times at AllGear have been when I have been charged with building a team and executing an AllGear initiative. It’s wonderfully satisfying to band together, exercising our shared interest in outdoor pursuits, to achieve a goal. I look forward to continuing my editorial and managerial efforts at AllGear as the company grows and expands its influence in the fields I love.
Founded in 2001. 15,000 products reviewed. Live the outdoors.Founded in 2001. 15,000 products reviewed. Live the outdoors.Founded in 2001. 15,000 products reviewed. Live the outdoors.Founded in 2001. 15,000 products reviewed. Live the outdoors.
