Gear Patrol Magazine, Issue Fourteen: The Winter Preview

Behind Your New Favorite Workwear Brand

How to Build a Home Gym, Three Ways

Why Your Next Watch Should Be Quartz

The Problem with Wellness and Its Recent Rise

Your Ultimate Holiday Shopping Guide

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62

70

112

134

21 Products for Life After COVID 80

Harness the power of control.

Experience the new STREET GLIDE® SPECIAL and ROAD GLIDE® SPECIAL with the Reflex™ Defensive Rider Systems, an optional collection of the latest technology designed to enhance rider confidence and control in less-than-ideal situations. Learn more at H-D.com. It’s time to ride.

©2020 H-D or its affiliates. HARLEY-DAVIDSON, HARLEY, H-D, and the Bar and Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A., LLC.

YO U O N LY G E T O N E S P I N

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, goes the clock.

It’s so rhythmic it’s almost soothing. It lulls you into a false sense of security. Tick another coffee. Tock another meeting.

Tick another lunch. Tock another quiet night in.

And before you know it, you’re so numb from the comfort of routine that you didn’t feel a thing as that great adventure called life slipped away like sand between your fingers.

But fear not, adventure has other plans. Roll with them.

Embrace adventure, grasp it with both hands, until your knuckles turn pale. Don’t let comfort take you down.

Rise above routine and monotony. Ride shotgun with fear and the unknown. Don the uniform of the restless.

Get uncomfortable being comfortable.

And here’s the reward for the discomfort. Your heart will be fuller, your compassion deeper, your horizons wider and your memoir way, way, better. Before you die, make sure you have lived.

And never forget, you only get one spin.

A E T H E R A P PA R E L . C O M

Contents The Guide

18

74

20

Found: IBM Model F Keyboard

Counterpoint: Don’t Buy Cast Iron

Just Get This: Ski Gloves, Hiking Boots & More

Wish List

62

30

The world’s most desirable gear, right now

How to Build a Home Gym, Three Ways

The Review: 2020 Ferrari F8 Spider

Naim Uniti Atom

28

Kapital Compressed Wool Scarf

48

Quiet Carry Waypoint

58

Balmuda The Toaster

68

Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow

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50

70

Testing: Sonos Soundbar, Zero Electric Bike & More

The Interview: Darryl Brown

The Roundup: Quartz Watches

26

54

FAQ: What Is Wi-Fi 6

The Report: Bourbon by the Barrel

CONTENTS

Features

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How to Buy Into the New Normal COVID-19 turned our world upside down, and with it, our everyday habits, including what and how we buy. This package explores the world we’re living in today, and heading for tomorrow, with a list of products that will shape life post-COVID.

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The Patagonia Playbook Patagonia has made it their business to save our home planet, but they know they can’t do it alone. The plan: share every company secret with the competition.

112

Wealth and Wellness The global wellness industry is worth over $4 trillion.

But the high prices of supplements, apps and fitness tools poses a question that’s never been so urgent: if wellness is a luxury, what about the rest of us?

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Love at First Watch We asked some of the watch world’s most interesting personalities —including J.B. Smoove, Todd Snyder and Barbara Palumbo — to share the stories of the watches that changed their lives.

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Born on the race track, it’s the spirit of endurance on your wrist.

FO R E V E R C H A S I N G T O M O R R O W

TA G H E U E R C A R R E R A Original Racing Chronograph

DON’T CRACK UNDER PRESSURE

CONTENTS

Gifts for Every Guy Finding the perfect gift to give this season shouldn’t be stressful. No matter who you’re shopping for, our affordable recommendations will be a hit with everyone on your list — including yourself.

136

Adventurer 138

Gym Rat 140

Techie 142

Audiophile 144

DIYer 146

Homebody 148

Health Nut 150

Sartorialist 152

Chef 154

Mixologist 156

Timekeeper 158

Driver 12

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150 YEARS IN THE MAKING.

BLUNDSTONE.COM

#blundstone150

I

Eric Yang

FOUNDER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER @hashtagyang | eyang@gearpatrol.com

LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

n my last letter, I asked what an essential product is. I surmised three things: essential is about value, not price; a good product is something that propels you forward; and that Gear Patrol readers are some of the world’s most sophisticated consumers. The modern prosumer.

Days after Issue Thirteen went to print, we would have the chance to use our editorial rubric first hand as we redefined the definition of value in the midst of a generational pandemic. I wish I could say the question I posed in March was premeditated but, in hindsight, it was premature. These past several months have put us on the fast track in our pursuit of understanding what essential means.

Which is to say, I’ve spent a lot of my time these last six months reconsidering my definition of essential. And set to the backdrop of the most tumultuous year in Gear Patrol’s 13-year history, it’s a question probably better suited to the issue of the magazine you’re holding now.

I know I’m not alone. Much of our staff had to make equally colossal adjustments and I take great pride in the way they’ve handled the challenges head-on with such composure — they’re the best in the business. In March, we closed operations at our New York City office, threw out the playbook and reinvented our workflows for creating content both online and in print, now from many miles apart. What hasn’t changed, however, is our team’s commitment to Product Journalism to tackle current events from the vantage point of products and product culture. What you’re holding is our most relevant and timely issue ever.

Leading Issue Fourteen is a feature called “How to Buy Into the New Normal,” a collection of forecasts and insights about the products, services and trends we expect to dominate the product zeitgeist long after COVID-19. Because let’s face it ... face masks and hand sanitizer aren’t going anywhere. And they’re far from the only categories to

take on new degrees of urgency and importance in a post-pandemic world.

Also of particular note: style editor John Zientek’s longform examination of the wellness industry and the rise of opulence and affluence within that space. Driving his report is a difficult but vital question, especially in light of recent conversations about social and racial inequality: if wellness is a luxury, what happens to everyone else?

Home life has always been a fall trope when it comes to magazine-making, but now, with a deadly virus lurking in the background, it’s certainly more relevant than ever. As such, some of Issue Fourteen’s most compelling stories include a primer on the future of Wi-Fi technology; a guide to building the perfect home gym, three ways; and, for all the foodies who have taken up culinary arts, a very hot take on cast iron (turns out it may not be the be-all, end-all cookware of choice the internet often says it is.)

In an effort to be inclusive for all our readers, especially those impacted financially by the coronavirus, we’ve made it a point to offer numerous budget-friendly guides throughout the book, ranging from a trend report on quartz watches to nearly 30 pages around affordable holiday gifts that won’t break the bank. Don’t worry, we brought the same critical eye to quality and usefulness as we do to every product that carries our endorsement.

To level with you, I’m not quite sure Issue Fourteen cracks the master code in answering what is and isn’t essential in the great canon of products.

That’s a tall order and an endeavor that probably needs more than 160 pages offered here. You can expect us to continue that conversation with you online and in subsequent issues. However, I couldn’t be more confident in this issue’s ability to help you navigate a fall and winter like no other, and maybe — just maybe — start to answer the question for yourself.

kind of obsessed

I get running. I get cycling. But I don’t get the gym. Based on my latest physical, it’s clear that I need to get back on track.

As the world rethinks the geography of fitness and I seek out exercise that suits my particular needs, I’ve come to realize that the solution has been right in front of me since 1988.

It’s an American-made classic: the WaterRower. It works 84 percent of my muscles in a low-impact, high-calorie-burn fashion by using the natural resistance of a water-immersed flywheel. Oh, and it’s half the price of a Peloton. (If you prefer digital gamification, look at the Ergatta, which sells digitally linked versions of the WaterRower.) $1,459

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p h o t o b y wat e r r o w e r

WaterRower Classic

RALLY THROUGH THE REDWOODS WITH RACE CAR LEGENDS?

BUCKLE UP. INTRODUCING AN AUTOMOTIVE LIFESTYLE BRAND

BY ROAD & TRACK VOLUME 1 / AVAILABLE NOW

Visit roadandtrack.com/JOIN to subscribe and become a member for exclusive access to one-of-a kind stories and events.

LIVE THE DRIVE.

MASTHEAD

founder , chief executive officer

ERIC YANG cofounder , chief content officer

BEN BOWERS

deputy editor

senior staff writer

chief commercial officer

head of commerce

JACK SEEMER

TUCKER BOWE

ZACH MADER

BRIAN LOUIE

editors

staff writers

vp , commercial operations

commerce editor

WILL SABEL COURTNEY

TANNER BOWDEN

MONICA HARE

RYAN BROWER

ERIC LIMER

TYLER DUFFY

STEVE MAZZUCCHI

ZEN LOVE

business development director

store operations manager

MIKE BAILEY

CHRIS HEALY

senior account executive

product manager , growth

ALYXANDER EFFRON

CAITLYN SHAW

GERALD ORTIZ

associate editors

OREN HARTOV

associate staff writer

JOHN ZIENTEK

TYLER CHIN

assistant editor

associate editor , editorial operations

WILL PRICE

J.D. DIGIOVANNI

account executives

TIM MURRAY KEVIN O’BRIEN

editorial associate , editorial operations

SCOTT ULRICH

cfo

BRANDON FRANK

pacific northwest advertising director

SCOT BONDLOW southwest advertising director

creative director

deputy photo editor

JOE TORNATZKY

HENRY PHILLIPS

JUSTIN PARKHURST senior manager , revenue operations

senior designer

creative project manager

SHERRY WANG

MEG LAPPE

associate designer

coordinating producer

HUNTER D. KELLEY multimedia producer

KASEY MARTIN

NICK CARUSO

GENEVA AUDUONG sales planners

DOMINIQUE GAGEANT

integrated marketing manager

AISHA LOPEZ

CUSTOMER CARE

ANDY COCHRANE @andrewfitts

support@gearpatrol.com

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CAREERS gearpatrol.com/jobs

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STORE

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gearpatrol.com/store

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CORRECTIONS & REPRINTS sayhello@gearpatrol.com WHOLESALE REQUESTS wholesale@gearpatrol.com

ISSN 2381-4241 PUBLISHED QUARTERLY PRINTED in USA by AMPER LITHO on SUSTAINABLE PAPER INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK 236 5TH AVE, FLOOR 8 NEW YORK, NY 10001 © 2020 GEAR PATROL, LLC

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AJ POWELL project coordinator , gear patrol studios

ZEB GOODMAN

NGHI HO

issue 13 contributors

ELENI DEBO @eleni.debo

senior content manager , gear patrol studios

Gear Patrol Studios is the creative partnership arm of Gear Patrol. Select advertising in this magazine has been crafted by Gear Patrol Studios on behalf of brands to help tailor their message specifically for Gear Patrol readers. These sections are demarcated with GEAR PATROL STUDIOS. To learn more visit, studios.gearpatrol.com or reach out to us: advertising@gearpatrol.com

© 2020 Seiko Watch of America. SPB143 ©JAMSTEC *Not guaranteed for all watches.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT SEIKOLUXE.COM SPB143 The 1965 Diver’s Modern Re-interpretation 6R Automatic Mechanical Movement 70-hour Power Reserve

LOGGER 917 Inspired by our Pacific Northwest heritage, the new Logger 917 offers modern performance and lightweight comfort to keep you logging city miles no matter what conditions come your way.

Available with GORE-TEX waterproof protection.

DANNER.COM/LOGGER917

The Guide

In times like these, it’s comforting to know there are things you can always count on: high-end sports cars delivering a rush on any road (p. 30), rising designers making smart, stylish workwear (p. 50) and quartz watches keeping as sharp and reliable as ever (p. 70). Even so, products — and how we interact with them — evolve in step with modern realities. Faster Wi-Fi improves work-from-home efficiency (p. 26), new fitness equipment lets you lift in your living room (p. 62) and social media helps stock your bourbon shelf (p. 54). After all, sometimes the best tonic for uncertain moments is a good, stiff drink.

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F

FOUND

IBM Model F Mechanical Keyboard text by eric limer photo by henry phillips

Whether you remember the 1980s Model F keyboard or not, the sight and sound of one will send you hurtling decades into the past.

Built by IBM, the all-metal Model F is so hefty and substantial, you might mistake it for a piece of furniture. The sound of one in action — fingers thudding like thunder, the switches plinking like rain on a tin roof — is a mechanical cloudburst. It’s as loud as a thunderstorm, too, which is why you might only use one at home with the door closed.

But that satisfying buckle of each stroke makes it hard to stop.

Vintage Model Fs can be found on eBay for as low as $100 and reach three or four

times that much as the condition improves.

To use one on a computer 30 years its junior requires aftermarket retrofits; some devoted enthusiasts have even reconstructed a supply chain to produce modernized models in extremely limited quantities. Naturally, those aren’t cheap, either.

Compared to today’s sleek and streamlined laptop keyboards, the Model F is bulky, expensive and an all-around pain in the ass.

But for hardcore typists, that friction is a key component of the appeal. Modern laptop keyboards are convenient, but they’re also a mere means to an end. A gadget with as much soul as the Model F, on the other hand, demands a bigger body to contain it all.

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2020

Just Get This

Skip the research and go straight to what’s best. Just Get This is our never-ending, always-updated, no-nonsense roundup of the gear you need, now.

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula

Hand Cream Chapped hands don’t exist with this on deck. Fragrance-free and super gentle, the concentrated formula is packed with glycerin to draw loads of moisture to the skin. No wonder the National Eczema Association backs it.

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photos courtesy of respective brands

PRICE $6

Champion Reverse Weave Hoodie

Hoodie Champion knows how to make a good hoodie. They invented the damned thing, after all. The classic “reverse weave” fabric is dense but soft, and the fit is relaxed without being baggy.

PRICE $60

Vizio M-Series Quantum

4K TV Where other value-driven TVs sacrifice picture quality for Smart controls, Vizio’s M-Series Quantum goes the other direction. It isn’t a Smart TV (you can’t download native apps), but it fully supports smartphone or tablet casting, and it delivers similar picture quality to Vizio’s higher-end TVs while maintaining a sub-$500 price.

Plus, this year’s versions have quantum-dot technology builtin, enabling the display to project a much wider range of colors.

PRICE $400+

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Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket

Insulated Jacket A water-repellent shell and 100 percent recycled PrimaLoft insulation make this cozy, lightweight jacket perfect for travel, camping and as a mid-layer on ski trips. A zippered internal chest pocket doubles as a clever stuff sack, so you can stash it until the moment you need it.

PRICE $199

Tecnica Forge

Hiking Boot Thanks to an in-store fitting process to separately heat-mold the insoles and uppers, the Italian ski-boot maker’s inaugural hiker is a customizable dream boot.

A Gore-Tex liner and Vibram outsole carry the premium quality to the exterior, too.

PRICE $270

Hestra Ergo Grip Active

Winter Gloves Segmented stitching, pre-curved fingers and durable goat leather make these gloves equally reliable grasping an axe handle or trekking pole. Meanwhile, the Gore-Tex Windstopper treatment keeps your digits safe and warm against the whims of Mother Nature.

PRICE $85

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Wahoo Kickr Core

Indoor Bike Trainer Valued for its smooth, quiet, accurate flywheel, this direct-drive indoor trainer can help you keep your cadence going all winter long. You can even pair with Zwift to test your wattage against riders all over the world.

PRICE $900

Stanley Classic Trigger-Action Mug 12oz

Insulated Travel Mug

Thanks to double-walled vacuum insulation, this leak-proof stainless steel warrior keeps coffee hot for five hours or water cold for eight.

Just press the handy button on the lid to savor the sweet elixir within. Not bad for a pair of Hamiltons.

PRICE $20

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Coop Home Goods Eden Pillow

Bed Pillow

Fickle sleepers, rejoice. The Eden is an adjustable-fill pillow with gel-infused cooling memory foam. Machine wash the case regularly and adjust the fill to your ever-changing preferences. The pillow just might last a lifetime.

PRICE $70+

Kalita 185

Pour-Over Coffee Maker Skipping the conical shape found on most pour-over drippers, Kalita offers the most user-friendly pour-over dripper you can find. Its three-hole, flat-bottomed design ensures all water and coffee can mingle together long enough to extract flavor, and the stainless steel construction makes it durable for joe on the go.

PRICE $40

Faribault Cabin Wool Throw

Wool Blanket Trust a brand that’s been around since 1865. This 100-percent merino wool blanket is warm, antimicrobial, machine-washable and stitched to perfection in Faribault’s Minnesota factory.

PRICE $150

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Knob Creek 9-Year Bourbon Whiskey

Everyday Bourbon Whiskey

More available than Buffalo Trace, higher proof than Four Roses Small Batch and sporting a nine-year age statement, Knob Creek’s small-batch bourbon is as close to a catch-all as there is. Its peanut-forward profile works on the rocks, sipped neat or mixed in an Old Fashioned.

PRICE $35

Max Bill Handwound Dress Watch

Entry-Level Dress Watch Industrial designer Max Bill applied what he learned at the Bauhaus school to design for German brand Junghans, the results of which are some of the cleanest, most elegant watches ever made. The modern 34mm handwound version, with its timeless, uncluttered dial, is a spitting image of the 1960s original.

PRICE $795

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F

FA Q

Wi-Fi 6 text by tucker bowe

If the events of the past year have left you in search of better home Wi-Fi, you’re not alone. An emerging standard called Wi-Fi 6 may be part of the answer. Here’s everything you need to know.

What is Wi-Fi 6?

