Heli-rafting. How damn awesome does that sound? Makes you want to just stand up and yell out a guttural roar of “I heli-raft therefore I am man.” Read the OARS itinerary overview and you might know what your next big splurge (figuratively and literally) will be.

The Klinaklini is a fresh-water thoroughfare that snakes its way through dense moose, eagle and grizzly habitat. Successfully descended for the first time in 1997 by O.A.R.S.’ Brian McCutcheon, the Klinaklini is many different experiences wrapped into one. First, a dramatic flight over the Coast Ranges to Nimpo Lake and an enchanted evening in gorgeous lakeside cabins. Next, it’s off to the river by seaplane for your adventure indoctrination. After challenging the steep gradient of the upper Klinaklini you’ll be rewarded with an exhilarating day of heli-hiking around an impassible canyon before being transported back in time to the ice age and the scenic splendor of Silverthrone Glacier. The trip ends with sweeping views of a grizzly bear sanctuary and return flight down a 60-mile fjord to the Pacific. This wilderness expedition fits into a week, but your memories will last you a lifetime.

Full itinerary after the jump.

Cost: $6495 @ OARS

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Salvatore Ferragamo has a sharp looking translation of the traditional messenger bag with their Toronto Cafe.

The Toronto Cafe is a crossbody messenger bag that is specifically designed to be worn across the body. Its adjustable woven strap is detailed with the Ferragamo logo and the bag is constructed of Italian leather with a top zip closure, front pocket, interior zip pocket, and a great looking brown canvas lining I had a hard time

Cost: $550 @ Nordstrom

Alternative: Banana Republic Tumbled Leather Messenger Bag | $198 @ BR

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A car enthusiast worth his weight knows what this means:

One Lap on Nurburgring - 07:59:32

For those of you that don’t, that means the car you see above, the 2009 Cadillac CTS-V, helmed by John Heinricy, did the infamous Nurburgring auto engineer’s hell in less than eight minutes. The 2009 Cadillac CTS-V is a 550 horsepower, 550 lb-ft torque 4 doored monster. Packed with the Corvette ZR1 6.2L V8 it generates more power than any of it’s competitors and most importantly, the BMW M5 which itself is powered by a V10.

Staggered nineteen inch wheels surround the car and Micheln Pilot Sport 2 tires connect it to the road held to the car with Magnetic Ride Control - shocks that automatically adjust in 1ms intervals. Brembo brakes clamping composite rotors the size of the Hindenberg keep you, your three other passengers (seated in 14-way Recaro seats, no less) planted on god’s green earth. Oh, and an bassy exhaust note that will make you cry uncle.

Video of incindiary lap run and interior picture after the jump.

What this means to you: This ain’t no 1989 Sedan De’Ville.

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Getting me to change my shave routine is not easy. You can talk all you want about the benefits skin-conditioning Kukui Nut Oil or Organic Jojoba, but at 6AM when I’m gazing bleary-eyed into my medicine cabinet, I like to reach for something familiar. So… when the folks at Origins sent me some samples of their shave products, I was reluctant to try them. For the sake of the GP readers though I thought the products deserved a thorough review. That’s why I’m here one week later minus my beard; sporting a chin that belongs to an adolescent choir boy.

The short and long story/review after the jump.

What this means to you: If you’re looking for some new shave products these are the ones to try. The three products together form the perfect trifecta of shaving.

Cost: Easy Slider Pre Shave Oil: $18.50 | Blade Runner Energizing Shave Cream: $14.00 | Cost Fire Fighter: $15.00 @ Origins
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Keep your active lifestyle nutritionally supported. Toss a couple of the convenient vitamin packets in your gym bag, desk or car and take as needed. You don’t go cheap with your gear, so why go cheap when you’re replenishing your body?

Vitamins included in the Mega Men Sport Vitapak: Mega Men Sport premium high performance multi-vitamin, thermogenic energy enhancer, L-Glutamine muscle support and a nitric oxide booster. 30 packs per box.

