Gear Patrol

The eighth installment of our Staff Favorites series features Mr. Jonathan Gallegos. Jonathan has been described as a “strange bird” among the GP crew — though we mean it in the most affectionate sense. He certainly has an eclectic skill set: a Masters Degree in taxation paved the way for his full-time job as a tax accountant, but before all that this numbers man also figured out how to deftly craft copy, all the while bussing tables, running a “debt-laden” eBay store and toweling off tennis pros. His passions run wide and deep. Photography, cars, sports, arguing the finer points of Shiner Bock and his other favorite beers — none are spared his attention. All of these things are firmly rooted in his sometimes obscene, always diabolically funny sense of humor. He might not always be entirely tasteful, but he’s got a damn good taste in gear.

It’s pretty clear that our staff is passionate about gear, and as we strive to bring you the best of the best, we also want to take the time to share our own personal favorites. These are the goods we personally own: our essentials. Over the next few months, we’ll bring you each of our writers’ 10 personal favorites. By the look of things, the selection will run a wide gamut, from heirloom pieces to the most practical of gear that can be easily procured — a gear fingerprint, of sorts. Last but not least, each will share one “holy grail” item that still remains the stuff of dreams, out of reach, but hopefully only temporarily so. This week, we check out the goods of Bradley Hasemeyer, GP’s Auto Correspondent and Behind The Wheel host.

It doesn’t matter if you’re heading to Whistler for early spring powder turns or Fort Lander for the summer climbing festival; mountain style is a little different than your garden variety runway fare. Put the moonboots and sweat pants down. You’re not fooling anyone. We’ve put together a few indispensable mountain style standards, chock full of storied, quality brands, to help you blend in with the locals — unless you’re heading to any ski resort in Montana. In that case, it’s time to stock up on Wrangler and Carhartt.

Let’s face it. As convenient as smartphones are, sometimes it’s just not convenient (or tasteful) to break it out. The Casio G-Shock Bluetooth Low Energy Smart Watch ($180) helps you stay in touch without looking like a complete ignoramus at your friend’s birthday dinner. Utilizing Bluetooth v4.0 (Bluetooth low energy technology), the watch connects with…

We have yet to see a G-Shock watch that looks as if it couldn’t withstand a few strikes from a jackhammer. The Casio G-Shock Aviation Series GWA1000D-1A ($600) is no exception. This time, it’s geared for pilots and other such world-travelers who need a multi-function watch as formidable as they are. The GWA1000D-1A (who names…

You like the size and heft of Casio’s G-Shock line, and you also like the stealthy law-enforcement/military look of many of their models. But now you want something with a bit more flash, while maintaining that serious black look. You also happen to really like the paint scheme off the Pontiac Firebird from Smokey and…

Hardcore adventurers, or guys who just beat the hell out of their watches, know that the Casio Pathfinder is unparalleled for the outdoor enthusiast. Their latest brute, the solar powered Casio ProTrek PRW5000Y ($480), comes with a trio of sensors that measure altitude, barometric pressure, temperature, and directions. A clever method of display, the watch…

The EQWM1100DC has vaulted straight to the top of our list of favorite Casio’s with its corner-office-to-north-face design. Part of Casio’s Edifice Black Label Collection, the Solar Atomic chronograph features an intricate movement with each hand running on its own gear, precision 1/1000-second mechanical accuracy, LSI Mission-Drive with 5 independent motors driving all watch functions,…

When it comes to point & shoot cameras, small does not necessarily equate to good. The same goes for price. The Casio EX-FH100 ($349), a replacement for last year’s popular EX-FC100, features a wide-angle 24mm 10x optical zoom f3.2-5.7, 10 megapixel high sensitivity backlit sensor, 3″ LCD, 40 fps continuous shooting @ 9 megapixels, and…

No tourbillons here. The G-Shock Frogman GWF1000 ($560) is the definition of a wristbeast. Released in late 2009, we finally got a chance to get our hands on glad to declare that it’s a gear o’beauty. That is, assuming your idea of beauty is a solar-powered, atomic-timekeeping, dive-timing son of a bitch. The self-adjusting G-Shock…

By Gear Patrol Reader Josh Wood Is it our imagination or are we overwhelmed with iPhones and the constant bombardment of trendy smartphones? Yes – we know, Steve Jobs has reinvented the wheel and it seems like everyone wants to take it for a spin. The problem is, we can’t really take it for a…

With enough black on black to make even Gear Patrol contributor Anthony look twice, the Casio G-Shock Gulfman Black has no shortage of darkness and bad-assery. The Gulfman Black inherits the features of the original Gulfman including: mineral glass, rust resistant stainless steel case, resin strap & bezel, day-date-month readout, 200 meter water resistance, solar…

Casio has rolled out a new watch to commemorate the US Open of Surfing – the largest ocean front sporting exposition. The watch combines: G-Shock technology 200 meter water resistance Afterglow backlight Countdown timer Stopwatch White resin case we’re a little obsessed with What this means to you: Sure, it’s a watch designed specifically for…

This digital camera features the Casio EXILIM Engine 2.0, making it easy to capture focused shots of moving subjects. Dual image stabilization provides smooth stills and video, even at high zoom settings. Oh, and the black is exclusive to Best Buy. Features: 7.2-megapixel CCD captures high-resolution images up to 3072 x 2304 pixels 7x optical/4x…