Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

Bow Chicka Wowow

It’s safe to say most men have a slight fascination with fire. After all, it is one of the key tools that helped us get out of the caves and onto Facebook. Having a working fireplace in your home however is a luxury today that many don’t have. These 18/10 stainless steel oil lamp logs [...]

The Most Compact Ratchet Set You Can Carry

The name may be more than a little corny, but that doesn’t detract from this tool’s ingenious form factor. Made to be an all in one grab and go ratchet solution, the PakRatchet stores seven sockets along with 3′ extension inside its handle. The tool’s drive is formed from high-toque composite that won’t conduct or [...]

The Original Board Short

Birdwell Beach Britches have been around since 1961. One of the original “board shorts”, they’re still and have always been made in Santa Clara, CA. They come in numerous incarnations with more than a few styles, lengths, and tons of fabrics. In Birdwell’s words “We don’t make a thousand things, we make one thing a [...]

Nostalgia at High Speed

Apollo 11 Saturn V Launch (HD) Camera E-8 from Mark Gray on Vimeo. [via our twitter feed, Daring Fireball, and Spacecraft Films]

Monster In the Middle

Ducati has expanded the Monster line with the new 2011 Ducati Monster 796 ($9,995). Slotted right between the ease of the entry level Monster 696 and road-shredding Monster 1100 (S), the 796 is focused on user friendliness and top-end components. Of course, the fact that it’s oozing Italian bad-assery doesn’t hurt. Keeping with the signature [...]

Bright, Energy Efficient, and Oozing with Style

A flexible, bright desk lamp is a must have for any guy who spends time toiling away in a home office. The z-Bar High Power LED Desk Lamp ($170) has both qualities in spades along with killer modern looks which make it in like Flynn for bachelor pads and man caves. Sporting 6 next generation [...]

Healthy Eating Means Your Dog Too

Eating healthier is no fad. Whether you’re cutting down on processed foods or looking for more whole or organic ingredients, better nutrition is more important than ever. The problem is, we’ve forgotten about man’s best friend. Your pooch isn’t just a dog, it’s a part of the family and if you want them to be [...]

Like a... Rock Boulder

By Gear Patrol Reader Josh Wood Is it our imagination or are we overwhelmed with iPhones and the constant bombardment of trendy smartphones? Yes – we know, Steve Jobs has reinvented the wheel and it seems like everyone wants to take it for a spin. The problem is, we can’t really take it for a [...]

Rethinking Traditional Design for the Better

Outlier boldly states on their site that the Pivot Sleeve Shirt ($144) is “quite simply a better men’s dress shirt”, and based on their design we definitely think they’re on to something. Known for making attractive but functional clothing for today’s bike commuting professional, this project stemmed from the desire to create a shirt that [...]

Collar Upgrade

Not all dog collars are created equal. Skip the PetSmart off-the-rack options and get a collar worthy of your hound. While you’re at it, give ‘em a scratch too – go ahead, we don’t mind waiting. The Mungo & Maud (great name) Rope Collar is made of durable rope, brown leather, and brass hardware. Adjusts [...]

Cornerstone of the Home Theater

Pioneer Elite has a long standing relationship with the audio/video world. Most notably, they have produced some highly recognized standouts in their plasma monitors and televisions. However, their line of receivers is definitely not to be overlooked. While searching for a replacement to a trusty (but tired) receiver which had manned the controls of my [...]

Time to Tighten Up Your Golf Swing

They’re call “fundamentals” because they’re important. The complexity of the golf swing can baffle even the sharpest minds and often as we strive to improve we forget about the very building blocks a great swing is built upon. Grip, stance and alignment are critical otherwise the rest is just wasted motion. The Opedix PS Posture [...]

Things Can be Built Like They Used To Be

The phrase “made to last” is not the first concept to spring to mind in a word association with kitchen counter appliances. After some serious design work and innovative thinking, Philips’ hopes that’s exactly the connection consumers will make though while coming across the company’s new Robust line of appliances. Distinguished by a nice mix [...]

Have Spark, Will Fire

Inspired by classic sparking units supplied to pilots during the Vietnam War, the TAD Gear Survival Spark is an all-brass billet spark tool with replaceable flint wheels. TAD Gear has cleverly constructed the Survival Spark to serve and store a DIY sewing kit giving it further reason to live in your ultimate survival kit. We’ve [...]

A Tweak On The Most Famous Style in Sunwear

Ray-Ban’s Wayfarer sunglasses have achieved more than any sunglasses style the world has ever seen. They have been worn by too many famous people to count, on the streets, films, and magazines. As many potential buyers have discovered though, just because they are immediately recognizable by everyone doesn’t mean they look good on everyone. If [...]