This week: the reminders I get from taking time off; why people always blame phones for their distractions; odds and ends; and my quarantine bag of choice.
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Recent Articles
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Member Journal — 1/4/21
Screen Time is a screen which shows you pointless information, and yet some people have made a business out of telling you how what you see there is bad, and what you should instead try to see. I can’t.
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System Building: Notion, OmniFocus, and the Cult of Tinkering to Feel Something
You only have so much time in day to do stuff, so how much of it are you wasting in systems?
What does it take to be your most productive? The right book? That one philosophy? Is it a state of mine, and is that state of focus or is it flow. Perhaps it’s the right headphones, playlist, or morning routine. Yes, the right pen, or notebook. It’s all about software, find the right one and bam you are a millionaire cashing checks while sipping down margaritas on your private yacht.
If you follow productivity schemes as long as I have, and you try enough of them — you find that every underlying way to do more work, to do that work fast, or to generally be more productive/creative/orwhathaveyou is simply boiled down to system building. The idea that all which is missing in our lives is a system by which we shove everything into and magic shall happen at the other end.
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Benchmade Mini Osborne
One heck of a good looking knife, which does not even come close to living up to its looks.
Benchmade has been on a roll with the Bugout lineup, and something which has become ever popular the last couple of years is the Benchmade Osborne family of knives. People seem to love them, but I’ve always steered clear as they are higher priced (start at $200) and they have a rather large blade for an everyday carry knife, coming in at 3.4” long. The combination of both, making it a losing proposition for me.
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Member Journal — 12/28/2020
I hacked together a really great tripod mount so that we could do a FaceTime Christmas without tired arms.
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Member Journal — 12/21/20
Large widgets are the best widgets, and we need a Rotten Tomatoes style app privacy rating from the EFF.
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Aer City Sling
An excellent sling for only the essentials.
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
One of the best slings I have tested so far, and it looks stellar.
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
This is going to be a strong contender for the best of list next year. Showing huge potential.
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
A magical fabric, and a clever compression system makes, this a very strong sling offering for those who like minimal organization.
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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Member Journal — 12/14/2020
Fitness trackers don’t work to get you in shape, because they record the wrong metrics, and they also barely help already fit people ‘level up’. So what are they good for?
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Mystery Ranch Full Moon
A big sling, with a small price.
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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Member Journal — 12/6/2020
If your company let’s you wear shorts, than 10 to 1 odds that your company has poor data stewardship practices.
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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.
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
Here’s what I am carrying in the slings I am testing.
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
Here I distill down all the reviews to tell you what the best three are, and the best of those three.
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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Member Journal — 11/30/2020
I finally made a bag closet for myself, and also Reminders is a great app.
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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…
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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Member Journal — Turkey Week 2020
So I have this idea, and that idea is that Reminders is a better app for me than Things, in this edition, I explain why.
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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…
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
This under the radar wallet is fantastic.
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…