Wi-Fi 6 is a set of ground rules for how your gadgets communicate. This update focuses on giving your home more bandwidth, space for data to move. That means more devices on your network can operate at max speed, all at once. And that’s just the beginning. The next version, called Wi-Fi 6E, will let devices use a brand-new wireless spectrum. Expect it in 2021.

How come I’ve never heard of Wi-Fi 5?

That’s easy: it didn’t exist until Wi-Fi 6. The Wi-Fi Alliance, in charge of writing the Wi-Fi rules, used to use a more awkward naming scheme. What is now called Wi-Fi 5 was known as 802.11ac when it was released in 2014. The name Wi-Fi 6 was ginned up to save us all from having to talk about 802.11ax.

What makes Wi-Fi 6 better than the Wi-Fi I already have?

Wi-Fi 6 supports data-transfer speeds that are up 40 percent faster than Wi-Fi 5, but that’s not actually what will make your life better. The flagship Wi-Fi 6 feature is efficiency. Its ability to expand the bandwidth of your home network and divide it up into more slices means more gadgets in a small space can run at top speed simultaneously.

When is it coming?

Right now. Pretty much all smartphones, laptops and tablets released from 2020 on will have chipsets that support Wi-Fi 6.

Routers that are Wi-Fi 6 certified are starting to come out as well.

Devices started adopting it back in late 2019 and many gadgets, like all current-generation iPhones, already support it. Wi-Fi 6E, which goes even further, will start to get hammered out in 2021.

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How do I get it?

If you want to get the benefits of Wi-Fi 6, you’ll need support on both ends: the phone or tablet or computer that’s using the Wi-Fi and the router that’s dishing it out. A network is only as fast as the slowest device in the loop. Higher-quality routers have the ability to make two networks at once — one for the speed demons and one for the slowpokes.

Do I need to upgrade?

No, not yet. Many of the older gadgets you own won’t support and won’t even need the potential maximum speeds Wi-Fi 6 offers.

What’s more, Wi-Fi 6E, coming in 2021, will provide an even bigger improvement, and you’re better off waiting for that to take hold.

What has this got to do with 5G? Wi-Fi 6 and 5G are designed to similar ends — faster data-transfer speeds and support for more devices simultaneously — but they’re two completely separate technologies. Wi-Fi 6 is a better way to connect to the internet indoors and 5G is a better way to connect to cellular networks when you’re out and about. Devices that support Wi-Fi 6 won’t necessarily support 5G, but if it has 5G, it almost certainly has Wi-Fi 6.

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Wish List 0 1 /05

Naim Uniti Atom text by tucker bowe photo by henry phillips

The Uniti Atom, an all-in-one music player with an integrated amp, DAC (digitalto-analog converter) and wireless receiver, is a dream component for any modern audiophile.

For starters, just look at the thing. Masterfully crafted out of aluminum, it sports a buttery smooth volume control for some good old-fashioned knob feel and a sharp $ 3 , 29 0

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LCD display that shows off album artwork in high-res.

The Atom isn’t just for show, though. At 40 watts per channel, it can handle pretty much any set of speakers you throw at it. The same goes for streaming services; thanks to Wi-Fi integration, the Atom seamlessly supports Bluetooth aptX HD, Spotify Connect, AirPlay 2, Google Chromecast, Tidal and Roon.

R

THE REVIEW

2020 Ferrari F8 Spider The latest drop-top from the Prancing Horse impresses, even in less-than-thrilling circumstances. text by will sabel courtney photos by henry phillips

Do Ferraris dream of internal-combustion sheep? No, they dream of winding roads, full of undulating bends and free of traffic. At least, it seems as though they should. It’s not hard to imagine them quivering in their garages, lurching against their parking pawls and squeaking their front wheels left and right, like a dog as he chases a rabbit in his sleep. Every car has character, but few have as much personality as the ones made in Maranello.

Years of development; millions of dollars of R&D; the blood, sweat and tears of some of the world’s best engineers and designers — a heck of a lot goes into making every new Ferrari an astounding speed machine, one that blends software and hardware into something bordering on magic. Sadly, thanks to monotonously straight highways and urban gridlock, most Ferraris will spend their lives not living up to their full potential.

Case in point: while an isolated two-lane through the mountains or 12.9 miles of track carved through the German forest might be my preferred settings to uncork the F8 Spider, my maiden route along the traffic-clotted highways and side roads connecting New York City to Montauk was likely more akin to how the average owner will use the car. (For the record, it was Ferrari’s idea — a socially distant

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drive event to the tip of Long Island in lieu of a flight to Italy.)

But a Ferrari is a Ferrari, whether it’s attacking a track or crawling through Friday afternoon congestion. You can feel the purpose in the steering — razor-sharp and perfectly weighted, like a finely crafted sword. The battered and shattered roadways of New York City and Long Island prevent you from approaching the car’s limits — even on a cloverleaf — for fear of the tires skipping clean off the pavement when you hit a bump. Still, you can feel the car’s focused intent every time you dart between other vehicles on the highway. The combination of a fast-turning steering rack and good old-fashioned steering feel allows the F8 to respond intuitively in a way few cars, even sports cars, do today.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the absurd times we live in that a 710-horsepower road car doesn’t seem that outlandish, but the fact remains that said output means the F8 Spider is outpunched by cars made by everyone from Chevrolet to Porsche. Still, seven hundred-plus ponies in a car that weighs in at well under two tons — even with a full tank of gas and two grown people aboard — produces mighty results.

Click the manettino (the drive-mode switch on the steering wheel that looks like it was pried from a B-52’s cockpit) to “CT Off” (traction control off, stability control on), then floor it from a slow roll in first, and the Spider will scream forward like the devil is chasing it from two steps behind. Watch for the LED shift lights mounted at high noon on the steering wheel; if you don’t yank the righthand paddle shifter for an upshift the instant you see them start to illuminate, the engine will slam into the 8,000-rpm limiter.

You can’t compare vehicles like the F8 or its similarly powerful super-sports-car kin — the McLaren 720S and Porsche 911 Turbo S, to name a couple — to the mortal cars most of us normally drive. Computer-aided dual-clutch transmissions shift faster and smoother than any driver ever could with a stick, while deeply integrated electronic controls for the engine and differentials constantly redistribute the power to make the most of it.

Yet the Ferrari manages to avoid the common trap of letting that computerization suck

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the soul from the driving experience. As with the steering, there’s an immediacy to the throttle and brakes that helps make the car feel like an extension of your body.

And in spite of the car’s stiffness, the suspension never punishes; the dampers do their damndest to soften the blows of the potholes and broken pavement that dominate New York’s streets.

Still, it’s not perfect. But a Ferrari doesn’t have flaws; it has quirks. Hope you like isometric exercise, because there’s no armrest to plop your right elbow on. While the F8’s face is a definite improvement over its predecessor, the 488 — the new car’s central air duct, pulled from the racier 488 Pista, gives it the look of a cobra rather than the 488’s catfish face — the rear is a tangle of aerodynamically-optimized lines, ducts and lights that seems to place function a little too far above form. And the triumphant howl that once defined Ferrari’s engines has been somewhat muted by the arrival of those twin turbochargers and other nods to modernity. It’s still loud

and proud, but the F8’s song isn’t as mellifluous as that of its predecessors.

The biggest foible, though, is one of size. Simply put, there’s not enough room inside. Granted, at six-foot-four, I’m an extreme case, but anyone more than six feet tall will find themselves constrained to the point of pain after a couple hours. Blame that tight mid-engine packaging — there’s not enough room to stretch in the compact cabin, as the giant wheel wells cut into the foot wells, pushing your legs into less-than-ideal angles to compensate.

Which wouldn’t be so bad were it not for the brutally conformist bolsters on the sides of the seats that force your thighs together. It’s a problem I’ve found in other mid-engined supercars: racing-inspired seats and tiny cockpits don’t play nice with those of us on the lankier side.

Impressive as everything about this Ferrari is, the F8’s fate has already been written. Its replacement has already been teased in the form of the new SF90 Stradale — Ferrari’s first plug-in hybrid supercar. The SF90 merges

The F8’s aerodynamically optimized styling means it’s not as traditionally attractive as past cars from Maranello. Still, there’s no disputing that it’s eye-catching — especially in Giallo Modena yellow.

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A Ferrari is a Ferrari, whether it’s attacking a track or crawling through Friday afternoon congestion. You can feel the purpose in the steering — razor-sharp and perfectly weighted, like a finely crafted sword.

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an even more powerful version of the F8’s V8 with a 7.9-kWh battery pack and three electric motors to whip up nearly 1,000 horsepower — then uses all-wheel-drive to put it down with maximum effectiveness, resulting in a ride that’s both quicker and more efficient.

Such is the march of progress. Still, if the F8 Spider proves to be the last open-air V8 Ferrari powered purely through combustion, it’ll be a worthy conclusion to a line that dates back 45 years. A decade from now, I won’t remember the cramps in my legs; I’ll think of

the banshee wail this beast let out as I flattened the gas and it flattened me into my seat merging onto the highway. In that moment, it was living out its purpose. If it felt the weight of the past or future on its shoulders, you’d never know it.

Yet the name of the Spider’s hardtop sibling shows that Maranello is well aware of the model’s place in history: the coupe goes

by F8 Tributo. Tributo is Italian for tribute; the 8 signifies the number of cylinders; and the F … well, you can probably guess what that stands for.

2020 Ferrari F8 Spider Engine: 3.9-liter twin-turbo V8 Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox Horsepower: 710 @ 7,000 rpm Torque: 568 lb-ft @ 3,250 rpm Dry Weight: 3,086 lbs Top Speed: 211 mph $297,250+ (base MSRP)

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We review fascinating products all year long. Here are seven new releases we’ve been putting through the paces.

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A E THE R DA LTO N SNEAKERS

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S E IKO P ROS P E X ALPI NI ST SPB117

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SO N OS A RC

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P O C CO RN E A SO L AR SWI TCH

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WE L L E R S IN GL E BAR R EL BOU R BO N

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F E L LOW O DE B REW GR I NDER

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Z E RO S R/S

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text by ta n n e r b o w d e n tucker bowe zen love steve mazzucchi will price jack seemer john zientek photos by henry phillips

Aether is a cult-favorite clothing brand that specializes in blending functionality and style. Its first sneaker is no exception.

With an Italian leather upper and a Japanese leather lining, this premium sneaker doesn’t skimp on materials. But it’s what’s inside that really stands out: the Dalton features D3O — the polyurethane shock-absorption tech found in protective motorcycle gear — at the ankles and under the insoles.

And even with padding on the tongue and collar, it’s lighter and more comfortable than many other hightops on the market.

The all-leather construction plus the padding makes for a warm shoe, which is cozy right now but will swelter come summer. Also, these shoes fit snug; if you’re between sizes, size up.

$325

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This cult-classic field watch, originally made for “Japanese mountain men,” is bursting with character and value.

Sized just right at 39.5mm, this timepiece brims with more personality than your standard field watch. Based on Seiko’s first sport watch, which dates back to 1959, the new Alpinist boasts 200m of water resistance, sapphire crystal and the brand’s latest in-house automatic movement. Plus, the inner rotating bezel can be used in conjunction with the sun as a compass.

$750

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There is competition around the Alpinist’s price point that includes field watches with similar specs and even Swiss movements, such as Hamilton’s Khaki Field Auto ($745). A “cyclops” magnifier over the date display tends to be controversial, but it could also be viewed as added value.

With an all-new design, smart-speaker capabilities and Dolby Atmos support, the long-awaited successor to the much-loved Playbar makes a strong case for being your new favorite.

The Arc is the first Sonos soundbar to support Dolby Atmos, a fancy 3D technology that uses the Arc’s upward-firing drivers to create virtual height channels and way more immersive sound. If you dream of building the ultimate cinema experience at home with nothing more than a soundbar, this is the system you need.

The soundbar is just one link in the Dolby Atmos chain. If you have an older (pre-2017) TV, it likely doesn’t support the tech and won’t let you get the best out of the Arc. So check compatibility first.

$799

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Tint-changing technology lets snow-goggle lenses adapt to light shifts, but only POC’s latest innovation does so all on its own.

Anti-fog and anti-scratch treatments are standard, but a line of sensors atop these solar-enabled specs allows the lens to autonomously react to light conditions, darkening when the sun’s out and lightening when clouds appear. The tint change happens in an instant, without need of buttons or batteries, so you can focus on your path down the mountain.

$450

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The goggles’ adaptive range isn’t wide enough to cover extreme flat-light conditions that can be common on the slopes. Plus, cutting-edge optics come at a high price — nearly double that of goggles with manually interchangeable lenses — and at this point, in only one color: black.

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The newest addition to Buffalo Trace Distillery’s coveted line of Pappy-like whiskeys takes aim at a bourbon drinker’s sweet spot.

Bottled at 97 proof, Single Barrel is more accommodating than last year’s Full Proof release while boasting a fuller, fattier body than the brand’s popular 12-year variant. Though no age statement appears on the Single Barrel label, expect a finish typical of wheated bourbons: cherry sweetness, minty aromatics and loads of vanilla.

$50

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This strain has become seriously scarce, so while the draw of the single barrel reigns, most drinkers will not find multiple bottles to compare. And while its $50 suggested retail price is a fine deal, most retailers will price closer to $100, knowing the Weller-loving cult will always pay up. If you see it at or near $60, buy it.

The brand behind the award-winning Stagg EKG electric kettle raised $1.25 million on Kickstarter for a new kind of grinder it says “brings the café experience into your kitchen at a fraction of the cost” — sans espresso.

Equipped with 64mm flat burrs, the Ode Brew Grinder boasts better components than its closest competitor, the Baratza Virtuoso. It’s also smaller (read: counter-friendly), sleeker, quieter and cleaner — a handy grounds knocker reduces the amount of chaff, that flaky coffee residue that comes from static.

$299

A single-serving loader means you’ll have to measure your beans every time you want to brew a cup.

Though this encourages maximum freshness, the extra couple steps may turn off some users. Also, its 31 grind settings are optimized for drip and immersion styles of coffee, not espresso.

The electric-motorcycle king’s first full-fairing cycle promises an unlikely combination: blinding sport bike performance and touring bike comfort.

High handlebars and low pegs give way to a relaxed riding position, while the S/RS’s aerodynamic fairing lets you tuck in for 13 percent more efficiency than Zero’s other bike, the SR/F. Combined with 140 ft-lbs of torque available at 0 rpm, that streamlining also lets you silently smoke everything else on the street.

$21,995+

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With Zero’s Power Tank (a $2,895 option), this bike can travel up to 200 miles in the city, and the Rapid Charge System can take the battery from 0 to 95 percent in just an hour. That makes it perfect for extended urban riding, but if you’re road-tripping across state lines, plan a sit-down lunch.

Wish List 02 /05

Kapital Compressed Wool Scarf text by gerald ortiz photo by henry phillips

Kiro Hirata, the designer behind Japanese brand Kapital, has built a cult following for his artisanal use of indigo, his far-reaching inspiration and his wild, often garish designs. Case in point: the label’s ever-changing Compressed Wool Scarf.

Every winter, the Scarf returns in new versions that could live in a tapestry gallery.

With vivid colors and gorgeous imagery, some versions of the Scarf reference the rich textile traditions of cultures around the world — evidence of Hirata’s love for kilim rugs and vintage American quilts. Other examples are just easy on the eye, depicting abstract landscapes or humorous portraits of snakes and dachshunds.

The wool itself is beautifully textured yet surprisingly soft; a unique treatment ensures that its edges naturally roll into themselves, obviating the need for edge stitching. Wear one as a shawl, or simply wrap it around your neck as an effortless add-on.

You’ll be hard-pressed to take it off. $270

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THE INTERVIEW

Workwear for a New Generation The former head stylist for Kanye West, Darryl Brown wants to cement his brand among workwear’s best. text by gerald ortiz p h o t o b y h e i t z e l a lva r e n g a

The titans of workwear are few but mighty.

Levi’s, Carhartt, Dickies — generations-old brands with extensive track records of producing clothes built to withstand a hard day’s work. Their garments have also weathered the test of time, becoming immortalized into the canon of men’s style.

Darryl Brown, a former railroad engineer who launched his eponymous label in 2019, wants his name to be the next in the canon, but he knows it won’t happen by simply regurgitating classics and raising the prices.

Brown’s familiar designs are informed by his experience working industrial jobs, but they carry a fresh feel and upgraded materials. In his words, Darryl Brown Clothing Company is what would happen “if Dries [Van Noten] and Carhartt had a baby.”

We talked with the up-and-coming designer about the start of his brand and what authentic workwear means in 2020.

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How did you move from the railroad to fashion?

I’ve worked for Chrysler and General Motors, working as an engineer and driving trains.

But while I was doing that, a friend of mine, a guy named Zach Beebe, opened a streetwear boutique called Nex. He wasn’t the fashion guy, so he asked me to come and help them run it — be the buyer, do marketing, brand activations, initiatives and stuff like that.

It took a while for you to start your own brand. Was making your own brand the ultimate goal?

I started off just wanting to be a stylist. I never really wanted my own brand. I was always more into helping other people grow their brands.

How did you get into styling?

My friends would tell me, “Man, you should be a model, bro. You should be a stylist.”

And I’d be like, “Well, I’m not being a model.

