Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

Smooth and Ready

Travel enough and you come to appreciate the advantages of hard-shell luggage. Their no-nonsense design, impact-resistance and durability go hand-in-hand with the frequent traveler routine. The problem is, hard-shell cases often weigh more than their soft-shelled counterparts. Tumi aims to change all that with their new line of Tegra-Lite ($595-$795) luggage. Made from an armor-like [...]

Oh emm dee

With an honest, throwback design the Olympus OM-D E-M5 ($999, body) builds off of the 40 year-long lineage of OM SLR film cameras. Modernized in Micro Four Thirds format, the 16.1 megapixel shooter comes paired with a built-in electric viewfinder (before you groan, take note of its 1.44 million dot resolution and 120 fps refresh [...]

Special K

Don’t let the bright colors — a signature Pentax touch — fool you. Behind the bold design by Marc Newson, the Pentax K-01 ($749+), pronounced “kay-zero-one”, has the intentions of a serious enthusiast’s camera. Within the machined aluminum frame, the K-01 houses a 16 megapixel APS-C with sensor-shift stabilization, compatibility with nearly all Pentax lenses [...]

The first in a series of new technical pieces called the Advanced Projects Series, Mission Workshop has infused the classic military field jacket with their thoughtful, modern touch as well as a heavy dose of the murdered out look we can’t get enough of right now. Made from Swiss fabric called Schoeller c_change, the Eiger [...]

The new fixed lens king?

Canon’s PowerShot G-series has always strived to meld the smaller form factor of a point and shoot with the photo quality of a larger-sensor DSLR, and with the new Canon G1 X ($799), Canon continues to aim to do just that. Building on its predecessor’s, the G12, precedents the G1 X boasts a substantial 1.5-inch [...]

Hammer of dawn

If Commissioner Gordon happens to be looking for an upgraded and portable Bat Signal, we’d say the Surefire UB3T Invictus ($695) could be easily retrofitted to light the Gotham night. Machined from hardened aerospace aluminum and anodized in matte black with tempered glass window it’s tactical excess in its most beautiful form. It features multiple [...]

Bronze is beautiful

If there were a contest for the “it” metal for dive watches in 2011, hands down the gold medal would go to… bronze. Yup, 2011 was the year of bronze, which at first blush might seem to be an odd choice for a watch meant to spend the bulk of its time strapped to your [...]

Most major men’s brands offer some form of overcoat, but few can compete with the fine detailing found in Billy Reid’s Grey Tweed Sunday Coat ($895). Mixing southern gentility with Italian tailoring, the three-quarter length, English Donegal tweed coat features a wool Japanese blanketing body and pocketing lining, rich leather detailing under the collar and [...]

Just the push you need

Electric bicycles present a nice compromise to green commuters who are slightly apprehensive about relying solely on their own stamina to get around. Unfortunately, they’re expensive (usually $1,000 and up). The Ridekick electric bicycle trailer ($700) can add up to a 19 mph electric push to any existing bike, making it a more affordable solution [...]

Hidden In Plain Sight

Quarterre is first and foremost a London-based, multi-disciplinary design studio that has been lending their talents to luxury manufacturers over the past four decades in the fields of transport, product, and entertainment design. They also dabble in creating fantastic looking bike accessories that provide convenient storage to two-wheeled commuters without sacrificing a sense of interior [...]

A lamp for a lifetime

Any stylish LED desk lamp will dwarf their standard incandescent compadres in terms of energy efficiency. Jake Dyson’s CSYS LED task light (~$850) nearly triples the average life time of other LED bulbs though by reducing the wear and tear that normally comes from overheating. Using heat pipe technology originally developed for satellites and computing, [...]

Turning night into day

The idea of SCUBA diving at night can seem absurd, dangerous and terrifying to someone who hasn’t tried it. But for those who have done it, it can be exhilarating and downright addictive. The ocean becomes a different place after dark and a whole new set of creatures emerges from daytime hiding places – shape-shifting [...]

Ripping the tent out of tentative

FieldCandy is a trail blazing tent company that brings a hipster sensibility to the great outdoors. As they see it, a tent’s exterior should reflect the personality of the camper. So instead of pumping out generic shelters, they’ve collaborated with a collection of designers, including Terry Pastor — who created the iconic album artwork for [...]

Sconce upon a time

Founder Marc Knight’s days don’t just begin and end with a building, despite the fact that he helms a successful construction company in Austin. But one look at Machine Shop Lighting Co. and you might see why. Born from a dissatisfaction for available lighting choices on his building projects combined with a passion for industrial [...]

At the heart of the HyBridge Hoody, Canada Goose has strategically placed white duck down “shields” to keep your body warm where it counts. By using targeted insulation the HyBridge Hoody maintains maximum body flexibility. In the real world that means less bulk and easy wearability even when the temperatures drop. And of course, Canada [...]