Cost: $45 @ GNC

[ Part 1: A Logical Choice | Part 2: The Best Way Back | Part 3: Scraped Knuckles ]

May 3 - Dominican Republic:

Glancing down at my red, scraped knuckles as I type, I am reminded of the hard work Cielo’s crew has been putting in to gear her up for the 1200-mile passage that lies ahead.

Up until yesterday, my time on Cielo seemed more like a vacation on a floating hotel complete with first class drinks made by Kevin, the best bartender in the Northern hemisphere and snacks whipped up by Lizz, who’s evidently been an apprenticing Betty Crocker. Within the last 36 hours, this feeling of vacation has been replaced by cold hard reality of the serious work required when preparing for an extended off-shore passage.

We spent all day yesterday prepping for our journey: ferrying food and fuel from town to the boat, boat maintenance including changing the fuel filters, preparing provisions and tweaking our planned sailing route.

The most physically intense thing I’ve done since coming aboard is clearing Cielo’s hull of growth. The longer a boat sits in the water, the more slimy hairy growth and barnacles she accumulates. Surprisingly, just a small amount of growth can impede our speed through the water by a knot, which would cause us to lose 24 miles of distance every day. 24 miles is a lot of distance when you consider that a good 24-hour run for Cielo is 150 miles. So, with this in mind, we all donned snorkel gear, grabbed our scrapers and brushes and got to work. At first blush, scraping the hull may not seem like a big deal, but I can assure you… It’s an absolute bitch!

More of Part 3: Scraped Knuckles after the jump.

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Sure, the new 2009 Ferrari California is drop-dead gorgeous, but why not go all out and try for an original Ferrari 250 GT California? The one that started it all. And honestly, you’ll look much less like a pretentious ass in the drivers seat of one of these.

We wouldn’t be Gear Patrol if we didn’t show you a unique option now would we.

This May 18th, at the second annual “Ferrari Leggenda e Passione” auction, a pair of rare Ferrari 250 California Spyders will be up for bid. They are considered to be the most valuable road-going variations of Ferrari and the one you see here is a 1961 short wheelbase version with coachwork finished in original Nero black. Its sister is a 1958 long wheelbase covered headlamp version finished in signature Rosso red. [via Carscoop]

Cost: ~$4,000,000-$6,000,000 (pair) @ RM Auctions (Ed: Yes, it’s that much.)

Stationary is a tragically lost tradition. There’s something visceral about penning a statement or jotting an important note on paper worth it’s salt. Whether you write on an office supply closet discovery or fine 30 pound velum, there’s nothing better than keeping it organized in a leather bound folder. Take the Smythson Lippiatt for example.

The Lippiatt folder is a Smythson classic. It’s a “portable office” made of calf leather and suede calfskin lining. A separate writing folder is also constructed of fine smoother black calfskin. There are separate pockets for correspondence cards, envelopes and refillable note bad (all of which are included with the Lippiatt. Individual pockets for your cell or requisite Blackberry and Post-it notes.

Cost: $780 @ Smythson of Bond Street

Bluefly is a purveyor of many-a-deals so their decision to move into a more refined haberdashery type of outfitting is nice to see. The Tailor, launching today, offers many of the more sophisticated suits, shoes and accessories one might find at a bespoke tailor.

That said, I agree with the gents at SavoirVivre that you’ll most likely need to visit your own tailor for any fine tuning of sartorial purchases. You do have your own tailor right?

The Tailor @ Bluefly

1. Walk up to plate and point at centerfield
2. Rail ball over fence
3. Tip hat at all basemen as you saunter past on way back to home plate

Those are the only things you’ll need to do at your next company or summer league softball game with a Mizuno Techfire Crush, give or take a few beers post facto. The Mizuno Techfire Crush Composite is a Mizuno patented design of composite and Banzai aluminum (great name) blended together to create one of their best performing bats. It has a 12 inch barrel, not technically approved for ASA play (even better), and limited in availability.