What’s a stylist?” “The person that gets celebrities and entertainers dressed.” And for me, that moment that was, like, mind-blowing. I was like, what? I never knew something like that existed.

So you started styling in your free time?

Yeah. We used to throw parties and events.

We’d be booking Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, Mac Miller — rest in peace — all those guys. But at this time, none of them guys were even signed yet. We booked Machine Gun Kelly for, like, a hundred and fifty dollars and gas money. He came up to me and he’s like, “Hey bro, what’s that hoodie? Can you get me one?” And that was kind of, like, the beginning of our relationship. He was my first official client.

Eventually, you ended up with Kanye West and worked as his head stylist for four years. How did that happen and what kind of influence did he have on you?

If anything, Kanye just helped me polish my skills for who I really am. You get what I’m saying? It’s like being a really dope basketball player, and being put on a team with Jordan or Lebron. You’re still a great player, and you’re still you. But you got to play with

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cl o c k w i s e f r o m t o p l e f t

The DB 3rd Shift Jacket ($200); the DB Cargo Workpant ($190); Darryl Brown at his showroom in Paris, wearing the DB T-Shirt ($80), the DB Cargo Workpant and sneakers

by Mihara Yasuhiro ($415).

Jordan and win a ring. I look to Kanye like a real friend, like a big brother. He opened so many doors up for me and set me up so I could fly on my own.

Why’d you leave Kanye?

It was just time. I was ready to start my own thing. I had already put my first collection into the sampling phase and I was preparing to launch at Paris fashion week that January.

We were kind of in a transition phase where we were living between Chicago and Los Angeles. And there were a lot of moving pieces, a lot going on. And I just felt like, okay, this is the perfect time because nobody gets to leave Kanye on good terms.

out of style. I want to be a Black designer living in that space. I feel like sometimes we’re only allowed to come in if we’re being overthe-top, we have to be so over the top and flashy and gaudy.

A lot of designers borrow from workwear, but you’ve said in other interviews that many designers are doing it wrong.

My dad was an ex-military man, worked for Chrysler for, like, thirty years; truck driver.

He’s more like a manly man, workwear-inspired. Dickies and Red Wing boots every day for him. That’s [how] you get Darryl Brown Clothing Co.

For me, I sat back and watched workwear become a trend. But none of these designers have ever worked a blue-collar, nine-tofive job a day in their life, you know what I’m saying? They don’t always hit the mark and connect with people because it’s not them, it’s just a trend that they tried to capitalize on. There’s nothing authentic about it and nothing authentic about the message.

So when the fashion conversation turned to workwear and [people started asking] ‘Who should be making workwear?’ It should be me. You know what I mean? I kind of took offense, and then I took it as a challenge. I want to own this workwear space, especially as a Black man.

What about other brands? Who is doing it right?

What about Carhartt and Dickies? Do you consider those brands authentic?

I love Jil Sander. I love Lemaire. I just love The Row, how they just constantly deliver every single time. Their collections are like butter, like Uniqlo on steroids but more minimal. Instead of thirty-three colors, it’s five.

It never changes, the quality is always good.

And it’s simple. It’s just simple.

I feel like those brands that we’re talking about, they’re going to live forever. They have such a huge fan base. They’re genreless. They don’t have to worry about going

We were just wearing those brands because that’s what our parents could afford — or what we could afford. That’s what we were forced to go to work in, it wasn’t necessarily about fashion. And then Wu Tang took that and they brought it to primetime television. When you would see your icons walking in the room and they got their Carhartt hoodie on, it’s not because they chose to do that. It was a product of their environment.

Any other influences?

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“We’re still tying up our boots and putting on our slacks and our uniforms, but we’re not necessarily going to factories every day.”

Your pieces are more expensive than the clothing from traditional manufacturers.

Where is the extra cost coming from?

The expense of it being made in America.

I’m also using a heavier twill — the best of the best. I’m still going tight with the price point. I could make stuff [cost] eight hundred dollars. I could sell hype if I wanted to, but I don’t. I want things to last. I want repeat customers.

Where are you trying to take workwear?

I am creating affordable, sustainable, fire goods. I feel like it’s more about the uniform aesthetic — clothes that you don’t have to think about. It’s workwear, but it’s, like, the new workwear, because [we’re] a whole new workforce. We’re out here, we’re creating, we’re taking meetings, we’re moving and shaking. We’re still tying up our boots and putting on our slacks and our uniforms, but we’re not necessarily going to factories every day.

Inspired by legacy brands like Goyard and Converse, Darryl Brown aims to create workwear with lasting appeal.

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R

THE REPORT

Bourbon by the Barrel

The world of Pappy, Michter’s and Birthday Bourbon is crowded and expensive. Whiskey geeks are opting out.

photo left: getty⁄john fedele, above: breaking bourbon

text by will price

Whiskey review site Breaking Bourbon teamed up with Bourbonr, a whiskey discussion forum, to select Northern Exposure, the first single barrel whiskey pick distilled with Traverse City Whiskey Co.’s own juice (previous barrels were sourced from Indiana’s MGP).

Just before 9 p.m. on a Thursday night, the founder and admin of a Facebook group dedicated to the buying and selling of rare whiskey hurriedly explained the future of whiskey nerdery to me over Messenger.

“When I first started chasing bourbons I wanted the expensive stuff. The Pappys, the older Michters’, BTAC [Buffalo Trace Antique Collection], Willett, etc.,” he wrote. “As I built up a decent collection, I started to realize there were some really good whiskeys to be found from people you trusted.”

Patrick (who asked that his real name be withheld because Facebook bans alcohol sales on its platform) was referring to the practice of barrel picking, where distilleries offer barrels of whiskey for groups to sample, select and buy for themselves. In 15 minutes, he’d be holding an online sale of bottles from his latest barrel.

Booze retailers and whiskey bars have participated in these private-barrel programs for decades, purchasing all the bottles from a single barrel — which costs anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000 — and selling them as an exclusive offering. Barrel picking isn’t new, but the customers are. In recent years, it’s the Patricks of the world piquing whiskey makers’ interests.

While there’s no hard data on the growth of private-barrel purchases in the American whiskey market (it’s not tracked, and likely

won’t be anytime soon), there are plenty of anecdotes like those from Four Roses Private Barrel Manager Mandy Vance, who said the distillery’s barrel program has grown fivefold since it started in 2013. “When I first started, if someone came in and wanted to buy more than one barrel, we were ecstatic,” she said.

Today, the program pushes well over 1,000 barrels a year, a number that has forced Four Roses to limit how many people can buy.

Thousands strong, the Facebook group Patrick operates isn’t just a platform for whiskey trading and boozy conversation. It is one of very few that exclusively buy, sell and trade picks, otherwise known as bakes — that is, bottles from single-barrel selections. A good number of them are selected by Patrick himself, who hosts numerous community barrel picks through the group and elsewhere. The appeal, he said, isn’t just that these are rare bottles that are (usually) not cripplingly expensive, it’s also the juice inside.

“It’s not like my taste is better than anyone else’s, but if you can find a picker that you know has tastes that match up with whiskey that you like consistently, then that’s your best source of whiskey,” he explained. “I just kind of fell in love with the concept of being able to choose my own bourbon.”

Jay Erisman, cofounder of New Riff Distilling, knows the feeling. In 2014, he and his business partner Ken Lewis opened their

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each barrel available for purchase, and groups that visit the distillery to pick are given a full tour of the production facility and rickhouses and attend a question-and-answer session with the staff before being sequestered into a room with upward of 20 barrels to choose from.

New Riff’s efforts have made its barrel program wildly popular with groups like the one Patrick runs. But why is private-barrel buying just now going mainstream? Easy: the internet.

Known by his username, T8ke, in online whiskey circles, Jay West is one of the Web’s most prolific whiskey reviewers. West is in his late 20s, works in software development and posts reviews of whiskey on his website and /r/bourbon, Reddit’s largest whiskey community. He’s managed a number of private-barrel buys and also runs the subreddit’s single-barrel pick program, which has more than 5,500 people on its waitlist. “I’ve been talking to some of these people for five, six years about whiskey, life, whatever, and I’ve got no clue what they look like, but that doesn’t mean we can’t buy a barrel,” he said.

from top

Selected by Blake Riber at Seelbach’s, Spirits of French Lick Lee W. Sinclair Four Grain Bourbon sold out quickly when it was released in March; some single barrel selections are known more for the sticker than the whiskey inside.

p h o t o at t o p : s e e l b a c h s , l e f t : b r e a k i n g b o u r b o n

Kentucky distillery on the same block as The Party Source, a Costco-sized spirits and party-supplies emporium with a sweeping selection of single-barrel store picks, where Erisman used to work as the Fine Spirits Manager. Some whiskey groups came to him for help barrel picking, but only out of necessity. By law, everyday consumers couldn’t — and still can’t — buy a barrel on their own. Most of the U.S. must adhere to what’s known as the Three-Tier System, which ushers alcohol sales along a strict one-way street: producers (distillers) may only sell to distributors, distributors may only sell to retailers (liquor stores) and retailers own the sole right to sell to drinkers. The Party Source was the broker between the group, a distributor and the whiskey maker.

“Now, it seems any bourbon society worth its salt has got to have its own calendar of barrel selections,” Erisman said. The surge in interest has prompted New Riff to cater its barrel program to the general whiskey community, not just bars or liquor stores.

The company was the first to conscript a third-party panel to pen tasting notes for

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photo courtesy of seelbachs

Fully Web-based groups are the most extreme example of the internet’s ability to connect whiskey drinkers. West says there are pros and cons.

“Doing it over the internet means less camaraderie, but you can get better picks sometimes,” West said. “You’re not going to piss off your buddy Steve, who you’ve known for twenty years, by thinking something is good when he doesn’t like it when you’re doing it online.”

Connected online or by geography, whiskey groups’ thirst for barrels over bottles has spawned track-greasing businesses like Seelbach’s, a site that specializes in connecting groups to distilleries across the country (including New Riff). Blake Riber, the company’s founder, says facilitating barrel sales wasn’t part of the plan when he launched the business, but interest demanded it. Riber’s company has handled barrel purchases for West and the /r/bourbon community, the bourbon review site Breaking Bourbon and its legion of Patreon subscribers, and the podcast Bourbon Pursuit, which was so popular those behind it launched a private label out of it.

“I talk with these groups and these guys aren’t, like, getting paid to do this. But they’ve got goals and they take pride in it,” Riber said. “I think people are tired of chasing the limited editions, so they just moved on to private barrels and stacking those up. Nobody’s getting Pappy anymore. What’s the next cool thing you could get? Your own barrel.”

As his auction was starting, Patrick excused himself from our conversation on Messenger. He was hosting a release of new bottles from a barrel of New Riff bourbon (his first New Riff pick is legendary in the private barrel community). Group members put their names in for the chance to buy one of 200 bottles from the barrel selection. He returned to our chat shortly after, apologetic.

“Back,” he wrote. “New Riff pick just sold out in less than a minute. Lol.”

Transparency is one of the hallmarks of buying whiskeys by the barrel. Private selections often disclose distillation dates, barreling dates, barrel numbers, rickhouse information and the date when the exact whiskey exited the cask.

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Wish List 03/05

Quiet Carry Waypoint t e x t b y ta n n e r b o w d e n photo by henry phillips

When you can buy a serviceable pocket knife with a twenty-dollar bill, it can be hard to imagine how another could sell for hundreds.

Perhaps such a knife would sport a handle made of exotic wood or even bone, studded with gems and precious metals. Quiet Carry’s Waypoint, meanwhile, has none of that swagger.

The knife’s 4.2-inch body comes in various slick but plain finishes, and its 3.3-inch blade is a classic drop point. Its opening mechanism is a thumb stud without springs or buttons.

So why the price hike? Quiet Carry makes its blade from a type of steel called Vanax SuperClean. Known within the knife community as a “super steel,” Vanax SuperClean exhibits incredible resistance to corrosion and wear. No, the Waypoint may not be fancily adorned, but it will last a lifetime — and then some. $295

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G E A R PAT R O L S T U D I O S / G - S H O C K

Refined Yet Capable

With the addition of G-SHOCK’s tried and true Carbon Core Guard tech, the new GSTB300S-1A is every bit as capable as the brand’s other watches.

One name is synonymous with tough watches more than any other: G-SHOCK. Since 1983, the brand has been designing watches to endure maximum abuse in the most demanding environments. The new G-STEEL GSTB300S-1A is no different, though in comparison to some of G-SHOCK’s other watches it appears decidedly refined. With premium touches like a stainless steel bezel and a soft urethane band, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this watch was better suited to days at your desk.

But you’d be wrong — the GSTB300S-1A is every bit as capable as G-SHOCK’s other watches. On the durability front, it features G-SHOCK’s new Carbon Core Guard — a carbon fiber-reinforced resin structure that

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wraps around everything from the lugs to the buttons, protecting the watch from whatever you can throw at it. The GSTB300S-1A also offers a combination analog-digital dial with an LCD screen, Bluetooth connectivity (which will automatically update to a new time zone when paired with your smartphone) and Tough Solar power. Plus, it’s the first G-STEEL model to include a front LED light button, which adds a healthy dose of usability.

This isn’t a watch that you tuck away in your drawer, only to be worn on special occasions. This is the watch you wear every day, from the office, to a weekend away, to a night on the town. Whatever your day has in store, the GSTB300S-1A can handle it.

G-SHOCK GSTB300S-1A Water Resistant: 200m Power Reserve: 41 hours Connectivity: Bluetooth Buy Now: $330

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How to Build a Home Gym, Three Ways Thinking of trading in that expensive gym membership for your own iron paradise? You only need a few pieces of equipment to get a complete workout at home, says David Otey, CSCS, a personal-training manager at Equinox. Building your own gym can be accessible and affordable for even casual worker-outers.

photos courtesy of their respective brands

text by andrew gutman

Just Keeping Off the Beer Weight

Gym Cost: $225

If you’re trying to beat back a beer belly, you can buy everything you need for a full-body workout for less than the cost of a few bottles of Scotch. The bands can be stored in a closet, the pull-up bar won’t take up too much wall space and the kettlebell can sit in a corner — so you won’t look like a try-hard when you have guests over.

This single kettlebell adjusts from eight to 40 pounds, replacing six weights.

Squat with it, press it overhead, row it, swing it, curl it — it’s the most versatile single weight you can buy.

GRAB THE STUD FINDER, STUD A wall-mounted pullup bar is bar none, but you need to be absolutely sure you mount it correctly. Use a stud finder to make sure you’re well-anchored, so your home gym project doesn’t turn into a home renovation. Or even consider finding a professional.

BOWFLEX SELECTTECH 840 KETTLEBELL

$150

TITAN 3 POSITION WALL MOUNTED PULL-UP BAR Otey recommends a wall-mounted bar for its overall sturdiness versus doorway models that risk damaging your door frame. Also, you can loop bands around it for moves like pull-downs, tricep extensions, and assisted pull-ups, essentially MacGyvering your own cable machine for a fraction of the cost. $30

STROOP BANDS (3-PACK) Bands are essential, Otey says, because they’re cheap, versatile and take up hardly any space. Stroop one-ups the classic rubber resistance band by encasing it in their patented Slastix sleeve, so if the band were to snap, the tube would protect you from an unwanted whipping. $45

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Fully Fit Without the Monthly Membership

So you want to be righteously ripped, but it’s not your whole identity. A few upgrades to the basic setup will help you reach that higher level. Dumbbells allow for greater exercise variety, a bench is more comfortable and a hand-crafted kettlebell doubles as a statement piece when you’re done tearing up your workout.

DIVERSIFY WITH A DOOR If you’ve got a door near your workout zone, you can add even more versatility to your workout bands. A door anchor, which slides through the crack where fingers and toes would get pinched, provides an additional attachment point that’s not on your body.

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Gym Cost: $627

The True At-Home Gym TITAN FITNESS CHROME ADJUSTABLE DUMBBELLS

AB-3100 ADJUSTABLE BENCH V 3

Not only do these look sleek and futuristic, but they also adjust up to 100 pounds per hand, which is about as much weight as you’ll ever need unless you’re He-Man or something. Loading the handles is a bit of a pain, but it’s a small price to pay for the ability to stow them away in their case post-workout.

Lying on a weight bench is more comfortable than lying on your floor, and it allows for a better range of motion while bench-pressing or rowing. You can also use it for stepups, glute bridges, shoulder presses, incline and decline push-ups. $189

$278

Utilize these commonplace items for your next workout.

BACKPACK Load up a durable backpack with books and cans of food, tighten the straps, and perform a circuit of squats, push-ups and lunges.

WATER BOTTLES Fill a pair of 24-ounce water bottles and use one in each hand for curls, lateral raises, and presses. Up the rep count till you feel the burn.

SOCKS Socks slide on hardwood. Put them on your feet or hands to perform hamstring curls, bodyweight chest flyes and mountain climbers.

STROOP BANDS (5 PACK)

ONNIT CHIMP PRIMAL BELL

Buy the larger pack of Stroop Bands for even more resistance. If you’re totally jacked, you can use two at a time for a real challenge.

This chip-resistant hunk of calibrated cast iron is carved into the shape of a chimpanzee, so it doubles as an art piece when you’re done working out.

