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Archive for the ‘Stuff I Like’ Category

Stuff I Like – Stretch Operator Shirt By Black Diamond

Sunday, July 2nd, 2017

During a recent trip to Ottawa I purchased this short sleeved shirt at Mountain Coop. I really like the construction and materials. It’s made from a slightly stretchy and quite confortable, blended cotton twill (150 g/m2, 68% cotton, 27% polyester, 5% spandex) which combines with underarm panels designed to keep the shirt from riding up during a reach. Additionally, it uses slotted buttons and features a low profile, inset chest pocket.

Offered in Burnt Olive (seen above), Slate (I purchased the Grey hued option) and Denim (the color, not the fabric). Sizes are limited at blackdiamondequipment.coml so you may need to check retailers like Amazon, Backcountry and Moosejaw.

Stuff I Like – Patagonia Men’s R1 Fleece Hoody

Monday, May 1st, 2017

I’ve always liked the Patagonia R1 Fleece, going back to when it was a part of the Military Advanced Regulator System (MARS) military clothing system. I don’t recall owning any before that but several years ago, I purchased my first R1 Fleece Hoody in Black. The Polartec Power Grid is comfy, and it makes a nice layering piece. Although, it’s considered a slim fit, it has a bit of stretch to it. In addition to the hood, there’s a single, zippered chest pocket, deep front zipper for ventilation and thumb cuffs for keeping your hands warm. Finally, the fabric offers Polygiene permanent odor control.

This Spring, I was shopping at an REI when I saw the Hoody in the Buffalo Green color, so I purchased a new one. The R1 Fleece Hoody is a design that is reintroduced, season after season, but in new colors, so you have to keep an eye out. As we near the end of the season, you may start to see these on sale.

www.patagonia.com/mens-r1-regulator-fleece-hoody

Stuff I Like – UA Highlight Delta

Tuesday, April 18th, 2017

Dudes like comfortable shoes too, and these are some of the most comfortable I’ve worn in awhile. While I don’t spend as much time in my feet as I used to, I do find myself attending at least one trade show per month. I began wearing them last Fall and these were awesome at SHOT Show.

Despite the mid height upper, the Highlight Delta is essentially a running shoe. The heelcup and lacing system lock my heel in place and the instep is plenty wide. However, the uppers are mesh, so I’ m not wearing these when it’s raining or if it’s sandy because it will just end up in the shoe. Having said that, they breathe very well on hot days.

The Stealth Great colorscheme is murdered out, with tone on tone UA logo, so these won’t stand out in a crowd.

Details:
-Breathable mesh fabric with seamless construction is both lightweight & durable
-Molded heel cup offers a form-fit that keeps the foot from sliding
-Ribbed ankle collar provides a snug, bootie-like fit with an extended cut & unparalleled support
-Soft foam inside ankle collar stays comfortable against inside of heel & ankle
-Lacing system features deeply cut eyestays built to move freely with the foot
-Two-piece Charged Cushioning® midsole pairs a soft, plush layer of foam on top of a layer of dense, harder foam for the ultimate blend of support & comfort
-Solid rubber outsole covers high impact zones for greater durability with less weight
-Deep flex grooves provide extra flexibility where you need it most
-Offset: 10 mm

www.underarmour.com

Stuff I Like – Outdoor Research Ferrosi Hooded Jacket

Wednesday, March 29th, 2017

Outdoor Research makes a great line of outdoor clothing but my favorite piece is the Ferrosi Hooded Jacket.

It’s a great lightweight jacket, I often wear in Virginia’s Spring and Fall. I wear it alone as well as with various underlayers like the Patagonia R2 gridded fleece. It’s a stretchy softshell with a DWR treatment and does well in light rain. There are two zippered handwarmer pockets as well as a single Napoleon pocket at the left chest. The left handwarmer pocket also serves as a stuff sack. Additionally, the hood is adjustable. Recently, they’ve added thumb loops to the design, and I like that feature for when the temperature drops.

The reason I like the Ferrosi most, is the fabric. While they won’t tell me the origin of the material, they do share its content. It’s comprised of 86% nylon, 14% spandex 90D stretch woven ripstop for the body and hood, with Cordura 91% nylon, 9% spandex 120D stretch woven shoulder caps and lower sleeves. That sleeve material is pretty robust.

If comfort and performance didn’t convince you, perhaps OR’s Infinite Guarantee might do the trick. If their product fails to meet your needs at any time, they will replace it.

