Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

Mowing down Motown

The Detroit Auto Show has hosted plenty of firsts over the years — like the unveiling of the Jeep Grand Cherokee in 1992. So it’s no surprise to learn that the 2012 show is still mowing new trails as the launch site for Craftsman’s new CTX-series of lawn tractors. Yes folks, you read that correctly. [...]

Two Bar Garage

As much as we want “YardStash” to refer to especially epic upper lip sweaters, the term has already been claimed by a company who hopes you’ll buy a tent, instead of a shed, when your gear overfloweth. To keep things safe from the elements, the shelter sports weather-proof coated heavy duty polyester with a reinforced [...]

Spray It Don't Say It

If baseball is America’s game, then yard work must be America’s chore. These officially licensed MLB Lawn Logo Stencils ($80) combine the two weekend time killers in a way that’s sure to bring joy to rabid fans and horror to their wives. Each reusable stencil creates a 52″ tall logo that remains visible until your [...]

Mean Mow Green

Using an electric push mower over their gas guzzling counterparts previously involved some serious power and range tradeoffs for homeowners. The Worx 788 cordless electric lawn mower ($430) changes the game thanks to a high capacity 36V PowerTank battery, which eliminates the need for pesky extension cords and allows the 19-inch mower to cut up [...]

Identified Grill-like Object

Call it our inner pyro, but just because its warmer doesn’t mean we can’t light up an evening fire. What looks like an overly ambitious metal worker’s off-hour project, the Weber Fireplace ($159) takes a porcelain enameled lid and bowl with some heavy-gauge steel to create a clever, well priced outdoor fire. And when you’re [...]

Bring the bar to you

Think of the Alpina Mobile Bongos Beer Bar ($11,300) as a graduate degree in outdoor drinking. The mobile party center features an integrated kegerator, 8kg of ice storage, and customizable tops for adding everything from a gas-powered grill to extra serving areas. Thanks its four sturdy wheels and a specially designed refrigeration system, there’s also [...]

Soundly Made Lounging

With warm weather beckoning, consider swapping out that Aeron in your office with the Gallant and Jones Kitsiliano Beach Deck Chair ($215) and some scenery. Inspired by the classic English Deck chairs found sprinkled on the banks of the Thames, each Kitsiliano is made by hand from North American Black Walnut and can ship with [...]

Fire In the Hole

Make the most out of your outdoor space during the chilly months with the Zero Fireplace ($4,640). As the image shows, it’s an attractive way to store firewood as well as burn it, and thanks to a grill accessory and closing disk, the fireplace can easily be transformed into a social cooking outpost or a [...]

For those delicate lawn pirouettes

The Craftsman YT 4500 54” Lawn Tractor ($2,000) is the company’s top-of-the-line residential mower for 2011. Sporting a 26 hp Kohler Courage V-Twin engine, a premium hydrostatic automatic transmission, and 54-inch cutting base, it’s got everything you’ll need to fight back suburbia. Its real game-changing feature, though, is Turn Tight technology. If the name didn’t [...]

Even Shackleton took naps

Sometimes a man needs a moment to recharge his personal batteries. The Renetto Zero Gravity Portable Hammock ($120) offers a quick, portable place to take a nod. The flip-proof design sets up in a matter of minutes and has the ability to sit upright or recline. Complete with a MP3 slot so you can doze [...]

G-Rated Swinging

We can always count on the creative individuals selling through Etsy to inspire us with the grass-roots feel and care that oozes from their products. This reclaimed wood tree swing ($150) from Philadelphia based PegandAwl for instance had us instantly reminiscing of summers as a kid, where the our only responsibility was to (try) and [...]

That's a Knife

Plan on blazing trails or just cleaning up the yard anytime soon? Then consider packing the Gerber Gator Machete ($19). Measuring 25.7 inches long and weighing a light 18oz, it’s slightly bigger than that Swiss Army on your key chain. Overall the business parts amount to a 15 inch fine edge blade on one side, [...]

Your Throne Awaits

All outdoor chairs are not created equal. We have been to enough concerts, festivals, camping trips, BBQs and pool parties to know this. The Wilderness Recliner from GCI will be the best outdoor chair you buy. It has a patented auto fold system that allows you to carry the chair on your back like a [...]

H2Ohhhh Boy

For most men, “watering your flowers” sits just a notch above “scrap-booking with your mother in-law” on your list of things to do. Slip n’ Slides however, are usually up there near the top, right next to riding a unicorn. Whether you’re a nature-loving horticulturist, or you’re inebriated and have access to a tarp, this [...]

A Greener Greenery Manager

Those of you with serious swaths of property may laugh at electric push mowers, but for home owners with small plots to tend, they can be great. The Bosch Rotak Li Series ($300-$540) makes them even better — for a price — by eliminating the pesky cord in exchange for a lithium-ion battery that’s good [...]