Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

Gant has a long-standing tradition of helping men look their best, but a recent rival effort has thrust the brand back into the spotlight of men’s fashion. Characterized by modern tweaks on classic americana stye bred in the collegiate atmosphere, the company has also just launched a new online store, enabling anyone with a mailing [...]

30 Minutes with Liad Cohen, Lomography General Manager and Chief of Retail

We tend to believe that technological advancement in the last 20 years has changed the world mostly for the better. Still, the waning of film-based photography is the worst causality in our books resulting from the collateral damage of the digital age. Thanks to a passionate community of shutterbugs and the style elite, however, analogue [...]

Small Wonder

For the past two weeks, we’ve had the opportunity to go hands on with a unique piece of gear that’s found itself firmly planted at the epicenter of the hype-machine, the Fuji FinePix X100. And like a lot of hyped products (Apple comes to mind), the X100 has amassed legions of fans who love its [...]

It IS about the bike.

The great Belgian cycling champion, Eddy Merckx, once said, “If you want to ride faster, don’t ride upgrades. Ride up grades.” It must have been well-known to The Cannibal, even in his day, that cyclists love to make excuses. “I’ve strained my IT band.” “I’m waiting until fall to peak.” “I can’t afford a lighter [...]

What You Need to Know Before Diving In

2011 is the year of the tablet, no matter how hard we and our wallets squirm over having another gadget thrust into our lives. But why now? A discussion on that topic could take longer than the birther diatribe if explored in full, but the short answer is we have our smartphones addictions to thank. [...]

Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick

The tradition of throwing on a well-tailored suit and enjoying a ten course meal with your best friends that’s topped off with a glass of single malt and a fine cigar is rarity in most male circles these days. Well, at least the cigar part — thanks to our societal epiphany on the dangers of [...]

Every Man Needs a Basecamp

Few things are more primal than an axe. It’s the minimum amount of tool that can come between man and the act of felling a tree. But simple doesn’t mean crude — the perfect axe is a transcendent thing. To find out what that looks like, we sat down with Graeme Cameron, formerly of Best [...]

From whence this bag came

Two hours north of Minneapolis, up Interstate 35, after driving through farm and forest, you crest a high hill and the view explodes in your windshield. 1,000 feet below you sits the city of Duluth at the southwest corner of the largest lake in the world, Lake Superior. Its natural harbor is at the mouth [...]

57° Water. 1.5 Miles. No turning back.

Bobbing in the middle of San Francisco Bay I panted as I treaded water. My arms were turning to rubber and the wetsuit was chafing my neck. I needed to stop for a rest. My friend and kayak pilot, Kevin, paddled over and said, “Good job, you’re almost a third of the way done.” Really? [...]

When it comes to traveling you may still rely on tried and true packing lists, but it goes without saying that gadgets and tech, have become both welcome and obnoxious additions — so much for packing light. In this Essential Gear feature we bring you our list of travel-tech endorsements, field tested by the GP [...]

Just posting all you gentlemen a reminder that this weekend is your last chance to enter the Mizuno JPX-800 Irons giveaway package (over a $1,000 worth of gear, in case you were wondering). Get all the details on how to enter here.

9,000 miles away, a paradise of adventure

Editor’s Note: Gear Patrol Correspondent Jason Heaton was dispatched 9,000 miles from Minneapolis to Sri Lanka with the goal of chasing down as much adventure in three weeks as possible. As you’ll read below, he didn’t disappoint. On a dusk drive looking for elephants, we happened upon an old goat herder on the roadside, his [...]

Let's get cyclical

The dictionary defines a bicycle as “a vehicle with two wheels in tandem, usually propelled by pedals connected to the rear wheel by a chain, and having handlebars for steering and a saddle like seat.” That certainly covers the gist of the invention, but after centuries of design evolution, the world of bikes has grown [...]

Iron clad performance

When it comes to the best irons in golf, there are few quite like a set of Mizunos. As their newest, most aggressive move into the highly sought-after game improvement category (think: what most all of us need/use), the Mizuno JPX-800 Irons ($699-$899) might just well be their best yet. Long known as the “better [...]

Make it rain on your mail

In the midst of this jobless recovery, quirky product maker the.’s literal interpretation of Financial Padding Package Cushioning ($15) takes the cake for satirical wit. Not only will it make your care packages standout — if not thrill recipients for one fleeting moment, but it’s also much more environmentally friendly compared to foam peanuts. That’s [...]