From the Sahara to the Adirondacks there’s nothing quite like going on a camping excursion in a Land Rover (substitute Toyota’s Land Cruiser, GM’s Hummer or any Jeep depending on preference). Why mess with a ground tent when you can loft yourself to the roof of your truck? Avoid wet ground, critters, and bears (we hope not) with a Hannibal Rooftop Tent mounted on a Hannibal Rooftop Rack.

Originally designed for South African safaris, hunting and adventures the rooftop rack offers a lot more advantages than something cool to outfit your ride with. The safety advantages, storing and ease are just a few reasons why. Hell, the view alone is worth the price of admission.

What this means to you: This might be the single best justification for wasting so much of your hard earned cash on gas for your SUV. “Oh yeah, you’ve got 300 horsepower? Well, my Rover’s got a patio.”

Full list of features after the jump.

Cost: Rack+Tent $2500 @ Hannibal

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Don’t forget that Gear Patrol is giving away two passes to the Johnson Club Room at Nat Sherman.

To win one of two free passes to The Johnson Club Room at Nat Sherman simply email giveaway@gearpatrol.com (email link) with the name of your favorite cigar and name. A winner will be chosen randomly at the end of the week tonight.

We’ve heard some great responses ranging from Monte Cristo Joyitas to Rocky Patels. Keep ‘em coming gents.

On any given round I enjoy hitting Top-Flite golf balls about as much as I like losing them. In other words, they’re miserable. Harder than frozen cubic zirconia with as much feel as a novocained root canal, I find the brand’s balls to be appalling.

To be fair, the balls I find are generally one’s that I’ve found while in the deep rough woods looking for my drive but that’s neither here nor there.

Top-Flite has a rebuttal. It’s called “The Gamer”. A value ball with a purported feel like the D2 balls and a direct volley to Titelist’s NXT. The price is just right for golfers looking to upgrade from x’outs or found range balls. Using a 3-piece construction (yes, 3-piece for $20), the The Gamer golf ball has a resilient low compression core for better feel and a soft thin cover for more spin when hitting the greens.

Cost: $20 per dozen @ Golfballs.com

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

May 3 - Dominican Republic: Coming up for air and coughing up salt water that had made its way down my snorkel from the waves crashing on the reef, it was pitch black and we were disoriented. “Do you think is the best way back to the boat?”, Kevin asked…

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According to the the show’s blog, Mad Men officially began production two weeks ago. More importantly, with production having started, the show will begin it’s 13 episode broadcast in high definition glory this July on AMC.

If you haven’t watched the drama about ruthlessly competitive men and women duking it out in advertising set then you’ve been missing out. The 1960’s New York set drama oozes with professional manipulation, sexual exploits and malfeasance against the not-yet-accepted women-in-the-workplace. A bit like my office… er, not. Mad Men is well worth the space on your DVR. John Slattery as John Sterling should be reason enough. That or January Jones.

Check your listings and schedule for times.

It’s had been a long time since I’ve hopped on a bicycle and cruised around the neighborhood. It’s been so long in fact that I don’t even own a bicycle anymore. Having been in and out of various sporting good stores and bike shops browsing for a trusty steed to pedal around, it was tough making a decision. Choosing whether a titanium alloy monster with NASA engineered gears and shocks off of a monster truck are necessary, can making the proper bike selection downright tough.

This is where Mission Bicycles comes in. Simple bikes made of grade ‘A’ components with hell of a lot of customization options. Mission Bicycles specialize in fixed gear bicycles, which means that when your bike is rolling, your feet are pedaling. This presents a new challenge for cyclists and also allows the rider to be in complete control. Fixed gear bicycles are a favorite in the bicycle messenger community because of their lightweight and simplistic style. Now this is my type of bicycle.

The guys over at Missions Bicycles take pride in their product and assure that the love they put into their bikes cannot be matched by the larger bicycle companies.

“Mission Bicycles are works of art and we can create that dreamy ride you’ve always wanted.”

Hit up their site to create a bike that represents you and like the guys over a Mission Bicycles take care of the rest. Choose from options like Vittoria Rubino tires to Soma Track handlebars to Sugino KyotoLOCO cranksets.

Cost: $795 + Options @ Mission Bicycle

You spend well over $100 on a pair of nice leather shoes and some of you pay even more than that. Sure, your local polish shop may do a fine job but take five minutes to upgrade yourself - get a polish kit and learn how to shine your damn shoes.

This shoe cleaning kit from Aspinal of London will set you back well over one Benjamin, but it will last you the lives of multiple shoes and if you buy quality shoes then you’ll know that’s a long time. There’s no reason why a good set of wingtips, leather dress shoes or boots won’t last you a a decade with proper care. Proper care being the operative word here.

How to: Follow this 5-minute Shoeshine Method on Slacker Manager.

Cost: $127 @ Aspinal of London

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Something wicked this way comes.

At least that’s how the subject line should have read for the press release I received for the BRABUS sport program from the new Mercedes-Benz SL.

730 horsepower. 973 lb-ft of torque. 305/25 ZR (305, seriously?) tires riding on 20 inch light-alloy wheels. Still with me? Then read on…

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Odd no one thought of it before, but that’s the glory Kershaw Knives gets for having patented the five-in-one carabiner tool.

An AUS6A grade stainless steel partially serrated blade, flat-head and Phillips-head drivers, a bottle opener slide right into a carabiner clip made of 6061-T6 aircraft aluminum. You can attach it to a vest, outerwear, climbing belt or backpack with ease thanks to its nearly unnoticeable 2.7 ounces.