And though it’s not as versatile as an adjustable kettlebell, 36-pounds is a sweet spot for the average gym-goer; it’s a challenging enough weight for presses and squats as well as cleans and high-volume swings.

$75

YOURSELF Well-designed bodyweight workouts, done with intensity, are no joke; you can get into pretty killer shape if you put in the effort.

$85

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Gym Cost: $8,804 PELOTON

Bringing the Whole Gym Home If money is no issue and you’re psychotic about fitness, then you’re better off investing in a few lavish — and as a bonus, stylish — tools. If the sticker shock is sending you into a coma, remember: even a single piece of this no-limit setup will make a lovely crown jewel in an otherwise more modest setup.

MAKE IT A PART OF THE ROOM A Peloton comes with a 32-inch by 72-inch mat to protect your floor, so make sure ahead of time you’ve got room to lay the whole thing down. While you don’t have to give the bike a permanent home in your abode, it does weigh over 130 pounds, so moving it is going to add some strength training to your cardio.

While outdoor cardio is, well, free, Peloton’s virtual classes put it a cut above a jog through the park. The Essentials Package, which Otey says is worth buying, comes with two five-pound weights, headphones, and cycling shoes. Clip in and let some statuesque trainer get you one bike ride closer to ripped. $2 ,404

PRIME FITNESS FUNCTIONAL TRAINER This seven-foot, five-inch cable machine has two arms that pivot in myriad directions making nearly every exercise imaginable possible.

You can also equip it with various attachments (available on the website for an additional cost), and the two weight stacks load up to 265 pounds each for serious lifters. $6 , 250

ROGUE JAMMER PULL-UP BAR How much more bougie do you think a pull-up bar can get? This is the standard, so get one to build your grip strength, back and total body control. $150

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Balmuda The Toaster text by tyler chin photo by henry phillips

Balmuda has drawn comparisons to Apple for its beautiful, functional wares. Except the Japanese company doesn’t make laptops or smartphones, but rather small kitchen appliances like The Toaster, which has officially arrived in the States after being ferried in through black-market proxies for years (yes, really).

The Toaster looks somewhat like a standard countertop oven, and it uses steam, rather than heated filaments, to toast. The steam envelopes bread so that it retains its inner moisture and also browns the outer layer, before a quick burst of heat gives it that desired golden crust. Bagels, baguettes and croissants come out of The Toaster as if they’d just left a bakery oven — it can even give dried or stale loaves a second life.

The appliance does have an oven function — it’s capable of reaching 450 degrees — but let’s be real: you buy this thing for bread, not vegetables. $329

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THE ROUNDUP

The Second Coming of Quartz Long disdained by collectors with penchants for mechanical technology, sensibly priced quartz watches are finally in the crosshairs of connoisseurs. text by zen love photos by henry phillips

Despite all the ho-hum, battery-powered wristwatches are far more accurate — and affordable — than their traditional counterparts. Sure, they don’t require hundreds of laborious hours to manufacture, nor do they need physical interaction with the wearer to tick. But considering many high-end watch brands rely on mass-produced movements from third-party suppliers, these are matters that can be easily forgiven.

Fact is, today’s breed of quartz shares more in common with the high kings of horology than it does with the watch counter at Walmart — even if the price doesn’t. Don’t believe us? Here’s your proof. from left

Seiko Prospex Arnie

Seiko’s solar-powered “Arnie” diver — so nicknamed after it was worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in multiple action movies — just got a brandnew, muted color scheme.

Diameter: 47.8mm Price: $550

Shinola “The Duck” Dive Watch

Sure, The Duck features some tried-and-true horological design tropes, but overall, it’s just an attractive and capable quartz dive watch assembled

by Shinola in Detroit, Michigan.

Diameter: 42mm Price: $650

Q Timex Reissue Falcon Eye

You’d be hard-pressed to find funkier wrist candy than this retro-tastic reissue of a proudly quartz Timex from 1979.

Diameter: 38mm Price: $179

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from left

Hamilton PSR

Hamilton’s 2020 reissue of the world’s first digital watch, the Pulsar, embodies the appeal of retro-futurism with spot-on proportions and refined details.

Diameter: 40.8mm Price: $745

Casio G-Shock GM 6900

One of G-Shock’s most iconic designs from the 1990s takes on a new, more luxurious persona with a steel bezel in place of its famously indestructible plastic original.

Diameter: 49.7mm Price: $180

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A Brief History of Quartz Watches 1957 First battery-powered watch: the Hamilton Electric paves the way for the quartz revolution

1969 First quartz-regulated wristwatch: Seiko Astron, accurate to Âą5 seconds per month

1974 Omega Marine Chronometer, one of the first Swiss quartz watches, debuts with accuracy of 12 seconds per year

1977 Rolex introduces its Oysterquartz movement

1983 Swatch founded as Swiss response to inexpensive quartz watches

2015 First-generation Apple Watch debuts, possibly sparking a sequel to the quartz revolution and a threat to mechanical watchmaking

p h o t o s c o u r t e s y o f h a m i lt o n , s e i k o , o m e g a , r o l e x , s wat c h , a p p l e

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COUNTERPOINT

Don’t Buy Cast Iron

The ficklest of all cooking material deserves some time in the hot seat. text by tyler chin photo by henry phillips

New York City restaurateur and Instagram ideologue Frank Prisinzano is tired of repeating himself.

The chef, whose social media rants are the stuff of Instagram legend, has no love for the fabled castiron skillet. When asked if there would ever be an instance when he would use one, Prisinzano’s resolve was absolute: “They are ancient cookware. No.” Before World War II, cast iron was the king of the American kitchen, its popularity driven by the discovery of raw iron along the Great Lakes in the Upper Midwest, which made it affordable and ubiquitous. Today, though, the highlights of cast iron — the heat capacity, the searing power, the quasi-nonstick finish — are readily available in cookware that’s more durable and less fussy. Yet, thanks to a bevy of well-branded companies and monied investors, cast-iron cookware is more popular today than it has been since the 1940s.

Cooks praise cast iron’s potential to reach blisteringly high temperatures, a trait Boston University professor Rama Bansil assigns to low thermal conductivity, which means the material heats up slowly but retains that heat for longer. This heat retention, in conjunction with a huge weight advantage over other types of pans, makes it a good fit for baking or especially hard sears. But the marginal advantage in searing capacity is nullified by its shortcomings.

Stainless steel, by contrast, heats up more quickly and evenly (particularly cladded steel with an aluminum core, an All-Clad invention that’s become close to standard over time.)

Ayesha Nurdjaja, executive chef at Shuka in New York City, likes cast iron, but doesn’t use it at her restaurant, which is kitted out with all stainless steel. “With the hustle and bustle of a busy restaurant, [stainless steel] is durable and can withstand

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a ding or two and doesn’t need as much care as cast iron,” she said. “Cast iron is heavy, which becomes tiresome when working on the line.”

Cooks praise cast iron’s longevity, too. Yes, castiron skillets can live for decades — vintage skillets can be worth hundreds of dollars — but most don’t. While their gargantuan weight implies some level of burliness, cast iron is the most brittle of all cookware materials. One drop at the wrong angle and a handle could snap.

There’s no denying cast iron’s frugality, a huge selling point for many a thrifty cook. But $10 options from the likes of Lodge or Victoria arrive with a rough surface that makes food stick — assuming you can even get past the unshakeable feeling you’ve purchased an unfinished product. (Of course, you could just spend upward of 20-times more on a boutique cast-iron skillet that offers a perfectly smooth cooking surface as a solve.)

And then there’s the maintenance, a topic rife with contradictions — soap vs. no soap, flaxseed oil vs. canola oil, water vs. no water, and whether or not you can cook tomatoes in one. Bottom line: the trouble associated with cast iron — keeping it seasoned, clean and rust-free — is so far beyond its competition that the difference in searing capacity is a consolation prize, and one that is replicated by the lighter, more durable carbonsteel cookware.

A longtime New Yorker who doesn’t mince words, Prisinzano wishes this weren’t a debate.

For him, you buy a decent stainless steel skillet, a nonstick pan and maybe — just maybe — a carbon-steel skillet for searing. When it comes to cast iron, however, he’s done talking about it. “It is a thing of the past,” he said.

fac i n g pa g e

Because iron is a reactive metal, various substances — like lemon juice, tomatoes and anything vinegary — can trigger material degradation.

This begins as surface rust, which deepens and, if untreated, results in the pitting you see in this century-old skillet.

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Zenith Chronomaster Revival Shadow text by zen love photo by henry phillips

It’s been 50 years since Zenith introduced its groundbreaking automatic chronograph movement within the first El Primero watch, and yet, the modern version of the movement is still powering a timepiece with the same basic shape, layout and proportions as the original. Zenith isn’t one to stay stagnant, however. This year’s all-black Chronomaster Revival Shadow, which is based on a recently discovered prototype, pushes the El Primero’s design in an altogether more edgy and contemporary direction.

The Chronomaster Revival Shadow’s understated personality — by way of a moderate, 37mm diameter case in a dark matte finish — is a bluff: this is a striking design that’ll stand out on the wrist. Plenty of contrast on the dial ensures legibility, and lightweight titanium keeps it comfortable and easy to wear.

A window on the underside of the watch displays the inner workings of its complicated movement, familiar to many as one of the first of its kind and the result of a horological arms race. Despite its roots in historical innovation and 1960s style, the Chronomaster Revival Shadow’s stealthy looks lend it a distinctly modern air. $8 , 200

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Features

No doubt about it. We are living in a new world. The question is how we live in it, and this issue’s features attack at it from many angles. First up is a roundup of the many products with surging relevance in a postpandemic era (p. 80). But there’s also a deep dive into an underreported crisis: the wellness gap (p. 112), contrasted with the inspiring story of how one outdoor brand prioritizes the planet’s health (p. 100). Lastly, we look at our favorite watch enthusiasts’ favorite watches (p. 122) — fitting because as we strive to live bravely through these strange days, the most precious commodity of all is time.

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THE NORMAL HOW TO BUY INTO

21 Products You Will Purchase Because of COVID-19 Smartphone sterilizers that bathe your gadgets in ultraviolet light. Scented hand sanitizers instead of cologne. Birdfeeders that bring the great outdoors to you. The objects that define this new era of lockdown, social distancing and hygiene are here to stay. What other product knuckleballs will enter the consumer zeitgeist? Here are 21 predictions for life after COVID-19.

Welcome to the new normal. Are you ready to check out now?

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Activity Trackers

STRAP 3.0 WHOOP $30 PER MONTH

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We get it: you’re a “watch guy.” You revel in antiquated, spring-powered technology and have no interest whatsoever in fitness trackers, let alone — gasp — smartwatches. But it’s 2020 and the possible health benefits available with today’s tech are tough to ignore. Because wearables from companies like Oura, Garmin, Whoop and even Apple don’t just help users track workout metrics for performance and recovery, they may also help users know when they’re getting sick, sometimes days before they actually do. How? By tracking physiological markers like sleep patterns, heart rate and temperature. We’re not calling this the end of high-end horology, now.

You do have two wrists, after all.

photos courtesy of their respective brands

WATCH- GUY APPROVED

Face Masks COVER AGE THAT GOES THE DISTANCE Face masks have become an essential part of every outfit. And just as there are garments for every season and activity, there are now face masks built for every occasion.

You don’t need anything fancy for everyday use. While there are a bevy of options, we like Buck Mason’s affordable Anti-Microbial Prevention face mask. It’s made with a silky smooth polyester and rayon blend and features an antimicrobial inner layer for extra protection. It’s everything you need, without anything extra.

For exercising and working out, fitness brands offer high-performance masks designed to keep you comfortable. Under Armour’s UA Sportsmask tackles sweat and condensation using a water-resistant shell with a polyurethane open-cell foam, which blocks moisture from entering while maintaining air flow. The structured shell sits away from the mouth, allowing for better breathability, and the Iso-chill lining keeps the mask cool through the most demanding workouts.

And, if you want a mask with more aesthetic appeal to complement your outfit, the options are dizzying. Diop’s range of eye-catching face masks feature a variety of traditional African prints including indigo-dyed mud cloth and kente cloth. Depending on your wardrobe, they can either support your style or even be a focal point for your entire look.

FACE MASK DIOP $20

ANTI-MICROBIAL PREVENTION FACE MASK BUCK MASON $4

UA SPORTSMASK UNDER ARMOR $30

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Button-Down Shirts BUSINESS UP TOP In the age of virtual conferencing, dress codes are more relaxed — nobody’s expecting you to wear a tie. But that’s no excuse to be unprofessional. A work-ready Zoom shirt is dressier than a polo shirt but more casual than a starchedstiff number. And though there are various options in this intersection, an Oxford-cloth button-down shirt is your best bet.

Gitman Vintage has built a reputation for making some of the best button-downs available, using first-rate fabrics and time-honored details to make its range of shirting. Though it’s hard to go wrong with any of the brand’s shirts, there is some finesse needed when choosing one specif-

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ically for the camera. Unless you’ve got studio lighting and a professional camera rig in your apartment, you’ll have to play to your laptop camera’s rules. Most webcams lack the dynamic range and light sensitivity to handle even moderate lighting conditions.

White shirts can appear blown out on camera or make your face look underexposed. Black shirts can have the opposite effect — your face appears blown out while your shirt comes across as a mid-gray. Instead, opt for a shade somewhere in the middle, like navy. It hits the sweet spot between light and dark to play well with most webcams, helping you look your best.

NAVY OVERDYE OXFORD SHIRT GITMAN VINTAGE $165

BRIO ULTRA HD PRO WEBCAM LOGITECH $199

Third-Party Webcams CAN YOU SEE ME NOW? At the onset of COVID-19, there was a shortage of more than just masks.

High-quality aftermarket webcams, like Logitech’s 4K Brio, suddenly sold out all across the internet; the few that were available from third-party resellers reached sky-high asking prices. With demand now permanently elevated, retailers’ supplies have increased. But are they worth it? Definitely. The gadgets offer an obvious improvement over the laughably poor quality of most laptops’ built-in cameras, as well as the ability to position the camera freely so it isn’t staring at your chin or up your nose.

Office Chairs ENTRY- LE VEL ERGONOMICS When the world plunged into a new workfrom-home era, office workers, once spoiled by offices with an ample supply of body-friendly furniture, had to buy their own. Many sought comfort with the likes of Herman Miller, Humanscale and Steelcase, but few companies in the space stir as much intrigue as QOR360 (pronounced “core-three-sixty”).

Where office chairs typically offer support for inactive, stationary bodies, QOR360’s best-selling Ariel is a backless stool that swivels on a patented injection-molded plastic rocker, forcing the sitter to tighten their core for stabilization.

In other words, the chair doesn’t encourage active sitting — it demands it. A more comforting idiosyncrasy: you can buy an Ariel for nearly half the cost of a standard, ergo-focused office chair. And it comes with a lifetime guarantee.

THE ARIEL QOR360 $375+

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UV SANITIZER WITH WIRELESS CHARGING MOPHIE $80

UV Sterilizers LET THERE BE LIGHT These niche products have gone mainstream now that they’re up against a deadly virus instead of just the common cold. Bathing your most touched gadgets in microbe-killing ultraviolet light, UV sanitizers are no longer the sole domain of the hygiene-devoted specialty brands like PhoneSoap, who pioneered the space.

Mophie, one of the leading battery-charging brands, is releasing a line of chargers with a UV chamber. Samsung is rolling out a UV cleaner as well. Eventually, this pandemic will recede, but the cleansing blue light will be standing guard for the next one.

PHONESOAP PRO PHONESOAP $120

UV STERILIZER WITH WIRELESS CHARGING SAMSUNG ~$65

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Smart Displays GR ANDPA’S GOT IT NOW The Facebook Portal launched in 2018, right on the heels of the social network’s monumental Cambridge Analytica data breach that saw the misuse of millions of users’ private data.

Understandably, the video-calling device was initially met with widespread skepticism. But by early 2020, the Facebook Portal was completely sold out at retailers across the internet. What changed? Only the entire world.

Social distancing sparked a new era of video chat, clearly visible through webcam shortages and skyrocketing stock prices for teleconferencing companies like Zoom. And yet, the benefits of video chat have not been evenly applied. While phone calls are familiar to anyone under the age of 100, video chat is alien to large swathes of the population. Walking a video-chat neophyte through their first call is what IT professionals refer to by the technical term “a god-

damn nightmare.”

As a result, simplified, dedicated video-chat devices that once filled small niches have found themselves filling canyons, catering especially to an elderly audience that is technologically disinclined and in particular need of remaining socially distant. Built on their own significant video-calling infrastructures, competitors like Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub are surging to fill the void as well, but it is Facebook, with its billions-strong network and sizable share of older users, that is poised to dominate the space.

The spectre of surveillance still remains: none of the three major companies producing these devices is free from privacy and data-use scandals, and the stakes only rise once a camera is in your living room. But like so much else, the calculus has changed — for now.

PORTAL TV FACEBOOK $149

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Hand Sanitizer ELE VATE THE E XPERIENCE Next to your keys, wallet and phone, hand sanitizer is now an essential part of your EDC. But drugstore varieties can smell rather clinical, assuming you can even find them. So it makes sense to invest in one that offers more than a typical bottle of Purell or Germ-X. Look for elevated options imbued with hydrating and soothing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and lavender to get a sanitizer that’s as moisturizing as it is cleansing. Their considered approach to fragrance will leave you smelling more like a luxury spa than a dive bar.

