Gear Patrol

The most liked, most read and most linked-to posts of 2010. All 210 of ‘em. Gear well, gents… we’ll see you in 2011. Start Here »

Eddie Bauer has teamed up with our favorite RV maker to create a special edition of the iconic silver bullet. The 25-foot luxury collaboration features a customized Eddie Bauer interior detailed with maple and soapstone laminates, quilted bedding and Sunbrella upholstery. A unique rear sport hatch also makes loading and unloading outdoor gear like bikes…

Designed by Paul McClelland, the principle designer for one-man shop PM Custom based in Miami, Florida, the PM Custom Love Seat ($2,500) offers a board sports inspired design. The straight-out-of-Laird-Hamilton’s-home design features a cold-molded plywood seat and back which are mounted to rubber bushings that move around as you do. The metal frame is made…

Camp Chevy has sorely lacked a response to Ford’s F-150 SVT Raptor but evidently someone, at least in the concept department, has been listening. Based off the four-door 2011 Sierra HD, the 2011 All Terrain concept is powered by Chevy’s potent 6.6 liter Duramax V8 diesel engine, which is good for 397 horsepower and 765…

The Fiskars, Cuts+More Scissors ($20) are far more than your average pair of hinged blades. Taking a cue from the multi-tool world, Cuts+More scissors not only provide top notch cutting performance but also integrate other cutting implements including: wire cutter, twine cutter, power notch for cutting light rope, pointed awl tip and bottle opener (pictured…

Earlier this year, Ducati introduced the Monster 796. A few months later, they busted out the 2011 Diavel – an all-new 162 horsepower, 456 pound, 0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds, technology-laden, two-wheeled miracle machine. So how did Ducati improve on near-perfection? By making it black — diamond black to be precise. The new color scheme…

When it comes to winter-weather riding it’s a safe bet that the Finnish are going to know a thing or two. If you’re the type of rider who relishes in the idea of plowing through 3 inches of morning snowfall on your commute then it’s virtually guaranteed you’re going to need the right set of…

In 2003, the movie 28 Days Later taught us that it only takes 4 weeks for infected chimpanzees to turn humans into zombies and overtake London. Today, we learn that there’s a much more productive, and tasteful way to spend 28 days. The Artful Winemaker Personal Winemaking System ($99) helps you produce 12 bottles of…

Surprise, the best version of something entitled “black ops” this year isn’t the much ballyhooed game, but an equally sinister and consumable product, Brooklyn Black Ops Beer. The official stance of Brooklyn Brewery is this: Brooklyn Black Ops beer does not exist, and that’s a damn fine way to start a beer. The Russian Imperial…

Several years ago, a few of you lucky souls out there got your grubby mitts on the 6-cylinder VW Golf R32. Though it was big on power and handled extremely well, it was not nearly as tossable as the much-praised GTI. Well, for those of you who find yourself in need of some German motoring…

If traditional sleds leave you for want, then perhaps Porsche Design Bobsleigh ($260) is more your cup of nog. Designed after a pair of parabolic skis, Porsche Design has designed an ultralight advanced composite bobsled (just 8.8 lbs) with improved steer-ability and a specifically designed camber angle that keeps surface contact at the edge of…

Even the most prolific jetsetter needs to land every once in a while to recharge his body, devices and get some work done. Luckily, the B-25 Mitchell Bomber Airplane Desk allows aviation and history buffs to take a piece of the sky with them. This limited edition desk from MotoArt combines functional art and rich…

If the original Gerber machete hasn’t sufficed your jungle-swathing needs, Gerber has answered your roar with the new Gator Machete Pro (available soon). The Pro is a multi-purpose implement that works as an axe, brush thinner, knife, machete, or garage-talk conversation piece. It features a 10.5″ blade made of corrosion resistant steel, slip-resistant Gator Grip,…

Since its inception, the BMW 1 Series has always been a bit of an ugly duckling — there, steadfast, ready to perform, but simply too repulsive to seriously consider. Then, one day, (coincidentally the same time we received a batch of photos) the BMW 1 Series underwent the Mermaid Theory and we suddenly found ourselves…

Be honest with yourself: at one point in your life (for some of us more recently) you dreamt about being Fritz from The Swiss Family Robinson, evading tigers, fighting pirates and living in the trees. Well, there’s an app er… place for that. Gentle readers, welcome to Finca Bellavista, a sustainable tree-house community tucked away…

