Gear Patrol

The summer of 2012 was one of the hottest seasons ever throughout the United States. Whether we face the same braising this year remains to be seen, but we plan on being prepared. These relatively simple tips to increase energy efficiency should keep you cool and help your wallet stay fat and fluffy this summer season.

Spring doesn’t really exist anymore. The belief that a season actually occurs between that last dumping of snow and when your smartphone weather apps start to sweat is mythical at best. What we get now is essentially a two-week meteorological reprieve during which we need to squeeze three months’ worth of work. To make sure those precious days aren’t squandered, we’re dishing out the goods on how to git ‘er done so you can make the most of this summer — and it starts with resealing your deck.

The American dream in the post Gangham-style age has changed significantly from the days when success was defined by a white picket fence, a Suburban in the driveway and a front porch swing (at least in some parts of the country). Mississippi-based designer and craftsman Andy Hilton decided to re-invent the traditional porch staple as a modern and versatile fixture for the next generation of homeowners.

Cree LED Light Bulbs ($10+) are the best things in lighting since the Almighty started a sentence “Let there be…” Their three selections, in 40-watt, 60-watt and 60-watt “daylight”, range from $10-$14 dollars a pop, offer incandescent-like lighting rather than the tepid glow we’ve come to know from other “green” bulbs, are dimmable and save 84% more energy than said incandescents.

When it comes to home security, there don’t seem to be many options between expensive monthly-fee security systems and keeping a pump-action under the bed (note: don’t do that). The Scout Home Security System ($120+) utilizes wi-fi and mobile connectivity to meet somewhere between safety and affordability.

In the constant pursuit of a high-quality, stylish lifestyle, it’s understandable that we men may stray from the path a time or two — a truck stop frozen burrito here, a discount-grade pair of white socks there. Most times, though, we regret purchasing shoddy products. Owen & Fred, The Store For Men is a response to just such disappointing gimmickry, providing the superbly crafted choice for everything from dopp kits to ties to kitchen accessories and all the rest.

Music lovers don’t want to be tethered to an indoor system — loud enough to be heard outside is too loud for inside — but even “outdoor” systems rarely last long out in the wet and cold. Bowers & Wilkins AM-1 exposes your music to the elements with impunity, thanks to a durable, weather-resistance speaker enclosure.

Melatonin is a hormone produced inside the brain that helps regulate sleep. It essentially burns away when light enters the eyes; when there is no light it builds up in your noodle and you snooze. Good taste is something the regulates the aesthetic appeal of your personal environment; the more good taste you have, the more friends you will have. What we’re saying is, it’s time to ditch the lava lamp and invest in the Satechi Smart LED Desk Lamp ($100).

Indoor bike racks come in all shapes and sizes, most of them trending toward “modern chic” or “classic natural”. Some just look like ugly contemporary sculptures. The Make 001 Bike Rack ($180), first product of fledgling design group Make, combines the best of both worlds with an unpresumptuous shape and clean design.

Your home or office may not be a hazardous environment, but that shouldn’t stop you from hanging a vintage explosion-proof clock ($1,200) from the Crouse-Hinds Company on your wall. Designed with heavily insulated components to make it safe for use in volatile environments such as mines, paint factories, and grain processing plants, this 40-pound clock…

Looking to build a man-cave resembling something out of the Applied Sciences section of Wayne Enterprises? While undoubtedly Batman’s bivouac of choice, the Concrete Canvas Shelter (~$30,000+) is also an incredible achievement in British ingenuity and instant accommodations. Available in both 270- and 580-square foot models, these buildings-in-a-bag can be constructed by two people in under an hour and become semi-permanent structures in just one day. Simply unfurl, inflate and douse the shell with anything this side of sewage, and you have a weatherproof and insulated shelter ready for refuge.

We’re no strangers to the revival of heritage American brands, but what about revisiting cool gear from the heyday of the British Empire? An under-explored category, indeed. On a recent trip to Elephant Pepper Camp in Kenya’s Mara North Conservancy, we slept, dined, drank and chewed the fat in tents furnished handsomely by J&R Guram,…

Though we’re pretty sure the Tour De France now needs a bit more polishing than its excellent NoMo Design posters could possibly provide, the company’s efforts are never wasted. Such is clearly the case with their new Racetrack Series Posters ($26). NoMo covers eight legendary racetracks — Talladega, Daytona, Laguna Seca, Suzuka, Indianapolis, Monaco, Silverstone…

Bearings Guide — the ever-tasteful email newsletter for Southern gents looking to improve their lives — recently launched a new shop stocked with a series of men’s-club-approved letterpress prints ($35). All are made in Atlanta, Georgia from original sketches created by the Bearings team, translated to custom plates and then individually rolled on all-cotton paper….

