Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

Seriously, if you don’t know The Shawshank Redemption or watch it every time you catch it on TNT, you might not have a soul. It’s a classic that follows two men coping with prison life in the 1940s. Andy Dufrain has been convicted of murdering his wife and lover, but maintains his innocence. Red, “the [...]

The second movie in the rebooted Batman series, The Dark Knight is a master piece. It captures the darkness and ethical questions that plague the Caped Crusader and Gotham City, alike. The plot line is well done and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time, supported by a stellar cast featuring [...]

Mike Dacey is a young guy, but sadly a member of a dying breed. Mike’s a Press Man in the truest sense. That’s a job that has slowly faded away in the face of faster, cheaper printing alternatives, leaving artisans like Mike to keep this soulful art form alive. In a warehouse in Somerville, MA, [...]

And Ready For Your Handwriting

If you love your Moleskine’s and have a office-supply obsession like we do, the new Billykirk No. 231 Hand-stitched Journal will be right up your alley. With all the quality and high-level craftsmanship you’ve come to expect from Chris and Kirk Bray, it’s the perfect way to upgrade and differentiate your pocket notebook. Offered in [...]

By a SEAL, For a SEAL

WIS (watch idiot savants) like to hold long and protracted arguments over what constitutes a tool watch. R.E. Smith went a different direction. He started RESCO and built the tool watch he wanted – the Patriot. As a Navy SEAL instructor and SEAL Team member, he had an exacting vision of a watch that could [...]

For Men Who Relish Hellish Environments

Robert Pelton knows hostile environments. He’s spent four weeks running RPG alley with Blackwater, hung around the siege of Grozny in Chechnya, and been inside the hunt for public enemy numero uno with the CIA in the hills of Afghanistan… and those are just his more recent exploits. So, when RAT Cutlery asked him to [...]

Will Hunting's Around-The-House Shoe

Made entirely of real sheepskin shearling, the ankle high L.L. Bean Wicked Good Slippers are the indoor shoe for chilly winter days and long winter nights. The shearling conforms uniquely to your foot like memory foam and provides a super comfortable footbed. Additionally, the shearling will keep you warm no matter how cheap your roommate [...]

American Made J.Crew Alternative

Rising from the men’s fashion hotbed of Minnesota, Pierre Pont Hicks was launched this past year by husband and wife team, Kat + Mac. Their backgrounds are quite the dichotomy, with Mac hailing from real-estate development and construction while Kat emerged from a fashion and publishing background in NYC.  Since launching, Pierre Pont Hicks has [...]

Walk 500 Miles, Then Walk 500 More

Wolverine’s new 1000 Mile Boot Collection is a sight to behold. Drawing on 125 years of history, the collection features Horween leathers, stacked leather outsoles, Vibram soles, Goodyear welt construction, and Made in the USA goodness. That’s a roster robust enough to turn even the most dedicated Sneaker Head. The cornerstone of Wolverine’s collection is [...]

A Prestigious Course of Study, Indeed

Back in November, Kingsford Charcoal invited us to attend Kingsford University, a several day event that involved tuning and honing our grilling skills and wine tasting chops. Yes, college would have been far more interesting this way. Never ones to turn down an opportunity involving fire lighting or consuming fine vittles and vino, we headed [...]

Say Yes To Performance Tailoring. Say No To Road Gunk.

Made by Outlier Tailored Performance, the 4 Season OG pants are engineered for the man who loves his bike, but prefers not to channel Lance, or worse yet, blow the crotch out of his favorite jeans. We use the term engineered seriously here, as Outlier’s entire product line is carefully considered from fabric, to cut, [...]

Not All Who Wander Are Lost

Grant Lingel is a man to be jealous of and maybe even to admire. In 2006, after completing one semester as a super-senior in balmy Buffalo, NY, Grant decided to take a risk many of us have thought about, but never had the courage to do. Uninspired by the path laid in front of him [...]

As with most things I end up stuck on, I did not go looking for this particular piece or expect it to sing me a siren song. While searching on eBay for an engine turned belt buckle over Thanksgiving I stumbled onto a very unique belt buckle from Hayes Silver. In addition to wanting something [...]

Nordic. Style.

Building up a solid repertoire of sweaters to replace your trusted collegiate hoodie collection (at least for M-F) is a goal that all guys should aspire to. Some of us are farther along than others on this sartorial quest, but if you’re like us and still looking, we’ve got a recommendation for you: Fjallraven’s Rivoli [...]

An Inside Look at the Iconic American Brand

Almost a year ago, we featured a pair of Randoph Engineering Aviators on Gear Patrol. Since then, they’ve accompanied us everywhere. This past Monday, we were offered to take a tour of Randolph Engineering‘s factory and we jumped at the chance. We came away with even more respect for our some of our favorite shades [...]