Seiji Ishii user profile headshot
374 articles

Seiji Ishii

Contributor

Seiji Ishii grew up cycling, backpacking, and camping in North Texas. He formerly 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 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.

Title: Contributor
Email: seiji@allgeardigital.com
Location: Wimberley, TX
Social Media: instgram.com/seijisays/

Expertise

  • Topics of Expertise: Climbing, cycling, camping, vanlife, fitness, powersports, outdoor gear
  • Years in This Expertise: 25+
  • 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’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 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

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.

 

 


Climber at the Arc'Teryx Climb Academy

Polaris/DRACO UTV Custom XPEDITION for Brandon Semenuk

Tune Your Engine, Dial Your Suspension, Find Quicker Lines: KTM/Husqvarna ‘CUO’

Shimano GRX 12-speed mechanical groupset crankset

Two females urban rucking

2024 Honda trail bike and dual sport bike

Evolv V6 climbing shoe

Samaya ULTRA35 alpine pack on Seiji Ishii skiing across frozen lake

mountain biker on a wooded downhill trail

Austin skyline at dusk

SRAM Transmission drivetrain on a bike at sunset

Edelrid Rage ice axes on ice fall

Rugged Comms for Long Range: Rocky Talkie Expedition Radio Review

saw blade wheels on a dirt bike

Ojos Del Solado

Pongoose stick clip head unit

Specialized Propero 4 cycling helmet

Butora Gomi climbing shoe on climber's feet

BioLite BaseCharge 600 on a table at the beach

Edelrid Zodiac 3R climbing helmet

UCO Smokeless Flatpack Firepit and Grill

Nate Mitka and Alex Honnold meme image

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjawqZFWXxU&t=1s

Thule RoundTrip cycling duffel open and loaded

Cannondale Scalpel SE2 side view

Lazer Z1 KinetiCore on rider in the mountains

Howl Campfires Howl R4 under the stars

Seiji Ishii on the ENVE Melee

GearJunkie gear of the year 2023 logo on a forest background with an ombre orange gradient border

Dometic GO Hydration Water Faucet