“Black Thumb” is a dramatic label that was probably dreamed-up by regimental types to keep their absent-minded counterparts (like us) feeling incompetent. Take back your dignity and add some life to your residence with the Joey Roth Self-Watering Planter ($45). The understated 8-inch pot, made from terracotta and zisha, was inspired by an ancient irrigation…

You lean on him all year-round to assist, assemble and install everything from kitchen cabinetry to those amazing Patagonian rosewood floors you love so much. He tirelessly tackles the disparate demands of Honey-Do lists and familial fixes without so much as a peep. And yet, of all the men featured in our 12 Guys of…

They speak to Adobe software like a petulant brother, organize bookshelves by color for “fun” and fill photo albums with typefaces. They find calm through arranging objects in right angles (whether it’s their property or not) and take pleasure knowing that they’ll always notice the details we philistines ignore. “They” are designers of course, that…

The Invicta Ove Fireplace (~$3,200) is the latest in a line of beautifully crafted cast-iron creations by the Invicta Foundry in France. At first glance (and without any flames) the Ove’s elongated shape resembles a re-purposed cryo-chamber, stolen from a Hollywood set. Stare a little longer, though, and you’ll warm up to the Ove’s delicate…

One of our many joys in life is taking the yearly hajj to our nearest ski Mecca. Days of fresh powder, nights of warm (or warming) beverages and dreamy broken-bone memories make this annual pilgrimage worthwhile. Luckily, even after the snow melts, there’s Lifts and Bounds Ski Run Art ($165) to add a dash of wall…

If having the right work environment means junking that garage sale desk you’ve had for years, then by all means, hop to it. But you’ll need a (cough) suitable replacement, preferably one that doesn’t have a pack of melted Life Savers glued to the calculator in the top drawer. The Ralph Lauren Highbridge Desk ($12,000+)…

We can’t all be members of the Bel Air Circuit. For those scorned by the secret society, there’s Prima Cinema ($35,000). Designed in California and built in the U.S.A., Prima Cinema is a combination system/service that delivers Hollywood’s latest creations directly to your own private screening parties, simultaneous to their theatrical release. The system comprises…

The Zerocaster ($26 each) was designed by a bona fide rocket scientist in a space lab to transform your office chariot into a veritable Ferrari, especially in the black and red color schema. Their axle-less, precision ABEC ball bearings and poly-urethane design draw inspiration from a traditional skateboard wheels, allowing desk chair modders to silently…

If you liked Steffen Heidemann and Viktoria Klein’s Map I: The Northern Sky, then the recently released companion Map II: The Southern Sky is just as likely to be your astronomical jam. This time, the skilled duo has teamed up to create a detailed printed silkscreen of the heavens as they appear in the southern…

The West Elm Design Workshop Modular Wall Storage System ($80-$900) is a customizable craftsman solution to that mess you call a bonus room. Made in the U.S.A. using blackened steel and lime-finished solid oak, each component in this do-it-yourselfer instills a high-grade industrial aesthetic to any living space — and brings a mighty reckoning to…

A fine movie poster adds color and character to a blank wall, but it also reveals a lot about you. Austin Powers smiles goofily from your den? You’re groovy baby, yea. Is Jason Bourne giving the cold stink eye from above your bed? You take your action raw and you’re probably a realist. But a…

Upstart Allied Maker is one of those stories we love exposing. All the elements are right. An individual pursuing a passion, an obsession with making things and a handsome product. Craftsmanship. The most overused word in recent history, but we’re saying it anyway. The young man behind Allied Maker is self-taught woodworker Ryden Rizzo. But…

Indoor lighting technology is on the move, and the more we see, the more we’re impressed. Philips has just announced their new Hue LED Light Bulbs ($200+) and taken one more step toward the awesome, terrifying Ray Bradbury world of utter automation. Needless to say, we’re pleased. Each $59 bulb ($200 for three bulbs and…

Every picture of you or your family look entirely stiff and wooden? Well, then stay the hell away from WoodSnap ($40+), an online print company that takes your photos and prints them right out onto a block of wood. The beautiful custom wood canvasses (all the way from 8 x 8-inches to 30 x 40-inches)…

While it’s undeniably cool to adorn your home theater with minimalist or unique movie posters (like these, and these), we know your sound-proofed walls need art as nuanced as your taste in film itself. The Los Angeles Film Map (~$40) has you covered in every direction. Littered within its 24 x 32-inch borders are the…

From time to time we like to check in on what’s going on across the pond. The Queendom, if you will, never disappoints us with its take on art and design — a skew that can seem a bit wonky to our Yankee eyes. The Fire Extinguishing Device (~$123) from Tusch und Egon (sounds German,…