The Brooks Review

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The Hype: Yoshida & Co’s Porter BagsAugust 26, 2025
G-SHOCK DW-H5600 After 7 MonthsJuly 31, 2025
Casio Duro MDV-106 Re-ReviewDecember 15, 2022

Recent Articles

  • Gear Sale — Member First

    Gear Sale — Member First

    Let’s make some room in my house!

    I have a bunch of stuff I have been testing this year, but now it is time for a purge to make room for other items. Everything is as described, and prices include shipping. I am still only shipping to US addresses, and payments are via PayPal with everything being done using Goods & Services so you can have additional protection. Shipping will be either USPS or UPS — whichever I can snag cheaper (90% is going to be USPS so if you want something specific let me know before you pay). If you want to buy more than one thing, shipping should be able to be bundled and I can drop the price on it (Typically I cannot bundle bags together, so they will likely come in different boxes as they are hard enough to ship).

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  • GORUCK GR2 Pre-Orders

    Mostly mentioning this because they are making it in Multicam Tropic and 500D. Oh my. Must resist. Also like 26L GR2 I guess.

    Mostly mentioning this because they are making it in Multicam Tropic and 500D. Oh my. Must resist. Also like 26L GR2 I guess.

  • Noctigon KR4 in Deep Red

    Noctigon KR4 in Deep Red

    This light is really awesome, but that’s the LED not the body. The KR4 itself has questionable quality attributes for me to recommend it, but a D4V2 in Deep Red, heck yes.

    This is kind of the tail switch version of the D4V2, functionally it’s the same but you are clicking from the back of the light instead of on the side. So I am going to focus this review on the LED itself not on the body so much.

    Know that this is a great light, but made awesome by the LED option of Deep Red.

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  • You Really Need to Quit Twitter

    Caitlin Flanagan on the parasite that is Twitter: Twitter is a parasite that burrows deep into your brain, training you to respond to the constant social feedback of likes and retweets. That takes only a week or two. Human psychology is pathetically simple to manipulate. Once you’re hooked, the parasite becomes your master, and it…

    Caitlin Flanagan on the parasite that is Twitter:

    Twitter is a parasite that burrows deep into your brain, training you to respond to the constant social feedback of likes and retweets. That takes only a week or two. Human psychology is pathetically simple to manipulate. Once you’re hooked, the parasite becomes your master, and it changes the way you think. Even now, I’m dopesick, dying to go back.

    This applies to all social media regardless of which it is, or how you interact with it. I don’t miss leaving Twitter at all, it’s been fantastic. Even Reddit use I waning for me as I spend more time reading and writing than ever (you might have noticed the up tick in writing that’s because I don’t waste the time on scrolling endless feeds).

    That said, her sons sound a little annoying to be around.

  • Member Journal — 7/12/21

    I am swimming in a sea of new EDC gear I need to figure out how to carry, what to use, what to sell and all that good stuff.

    This week: using a handkerchief as a pocket organizer; some new lights; bag usage update; and upcoming sale.

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  • Three Flashlights for People Who Don’t Care About Flashlights

    You need a good flashlight, but you don’t want to read and research, or even care that much. This is for you.

    I know that are some of you out there that probably need a decent flashlight, but cannot (for whatever reason) be bothered to read about flashlights and figure out what someone actually should buy which is easy to use and will get the job done every time. If you are someone who wants to have a few good flashlights on hand, doesn’t want it to become a hobby, and wants to keep life simple — these three lights are for you.

    If you are reading this and you are thinking “I bet he will say XYZ” or “He better not recommend PQRS” then this is not a post that you will get joy out of reading — it’s not for you.

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  • GORUCK X-Mas in July

    Some interesting, and somewhat random feeling, deals for this year.

    Some interesting, and somewhat random feeling, deals for this year.

  • Mystery Ranch 1 Day Assault, Fixed Harness JDM

    Tantalizingly close to a perfect office EDC backpack for me, but it doesn’t fit my back very well.

    Continuing with my Mystery Ranch backpack obsession this past year, I have been longing to try out their Japanese-Market-Only 1 Day Assault line up. There’s two variants of this bag, both silly expensive, I got the “fixed harness” version which isn’t what is is really called, but commonly referred to.

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  • Switching Newsletters

    This evening the current newsletter system is being turned off, and I am moving to the native WordPress email notifications. I am *not* migrating your account, so please go here to sign up for email notifications of new blog posts: [Sign Up](https://brooksreview.net/newsletters/).

    This evening the current newsletter system is being turned off, and I am moving to the native WordPress email notifications. I am *not* migrating your account, so please go here to sign up for email notifications of new blog posts: [Sign Up](https://brooksreview.net/newsletters/).

  • Member Journal — 7/5/21

    Why Numbers is an app you are not using as much as you should be, and it’s really great.

    This week: cities for adults; slimming down the home office; Numbers is great; newsletter switch is upcoming.

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  • Custom Admin Pocket

    This is easily the best admin pocket I have found.

    Another custom creation from the same individual who made the beavertails I talked about before. This time it is an admin pocket he made for me, with a standard MOLLE layout for attaching to a PALS grid in my ASAP. This thing is awesome. To get one, you can look on eBay and Instagram or reach out directly to him and have him make you something custom.

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  • Rucking Clothing Updates

    Here’s my clothing recommendations for rucking as of right now.

    On average, I ruck 6.5 days of the week. I generally only take a day off because I am out of town, my body is sore, or the weather is unsafe (high winds, lightning, rarely heat). And because of the hot and humid climate I live in, the clothing I choose to wear when I ruck is very important for the comfort of the activity.

