Gear Patrol

It’s hard to believe how different a hot commute in hair-pulling traffic can be from a balmy mid-afternoon drive on an open road in the countryside — both in the same car. Nothing brings back the freedom of summer like a great drive, and unless you’re cursed with a 36-month lease of a kiddie-hauler that now smells like sour milk, it’s high time you planned just such a trip. Now it’s time to get you equipped.

The outdoorsman on your list is easily identifiable: he’s rarely home and smells faintly of man sweat and wood smoke when you do catch him between excursions. His particular passion falls within an extensive of range possible pursuits (noodling for catfish, anyone?), but one thing is for certain — he does them outside. His look…

It’s quite satisfying when you find quality bike wear that not only offers up the right functionality, but also looks downright fashionable. We recently tested the Icebreaker Commute Jacket ($230) and fell in love with it — a trend these days with Icebreaker gear. The 84% Merino wool Ponte 355 fabric is both soft and…

Working in the city and working in an office doesn’t give a man myriad outerwear options that look just as good on casual Friday as they do during the rest of the week, especially when the thermometer starts to drop well below seersucker weather. And wearing your double-breasted black wool overcoat doesn’t work everywhere, pal….

It was only a matter of time before Icebreaker, the New Zealand-based maker of fine merino wool clothing, got into cycling gear. After all, merino is a perfect material for cycling – breathable, stink-free and warm or cool when it needs to be. The new GT Cycling line was worth the wait. We recently put…

Sometime in the 1980s, clothing companies discovered that plastic fibers could be spun to look like wool fleece. This polyester fleece had many of the same properties as wool but lacked the itchiness of wool. The rest is history and we’ve endured (and enjoyed) thirty years of fluffy jackets, many in garish colors, that have…

A wool T-shirt? Wool underwear? Before you think Gear Patrol reviewers are a bunch of masochistic wackos (only some of us are), consider Icebreaker Superfine wool clothing. Icebreaker is a New Zealand clothing company that is trying to convince the world that wool can be cool and comfortable, one pair of briefs at a time….

Merino wool’s benefits are no secret at this point: sustainable, wicking to keep you warm or cool, not itchy, and it doesn’t stink. If you’re not a fanboy yet, you should be. Shirts, sweaters, and long underwears have been capitalizing on Merino for a while. With Icebreakers Boxers you can now lend all those benefits…