HAND SANITIZER

BY HUMANKIND $15

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BIG SURF AFTER RAIN HAND SANITIZER D.S. & DURGA $30

RESURRECTION RINSE-FREE HAND WASH AESOP $10+

Chat Platforms S TATUS : DO NOT DIS TURB Social distancing left us separated but not out of touch. Trapped alone with our phones and computers and little to do but stare at them, we’re arguably more connected than ever. This contradiction has revealed an underlying truth: there’s an important difference between communicating and simply being together.

The internet has always provided ways to bridge this gap, from early Internet Relay Chat protocol (IRC) chat rooms to their modern day successors like Slack (which is literally built on the same technology) and Discord. With the waves of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have become more useful than ever.

By maintaining a persistent digital space that you and your friends or family can drop in and out of, have a conversation, share memes or just quietly lurk, group chats enable an experience of low-pressure togetherness that one-on-one communication doesn’t hold a candle to.

Apps built to that end only improve the experience. Slack has its robust threading features to enable dozens of conversations at once, like a living room at a party. Discord, meanwhile,

has dedicated voice-chat channels that you can use to drop in and literally talk to whomever is hanging out without having to call a specific person.

Perhaps their biggest benefit, however, are the lines these apps draw around social interactions. Sometimes, the only thing better than catching up is not talking, and the best way to appreciate being together is having the ability to occasionally log out.

Contactless Keys LOOK MA , NO HANDS! Whether you live in a city or a suburb, life involves a lot of touching. Door handles. ATMs. Crosswalk buttons. With the antimicrobial properties of copper and brass in mind, EDC brands from Peel to Leatherman have been churning out no-contact hooks and handles that let you interact without sticking your finger into a bacterial hotbed. They aren’t a stand-in for hand washing, but thanks to crowd-funding campaigns that have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, they’ll be gracing keychains for years to come.

KEYCHAIN TOUCH TOOL PEEL $35

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Kit Homes THE TINY HOUSE GROWS UP Citydwellers trapped in tiny apartments have been feeling the stress of social-distancing as a double claustrophobia. No wonder so many of them have turned to lusting after one of the design world’s most clichéd trends: the kit home. Prefab, mail-order houses have been promised for decades, but now they have added appeal beyond their quaintness. Designs, like those by Den Outdoors — which sells DIY manuals for A-frames and cabins you build yourself — call out with the promise of social separation and a comparatively affordable path to homeownership. It may not be much bigger than an apartment, but hey, at least it has a yard.

A-FRAME, BARNHOUSE & CLASSIC CABIN PLANS DEN OUTDOORS $99+

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DTC Whisky AGED, BOT TLED, DELIVERED More than 60 percent of U.S. states follow what’s called the three-tier system: beer, wine and liquor producers sell to distributors; distributors sell to retailers; and retailers sell to consumers. The internet should have rendered this system obsolete years ago, but for myriad reasons (including aggressive lobbying by alcohol distributors), it hasn’t. Cue Covid-19...

This summer, in the wake of nationwide shutdowns, The Macallan, a 196-year-old distillery, became the first spirits brand in the United States to sell their product through their own website. And while the operation can’t truly be described as direct-to-consumer — it’s run through a network of local delivery services — it represents one of the first significant steps past the three-tier system in whisky history.

Coffee Subscriptions JUS T HOW YOU LIK E IT

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When cafés around the country closed, caffeine-deprived java heads turned to their own coffee makers for relief. As for the beans: since launching in 2018, Trade has connected coffee drinkers to over 50 roasteries across the U.S. Newcomers take a quiz that, through Trade’s coffee-taste algorithm, recommends the best beans for their tastes, brewing equipment and how they like their coffee (no milk-shaming). It is the single largest collection of craft coffee roasters on the internet, and it’s never been more essential.

PRECISION OVEN ANOVA $599

Cookware SOURDOUGH STARTER NOT INCLUDED COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on the restaurant world, but if there’s a silver lining, it’s this: according to nearly every poll, survey and study held since the virus hit, Americans are cooking more than ever. And in lieu of restaurant-quality food, a new generation of cooks are feasting on restaurant-quality cooking technology.

Many have turned to sous-vide circulators like the ChefStep Joule to take the guesswork out of cooking conversation-worthy steaks or immaculately tender salmon. Others are trading in their

JOULE SOUS VIDE CHEFSTEPS $250

clunky cast-iron skillets for carbon-steel cookware, a restaurant staple that boasts all the same searing capabilities, with half the fuss.

Now on the horizon: countertop-sized combination steam ovens, like the one on its way from Anova Culinary, another brand democratizing sous vide cooking. Using steam technology, “combi” ovens are primed to bring lightning-fast preheat times, virtually zero temperature fluctuation and a Ph.D in sourdough baking to the rest of us.

CARBON STEEL FRYING PAN MADE IN $65+

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PELOTON BIKE PELOTON $2,245

Bike Trainers NO ROADS WHERE WE’RE GOING One clear beneficiary of the pandemic: the bicycle industry. U.S. sales of bicycles, bike equipment and services increased 81 percent to $1.11 billion in May 2020 compared to May 2019, according to PeopleForBikes. But the surge hasn’t been limited to the kind of wheels you ride outdoors. The spring season saw stock in Peloton — the trendy, digitally connected stationary-bike company — shoot up 95 percent, and a single April streaming class had 23,000 participants, 4,000 more than the previous record of 19,000, set last year. Even SoulCycle got in on the act, re-

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leasing a $2,500 home version of its studio bike in March.

Meanwhile, outdoor cyclists who’d likely never set foot in a spin class have embraced virtual bike racing. The popular indoor cycling app Zwift partnered with USA Cycling to launch the Virtual Race League and even hosted a Virtual Tour de France. While some might scoff that e-racing isn’t real racing, it is making the sport more inclusive. It’s enabled women to participate in their own virtual TdF, and African cyclists who might not otherwise compete in internation-

al events have been racing their counterparts around the world in the Team Amani X Africa Rising - Intercontinental Series.

Looking to get into e-racing? You can use most of your traditional gear, including your bike; just connect it to a smart trainer like the Wahoo Kickr Core (see page 23), pair with Zwift and go.

Want to stream spin classes? A stationary bike, some indoor cycling shoes and stylish, moisture-wicking apparel will put the wheels in motion. So to speak.

Birdfeeders IN THE GRE AT OUTDOORS With flights and other modes of travel still fraught, that next trip to the Rockies might be years away. The next best thing? Your own backyard.

These self-contained outdoor spaces let you breathe fresh air, smell the grass and watch for cardinals unobstructed by a face mask. No wonder both bird-seed sales and downloads of the National Audubon Society’s bird-identification app have jumped. See for yourself with Brome’s innovative Squirrel Buster Plus. Its seed ports close under the weight of those pesky interlopers, leaving the good stuff for your feathered friends.

SQUIRRELBUSTER PLUS BROME BIRD CARE $98

Bug-Out Bags PREPPING GONE MAINS TRE AM The great toilet-paper panic has subsided, but there’s no arguing that the pandemic caused the biggest surge in end-times stockpiling since Y2K. Bug-out bags became so hot, even Pottery Barn and Nordstrom started carrying them.

Meanwhile, business for Uncharted — maker of the Seventy2 Pro — quadrupled, leading to a big back-order note on the website: “Coronavirus has sold us out.” Now restocked, the rugged pack is worth a look: it’s stuffed with items designed to help two people survive a crisis for 72 hours, by which time 95 percent of such situations are resolved … one way or the other.

THE SEVENTY2 PRO SURVIVAL SYSTEM UNCHARTED SUPPLY CO. $500

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RVs

HORIZON WINNEBAGO $434,968+

HOME IS WHERE THE HE AR TH IS Road trips are in vogue, and with them, recreational vehicles — just not the kind you remember from Breaking Bad. There’s a wider range of options than ever, with travel trailers, camper vans and RVs available in an astounding array of sizes and prices. Mercedes-Benz offers a pop-top camper van that’s a modern-day version of the VW Westphalias of yore.

Airstream’s top seller, the Basecamp, sleeps four and even comes in an offroad edition. And Winnebago’s bus-sized Horizon delivers all the comforts of home — even a working fireplace — for a home-sized price.

Ridesharing Apps BOOK YOUR NE X T ES CAPE Expensive fees, inconvenient locations and less-than-spectacular service: the car-rental industry was primed for disruption even before the sudden lack of travelers at airports hit Hertz, Avis, et. al with a body blow. Ridesharing companies like Turo, which lets owners rent out their private rides á la Airbnb, are poised to pick up the baton as consumers rethink both travel and their relationship with personal automobiles. Turo offers users a greater array of cars and trucks at a wide variety of prices than rental agencies do — and gives car owners a chance to earn passive income, too.

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Backcountry Ski Gear NO CHAIRLIF T ? NO PROBLEM COVID-19 shut down ski lifts early last season, and whether resorts will open again — and at what capacity — remains uncertain. Many season passes feature insurance policies, but you can further pandemic-proof your outlook with gear that’ll get you to the top, chairlift or no. Boots with flexible walk modes and tech inserts pair with a new class of binding that adjusts for backcountry and resort use — all that’s left is grabbing some climbing skins and an all-mountain ski that goes uphill as easy as it slides down.

VISION 108 SKIS LINE SKIS $750

HAWX ULTRA XTD BOOTS ATOMIC $800

DUKE PT BINDINGS MARKER $600+

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E-Bikes FASTER THAN THE BUS

RADMISSION 1 ELECTRIC METRO BIKE RAD POWER BIKES $999

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The pandemic has decimated mass transit, but filling the roads with more cars is far from ideal. Fortunately, bikes of all kinds have been flying off the racks, but it’s the e-bike, in particular, that holds a practical promise, combining the flexibility of cycle commuting with the ease of motorized transport. The latest from Rad Power Bikes, the RadMission, is a simple, relatively lightweight single-speed that packs enough power to help you pedal 45 miles without showing up drenched in sweat. Plus, it’s priced within reach of far more people than fancier options carrying fouror even five-figure tags.

Patagonia has made it their business to save our home planet, but they know they can’t do it alone. The plan: share every company secret with the competition.

text by andy cochrane p h o t o s b y pata g o n i a

th i s pa g e

Cotton is a key material for apparel, but traditional growing methods can cause harm to the soil — so Patagonia is working on regenerative growing techniques that do less harm to the earth.

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Vincent Stanley, Director of Philosophy

i n 19 7 3 , Vincent Stanley, then in his early 20s, received a postcard from his grandmother. She wrote that Stanley’s uncle, Yvon Chouinard, was paying $2.25 per hour at his new company, Chouinard Equipment — the company that would go on to become Patagonia. “Why don’t you ask him for a job?” she wrote. Stanley applied, intending to stay just six months. Almost five decades later, he’s still there.

Growing up in the Bay Area in the ’60s, Stanley and his parents rarely went camping. Once in a while, Yvon would show up with friends and camp out in the backyard, making him something of a mysterious childhood hero. A self-described writer from a young age, Stanley didn’t take to surfing and climbing like his uncle did, but he was also drawn to environmental causes.

Stanley’s career has evolved since his start as a sales manager. On paper, he currently holds the title Director of Philosophy, but most employees see him as Patagonia’s head storyteller. Much of his work isn’t consumer-facing, but some projects do stand out: he co-wrote the book The Responsible Company; founded the Footprint Chronicles, Patagonia’s revolutionary move to publicly share their supply chain; and co-authored the famous “Don’t Buy This Jacket” Black Friday ad with Rick Ridgeway.

Stanley’s current schedule is split between

leading internal seminars on company history and ethics, guest-teaching classes at Yale’s joint environmental and business degree program (a unique masters program that recognizes the importance of combining these two perspectives), and working with B Corporations that share Patagonia’s values. This emphasis on education highlights a difference between Stanley and his uncle: while Chouinard is the brash public face of Patagonia, Stanley is a driving influence behind the company’s culture — more behindthe-scenes guru than eccentric, hermetic hero.

“Yvon’s been my mentor since childhood, yet we have pretty different personalities,” Stanley says. “Yvon will say that ‘anyone who does not believe in change has not worked with his hands,’ but I’m a word guy, a writer, and I also believe in change. He’s a pessimist — although not a cynic — and I’m more of an optimist when it comes to environmental issues. We see a different fate, but that won’t stop either of us from working in [the Earth’s] defense.”

In the late ’90s, Stanley helped the coalition that worked successfully to remove the Edwards Dam on the Kennebec River in Maine, writing ads that ran on the op-ed pages of The New York Times and Washington Post. It was a pivotal moment in river conservation, as it was the first hydroelectric dam to be removed by the federal

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government — and the first time environmentalists had beaten a dam owner and a major corporation by proving the value of a healthy, unblocked watershed.

A few years later, he co-created the Footprint Chronicles, Patagonia’s take on a corporate social responsibility report, which details the process that products take from source to shelf. Sharing Patagonia’s suppliers and factories challenged the status quo in a business world not accustomed to such transparency, but instead of drawing ire, the move elevated the conversation around sourcing. “It taught us that transparency is a precondition for change,” Stanley says. “You need to know the landscape before you solve problems.”

In the early 2010s, Patagonia’s leaders saw a rise in brands coming to them with questions about best practices, driving Stanley and Chouinard to co-author The Responsible Company. The book establishes standards for responsible sourcing and manufacturing, providing a template for companies to assess themselves.

Stanley believes the book helps brands see their shortcomings while motivating them to make changes.

“You learn from failure, not success,” he says. “So as we began to reduce our environmental harm, we became more ambitious. As

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a climber aspires to tackle a more difficult route or a surfer a bigger wave, we’re always inspired to take the next step.”

Today, nearly three-quarters of Patagonia’s materials come from recycled sources, an achievement driven by the company’s mission of doing less harm. While Stanley isn’t directly responsible for the specifics, he’s the one encouraging employees to take matters into their own hands. Among them is Sarah Hayes, the director of materials development who oversees the sourcing of new textiles like cotton, wool, hemp and synthetics.

The progress Patagonia has made with respect to materials sourcing is admirable, but so is its willingness to share its playbook, which includes suppliers, mills and manufacturers. A skeptic could view this openness as simply good PR — or scoff at a company divulging its secrets to the competition. But the way Stanley sees it, if other brands adopt and evolve these practices, the big winner will be the most critical player in this game: Earth itself.

Regenerative Organic Cotton Working alongside Dr. Bronner’s (the environmentally conscious personal-care brand) and The Rodale Institute (a leader in organic-agriculture research), Patagonia has spent the past two years developing a certification for a better way to grow cotton. Dubbed Regenerative Organic, it is the near-opposite of the monocrop cotton fields of yore. Hayes says the work began by bringing together Patagonia’s top suppliers to question the sourcing of fibers, impacts on the soil and the best places to grow. Patagonia then launched a pilot program with 450 small farms in India, where the brand already had infrastructure in place and the farmers were most eager to take on the challenges of a new growing process; the apparel brand, in turn, committed to buying and using all the cotton grown.

Hayes hopes the project illustrates how cotton can be grown in a healthier way: using fewer pesticides, improving soil health and retaining more water in the ground. Due to the biodiversity of crops, she believes the process will allow the soil to sequester more carbon, too. After a successful first season, Patagonia is scaling up the program, still exclusively in India. You can only find Regenerative Organic Cotton in a small portion of Patagonia’s apparel (mostly T-shirts, for now), but it will likely expand into new lines soon.

Hayes plans to share these ROC suppliers as early as next year, when the pilot program wraps up. She explains that cotton’s complicated growing process and complex supply chain combined with rural Indian farmers’ limited

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access to the internet have made starting from scratch a challenge, requiring a lot of work and significant financial commitment. Yet she believes that it will pay dividends in the long run.

“Early evidence suggests that the process is great for everyone,” she says. “It gives farmers diverse revenue streams while creating a more sustainable product, too.”

Recycled Wool Unlike its fledgling experiment with cotton, Patagonia has a well-established recycled-wool supply chain, having worked with the same supplier for more than a decade. The Calamai family, based in the Prato region of Italy, runs a large wool-recycling center that fulfills almost all of Patagonia’s wool needs, supplying it for everything from sweaters to caps — basically, everything but the innermost base layers. The mill takes in large pallets of used garments, sorts them by color, shreds them and prepares them to be repurposed. The greater Tuscany area has a long history of recycling wool, rooted in the shortages during World War II. Hayes is the first to admit that recycled wool isn’t quite the same as virgin wool. Recycled wool is shredded and processed, making it coarse; virgin wool has smaller threads, allowing for finer-size yarn and softer garments.

(Most base layers require virgin wool to be comfortable enough to be worn next to the skin.)

And, while some suppliers are working on a topical finish that could augment the end result, recycled wool is still limited by the physics of the process, which can’t be undone; shredding used apparel up will never be quite the same as using virgin wool.

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cl o c k w i s e f r o m t o p l e f t

Sarah Hayes, Patagonia’s Director of Materials Development; a moment from the process of making reclaimed wool; sorting used wool garments for recycling; hemp leaves; the recycled wool comes together for its next life..

