Articles by Jason Heaton
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.
There are two camps of open-water swimmers - the purists who wear nothing but a Speedo and those who swaddle themselves in neoprene. If you’re one of the masochists who prefer to swim au naturel, …
If you’ve kept half an eye on the news this past year, you’ve surely seen the uproar over the use of BPA in several popular water bottle brands. BPA is short for Bisphenol A, a …
Whether you’re a Manhattan apartment dweller planning your weekend adventure or a hardened explorer planning your next expedition, we have the kayak for you. Here’s a boat that packs into two airline-(or yak-)friendly duffel bags, …
Scotch drinkers are a finicky bunch. We know this because Gear Patrol has its share of whisky aficionados on its staff. Drinking Scotch is an activity not to be taken lightly, and is done with …
Triathletes are, by nature, gear hounds. Carbon fiber bikes and helmets, tri-specific cycling and running shoes, caps, glasses, water bottles, slippery wetsuits and goggles - the list goes on. So it stands to reason that …
I am planning to do the Alcatraz swim crossing this October and my training swims are an hour long, comprised of laps between buoys in the lake near my house. As such, I’ve had plenty …
It’s time to take the classic “tool” wristwatch back to its rightful place on a dive boat or the racetrack. Most of these marvels of micro-engineering and classic rugged style are languishing on a nightstand …
By the middle of Day Three, Upali’s knee could take no more. Turning the cranks caused him shooting pain and his knee was starting to swell. We had 1,500 metres of climbing ahead of us, …
Survival gear is hot these days. With the world economy bottoming out, bombs going off in posh hotels, and threat levels hovering in the orange zone, people are gearing up for the apocalypse. Military chic …
The Japanese have a knack for taking things made famous by other countries and duplicating them perfectly, often improving them. Think of the sports sedan, outdoor gear, tea, and the diver’s watch. But when I …