    It’s been a couple years now in Houston where my clothing has been driven from the stuff that will keep me warm and dry enough, to the clothing that will get the sweat off of me and help to keep me from over heating. Here’s the stuff I have tried, and spoiler: only a few of the items are near perfect, while everything else is a series of trade offs.

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  • Mystery Ranch x Carryology Assault, aka ‘Unicorn’

    A contender for the best EDC backpack on the market, except it really isn’t on the market at all.

    I will start by telling you that you can’t buy this bag, at least not directly with any link I can give you. You can readily buy them from other people, and many are new-with-tags because people like to make money from bags like this. When this bag was released, it would set you back $350. Now days, most sell between $500-$750 depending on how many are for sale at that given time — eBay has a few every couple weeks.

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  • Member Journal — 6/28/21

    I have been going pretty crazy in Numbers with tracking stuff, so I can help determine what I should actually keep, and what I should buy. And also, why Reeder is just fantastic.

    This week: the things I use; a nine bag fiasco; Reeder App; a quick note about a change in the ‘newsletter’.

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  • Tuff Possum Gear Pocket Tool Pouch

    A great pouch if you need something to handle gear that might put too much wear and tear on weaker pouches.

    Update 12/13/21: It has been brought to my attention that Tuff Possum Gear has COVID misinformation on their website/blog, this is very unfortunate to hear. Please keep that in mind when/if considering ordering from them.

    I love the Pocket Possibilities Pouch from Tuff Possum Gear, but when I ordered those I wasn’t sure how much I might like them so I also ordered the Pocket Tool Pouch to check out as well. At $15 it’s a pretty easy item to buy and check out, but it’s not as good as the Pocket Possibilities Pouch — not even close.

    That said, this little pouch has it’s uses — more based on size and ruggedness than anything else.

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  • GORUCK Simple Shorts

    Really quick: I’ve had a pair of Simple Shorts in Coyote for a while now, but rarely wore them. This summer I’ve been wearing them a lot more, especially since they are one of the few shorts that fit me well (lost some way, yay?). Anyways, they are deceptively good. I won’t say they look…

    Really quick: I’ve had a pair of Simple Shorts in Coyote for a while now, but rarely wore them. This summer I’ve been wearing them a lot more, especially since they are one of the few shorts that fit me well (lost some way, yay?). Anyways, they are deceptively good.

    I won’t say they look the best, because they don’t. But they are very comfortable to wear. They breathe well (both for casual wear, and rucking) and are nice and stretchy. They dry fast and all that too. But more than that, like with the Simple Pants (Lightweight, love those more), they are fantastic to pack as backup clothing since they weigh nothing and pack down very small. I brought them as backups on a recent vacation, wore them the entire time.

    Also I should note that if you want secure pockets for going to the beach, these shorts are what you want. Stuff stays in these pockets, but the thin material means they print very well too. So a trade off, but a worthwhile one.

    Anyways, these aren’t always in stock but appear to have a decent stock right now, which has been very hit and miss with GORUCK lately. If you are interested grab a pair.

  • Yeoman Duffel from TOM BIHN Back In Stock For Limited Time

    Tom Bihn just released a batch of Yeoman Duffels in many sizes and colors (including Beaver Camo). They aren’t committing fully to when/if the next run will be. Be sure to snag one if you want one. I love them. Note, from Tom Bihn’s product page at the very bottom: The Yeoman is built entirely…

    Tom Bihn just released a batch of Yeoman Duffels in many sizes and colors (including Beaver Camo). They aren’t committing fully to when/if the next run will be. Be sure to snag one if you want one. I love them.

    Note, from Tom Bihn’s product page at the very bottom:

    The Yeoman is built entirely from our U.S.-made 1050 denier high-tenacity Ballistic nylon—but unlike other TOM BIHN bags, which are made from flawless 1050d ballistic, the Yeoman is made of fabric that is what we call “seconds”; fabric that may have cosmetic blemishes which do not impact its utility or durability.

    They detail what to expect more in the last paragraph of the page.

  • Custom Beavertail / Stick-It

    A great addition to add utility and awesome to your Mystery Ranch backpacks.

    When I received my Mystery Ranch ASAP I knew I needed to do something to help tone down the absurd amount of PALs webbing across the face of the bag. I also knew I wanted to get something a little fun and also maybe useful to do accomplish the hiding. So I started looking at Mystery Ranch’s line of ‘stick-its’ which is also known as a Beavertail, or helmet cache. Basically a bit of fabric which is attached to the bottom of your bag, and then clips somehow to the top of the bag — creating an area to carry bulky things.

    The issue with the Mystery Ranch variants is that they come in coyote brown, black, camo, or blaze orange — in other words not the color choices which would really help me tone down much. But, there’s a seller on eBay and Instagram who custom makes these out of Ukraine, using whatever pattern you want.

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  • Member Journal — 6/21/21

    You notice how every interaction now is this awkward dance of talking about the thing you waited over a year to get the hell out of your life, anyways I also bought a tactical cat harness — so you know you want to read this one.

    This week: every post-pandemic in person conversation is the same; going back to the office and a little stressed, it’s cool; Day One is a confused app, but WordPress could help it; I bought something stupid.

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  • Device Charger Recommendations

    I really think you need to know how good RAVPower and Studio Neat are.

    I really loathe buying device chargers. This isn’t even to complain about the fact that Apple stopped selling them with iPhones, because I never counted those as useable — much too slow. Generally I am constantly needing to buy and change out chargers to find the right balance of size/speed/ports/cost. Faster is better, but faster also means bigger, usually. And then you have costs and what ports you want.

    Here’s the bottom line: I don’t like slow chargers; I don’t like bulky chargers; and I don’t like spending tons of money on chargers. And also half of the time my chargers get taken from me by the family, so I get to test all sorts of new stuff. To that end, here’s some chargers I want to direct your intention to…

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