Still, recycled wool holds plenty of value. Because it is already dyed and easy to recycle, upcycled wool has a lower environmental impact and is often cheaper than virgin wool. Certified by the Global Recycled Standard, the entire process — sorting, shredding, spinning, weaving and finishing — is traceable, too. This makes recycling mills easy to find. Hayes believes that any clothing brand can follow Patagonia’s model, switching at least some of its wool to recycled sources.

Homegrown Hemp Spurred by the 2018 Farm Bill, which opened the door for widespread hemp farming in the U.S., Patagonia is working to diversify its hemp supply to include domestic sources. While the bill was a critical step forward,

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Just last year, Patagonia revealed a new mission statement; “We’re in business to save our home planet.” At first, Stanley was skeptical of its loftiness. But after a few weeks, he saw how it changed behavior at the company. above

Hemp fibers

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marking the first time industrial-scale hemp has been legal, other challenges stand between farmers and a successful entry into the apparel supply chain. Patagonia’s entire supply is currently imported from China, from farmers who have grown it for centuries.

Catching up on institutional knowledge has been harder than many expected.

Hemp’s potential advantages are many: it’s durable and surprisingly breathable, making it ideal for use in items like workwear. Hayes and her team have joined forces with a handful of small hemp startups to develop a usable fiber, collaboratively ironing out the process while simultaneously studying the impacts hemp has on the soil. (Small plots have already shown that hemp has the potential to clean toxins out of the soil and help it retain more water, primarily because hemp has longer roots than other crops.)

While they haven’t yet found an American-made hemp that is ready to go into production, Hayes estimates they’re only a year or two out, with potential uses in everything from shorts and shirts to hats and jackets. She explained that hemp textiles require a very specific growing process — the right seed varietal, planted in high density and grown tall and skinny. “We’re learning that it’s geo-specific by climate, too,” she says.

“It’s an art form as much as a science.”

Synthetic Insulation Six years ago, a materials-innovation engineer at Patagonia had an idea about environmental savings. After a deep dive on various manufacturing processes used to produce synthetic insulation, he theorized that they could eliminate the use of heat previously required to bond fibers for structural integrity, cutting down on carbon emissions while producing an equally viable product. Soon after, Patagonia kicked off discussions with its partner, PrimaLoft, about co-developing this new insulation. Known as Pure, it’s made using a manufacturing process that bonds fibers by exposing them to air, eliminating the need for heat and reducing the product’s carbon footprint by more than half.

Bringing the material to production-ready status took significant work, says Hayes.

Scaling up production of Pure forced Patagonia to retest it for quality at every step, and often make procedural changes to meet their own standards. But it worked: starting this below

PrimaLoft

fall, Patagonia’s popular Nano Puff jackets will come with Pure insulation. Next spring, the new insulation will be offered to other brands.

Growth Through Failure Hayes and Stanley share a common belief about change, whether it be with materials, processes or end products: you have to fail to learn and later succeed. While many customers see Patagonia as a beacon of hope for sustainable business practices, Hayes and Stanley are quick to point out that this wasn’t always the case. It took hard work and many mistakes along the way.

“We’ve failed a lot. I’ve failed a lot,” Stanley says.

“In fact, I’m gleefully wrong about a lot of things.

For example, mission statements. They’re often such bullshit, designed to provide cover and hide

what you’re actually doing. So I was opposed to the adoption of our first mission statement [in 1992]: ‘Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis,’ because I thought we weren’t up to that — it wasn’t true at the time. Yet, that aspirational language helped us grow. And over the years, we started to make that statement true, to inhabit it.”

Just last year, Patagonia revealed a new mission statement: ‘We’re in business to save our home planet.’ At first, Stanley was skeptical of its loftiness — to him, it felt disconnected from the product, process and people. But after a few weeks, he saw how it changed behavior at the company.

“Words are powerful. As a writer I should have known that,” he says. “Everyone started to own

it, figuring out how this statement applied to their own work. Within months, it’s changed the company for the better.”

Since then, Patagonia has doubled down on efforts to improve its supply chain, improving products while putting a larger emphasis on regenerative-agriculture supply chains that capture carbon and help reverse the emissions from the rest of us. They’ve also made bold moves in other arenas, becoming one of the first brands to endorse political candidates, giving millions to activist organizations that aim to aid the environment and communities, and buying large swaths of land for conservation efforts.

“The new mission lit a fire under everyone,” Stanley says. The world, after all, won’t get better on its own. “It’s urgent, and all hands on deck.”

“Transparency is a precondition for change. You need to know the landscape before you solve problems.�

Wealth

The global wellness industry is currently worth over $4 trillion, comprising brands selling supplements,

&

apps, fitness tools and more. But the high prices of many of these products make them inaccessible to a wide range of people. With the future of America’s

Wellness A m e r i c a n s a r e n o t w e l l . The Centers for Disease Control reports that the number-one cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease, which is linked to poor diet, lack of exercise, stress and obesity. Part of the problem is the fact that the healthcare industry in the U.S. is primarily designed to treat disease, not prevent it.

Dr. Bill Hettler, who cofounded the National Wellness Institute in 1977, realized early in his career that simply writing prescriptions wasn’t helping his patients. “Most of what we were doing was trying to deal with symptoms,” he says.

“And I began to really [see that] what was killing the most people in our county was behaviors, and even though we did whatever we could do, it was always too late.”

health at risk, what are the ramifications of limiting wellness as a luxury?

Costly doctor bills, high insurance premiums and painfully expensive pharmaceuticals have many citizens turning to wellness to improve their health. And while humans have been practicing wellness for millennia, it’s only recently become a major industry. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness industry was last valued at $4.2 trillion as of 2017, with the biggest categories being personal care, beauty and anti-aging ($1.1 trillion); nutrition and healthy eating ($702 billion); and fitness and mind-body products ($595 billion).

“People are under ever-increasing amounts of stress and are always in search of a lifeline,” says Toms Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie, who launched his own wellness brand,

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Madefor, this year. “Companies recognize and market toward this fact. While it’s easier to produce a product aimed at a symptom, I believe most people would prefer to tackle the larger underlying issue, but they just don’t know where to start or how.”

That hasn’t stopped consumers from spending.

According to the GWI, the industry accounts for more than five percent of global economic output, growing nearly twice as fast as overall global economic growth between 2015 and 2017.

Wellness spending has expanded to more than 50 percent of the amount spent on traditional healthcare globally, even though the wellness industry is unregulated and largely ignored by the government and conventional medicine.

However, not everyone can afford to reap the industry’s potential benefits. Many of today’s most exciting wellness products target a small minority of affluent consumers. Consider a month’s supply of stress-reducing supplements from Moon Juice for $49; plant-based meals from Sakara for $70 per day; yoga pants from Lululemon for $118; a stationary bike from Peloton for $2,245 (plus the $39 monthly membership).

“There’s an alternative healthcare system that’s going on, and some of it works and some of it doesn’t,” says Bob Roth, CEO of the David Lynch Foundation, which works to expand access to meditation. “Unfortunately, the only people who can get it are the people who can afford it.

But everybody should have the benefits of it.”

This is an international problem, but it’s most pronounced in the U.S. According to a paper

by John Lynch, a professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Adelaide in Australia, “the United States is somewhat exceptional in that it is the country where income inequality is the most consistently linked to population health.” And this disparity isn’t stagnant: a 2015 report by the Virginia Commonwealth University’s Center on Society and Health found that income inequality had risen almost every year since 1974.

The high cost of many wellness products, coupled with economic disparity, severely limit the booming industry’s impact on public health.

Fortunately, there are plenty of brands working to change the system from within.

text by john zientek i l l u s t r at i o n s b y e l e n i d e b o

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According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness industry was last valued at $4.2 trillion — as of 2017.

Diet and Food Diet and wellness go hand-in-hand, but the vast majority of Americans don’t have access to healthy, nutrient-rich food. Grocery stores that sell fresh products are more prevalent in wealthy neighborhoods, and anyone who’s shopped at Whole Foods knows fresh produce usually comes at a premium. “People with middle-to-low incomes have a greater exposure to the energy-dense, economically accessible diets that are also designed to be tasty,” says Gerardo Otero, a professor of international studies at Simon Fraser University and author of The Neoliberal Diet. Fast food and junk food — the foundation of this heavily processed diet — can lead to negative health impacts linked to obesity, such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Many people consider diet an individual choice; if someone is overweight, they should simply eat better and exercise more. “My main argument in The Neoliberal Diet is that this is a simplistic solution that entirely misses the structural, systemic factors affecting how food is produced, processed and distributed,” Otero says.

The effect? Subsidized nutrient-poor fast food runs rampant across America. “Some crops, like corn, are heavily subsidized, so much of food production is molded by this fact, and the lobby groups in the agrifood sector try to make sure that such subsidies stay in place or increase,” Otero says. “One place to start is to eliminate these subsidies. The production of healthy food should be promoted instead.”

Many wellness-focused brands target wealthy consumers with the ability to spend. Cold-pressed juice cleanses from Pressed Juicery cost $34.50 per day; a box of seven to ten healthy snacks from HealthyMe Living costs $27 per box; monthly supplies of superfood powders from Your Super start at $30 per mix (or $528.10 per month for the Ultimate Health Bundle).

But some food companies are trying to find a middle road — operating within the current system, producing healthy yet affordable alternatives to traditional fast food. Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat both offer plant-based foods that mimic animal proteins by mixing processed vegetables with fats, minerals and carbohydrates to replicate the taste and texture of meat.

The results are impressive: Beyond Meat’s cholesterol-free burgers, sausage and meatballs have more protein and iron and less saturated and total fat than their traditional counterparts. The price of a 10-pack of burgers comes out to $1.60 per patty, comparable to the cost of ground beef in some areas — and the vegan products are available both at grocery chains like Walmart, Target and Kroger and at fastfood chains like Dunkin’, Carl’s Jr. and Subway.

“It is well-known that the majority of food consumed today is processed in some way before it reaches consumers, including commercially raised meat,” says a Beyond Meat spokesperson. “We believe our process allows us to produce ‘meat’ that is more nutritious, more sustainable and more humane.”

Yet while the increased accessibility of healthier plant-based foods may be seen by some as a positive sign, Otero thinks more needs to be done.

“Meat imitations are still ultra-processed foods, and they are clearly within the paradigm of the neoliberal diet,” he says. “This amounts to patch work, in my view. What we need is to transcend the neoliberal diet.”

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University of Oxford, has a B-vitamin complex that slows gray-matter atrophy in the brain, something associated with memory decline in older people.

“We encourage people to be skeptical of everything they put in and on their bodies,” says Marcotulli. “By setting new standards internally — through our commitments to human clinical research, third-party testing for purity and quality, and third-party seals like NSF for Sport certification and the Good Housekeeping seal for Innovation — we are working to establish new standards for the entire industry as well.”

Personal Care Americans aren’t just starting to pay more attention to what they eat.

They’re also spending more than ever on unregulated dietary supplements. “People now understand and realize that nutrition is a big part of happiness, healthiness and wellness,” says Gideon Akande, a fitness and wellness coach named a Next Top Trainer by Men’s Health. “And as a result, even though some people are not necessarily interested in exercise, they are interested in feeling better, sleeping better and having better energy, and are open to attacking that by way of nutrition and adjusting what they’re putting into their body as fuel.”

According to global management consulting firm L.E.K. Consulting, the average consumer spent more than $100 per month in 2018 on nutritional supplements like vitamins, minerals and herbal products, along with skin-care products. So it’s not surprising to see how much money is being thrown at the most well-funded, private venture-capital-backed supplement brands. According to a list compiled by CB Insights in 2017: Joint Juice, a company that sells six-packs of a glucosamine supplement drink for just over $5, received $123.8 million; FRS Healthy Energy, which sells 30-packs of energy chews for $21, received $92 million; PanTheryx, Inc., a biotech company that specializes in nutrition-based products to benefit microbiome health, received $76.28 million.

Then there are the likes of Moon Juice, a divisive juice-bar-turned-supplement brand based in Los Angeles that sells herbal adaptogens starting at $38 to $60 for a monthly dose. “In the past two years, our sales growth has been exponential,” Moon Juice founder Amandan Chantal Bacon told Huffington Post in a 2019 interview. “Over 50 percent of the business is direct-to-consumer, and our stores are seeing double-digit comp growth.”

(When Gear Patrol asked Moon Juice about the growth of the luxury wellness industry, the brand declined to comment.)

A competitor, HUM Nutrition, specializes in nutritional wellness and creates products to support skin, hair, body and mood. But its products are sold at more accessible prices, ranging from $10 to $40 for a month’s supply. “Additionally, we offer free access to RD [registered dietitian] nutritionists to any visitor of our website — consumer or not,” says CEO Walter Faulstroh. “To date, we have provided education to over one million people without charging them, which we are very proud of.”

Along with matching consumers to an RD nutritionist, the brand has a blog that features contributions from science and health experts. “These resources help us reach audiences that previously were perhaps not able to participate and gives them expert advice they can trust,” Faulstroh says.

Some brands that offer high-priced pills back up their wares with expensive science. New York-based Elysium Health — which CB Insights reports received $31.1 million in private VC funding — offers supplements that target the effects of aging for a $60-per-monthly-bottle premium. (If you buy a year’s supply in advance, it’s $480.)

“When we established Elysium, we focused on targeting fundamental processes of aging because these interconnected processes present the greatest opportunity for potential positive impact,” Elysium CEO Eric Marcotulli says.

The brand’s first product, Basis, increases levels of NAD+, a coenzyme that is required for hundreds of metabolic processes but declines as we age. Elysium’s newest product, Matter, developed in partnership with the

The Mind/Body Connection cl o c k w i s e f r o m t o p l e f t , fac i n g pa g e

District Vision Junya Racer sunglasses ($249); Elysium Matter dietary supplement ($60/bottle); Peloton Bike ($2,245); Beyond Meat burger patties ($6/two pack); Headspace app ($12.99/month)

Science sells supplements, but that’s not the only form of wellness it’s being leveraged to promote. Madefor utilizes research on neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to form new connections) to help people change habits and promote physical and mental wellbeing. After being diagnosed with mild depression in 2017, founder Blake Mycoskie sought out experts in the field and implemented their insights in his everyday life.

“It worked so well, I wanted to share this with others and help people bring their best to the world,” he says. “By giving people the essential science, tools, steps and support, we help them make gradual but lasting positive shifts in their behaviors and mindset.”

Madefor consists of a 10-month wellness program, which costs $95 per month (or $750 as a one-time payment). Customers receive booklets and analog tools like hourglass timers every month, with a focus on themes like gratitude, movement, clarity, breath and rest. It’s not cheap, which its founder acknowledges. “While our program is expensive to run, we never want price to be a barrier to entry for a prospective member,” Mycoskie says. The company offers scholarships as well, providing so-called Madefor Scholars with the materials for free.

Scientific research is also contributing to the growth of meditation programs and apps. Independent market-research publisher Marketdata Enterprises, Inc. found that the U.S. meditation market grew from $959 million in 2015 to $1.21 billion just two years later, and they’re projecting it to hit $2.08 billion by 2022. The same study found 1,000 mediation smartphone apps on the market, many of which require subscriptions. Apptopia estimated that U.S. consumers spent $32 million on self-care mobile apps in the

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first quarter of 2018, up 40 percent year over year. By the end of 2018, Apple named Self-Care — consisting of meditation and mindfulness apps — the App Trend of the Year.

“While products and technologies aren’t necessarily a cure-all, they can be helpful in supporting people along their journey to improving their health and wellness,” says Dr. Megan Jones Bell, chief strategy and science officer at the meditation app Headspace. “Technology is a facilitator of access. There is well-established research that shows self-help and digitally delivered mental-health interventions can effectively prevent the onset, slow and stop the progression of, and help manage many common mental health problems.”

According to Bell, Headspace has one of the largest research

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pipelines of any digital health and wellness company; currently, there have been more than 70 clinical research studies conducted by Headspace’s academic partners. In more than 25 studies published in peer-reviewed journals, the app has been shown to cause favorable outcomes like reduced stress, improved focus, increased compassion and decreased aggression.

The company charges $12.99 per month for its full content library (or $69.99 for a yearly subscription), but it offers free services, too. “We’ll always offer free content [like] our Basics program, that can be accessed and practiced again and again to give people the same benefits as our full library of content,” Bell says, adding that Headspace has done research

Fitness and Weight-Loss

According to L.E.K. Consulting, the average consumer spent more than $100 per month on nutritional supplements — think vitamins and minerals — and skin-care products in 2018. on the program to ensure it still delivers benefits to users. The 10-day Basics course offers an introduction to the fundamentals of meditation and mindfulness; in contrast, the paywalled content consists of guided exercises in categories ranging from sleep to stress.

It’s not just apps bringing meditation to the masses. The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace was founded in 2005 to make sure every child who wanted to learn to meditate could do so.

The foundation looks to prevent and end the epidemic of trauma and toxic stress among atrisk populations by teaching Transcendental Meditation, a form in which practitioners repeat mantras to calm the mind. “I think the way that you change society, you really bring help, is you turn the technique of TM over to independent researchers and let them do the investigation on it,” says David Lynch Foundation CEO Bob Roth, who helped convince the Twin Peaks director to open the foundation.

