Jason Heaton | New Gear Patrol Contributor
From Patrick Tuttle: It is with great pleasure that I introduce Jason Heaton as a new Contributor for Gear Patrol. Jason’s sense of outdoor adventure, interest in gear (of course), and a very strong sense of personal style make him a no-brainer addition to our crew. Based out of Minneapolis, Jason’s proclivity for traveling the globe is our gain. I’ll let him tell you more about who he is, but let me just say that our expectations for what he brings to the table are as high as the mountains he climbs.
This is where Jason hangs out when looking for Gear Patrol writing inspiration.
I’ve always been a bit of an adventure fiend, a Midwestern boy seduced by the exoticism of adventure magazines and Hemingway novels. So, I feel like I’ve arrived now that I’m writing for Gear Patrol. It justifies as “research” a lifetime of tramping about the planet, climbing mountains, diving wrecks, and having a basement that looks like your local outdoor shop.
Though I lean towards the Polarfleece aesthetic, I’ve been known to enjoy the occasional urban weekend in a tweed jacket or an evening in (gasp!) a tie. I only wear mechanical watches, drive my adequately patina’d Alfa Romeo Spider right up until the snow flies, and always keep an open bottle of single malt close at hand.
My sporting cred runs the gamut from velodrome bike racing to Nordic skiing. I’ve done adventure races; I golf twice a month in the summer, have summited Colorado 14ers,and have even been scuba diving everywhere from Sri Lanka to Boston Harbor. I’ve traveled extensively in Europe, the US, and Asia, somehow earned an English Literature degree and learned German, French, and Latin along the way. I have studied photography and can make a mean saag paneer.
I can’t say where Gear Patrol will take me. But as someone once said: “it’s not an adventure if you know the outcome.” And that’s just the way I like it. I’m here to serve you, my fellow adventurers.
![2009 Nissan Maxima [2008 NY Auto Show]](http://gearpatrol.com/blog/wp-content/themes/arthemia-premium/scripts/timthumb.php?src=http://gearpatrol.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/2009-nissan-maxima-front-view-thumb.jpg&w=80&h=80&zc=1&q=100)
This guy sounded pretty cool until he started talking about “single malt scotch” and driving around an Alfa Romeo. Is this guy looking for outdoorsman cred or trying to fit in with the hedge-fund crowd? For the record, you forgot to mention your beachfront property in Miami and ski chalet in St. Moritz. LAME.
No hedge funds here and the only beachfront I have nearby is a lake in Minneapolis. Skiing is strictly cross-country. Sorry to disappoint.
-J.
I’m a bourbon man myself, but single malt scotch is definitely my go-to otherwise. Don’t see anything wrong with that… evidently a lot of other guys feel that way too.
Apparently not, because that link goes nowhere. Point being that when I’m looking for outdoor gear reviews/advice, I’m not looking for a James Bond-esque gent sitting in his recliner sipping a Manhattan and waiting for his butler to bring around the Alfa Romeo. Get a uniform picture for crying out loud.
Feel free to read and comment on my gear reviews. I welcome your feedback on them, rather than on me.
Oh, and I think if you saw my 20-year old rusty car, I think you’d reconsider the butler idea.
Joey, sorry to hear that’s your opinion. We’re not looking for a “James Bond-esque gent sitting in his recliner sipping a Manhattan and waiting for his butler to bring around the Alfa Romo” here either. If you think that’s what the readers or writers are about here… perhaps it’s time to move on. Either way:
1. Alfa Romeo’s, especially the classics, are considered must-haves for any car enthusiast. Like anything, it’s a love/hate relationship - much like Jeep enthusiasts of which I am. 2 seconds of car research will reveal that.
2. If a person were to pigeonhole outdoor enthusiasts to one type of beverage or think they can’t enjoy a decent chair or suit, then that’s, well… kind of unfortunate.
p.s. the link works.