Face it, sometimes getting wasted with friends can take place under adverse conditions. When you’re doing tequila shots behind enemy lines, cheesy glass shot glasses you picked up in Cabo aren’t going to survive long. Time to call in the heavy artillery with the ShotShell AmmoCrate ($400. Six super-durable stainless steel shot glasses made to…

With a three wheels firmly planted under the category “instantly recognizable”, Ural motorcycles have been carrying riders+1 since World War II. For 2010, Ural has created the limited edition Taiga ($13,999), named after the northernmost forest, which covers a significant portion of Russia and Canada. Built for weekend adventures, the Taiga utilizes a signature on-demand…

Since 1995, Massachusetts-based Factory Five has been redefining the term “kit car” with their alarmingly handsome replicas for attainable prices. The Factory Five Mk4 Roadster can be built with one of two kits. The base kit ($12,990) requires a donor 1987-1993 Mustang or a complete kit ($19,995) that needs nothing more than a powertrain, wheel,…

The Beatles may have been recently re-released, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get in on your own vintage cassette-based recording, multi-touch style. Reinventing the Tascam Porta One, the Portastudio for iPad ($10) app allows you to mix four tracks to a virtual cassette in a similar fashion to the classic 4-track recorder. Designed to…

The Samuel Adams Barrel Room Collection is composed of three unique beers that share a common background of aging in oak barrels that originally did time storing brandy in a previous life. Outside of that common ground though, the American Kriek, New World Tripel, and Stony Brook Red brews are each distinct specialty beers. The…

Wait. Another better, more powerful Android phone has landed? Such are the pains of progress. Based off the Samsung Galaxy S, the new Google Nexus S ($529) comes armed with a curved glass 4″ AMOLED Contour Display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread pre-installed, Near Field Communications, 16GB of onboard storage, 512MB of RAM, 6.7 hours of talk…

Measuring 32 feet, the B Yacht B30 is the creation of Luca Brenta and Lorenzo Argento. Built specifically for sailing enthusiasts and a spectacle of marvel of crisp, modern simplicity, the B30 ($125,000) pivots around a unique hallmark feature: single-handed operation. It is further enhanced by a massive ballast ratio that emparts operators with a…

We love scotch, and if you or someone you know is of a similar mindset, then an annual membership to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society ($200) is about as good as it gets.

Quite literally embodying the old adage that “the pen is mightier than the sword,” tactical pens are made for double-duty writing of grocery lists and as a last-ditch self-defense tool. Typically machined from solid metal and combined with pressurized ink cartridges, tactical pens are writing implements that take whatever abuse you could possibly throw at…

Danish tuning company Startech has leaked a custom variant for one of our most favorite vehicles, the Land Rover Defender. On display at this year’s Essen Motorshow, the Land Rover Defender 90 Yachting Edition is essentially a standard hardtop Defender SVX from the outside only distinguished by its custom bright white paint, running boards with…

Attaching something like “Snow Phoenix” to the name of an otherwise perfectly good bottle of single malt might lead many to think the master distillers have been reading a bit too much Harry Potter after work. The truth is, this special run is actually the result of disaster caused by record snowfall back in January…

In case you’re looking for an excuse to own yet another electric screwdriver look no further than the Bosch IXO Vino Cordless Lithium-Ion Screwdriver ($60). The driver includes an exclusive corkscrew attachment to make bottle popping a snap and even ships with a wooden box to fit in with the barback crowd. Of course, that…

Oversized watches may be passé, but Panerai continues to stand out amongst large-diameter wannabes with their range of classic, understated timepieces. Released earlier this year, the 44mm Panerai PAM359 Luminor Marina 3 Days Automatic ($7,500) is part of Panerai’s regular production contemporary line, but offers unique design queues centered around a dial which shows all…

Looking like you just disembarked a Rebel Snowspeeder instead of your Ducati Monster 796, the Roof Boxer V8 Motorcycle Helmet is Star Wars pilot cool and full to the brim with high-end doo-dads. Moldable and washable inner lining and cheek pads, 180 degree chinbar rotation, free-moving visor (regardless of chinbar position) and multiple air intakes…