Year: 2021

For a very long time, GORUCK has sold a ‘slick’ version of the GR1 in random spurts — the GR1 of course is the world’s best backpack. The Slick version of it was/is the exact same as a standard GR1 with four main differences:

1. No MOLLE on the front and sides of the bag.
2. No morale patch velcro area.
3. No MOLLE/Daisy Chain (the vertical nylon webbing chain) on the shoulder straps.
4. No hydration hose pass through under the top handle.

Everything else about the backpack is the same. Originally this variant was called “SK” instead of Slick (you had SK26 for a GR1 26L, and SK40 for the GR2 40L), but the bag is the same as the GR1 and those which are labeled GR1 Slick (most commonly found on Huckberry) now days. I reviewed the SK26 here and a friend also reviewed it here — I always found that black SK26 lacking. I didn’t like the bland nature that these changes lead to.

(more…)

Like most (all?) watch nerds, I have a recurring nightmare where I am forced to pick between my watches — I have to pick the one to wear for the rest of my life. No others, only one. How do I even begin such a task? I have four watches right now, and even with that small collection I cannot pick between them.

It’s a true nightmare for those who love watches.

(more…)

When I posted about how I feel people think incorrectly about Bug Out Bags, I knew I was going to have to detail out my thoughts on more. I am reluctant to do this, as a bag like this should be highly customized to: where you live, what you know how to do/use, where you might go, what your plan is, and all that other good stuff. But, I also know it is hard to conceptualize a bag like this without actually seeing examples. So, at the end of this post I am going to detail how I have my emergency bags setup — for my entire household. It might be tempting to skip over the top and just get to the bag contents, but by doing so you’ll miss my tips on how to prepare a kit like this for yourself.

In other words: buckle up, get some coffee, this is going to be long — this is a guide, not a review.

(more…)

During the week of Thanksgiving 2020 I upended my task management life and moved away from Things (which I have been using for a while) and moved all in with Reminders.app. At the time, I had been finding more and more friction in my life with any app I chose that is not a system level app (this is same reason I prefer Notes) and so I moved to Reminders for a very simple, and silly reason:

Telling Siri “Remind me about THIS on DATE.”

That string is so powerful. I can, by triggering Siri, have my Reminder link to an email or a web page I want to be reminded of at some future date, or future date and time. This means I can stop storing stuff in my mail inbox and place it where I need it: Reminders.

(more…)

For quite some time, I have advocated either waterstones, or the Spyderco Sharpmaker for sharpening your knives. It was the exact setup I used, and it was only recently that I realized there was something much better which is still cost effective out there. This is that story…

(more…)

Note: this bag was provided at no cost for review by Tom Bihn.

I first wrote about this bag here, in a preview and I have continued to test and play with the bag since then. The Shadow Guide 23 is a really good bag, and one which I think will excel for both the light travelers, weekend adventurers, and office going crowds. It is a strong contender for being one of the most versatile bags you can own.

(more…)

I am listing this stuff in this post because I don’t have the qualifications to actually review this stuff, and the breadth to know how it compares to others in the same category, but dang do I love these things. So here goes:

(more…)

In the past, I worked from home for almost 5 years, then back to the office I went — and like everyone else I found myself back home with little other choice to be had. Since I never planned to work from home again, I needed to rediscover a whole bunch of stuff to make my setup function well and to set up a comfortable and productive space. Even with a head start on knowing what I might need/want, I still needed to get it all together again and in place.

(more…)

Note: this item was provided at no cost for review.

Wndsn XPD has been making these neat Quadrant Telemeters for a while now. To be honest, they are one of those items I have been aware of, but confused by. What are they for?

So when Wndsn asked if I would like to try one out, I jumped at the chance to get my hands on one. I, you see, am not someone trained in astrology, astronomy, navigation, or really math. So, as a pretty basic guy who is interested in cool stuff, this little card both baffles me and intrigues me.

(more…)

I picked up this tiny sling from Topo Designs while it was on sale for a mere $30. At 2.5L this is about as small as you can reasonably go, while still holding everything you generally want to carry. But, while simple, I didn’t expect it to be as odd as it is.

Overall, I’d pass on this one, but allow me to explain why.

(more…)

When Code of Bell came out, their first bag was a large cross the back sling. It looked cool, the strap setup and bad ass pictures. I don’t know any bag nerd who looked at the pictures and felt like it would be a bad bag. And yet, I loathe cross the back bags like that. One strap is not better that two, it is worse in almost every way.

But, given my obsession with finding a good sling to use as my purse, I knew I needed to get a Code of Bell bag, specifically the small Sling Pack called X-Pod. It is essentially the larger bag, shrunk down to a much more manageable size. I have had this bag for a while now, and since it is topping the price scales compared to the other slings I have reviewed thus far, I took more time putting this together.

(more…)