Cost: $200 @ Sports Authority

It’s been rumored for some time, but HBO shows are finally available on iTunes… today. Yes, that means The Sopranos (it’s over guys… deal with it), Flight of the Conchords, Rome, The Wire, Deadwood, and Sex and the City which girlfriends and wives are sure to be pleased with. We imagine you’re wishing you purchased a larger iPod.

What this means to you: It’s remarkable how much longer you can hit the treadmill or shorter your commute is when you’re watching Al Swearengen take over a scene on Deadwood.

Cost: $3 per episode @ iTunes

What are the essential flaws in your golf game? Do you swing your 8 iron when you should be breaking out a three wood? Do you swear by your five iron when you should be choking down on your gap wedge?

I certainly hope not. If so, then perhaps you should be looking into a pair of glasses or a good friend that will take the club away from you and hand you something more appropriate to the lie and distance.

If you’re looking to advance your game and take some much needed strokes off your score then look into a range finder. In just a few seconds a range finder will give you data you’d otherwise be swinging blind at. The Bushnell Tour V2 is my weapon of choice and here’s why:

The Tour V2 uses PinSeeker technology that isolates the pin to provide instantaneous measurements (accurate wihin one yard), skipping past trees and reflective surfaces, literally giving me readings in mere seconds of pulling the range finder from my bag. I’ve come to appreciate the one-handed operation of the Tour V2 (not having to readjust my hat every time is a godsend you’ll only appreciate once you’re playing). Icing on the cake is the Bushnell Tour V2’s svelte vertical profile with soft-touch grips - making operation simple. It lets me focus more on the club I’m going to hit, or mishit, rather than fumbling with a distance reading.

Other key features include: in-view LCD display, SCAN mode, 5x magnification, built-in tripod mount, multi-coated optics and an adjustable eyepiece with individual stops.

Cost: $350 @ ScoreLow.com

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Honestly though, are 42 year old women allowed to look this good? Um, yes. In the spirit of recent holidays that conjure up appreciation of older women we thought Alexandra Kamp a nice addition to a much needed infusion of Gear Girls.

Alexandra Kamp-Groeneveld was born December 29, 1966. Yes, 1966. A German model and actress in movies you have probably never heard of, but that’s why not you’re looking at her now… you’re probably just wishing she would just lean over just… one… more… inch.

Well, we commend you Alexandra Kamp Groeneveld. We commend you for being 42 and gracing the pages of Playboy, even if it is in Deutschland.

Also See: Another favorite woman of age, Elizabeth Hurley.

Gear Patrol Protocol Rule #47 - When discussing stories in a bar with friends, an acceptable amount of exaggeration is no less than 10% in the spirit of adding color, but no more than 50% without being called ‘bullshit’ on. This rule applies towards men and female friends. If said recipient of story is an attractive woman you have a 50/50 chance at picking up then acceptable tolerance rises to 200%.*

* - The previously accepted rate of 400% no longer applies as modern woman are less likely to be impressed. You do not have a trust fund, you do not have a Gulfstream IV and you are not that endowed.

Advice Postscript: A man should know how to throw a punch. A man who slaps is immediately defined as a woman. Follow these steps to learn how to throw a single knockout punch, perhaps at the fellow who calls ‘Bullshit’ on your stories at a bar.

Happy Mother’s Day Happy Blackberry Day.

Millions of Blackberry users will undoubtedly be clammoring over the news of the new 3G Blackberry Bold (aka: the Blackberry 9000), featuring quad-band EDGE and tri-band HSDPA, Wi-Fi capability and GPS.

Rolling out on AT&T’s 3G Network this summer, followed by T-Mobile, the Blackberry Bold will be powered by a 624MHZ Intel processor, have 1GB memory with expandable microSD memory card slot, 2 megapixel camera, bluetooth 2.0, and 480×320 resolution LCD. For the fashionista Blackberry users, an interchangeable backplate will undoubtedly assuage your customization and iPhone envies. Multimedia features include MP3, WMA, AAC, DivX4, WMV3 and a set of speakers that bely their size (we’ll see). Gents, feast your eyes on the new corporate addiction. [via Press Release and BGR]

Cost: $300-$400 @ Blackberry | July 2008