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Note: this item was provided for review.

You might be surprised to learn that one of the hardest things to get me to review is a backpack. I’ve tried way too many backpacks, own way too many, and I am largely not interested in taking review samples. So, it’s a bit of a surprise (to me at least) that I was game to take a look at the Shift Backpack 27L from KNKG. There’s something quite visually striking about this bag, both online in the product photos and in person.

I have to apologize to KNKG—I slightly forgot to write this sooner. This backpack quickly became my everything bag, and I forgot it was a review sample, and not just a workhorse of a bag for me.

This bag is everything I wanted other waxed canvas bags to be, put together in a way where it simply excels at everything I’ve thrown at it. And I have tossed quite a lot at this backpack—it’s fantastic all around.

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Note: this item was provided for review.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by every item I’ve received from Gustin, and this pair of denim is no different. I wasn’t sure what to expect — a herringbone denim is not something you see every day, but it’s quite a treat in person.

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You can use Apple’s Reminders on the web, through iCloud.com, but only if you also do not use Advanced Data Protection. So, you turn off that and you have a pretty sub-par way to get at Reminders. Ok, fine, whatever. I didn’t really need reminders on the web, it was just annoying to not see my tasks on my Linux machines. Then I started to use the Framework a lot more, and well the system was falling apart.

I spent weeks trying out different setups (and migrating all my reminders between them) to see what would work. I was done with ecosystem locked tools, I needed something that worked cross-platform. I needed something with really nice apps too.

I ended up on Todoist.

For the first week it felt very much like a “whatever, this is fine” type of thing. And then the little bright spots started to show up, and suddenly I felt like I had been missing out not using Todoist.

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Note: this item was sent for review.

I’ve been wanting to grab a pair of these to try for a while now, so when Himali offered to send me this review sample, I was pretty pumped. That, coupled with the unseasonably warm weather, meant I was able to quickly put these pants through the paces.

These are a fantastic lightweight pair of jogger-adjacent pants, which breathe well, move well, and offer some solid protection. They are a strong contender for my warm-weather go-to pants.

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I did a pretty good job when I moved to Boulder making fun of how many people wear this Atom Jacket. I mean, it couldn’t be that good such that people wore it that much. Nearly a year ago I bought this jacket for next to nothing when it was being cleared out in this color. I figured worst case I’d use it for rucking or hiking.

Well, I have to say to all those people I mocked: I get it. This is a pretty fantastic jacket.

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Note: this item was provided for review.

I am not a huge leather bag guy, but I can say that there’s a very wide variety of experiences you can get from any given leather bag. Some seem overly heavy with leather so stiff you are not sure it will ever wear in. Some are so thin and soft that you find it’s really the nylon lining that’s giving the bag any hope at durability. Thus, it is very difficult to try to ascertain what you are getting from a product website.

This was the case with the Zeppo Solo when Bleu de Chauffe offered to send it over. I quickly accepted and made a request for the navy variant. When I got the bag, I was pretty blown away. There’s no lining, it’s not overly heavy, the leather is very supple and pliable.

It all seemed pretty good. And then, I used it, and I quickly realized that this bag was much more than pretty good — it’s quite excellent.

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Note: this product was provided for review.

The number of trips I take where I need my passport is very low, but passport wallets are really great for passport-sized notebooks, as well as for an auxiliary wallet when you’re traveling (extra cards and cash, etc.). Which is exactly how I’ve been testing this wallet since receiving it.

It’s impressively compact, and I’m in love with the materials choice.

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