Cost: $60 @ Kershaw Knives

Say hello to my massive friend. The newly announced 60 inch Pioneer Elite Kuro Plasma and it’s smaller siblings, rolling into our hearts and living rooms this June. The second-generation Kuro plasmas will have 5x deeper black levels than the previous dark-as-hell Kuro plasma units. The 50 and 60 inch standard Kuro PDP-5020FD and PDP-6020FD will be $4,000 and $5,500 respectively and their Pioneer Elite equivalents (PRO-111FD and PRO-151FD) as shown here will weigh in at a hefty $5,000 and $6,500. Seriously though… look at it. It’s blackness beckons you.

Not only do the new Kuro plasmas have eye gouging blacks, but measure a supermodel 2.5 inches in thickness. Additional enhancements include a new remote control, high definition user interface, home media gallery, and sex-on-a-wall case design. [via Gizmodo]

What this means to you: Suddenly, your television looks… well, a little sad.

Cost: $4,000-$6,500 @ Pioneer (Available June)

Wham.

That’s the sound of your toe jamming on the door.

Don’t let a lights-out situation render you blind. Get a dependable light resource like the Pelican 2480 ELS Emergency Lighting Station.

Comprised of a Pelican 2440PLB MityLite housed in a photoluminescent body that’s visible in the dark. The MityLite uses a 5-LED array to illuminate the dark and powered by alkaline/titanium cells giving it an extended burn time and long shelf life. The case, made of polycarbonate (Ed: I know… I like polycarbonate) case is durable and tough.

The Pelican 2480 ELS can be mounted anywhere. Mine is mounted in the utility closet.

Cost: @ $55 SWPS

The Flap clock from the designers of British company Habitat harks back to train station timekeepers with it’s flap date calendar with auto function and swiss-style analog clock.

Your office’s stark white walls will never look better and telling time will never be smoother.

What this means to you: You’ve finally got an office at work. Say pass on cheesy convention tchotchke clocks and get yourself something worthy of the title on your door.

Cost: $175 @ Habitat

This is what a man’s blender should look like.

Square, simple and die cast.

The 67 ounce polycarbonate jug with soft grip handle will hold any mixed beverage or concoction you put in it and the 1000 watt variable speed motor will blend (or obliterate) it in less time than it takes you to think about what glass you’re going to use. The Hemisphere bowl/blade system designed by Breville will crush (or destroy) anything you challenge it with or delicately puree with the softest of touches. We prefer destroy.

If you’re not familiar with polycarbonate polymer, it’s lightweight, impact resistant, extreme temperature withstanding and used in most professional grade restaurants. The solid base is made of die cast stainless steel with no seams or openings giving and providing a tough as nails foundation for the blender. Use one of the LED back lit buttons to begin the process. Ohhh, mixed drinks never sounded so fun.

What this means to you: Now, don’t you wish you had this last night when you were making that 47th frozen margarita for Cinco De Mayo?

Cost: $299 @ Kitchen Gadgetry

If you’re in the market for a new car but gas prices got you down then tough, that’s life.

If you’re in the market for a new Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge and want to spend less than $3 per gallon, well we might have something for you.

The new Chrysler Let’s Refuel America program offers a gas card with the purchase of any Jeep, Dodge or Chrysler (sorry, SRT and Vipers not eligible).

Let’s Fuel America is pretty simple once you get past the whole buying a Chrysler bit. The card will bill you $2.99 for every gallon of 87 octane (regular) fuel you purchase using the card. Tack on an additional $.15 or $.30 for plus (87-89) or premium (90-94) octane fuel. The card then bills any credit card you link it with. The card lasts three years from receipt.

What this means to you: It cost me two paychecks to fill up my Land Rover last week. No force on earth will get me to ever buy a PT Cruiser, but that Jeep Commander is starting to look a lot more compelling.

Cost: Vehicle of Choice + Fuel Usage @ Local Chrysler, Jeep, or Dodge Dealer

Full list of eligible vehicle after the jump.

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Editor’s Note: Gear Patrol asked, Kyle Westaway - founding partner of Westaway Law in New York City and reader of GP, to share his 10 day sailing excursion across the Atlantic Ocean from the Caribbean Island of Culebra to Norfolk, Virginia.

We hope you look forward to his stories log as much as we do. Kyle will also be sharing some of the gear he’s encountering on ‘Cielo’, the vessel he’s calling home. Kyle can be reached via e-mail for any questions, words of encouragement, or thoughts. You can also visit his blog ‘Sailing Cielo’ for updates. Enjoy.

April 26 - San Juan, Puerto Rico: It was an otherwise average day in NYC, when out of the blue, I received a text from an old friend Lizz who is sailing “Cielo”, an Island Packet 40 around the world with her fiancé Kevin. They were in the process of planning out a long sail to the east coast of the U.S. from the Caribbean. Their plan called for a three-day sail from Culebra to the Turks and Caicos and then an 800-mile sail north and through the Gulf Stream to Norfolk, Virginia. The idea, Lizz wrote was to have Cielo and her crew arrive in Norfolk around the 18th of May with everybody on board and the boat in one piece.

The trip that Lizz outlined will require about 8-10 days under way… this means sailing 24/7 in the open ocean, hundreds of miles from land. A trip of this length with two people is difficult due to the sleep deprivation that results when one person is always on watch… so, Lizz and Kevin were anxious to bring on a third crew member for the voyage. Given my total lack of experience in sailing… evidently, I seemed like the logical choice.

[Look for Part 2 later this week on Gear Patrol]

Gear Highlight: 1999 Island Packet 40 (pre-owned) | $208,900