Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

Congratulations Roan (Chicago, IL), the winner of our Butterball Indoor Turkey Fryer Giveaway ($150). Roan’s favorite kitchen utensil? The Fryer’s Friend Grease Keeper and his reason sounds perfect to us: My bacon fat strainer/container, because bacon fat is THE secret ingredient to almost everything I cook. Congratulations to Roan and thanks to everyone who entered! [...]

Running = Friction = Winter Warmth

For this writer, winter means running. Perhaps it’s a futile effort to counteract my ridiculous holiday eating or maybe I’m just looking to warm my bones through kinetic activity; either way, I’m starting to pound the pavement. I’ve been accused of running just as an excuse to get new gear (there are worse reasons, right?), [...]

Thoughts? Here's A Simple Solution: Write

Whether your keep a journal, diary, or just file away your emails nothing beats having a way to reflect and look back on your year than some handwritten diatribes and opinions. Complaints included. Pottery Barn has issued a set of 12 monthly journals in varying leather (faux) covers and textures, each with 50 pages to [...]

Bringing Desktop Convenience to Laptops

Five years ago, if you wanted a laptop that even remotely matched the power of a desktop, you’d have to kiss your dreams of portability goodbye. So-called “desktop replacement” machines were enormous, weighed more than Kathy Bates, and in most cases seemed better suited for landing F-16s in the Pacific than computing on the go. [...]

Muck About in High Style

LL. Bean’s iconic Bean Boots will always hold a place in our hearts as the go to shoe for truly nasty ground conditions. However during a quick visit to the Ralph Lauren Mansion over this weekend, we discovered the newly released Nansen Boot which seems built for the same bad weather purpose, while adding a [...]

GP's Bradley & Ben Put Vegas (The Non-Casino Side) Through Its Paces

You might remember our teaser about this feature early last week. You know, that photo of yours truly leaping out of an airplane to his death? Okay okay, some call it skydiving, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t nervous as hell. Well, it’s finally time that we divulged the whole story, in Gear Patrol fashion. [...]

Welcome to Black Friday, welcome to our second Great November Giveaway. Today’s docket: The V-Moda VIBE II Headphone/Headset ($120), and Sound ID 300 Bluetooth Headset ($80). To win, just do one (or all) of the following:

Get It "Before 'Ze Germans Get There"

We love our knives. Whether they come in the form of utility, pocket, kitchen, multi-tool, champagne sabre or jungle swathing blade, a good knife will always have a home here at Gear Patrol. Perhaps even better is a well-priced knife. In the mass of Black Friday products, we noticed an especially good deal at a [...]

Because 2009 may have been tough as hell, but never was there a better time to see what we were more thankful for. Amongst the many, here are 15 suggestions to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Welcome to today’s Turkey-day Giveaway. We’ve got a brand spanking new Butterball Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer ($150) to giveaway and it’s got your name written all over it. How do you get in on the fried goodness? Simple, all you need to do is one (or all) of the following: Leave a [...]

The Look & Warmth Minus Buyer's Remorse

Though we won’t deny the benefits of owning at least one high quality scarf, that doesn’t prevent us from pointing out a bargain when we find one. On sale for less than $9, these classic flannel scarves from Old Navy are great for breaking up the solid colors overwhelmingly found on winter outfits. Currently available [...]

Thanks again to all ye who entered our latest Gear Patrol Giveaway. We’re pleased to partner with Coke Zero to announce our two most excellent winners, both of whom are soon to be digital speed-addicts. We salute both Tyler L. (commented on the giveaway posts) and @jordachio (a Twitter follower, quite obviously). The gods of [...]

So Your Stuff Can Travel First Class Too

Sampsonite, Victorianox, and Tumi, may dominate the luggage market thanks to their practical design and wide swath of retailers, but in our opinion there’s something to be said for packing with style. As part of Paul Smith’s limited edition Westbourne collection, this Holdall mixes the classic look of Smith’s well known tailoring with the vintage [...]

Life After Vodka

Vodka tonic. Vodka cranberry. Vodka martini, Vodka gimlet, Vodka Red Bull… Stop it. Like the recession, there’s life after Vodka, not that there’s anything wrong with the drink. It’s just that Vodka isnt the only drink out there. We aim to show you otherwise. For those that partake in the second most consumed spirit out [...]

An Especially Special, Special Edition

Here at the Gear Patrol labs, we have what we consider our “reference” setups. In the home theater department, it’s a Sony PS3 for Blu-Ray, Panasonic P50V10 50″ plasma, Sony STR DG920 receiver, and Aperion Audio Intimus 6T Surround Sound Speaker System. But for straight audio, we prefer a more measured approach to our music. [...]