Students who take classes at Transcendental Meditation teaching centers typically pay anywhere from $380 (for full-time students) to $960 (for those that make over $200,000 per year) for a four-day course and lifetime access to TM teachers and courses, but people can also apply for a grant if the prices are prohibitive. Still, the lifetime cost is far less than using apps for an extended period of time. The David Lynch Foundation also delivers free TM instruction to inner-city schools, veterans with PTSD, healthcare workers, and women and children who are survivors of violence and abuse.

As many jobs are increasingly desk-based, actively pursuing exercise and fitness is integral to health and wellness. And, like nutrition and diet, it’s incredibly personal. “It’s a lot of picking and choosing what works best for you, what works best for your lifestyle, what works best for your genetics and your body’s own personal health history that’s going to determine your success,” says Akande. “That’s why it’s so important that people do their research, have an understanding of who they are and what their body responds to, and also take the time to experiment and figure out what works for them.”

One of the big tools in understanding (and democratizing) personal fitness is wearable tech. According to a report by Strategy Analytics, Apple sold 6.8 million Apple Watches in the third quarter of 2019 (more than Fitbit and Samsung’s combined wearable sales of 3.5 million). That’s a 51 percent increase from Apple’s sales in the previous year. The Apple Watch ranges in price from $199 to $799, and has the ability to monitor heart health, track activity, guide meditation and more.

The Apple Watch may be helping to bring health and fitness monitoring to a broader audience, but a number of brands are focused on bringing the gym into affluent homes. According to Global Market Insights, the home fitness-equipment market is expected to grow by 4.7 percent per year until 2022, eventually reaching a value of $12.8 billion. Leading the charge is stationary-bicycle brand Peloton, which offers app-connected bikes and live-training programs; the basic bike costs $2,245, and the membership fee to access training programs is $39 per month. During the fiscal third quarter, the brand’s revenue grew 66 percent from a year ago to $524.6 million. They’re hardly the only game in town, either; Wahoo, another stationary-bicycle brand, offers an app-connected stationary bike for $3,499.99, along with a range of “smart” trainers starting at $499.99.

It’s not just exercise bikes, though. Following Peloton’s model, Mirror offers a connected home- workout experience through a wall-mounted mirror. When customers purchase the $1,495 smart device, they’re also on the line for a $100 starter pack with a heart-rate monitor and fitness bands, a $250 delivery and installation fee and a $39 monthly membership to access workouts. According to a June report by The New York Times, fitness apparel brand Lululemon — which saw a net revenue of $3.3 billion for the 2018 fiscal year, a YOY rise of 24.1 percent — is expected to purchase Mirror for $500 million. The article states that Mirror expects to bring in over $100 million in revenue in 2020, and either break even or be profitable in 2021.

Not every company can (or wants to be) bought out by a rich titan, though. Smaller fitness- apparel and accessory brands are finding new ways to support their communities. “While I’m sympathetic to the fact that businesses need to survive … this can’t be the end of the story,” says Max Vallot, founder of District Vision, which offers high-end performance running sunglasses starting at $199. Before the brand produced its first pair of high-performance shades, though, it was hosting workshops connecting runners to yogis and meditators. District Vision focuses on teaching people meditation to maximize their workouts, train smarter and exercise in a way that is best for their individual’s body. The brand has also made its Mindful Athlete Course — which explores the dynamics between silent and moving meditation — available for free on its website and on Apple Podcasts.

“We spend a lot of time making mindfulness more available to communities that can’t afford them,” Vallot says. “We work with a lot of different

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“Everyone should be asking themselves what we can contribute to bringing tools of wellbeing closer to those in need. We don’t need more yoga studios on Melrose Avenue.”

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from left): lululemon, mirror, madefor, sakara

Brands’ need to turn a profit shouldn’t limit them from taking action.

“Corporations can be faster-moving than the government,” says Joe Holder, Nike trainer and wellness consultant. “They can change culture, and they can influx dollars into community-level initiatives that can help out people immediately.”

Still, some experts think government intervention — through subsidies, incentives and education — is necessary. “It’s unclear how much clout non-state organizations may have,” Otero says. “Probably not much, or at least not nearly enough to change things.”

“It is the responsibility of wellness companies and payers — employers, commercial and public health insurers — to work together to ensure that wellness is reimbursed like other healthcare benefits,” Bell adds. “Wellness should never be something that only a higher economic status can achieve, and yet that is the reality today. “ According to a report from the Milken Institute, chronic diseases attributed to obesity were responsible for $1.72 trillion in healthcare costs and lost productivity in 2016. “The healthcare industry has been too closed off and too much in the grip of these traditional and conventional approaches to healthcare, which is medicine — drugs, surgery — and people don’t want that,” Roth says. “Do the research to show that all these things actually work. If they’re working, then make them available for everybody, because they’re going to save money in the healthcare system.”

If effective products in the wellness industry become available to a wider range of people, it could lead to considerably less stress on the healthcare system. Yet as long as wellness is marketed as a luxury, its advantages will largely be out of reach for millions of Americans — many of whom may then be forced to pay in other ways.

(clockwise

Wellness for All?

photos courtesy of

running groups from a wide range of backgrounds, we work with schools, we’ve done workshops on Rikers Island — and this is just a drop in the ocean. Everyone that’s in the wider space of sports, outdoors — wellbeing, really — should be asking themselves what can we contribute to bringing tools of wellbeing closer to those in need. We don’t need more yoga studios on Melrose Avenue.”

cl o c k w i s e f r o m t o p l e f t o n fac i n g pa g e

Lululemon License To Train Pant ($118); Mirror home workout system ($1,495); Madefor Kit ($95/month); plant-based meal from Sakara ($70/day)

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at first

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Some of the watch world’s most interesting personalities share the stories of the watches that changed their lives. text by chris wright

OWING TO GLOBAL LOCKDOWNS, TRAVEL BANS AND HEAP S OF SENTIMENTAL VALUE, WE ASKED EACH OF OUR SUB JECTS TO SHOOT THEIR WATCH THEMSELVES, HOWEVER THEY SAW FIT. THE RESULTING PHOTOS ARE A NEARLY FIRST-PERSON LOOK AT BELOVED WATCHES AND THE PERSONALITIES BEHIND THEM.

m y f i r s t wat c h was a vintage Zodiac Sea Wolf — baby-blue bakelite bezel, sword hands, silvery 35.5-centimeter dial that shines like a polished silver dollar on my wrist. To clarify: this was not my actual first watch. Before it I had a Seiko, a Chinese chronograph and an Indian military HMT Jawan with a badly printed fake dial and a Frankenstein movement rusting inside. But when people ask about my first watch, those aren’t the ones I tell them about. I tell them about the weird little Zodiac beauty and the inscription from my gal on the back. I tell them about how I rub it for good luck on takeoffs and how I always picture it in mental postcards from the places I’ve traveled.

As Curb Your Enthusiasm actor J. B. Smoove presciently notes on page 124, a watch is not only an accessory but something that defines you. Maybe it’s a totem, or a connection to a lost parent; an artifact from a happy past or a portent of a successful future; a philosophical argument; perhaps even a muse.

We asked our favorite watch people which watches changed their lives. Here are their first loves.

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J. B. Smoove

Actor and Stand-Up Comedian Vulcain Cricket

m y da d g av e m e a watch before he passed, when I was about fifteen. He just said, “I had this watch a long time. This watch is for you now. Put it on your arm.” And it was all big and dangly. “Don’t worry,” he said, “you’ll grow into it.” It wouldn’t fit any good, but I didn’t want to change the band because my dad gave it to me.

You know what I mean? Your wrist’s gotta grow into a watch when your dad gives it to you.

When he gave me the watch, I felt like, Wow, this is gonna be an amazing piece. But when you’re fifteen, you don’t respect the watch. I didn’t have class and style back then. I’d put the watch on once in a while, it’d be danglin’, spinnin’ around on my arm. I might even have played a game of basketball in that damn watch.

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I didn’t gain respect for that watch until I was damn near twenty-one years old. I pulled it back out again, shined it up. It wasn’t keeping time; I took it to the shop. The guy told me he couldn’t fix it, since it needed some overseas parts. [But] it’s one of those watches where I’m gonna wear it anyway. If I’m sitting at a restaurant with a friend, they look at my watch, and they see the hands ain’t movin’: “You know, the hands ain’t movin’!” Know what I tell ‘em? “It’s okay.” I pull up one of those cool terms people throw out all the time: “You know what time it is.” I don’t need the hands to move, because you know what time it is. I throw that metaphor out there. A stopped watch doesn’t move, but a stopped watch can be useful, when you’re throwing out cool-ass

metaphors like you know what time it is.

You’ll grow into it, though, is also a metaphor.

Your style has to catch up to this watch. You’ll know when to put this watch on. It’s an accessory but it’s a piece that defines you. You gotta know when to wear that watch. You gotta know how to wear that watch. You gotta know when to even look at your watch. Sometimes, you got a watch on, but you’re in a situation where your ass ain’t got no business looking at that damn watch!

I gotta find someone who knows what the hell they’re doing. Maybe add a little diamond in there, something on one of the hands, maybe on both. But I think it would be really cool to see that watch with a little bit of upgrading done to it. I think it’d look beautiful.

Todd Snyder

Designer Tudor Submariner

m y f i r s t d i v e into a real watch — meaning, an investment — was a Tudor. It was in the eighties. I got a J.Crew catalog and on the cover was this really cool woman wearing a men’s watch.

At the time, I was living in Iowa and I took the catalog into this watch retailer and asked about the watch. It was a Rolex Submariner. They said it cost around $2,500, $3,000 dollars.

I couldn’t afford that. They told me Tudor, the same company as Rolex, made a Submariner that cost $1,500. It had a very industrial look — utilitarian, stainless steel. I worked two

jobs all summer — a tailor’s apprentice and on a construction crew — saved for it and bought that watch.

In the late nineties, I traded it in for a Rolex GMT. I was so naive. I’d heard it was a good investment. I went back to the same jeweler I’d bought it from, said I wanted a Rolex, and they gave me $2,000 for the Tudor. I still have the papers for the purchase of the Rolex GMT and the trade-in of the Tudor. I still look at it, and think, what an idiot. But you know, live and learn. I still have the GMT, so I guess I learned something.

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Wes Kwok & Cullen Chen

Cofounders, Nodus Watches Seiko SKX & Orient Ray w e s k wo k : We’d been close friends since high school. [In college] we were sending photos back and forth of watches we both liked.

At the time, we didn’t have much money. We had to save up and buy one watch at a time. I remember Cullen talking to me about the SKX as a common starting point for budding collectors. I was looking at the sibling watch to the SKX, the Orient Ray. Cullen came to visit me in Boston. That was the first time we’d seen each other since high

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school. I’d gotten him an SKX, as a gift. He pulled this Ray out of his bag and gave it to me. c u l l e n c h e n : These were our first dive watches. Ever since then, we’ve always loved dive watches, always worn them. That’s what solidified the beginning of Nodus, even though Nodus was still three years from happening. w e s k wo k : After we gave each other the watches, I think I remember us having a pretty good night. Got a couple guitars out, a couple beers, got back to what we always used to do.

Lewis Heath

Founder, AnOrdain Russian Space Watch i g o t i t in a flea market in East Berlin fifteen, sixteen years ago. When I first went to Berlin, it was not like anywhere else. As you know, the eastern part of Berlin was run by the Russians ‘til the Wall came down. Nine or ten years after that, still, there were still bullet holes and bomb damage everywhere. They’d never really fixed it up after the war.

The Wall came down, land was cheap in the East, and all the artists moved in. Normally, money rules things. You have to pay the rent, so you get a job. You end up spending time working, not doing anything interesting as an artist. In East Berlin, there were people squatting in old buildings, putting up art galleries.

There were bars where a beer cost what you wanted it to cost. For a nineteen-year-old art student, it was an amazing place to live. I fell

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in love with the place very quickly.

The watch was in a flea market, mixed in with stuff people had had in their houses. The communist Russians had all sorts of propaganda stuff. I have no idea what the actual model of the watch is; I just know it’s commemorating a space event. You just imagine someone being given it in the sixties, living in a completely different world than what you know. That’s what I love about vintage watches — you’ll never know all of their stories.

It’s a very quirky little thing. It’s got an astronaut’s face on it. A novelty. With AnOrdain, I wouldn’t be allowed to put pictures of astronauts on a watch. But we have a version of the Model 2 Field Watch that’s pink with a sparkly purple dial. My love of that quirky Russian moon watch, it’s kind of come through.

my first m ech a nica l watch was this Hamilton, which was originally a gift from grandmother to my grandfather in 1947 for their wedding. My grandfather was of Swedish-American background, with an immigrant Midwestern mentality. He served in the navy in World War II, in the Pacific Theater. He contracted malaria over there, and was forever hot the rest of his life. He’d always want the windows open.

It’d be winter out and he’d be boiling.

It’s a Hamilton gold-filled watch made in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. At that time, Hamilton gave all its watches male names rather than reference numbers, and this one is the Neil. My grandmother was a schoolteacher, and it was a significant purchase for her. My grandfather wore it his whole life.

After he passed in 2008, my mom picked it up, got it serviced and gave it to me. I was fascinated — you could pull apart the watch and look at the movement. I’d open it up, remove the dial and look at the movement running. I came across Hodinkee when looking up vintage watches online that summer. By 2010, I was writing for them, and then I started my business. This watch is very much the reason I do what I do.

Eric Wind

Founder, Wind Vintage Hamilton Neil

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Steve Kivel

President, Grand Central Watch Rolex Datejust with Perch Buckley Dial m y c ou s i n used to go find watches, then sell them in the store. He brings this watch in, and I absolutely love it. It’s a Rolex Datejust with what’s called a Perch Buckley dial, with almost a wood grain to it. It’s a gem. I say to my cousin and my dad, who still runs the store, that I want to buy it. He said, “No, I want to make money, I want to sell it.” My dad couldn’t give a shit. He sells it to this really good customer. For twenty years, this customer comes back to the store a few times a year, and when he does, it’s like he’s torturing me with this watch. Year in and year out, I’m always asking him about this watch. He says it’s doing good.

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About a year and a half ago, this same customer comes into the store and says he has three watches to sell me. He pulls out the first, then the second, and then the third — and it’s the Rolex Datejust with the Perch Buckley dial. I bought it back from him. I’m like, I’m never letting this thing out of my sight ever again.

When I first started in this business in the early nineties, I didn’t have an appreciation for the collection end of watches. I wanted a Rolex, just like everybody else. And I had many, and a lot of times I’d sell them off my wrist and buy something else. It wasn’t till this watch came in that I really fell in love with a watch.

Crispin Jones

Director, Mr Jones Watches Chromachron i t ’ s n o t t h e f i r s t wat c h that I ever owned. It’s the first watch that ever made me think watches could be interesting. I bought it on eBay in the early two thousands. It’s called a Chromachron — [a portmanteau of] Greek for color and timekeeping. Visually, it’s striking and unusual, with a Pacman-shaped disk hand you read the hour through. Its designer, the German artist Tian Harlan, designed it with a philosophy in mind. Other watches make you a slave to hours, minutes and seconds; this watch tells a more natural rhythm of the day. It’s the watch that gives you time.

I don’t think Mr Jones is directly influenced

by Harlan. It’s just that watch history is so conservative. Most watch brands are happy to make something that’s a bit like a Rolex from the 1960s. Design cues are established clichés. I’m not dismissing the approach; it’s challenging, and people work hard on them. But what was important for me about the Chromachron was that it made no references to previous watches at all. Harlan was an artist and architect, who designed a watch because that was what interested him.

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Barbara Palumbo

Writer, Speaker and Podcaster Baume & Mercier Hampton

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i g o t m a r r i e d at twenty-six. As a wedding gift, I received a watch from my [now] ex-husband, a Baume & Mercier Hampton in stainless steel. Engraved on the back, something super cheesy — “for time and all eternity.” It was my only watch and I loved it. Wore it every day, never took it off.

[After] about two years, we mutually decided to get divorced. Then I went on a game show called The Weakest Link. They flew me to L.A., and I made it to the end, went up against one guy [and] beat him. And then about five months after the show, he and I started dating long distance. This was just post-9/11 and airport

security was insane. They made me take my watch off and I left it in a bin. I lost it. I was sick about it. Even though it had been given to me by my ex-husband.

Flash forward a few months. I found out that my ex-husband had bought a Harley. I thought, You know what, I loved that watch so much, I’m going to buy a new one. I went out and got the same model. I always felt really good about it because the new one doesn’t have any engraving on the back. Losing it, and buying the other one, kind of felt like the universe’s way of saying to me, That was your old life, here’s your new life.

Bill Yao

Founder, MKII Watches Seiko Automatic t h i s m e mo r y has always stuck with me: my dad, getting ready for work at his desk job, wearing this Seiko, rocking his wrist back and forth. He was winding it because it had stopped overnight. But I didn’t know that, and I think the memory stuck with me because I couldn’t figure out how the wrist-rocking and the watch keeping time were related to each other. When I first bought a mechanical watch, it was an Omega Seamaster. The store had wound the watch when I left. Thirty-six hours later, it stopped running. I freaked out and called the store, “What the hell is wrong with this thing?” I still didn’t understand.

I have a tendency to fixate on things I don’t understand. It grows from there. Sometimes it grows into the obsession it is today.

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Gifts for Every Guy

Who said the perfect gift had to be expensive?

