Author: Ben Brooks

The first time I saw the Singi 28 backpack in person, it was hanging on the wall in a Fjallraven store. I was immediately drawn to it. The proportions are very nice, as are the aesthetics. Hitting a mark somewhere between traditional outdoor packs, and a more modern pack.

I made a mental note to check it out sometime. Then, months later, Fjallraven put the grey color on sale, and I snatched it up for a killer price.

Since then, I’ve taken it on one trip, and many hikes. I’ve found that it is quite good, and that’s before I consider the value proposition it offers.

(more…)

I’ve had this jacket for some time now, and I’ve bought many less expensive clones of this jacket before getting this. So when I tell you that this is end-game for a waxed work-wear jacket, know that I say that as someone who has tried hard to avoid paying the premium and dealing with the sizing, but also as someone who now owns two of these iconic jackets.

No matter how you look at it, Filson’s Short Lined Tin Cloth Cruiser is amazing.

(more…)

Note: this item was provided for review.

For those not aware, most of the major sunglasses brands are owned by two companies. Recently (in the last 5-10 years) there’s been more and more brands popping up which are smaller, independent companies — these brands typically make really exceptional products. Shinzo Tamura is one such brand, based out of Osaka in Japan. They sent over their Namba Slate Sunglasses for me to review.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with these. But what I got is easily the best pair of sunglasses I own, and have ever owned. From the optics, the materials, and the comfort — all outstanding.

(more…)

Whenever I talk to people in person, that’s the question I get the most: why are you carrying all this gear and what the heck do you need it for? This is a fair question, and depending on how much I want to engage with the person, I have two answers:

1. It’s just my thing.
2. I like to be prepared.

It’s genuinely very easy to be incredulous when you start looking at everyday carry (EDC) posts and blogs. People are carrying a full pharmacy, or they have an auto-deploying mini-gun strapped their inner thigh and spend a lot of time talking about reducing chaffing from the belt fed rounds. Some people very seriously carry two to three knives. The community loves to quip and quote military sayings that they often don’t understand and only heard in a movie.

It’s a big joke, or so it feels like even to me most of the time.

Every year or so I tend to revisit this topic, to defend why you should carry things, and talk about why I carry these things. I go into specifics about why I carry a bag; a knife; a flashlight; a first aid kit; or whatever else the taste of the moment is.

(more…)

Note: this item was provided for review.

A good standard, works for everything, pair of slacks has been hard to come by for me. Often I find the cuts to be too narrow, too low rise, or if they are a higher rise, they have a comically wide leg. I wanted something traditional, well made, and easy to wear.

I found exactly that with the Patrick James Garbadine Flat-Front Slacks — so much so that I really enjoy wearing these out and about.

(more…)

I should start this by mentioning that I am not the biggest fan of a tote bag. I get their value, have loads of them, and I do use them often. However, it’s almost always for carrying food stuffs — either home from a grocery store, or to the next Airbnb adventure. Outside of that, I’ve always felt a little awkward with a long handled tote bag.

But, when DSPTCH dropped the Corpsware line, and I saw the Market Tote — I was intrigued enough to pick one up. One of the biggest selling points was the shoulder strap, making this a tote-messenger — it looks sharp too with a cotton fabric.

Unfortunately, in practice, this isn’t a very good bag for many reasons.

(more…)

At the start of 2021, Marathon released an ‘Arctic’ variant of their iconic GSAR. A welcomed release from a brand with a lot of history both with the Canadian military and the US Military among many others. The watch community loves to talk about tool watches, which just so happen to be luxury watches — to me they are talking about a Mercedes G-Wagen (the Orange County variants that is). Sure, that can go off road and do cool shit, but that’s certainly not why you buy it.

The GSAR, and Marathon watches generally, are the Jeep Wranglers of the lot — all utility, all tools. I picked this Arctic GSAR up second hand, and have been wearing it a ton.

Bottom line: this is a better watch than I expected, and better than I wanted it to be, but the current pricing makes it a tough sell near MSRP pricing.

(more…)