While the Ferrosi Hooded Jacket is available in a wide variety of colors, mine is in the Mushroom/Walnut combination seen above. The Ferrosi features a standard fit and is available in sizes Small – XXLarge.

www.outdoorresearch.com

Bravo Co Worldwide – War Rug Print Daypack

Monday, March 27th, 2017

Fewturing a paintjob inspired by Afghan war rugs, I’ve been wearing this daypack from Braco Co Worldwide to several trade shows.

At first glance, everyone comments on the Sierra Block 1’s non-military appearance. That is, until I take it off and show them the intricacies of the pattern. There are tanks and planes, AKs and RPGs galore.

The shoulder straps are quite comfortable. In addition to the main compartment theres a dedicated laptop compartment for MacBook Pro 15” amd an ingenuous security pocket on the back panel which fits my iPad like a glove.

Features:
– Internal large mesh organization system
– Multi functional horizontal/vertical skateboard/compression straps
– Paracord knotted zipper pulls
– Air flow foam (open cell) back padding
– Base compression strap system
– Duratuff™ MOLLE mount extension on bottom of bag
– Interchangeable MOLLE strapping system
– Adjusting side pocket
– Easy access center pocket
– Small organization front pocket
– Dual top load pocket

The Sierra Block 1 is made from a combination of Weatherproof 840 denier Nylon with a dark blue 210 denier Oxford Nylon lining.

Get yours at bravocoworldwide.com/collections/war-rug/products/sierra-block-i-natural.

Stuff I Like – The Barracks Buddy from Atlas 46

Sunday, March 26th, 2017

Summer camping season is upon us and for my family, that means family camping in a Taj Mahal and summer camp for the boys. These are more expeditionary in nature than the one man shelter outings we do in Winter, so we take a lot more stuff. Especially, with mama in tow. One of those things we always include is the Barracks Buddy by Atlas 46.

The patented Barracks Buddy was one of the first products developed by John Carver under his 5 Seas Engineering and Trading brand. The Barracks Buddy is a great accessory for keeping gear handy when you are staying in tents, or barracks with bunks.

I use it to keep lots of things handy but because it can be hung vertically or horizontally, I’ve even used it to line dry swimming trunks and towels.

Crafted from 50″ long x 2″ wide webbing with a full length 550 cord tacked along the length to allow you to attach gear but the coolest part is the disc-style hook buckle which weaves into the 550 and can be nailed or screwed into a wall for permanent installations.

Features and Benefits
– Four hook set up to hang anything from clothes to bags to boots
– Loop hangers allow for variety of hanging options: on hooks, over rods, etc.
– Lower loop can be used to adjust the overall hanging length
– 2″ Mil-Spec nylon construction with reinforced stitching
– Hand crafted in the USA

The Barracks Buddy is available now in Black and Coyote, for the military crowd who will deploy with it as well as several other colors for the rest of us. It’s in USA and comes with storage bag.

It’s one of the handiest gadgets we take for multi-day outings.

www.atlas46.com

Casca – A Blast From The Past

Sunday, March 26th, 2017

I like to bring the Casca books up every once in awhile because they were such a big part of my adolescence.

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Did you read this book like I did? If so, did you know that the Casca images by artist Darrel Millsap on the cover of every title were based on this photo of author Barry Sadler?

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And, did you know that Special Forces Veteran Barry Sadler also wrote and performed the song “The Ballad of the Green Berets” which hit Number 1 on the charts in the Spring of 1966?

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Although Sadler passed away in 1989 of complications following a gun shot wound, the Casca-series of books are still being produced.

Stuff I Like – Kuhl Strand Cap

Sunday, March 26th, 2017

Last week, I was wearing one of the hats seen in the photo and a friend asked me about it. While I’ve been known to wear a cool hat when I get one, my own hats are a different kind of Kuhl.

Most often, if you see me wearing a hat, it’s a Kuhl Strand Cap modified with a Velcro pile patch embroidered with the SSD logo. I really like the fit of this runner-style cap which accommodates earpro quite nicely. Additionally, it’s easy to tighten the fit of the cap during high winds thanks to the cam buckle.

I’ve been wearing Kuhl caps for many years and they come in several models including the Strand, Uberkuhl, softshell Renegade and Renegade. Kuhl also offers Women’s models. They are available in a variety of colors which change through the seasons so you’ll need to check their site for availability.

www.kuhl.com/kuhl/mens/hats