This week: my FaceTime Christmas iPad rig; turning 38, my list strategy you should copy.
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Author: Ben Brooks
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Aer City Sling
Note: this sling was provided by Aer for review at no cost.
The City Sling is a more compact sling from Aer, with he goal of being for quick trips around the city — not for collecting, or traveling. Just the essentials.
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Aer Day Sling 2 X-Pac
Note: this bag was provided for review by Aer at no cost.
The next sling I have to talk about is the Aer Day Sling 2, in the limited edition X-Pac (also available in black nylon, gray, and black multicam). My first impressions of this bag, upon receiving it, were simply: oh man I really like this. The pictures of this sling on Aer’s site and here in this article simply don’t do it justice. In a lot of ways the size and rather not traditional shape of this sling make it something which both stands out as unique, but fades away when you are carrying it.
It’s awesome.
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Tom Bihn Shadow Guide V2 23, a Preview
Hot on the heels of the Shadow Guide V2 33, is the all new 23 liter variant. It’s smaller, but otherwise the same. And yet, so much better than the 33.
I’ve only had the bag a short time, so this is more of a preview and quick comparison, than any sort of review.
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Bellroy Sling
Note: this bag was provided by Bellroy for review at no cost.
Continuing on my search for a great sling, we have the Bellroy Sling — which is an apt name. This is easily the best looking sling of all I have so far, so I really want to focus on more than just how great it looks. But, to be clear, it looks fantastic.
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Mystery Ranch Full Moon
I started my sling journey by grabbing the Mystery Ranch Full Moon and as the cheeky name implies — it is first and foremost a hip/fanny bag but so are most of these sling bags. Overall, this is a really good option, but has left me wanting something a little different.
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New MACV-1s, Brown
I have been waiting for GORUCK to release forever now, and I did not expect them to look this good. I snagged a pair, and I have high hopes that these can be worn far more stylishly than any other MACV-1s.
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Why a Sling — Dipping My Toes In
Following on with my purse post, a sling is likely to be a smart carry accessory as ‘we’ move through the COVID and post-COVID times, and hopefully into a more health aware life. This is also a product of me having younger kids, but mostly me liking to have a lot of crap with me all the time.
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Welcome to The Best of 2020
It’s time for the best items you can buy in 2020.
For the past ten years I have been reviewing and testing all sorts of different gear. In this post, I am distilling down gear by categories and listing the top three items for each category. What is third for me, might be first for you.
Instead of maintaining the running list I have been doing, I am now going to post yearly lists. This is not a list of only stuff I reviewed this year, this is an ongoing list of things I feel are the best, broken down into categories for easier sorting.
Not member? See what you are missing on the old format/archive: 2019 list.
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GORUCK Black Friday Deals
Their deals are live and here are the ones that stand out to me:
- Rucker Starter Kit Bundle $233.75, you get a Rucker 3.0 and Ruck Plate. You’ll be looking fitter than anyone you know when you head back to seeing people again. Or something.
- GR1 Midnight Navy (both sizes) $169, you can’t even buy used GR1s for that price. And if you are wondering about the color, the GORUCK founder seems to have used this color a lot in the last year (from pictures on the website).
- GR2 Black (both sizes) $249, it has been a real struggle for me not to pick up another GR2 because of this price. Amazing bag, insane price.
- MACV-1 Black $145, not the biggest wow of a deal, but these are the best boots I’ve ever worn.
- Rucker Starter Kit Bundle $233.75, you get a Rucker 3.0 and Ruck Plate. You’ll be looking fitter than anyone you know when you head back to seeing people again. Or something.
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GORUCK Organizers Back in Stock
Just recently GORUCK brought back three awesome organizers. First they brought back their fantastic packing cubes, but added a selection of “flat” models which I assume removes my largest complaint about the folding models from before. I ordered one of each size not test.
Second they brought back Shadow Pockets, which have been missing for years now. These are basically unpadded small Field Pockets that open clamshell style and offer no further organization. They are really handy kit to have, I snagged a couple of those too.
Last, but no least, GORUCK restocked the ever popular Wire Dopp, while also adding the Mini Wire Dopp which has not been around for a long time. I own both, but added another of the larger ones to my stable. The mini is great, but not as handy as the larger one. These are sized well to fit in the GR1.
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Dango S1 Wallet
While I have many wallets, they are all geared towards a life where I might be at work, or out and about for a full day. None of them are well suited to a small few items, some cash, and flexibility. I was frustrated, so I started to look around when I came across this Dango S1 wallet.
It is fantastic, here’s why…
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Member Journal — 11/16/20
This week: iPhone 12 Mini; what iPhone sizes might tell us about future iPad Pros; sale items; Texas and Lockdowns; and the second coming of QVC.
## iPhone 12 Mini
As I write the first draft of this section, I have had my iPhone 12 Mini for under 24 hours. And yet, I already can tell it’s going to be with me and make me happy for a very long time. I was never an iPhone SE proponent — when they first debuted to satiate the need of those longing for a ‘get off my lawn’ model of the iPhone. When the Plus sizes, and then the Max sizes came out, I tried them and mostly didn’t care about them enough to feel strongly one way or another.
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GORUCK Black Friday Sale
On now, and more items likely added around 11/22. Some really great deals with stand outs being the midnight blue GR1 which is an absolute bargain and the seemingly ‘oops’ run of the desert sand color for MACV-1s which are among my favorite shoes out there.
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Benchmade Bailout
Not too long after the Bugout came out, Benchmade released the Bailout — ostensibly this is a bigger, tougher version of the Bugout. If the Bugout is the ideal knife for hiking, the Bailout — well the Bailout is just aggressive as hell.
The Bailout is one of those knives I look at and know it isn’t something I will love for everyday carry, but I can’t get over how great it looks. And then you add in the steel options for this knife, CPM-3V or M4, and it’s a take my money situation.