Recent Articles

I had been meaning to write about this topic for sometime now, and in anticipation of it, I went ahead and bought a few more headlamps. Partly because I found a new need for them, and partly for this post. And then this topic came up on the member Discord a while back, and I was surprised to learn my thinking on this matter was more common that I thought, but also it meant I needed to test one additional light before publishing this.

So, with that said: what makes for a good headlamp?

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I have quite a few bags at my house, and some of them are kept around because there’s no money to be had in selling them (meaning they won’t sell for a price I would be willing to part with them) and some are kept around for my wife or the kids to use, and the rest are for me. So what the hell do I use my bags for? Well, let me tell you (I have left the ones I keep for the family or because I can’t sell them off this list):

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At the end of 2020, GORUCK released the all new version 3.0 of the Rucker. This model had a lot of hype around it from GORUCK as they consistently stated that it was the most comfortable Ruck they have ever used. That’s a statement for sure. But GORUCK only initially released the smaller 21L model, which is a touch too short for my longer torso. So I impatiently waited for January to come around and GORUCK to release the 25L variant.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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…

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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.

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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:

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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.

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