No matter who you’re shopping for, our affordable recommendations are sure to be a hit.

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Adventurer

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Gym Rat

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Techie

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Audiophile

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DIYer

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Homebody

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Health Nut

150

Sartorialist

152

Chef

154

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Timekeeper

158

Driver

Mixologist

i l l u s t r at i o n s b y pat r i c k l e g e r photos by henry phillips

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Adventurer

After a year of restricted travel, we’re all feeling restless enough to hit the open road or join the jet set.

These affordable items will help any wanderer do so in comfort and style.

Nite Ize 3-1-1 Waterproof Pouch A patented zipper design turns this quart-sized pouch into a vault against liquid and dust. Protect gadgets against errant splashes, or stash toiletries inside to prevent shampoo explosions from ruining clothes. $35

Hydrapak Flux 1L Bottle Water bottles are essential for any trip, but can commandeer a lot of bag space. Enter the Flux, which shrinks as you drink, becoming small enough when empty to fit in a jacket pocket. $20

Seirus Heatwave Glove Liners Adding reliable liners to any old pair of gloves or mittens is the easiest way to upgrade their warmth. The Heatwaves provide five extra degrees of toastiness to your existing mitts, but you also can wear them solo. $20

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THE SPLURGE

Nemo Equipment Fillo “Roughing it” doesn’t have to mean sacrificing a comfy perch for your cranium when sleeping.

With inflatable baffles, soft foam and a jersey cover, the Fillo provides more cushion than you’d expect from a product that packs down to the size of a water bottle. $40

MSR TrailShot Swilling contaminated water should never be an item on your itinerary. The pint-sized TrailShot fits in your backpack’s smallest pocket, but can refill a water bottle in seconds. You can also use it as a deployable fountain and drink directly from a stream. $50

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Matador Seg42

Leatherman Free K2X A folding pocket knife can handle many unforeseen chores you might encounter on an adventure. To tackle an even greater variety of tasks, Leatherman added screwdrivers, a bottle opener, package opener, pry tool and an awl into this knife’s handle. $70

BioLite HeadLamp 200

There are a lot of travel bags out there, but none quite like Matador’s Seg42. Yes, the adventure duffel has tuck-away backpack straps and a rugged, weatherproof exterior, but it also features five integrated packing-cube-style pockets that make loading up almost fun. Exterior access makes reaching for a specific t-shirt easy, and distinct compartments can separate the dirty from the clean. And should you need more space, you can stash these pockets away and use the duffel’s insides as a single large compartment instead. $190

Headlamps are a must-have for any trip that might involve a walk in the dark. This one’s the perfect all-purpose light, thanks to its comfortable fabric strap and micro-USB rechargeable battery. $45

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Gym Rat

No matter where or how the fitness fiend in your life works out, this collection of clothing, supplements and sundries will keep their heart racing.

ShakeSphere Protein Shaker The inside of this capsule-shaped vessel is entirely seamless and cornerless, enabling centrifugal force to cleanly blend soft fruits like bananas with powder and liquid through vigorous shaking. The window on this updated version lets you monitor your progress. $23

Janji Transit Tech Cap 2.0

Bravo Sierra Active Set The best gym gear is efficient — like this set, featuring multipurpose products such as shampoo/body wash/shaving formula and skin lotion that doubles as sunscreen. Also included: fresh-smelling aluminum-free deodorant and handy antibacterial wipes for when showering isn’t an option. $26

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This polyester/spandex-blend hat boasts four-way stretch, a DWR finish and a UPF 50+ rating for a comfy fit and reliable protection, rain or shine. The zippered side-panel pocket sneakily stores essentials when traveling light. $38

Therabody Revive CBD Body Balm Percussion massage leader Theragun has changed its name to Therabody and expanded into other recovery products. This balm from the new TheraOne line features 500 mg of full spectrum CBD to soothe sore muscles. $65

THE RECOMMENDATION

Oofos OOaah Slides These cushy slides from Oofos help maximize post-workout recovery. OOfoam technology promises to absorb 37 percent more impact than traditional foam, easing the stress on feet and joints after the last weight has been hefted. $50

Gideon Akande Celebrity Trainer

“My favorite workouts are full-exercise programs like those found in the NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle’s iFIT technology,” says Akande, a two-time Chicago Golden Gloves champ who runs some of the city’s gnarliest boot camps. “Elite trainers take athletes of all fitness levels through cardio challenges coupled with multi-planar strength training. The technology automatically changes resistance levels to maximize your efforts, so you can safely and effectively build muscle and improve endurance. The versatility of the workout library prepares you for anything life throws your way!”

Ladder Sampler Bundle Dissatisfied with the existing options, LeBron James and his trainer launched their own damn supplement brand. This sweet package deal includes six servings each of pre-workout formula and protein powder and three each of superfood greens and a hydration mix, plus a shaker bottle. $55

Manduka Eko Lite Yoga Mat

NordicTrack Commercial S22i Studio Cycle $1,999

Living up to its name, Manduka’s streamlined, PVC-free mat boasts biodegradable, non-Amazon-rainforest-harvested natural tree rubber.

The slightly spongy, highly grippy material comes in handy when that downward dog goes a little shaky toward the end of a session. $78

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Techie

Modern life is an avalanche of gadgets; the trick is finding ones people will actually use. Here are a handful of options sure to make any techie happy.

Mophie Powerstation Plus w/ Lightning Cable Power banks are a dime a dozen, but this one’s integrated Lightning cable puts it above the rest in terms of convenience. With enough capacity to charge an iPhone to full from empty and a form that can slip into a pocket, it’s an essential for any iPhone owner.

Wemo Mini

$45

Roku Streaming Stick Plus Streaming sticks aren’t exactly bleeding edge, but they’re leaps and bounds better than the built-in smart-TV features your techie might be using. Better yet, they’re great for travel.

Roku’s offering is small, cheap and supports 4K HDR streaming. $40

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Incredibly affordable and simple to use, the Wemo Mini works with Google-, Amazon-, or Apple-based smart homes.

It’s the perfect entry-level gadget to help them smarten-up an appliance they already own. $20

THE STOCKING STUFFERS Wyze Cam Pan Whether they’re keeping an eye on the pet, the plants or something else, this $30 smart-home camera can hang with competitors twice its price and beyond.

The Wyze Cam Pan can also, well, pan — a superpower that gives its users an even better vantage.

USB-C Magnetic Charging Dock for Apple Watch

$30

Unfortunately no Apple Watch can stay on forever. This sleek, portable charger lets you top off at any time. $40

Amazon Kindle (2020)

Fujifilm QuickSnap Disposable 35mm Camera

The Kindle is a classic gadget; its latest incarnation has a screen that automatically adjusts its brightness based on ambient light, and built-in Bluetooth for wireless audiobook listening. And the battery life? Luxuriously, weekslong.

A disposable camera can’t match the image quality of a modern day smartphone, but nothing can match the experience of film.

$90

$12

Sega Genesis Mini Mini gaming consoles are affordable, work with modern TVs — and come with nostalgia packed right in. The Genesis Mini is the Sega kid’s answer to 2016’s NES Classic, perfect for revisiting Ecco the Dolphin, Sonic the Hedgehog, Earthworm Jim and Street Fighter 2. $50

Groovewasher Record Cleaner Starter Kit A turntable can only sound as good as the records it’s playing. This fluid and brush kit will keep vinyl clean and pristine. $30

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Audiophile

Hi-fi is a notoriously expensive hobby, but you can still get something an enthusiast will love without emptying your bank account.

Isoacoustics Iso-Puck Isolation Pucks Isolation pucks sit under the legs of speakers, turntables, guitar amps and the like to soak up unwanted vibrations and make everything sound better. Just make sure the pucks you pick are big enough for the device they’ll be under. $60

Hudson Hi-Fi Leather Turntable Mat

Master & Dynamic Headphone Stand

A slipmat is a great gift for a turntable owner, because unlike some other cheap gifts, they’ll use it. Tasked with keeping the turntable platter free of dust when it’s not in use, a nice leather slipmat does the same job as the one that came with their turntable, but with way more style.

Every pair of nice headphones deserves a good perch so they don’t get thrown in a drawer, draped over a computer monitor or tossed on a chair. A headphone stand won’t necessarily turn your pet audiophile into a neat freak, but it will help clean up their listening station.

$40

$59

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THE RECOMMENDATION

Grado SR-60e Headphones These killer headphones skip out on flashy features to land under $100 and combine great sound with a cool industrial design that looks like it’s straight out of the 1940s. Better yet, they’re made in the USA — Brooklyn, to be precise. $79

Peter Hahn Co-owner of Turntable Lab

Schiit Audio Fulla 3 This beautiful headphone DAC/amp plugs directly into a laptop or desktop and does a great job of improving the audio quality of any wired headphones or earbuds. Doubling as a DAC/ preamp for a nice pair of powered speakers, it’s the perfect little hi-fi upgrade. $99

Twelve South AirFly Pro An essential companion for AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, the AirFly Pro pairs wireless headphones with devices that only have a traditional jack. It’s a god-send for travelers who want in-flight entertainment without wires, or gamers who have a Nintendo Switch.

A headshell is a part that attaches to a turntable’s tonearm and holds the phono cartridge in place. The higher-quality, more advanced headshells do a better job at eliminating resonance and distortion, ensuring that your audio sounds best. “Jelco headshells are crafted pieces of perfection. Assembled by hand in Japan, every part is highend including their famed headshell wires” says Hahn, owner of Turntable Lab, a popular New York-based hi-fi shop. “Sadly, we recently found out their factory is closing permanently.

After we heard the news, we were lucky enough to get one last batch of our own TTL customized headshells. These are the last of them.”

Jelco: HS-25.ttl Headshell $60

$50

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DIYer

If “call a professional” sounds more like capitulation than sage advice to you, odds are good you’ll love the gear you see here.

Biltwell Work Gloves These gloves are technically designed for motorcycle riding — but they’re called work gloves, and they’re built like them too, with 100-percent heavy-duty cowhide construction and double-thick leather palms with suede panels for added protection. Articulated middle and index fingers provide added flexibility, while a fleece tricot half-liner wicks away sweat.

Dremel Stylo+ Versatile Craft Rotary Tool Kit The Dremel Stylo+ is a versatile craft tool featuring 15 accessories for etching, engraving, polishing, sanding and other tasks. Dremel designed it to feel like you are holding a pen; it’s sleek and lightweight, with a narrow profile and a soft grip. Plus, the motor offers variable speed options.

$49

Upstate Indigo Dye Kit Produced at NYC-based Upstate’s studio in Brooklyn, this Indigo Dye Kit uses synthetic pre-reduced indigo, since natural indigo isn’t soluble in water and requires toxic lye. It can dye up to 10 yards of fabric; and for those feeling extra artsy and ambitious, it also comes with a Shibori tutorial.

$50

$50

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Barebones Hori Hori Ultimate Gardening Tool With both straight and serrated edges to its tempered steel blade, the walnut-handled Hori Hori Ultimate is a great tool you can use for almost any gardening task. And when you need to relax after all your hard work, the Hori Hori has you covered with a built-in bottle opener.

THE SPLURGE

$30

Channellock 8WCB WideAzz 8-inch Adjustable Wrench As you would suspect given the name Wideazz, this wrench has a super-wide opening, allowing you to tackle a broad range of jobs. Its jaws are both long, for a stronger grip, and thin, for greater maneuverability in tight spaces.

The handle offers both comfort and durability. $42

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White’s 350 Cruiser Boots The 350 Cruiser, developed in the 1930s, is a shortened six-inch version of the 10-inch 400 boot.

It’s designed to be lightweight, versatile and comfortable for both walking and standing. With a water-resistant leather upper, these Cruisers are rebuildable, resoleable and built to last. $540

Carhartt B01 Firm Duck Double-Front Work Dungarees Carhartt introduced these work dungarees in 1939...and, well, you don’t really need to mess with a great design. These heavyweight firm-hand duck canvas pants offer a roomy fit for comfort and flexibility, and have both heavy-hauling reinforced pockets for carrying hand tools and double-layer knees that can accommodate knee pads. $50

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Homebody

Introverts and homebodies have been thriving during shelter-in-place, but some people may be struggling spending so much time at home. These gifts make staying inside a little more tolerable.

Craighill Desk Knife The Craighill desk knife makes opening envelopes and packages feel like Christmas, even if it’s just toilet paper. $85

Burrow Blush Fractured Pillow Cover The easiest way to spruce up a boring couch is through patterned pillows. Burrow, the internet’s favorite couch brand, has an array of pillow styles to suit a variety of design styles, including this almost-minimalist design.

Hay Moroccan Vase

$59

$75

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Even without flowers (get some flowers!), Hay’s hand-blown Moroccan Vase is an easy way to add some color to your home.

THE STOCKING STUFFERS

Incensio de Santa Fe Casa Burner

Twemco Flip Clock The only clock that’s fun to watch. The iconic Twemco Flip Clock makes witnessing time pass you by a therapeutic experience.

City dwellers missing the outdoors will appreciate the transporting qualities of Incienso de Santa Fe’s incenses. The burner is a fun way to make sure the incense’s ash doesn’t blow away as the smoke billows up and out of the chimney. $12

$99

Fisher Space Pen AG7

Recess CBD Sparkling Drinks These sparkling adaptogenic drinks go down easy and, more important, have the power to make stressful days slightly less so.

Every manned space flight since Apollo 7 in 1968 has been equipped with the Fisher AG7, but you don’t need to be an astronaut to own this little piece of history. $62

$30

Kinto SCS-S03 Mug A morning-improving mug from Japan, made of porcelain with a striking glaze. Enough said. $23

Areaware Minim Playing Cards Areaware reimagined the standard pack of Bicycle playing cards for a deck that reduces each suit to its essence. You’ll also be less likely to flash your winning hand to other players. $12

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Health Nut

The health of your body and mind are connected, so it’s worth investing in the right tools to take care of both.

Hugger Mugger Zafu

Gaiam Cork Yoga Block

This meditation cushion is made in the USA of upholstery-grade fabric and filled with organic buckwheat hulls that contour to your body comfortably. And, the included zipper makes adjusting the height a breeze.

These cork blocks help you complete difficult poses you haven’t quite mastered by providing stable support. Made from all-natural recycled cork, they’re lightweight and extra grippy, which is vital when your home yoga studio turns into a slippery sweat lodge.

$55

$18

Seed Synbiotic Seed knows that your body is an entire world, a precious ecosystem, and takes a systemic approach to health. Its Daily Synbiotic is a patented 2-in-1 nested capsule formulated with probiotic and prebiotic ingredients that are all-natural, vegan and gluten-free. $50

THE SPLURGE

Theraneem Naturals Facial Oil Serum This soothing facial oil is made with a blend of all-natural vegan ingredients to calm your stressed-out skin. It contains neem, which slows aging and reduces inflammation, and sea buckthorn oil, which contains vital omega fatty acids and boosts skin regeneration. on their own for warmth during a run or hike too. $9

Muji Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser In addition to eating well and getting regular exercise, using aromatherapy is an easy way to keep calm and relaxed. Muji’s diffuser dispenses essential oils ultrasonically and without heat, and features a built-in timer as well as two soothing LED light levels. $70

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Philips Wake-Up Light Your circadian rhythms are easy to knock out of whack in the winter. That’s where Philips’ Wake-Up Light comes in. It works by mimicking the sunrise, gradually filling your room with yellow light over 30 minutes, alerting your body to get up more naturally. $45

Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening Joseph Goldstein’s book culls from his four decades of teachings on mindfulness, drawing on the legendary meditational discourse of the Satipatthāna Sutta to take readers through the four foundations of mindfulness — body, feelings, mind and dhammas. Mindfulness is expansive and in-depth, but also highly ˙˙ for newcomers to the practice. accessible

Apple Watch The Apple Watch can track your heart rate, step-count, how often you sit and even if you’ve been listening to music too loudly. But that’s just how it comes out of the box. Apple offers a massive range of health apps to increase its functionality far beyond the factory settings. $399

$13

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Sartorialist

The socks you wear, the bag you carry, your go-to scent — it’s the little things that make a wardrobe supremely stylish.

Arvin Goods Casual Twisted Socks Arvin Goods’ socks are made with upcycled cotton and recycled polyester. With the perfect amount of stretch, they’re the gateway to better basics and and toward total sock replacement. $14

Battenwear Mini Packable Tote This go-anywhere tote packs into itself so you can stow it in your pocket or toss it in your backpack when you need extra carrying capacity. $50

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Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream Keep your face well-moisturized and balanced, especially through the harsh winter months. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream is perfect for all skin types and will leave your skin feeling soft and smooth.

Akila Legacy Sunglasses

$32

Akila’s Legacy sunglasses, made in small batches, have a silhouette that’s both timeless and fresh. For less than a hundred bucks, they’ve got more cool per penny than any other frames you’re likely to find. $95

D.S. & Durga Mississippi Medicine Pocket Perfume A rich tapestry of cedar, cypress root, black pine and Spanish cade, Mississippi Medicine is perfect for year-round wear. While you could go for the standard 50ml bottle, you can’t beat the portability of the 10ml roll-on oil. $72

THE STOCKING STUFFERS

Filson Bandana

Bevel Safety Razor

Whether wiping sweat off your brow, mopping up a sudden spill or covering your face, bandanas are always useful.

A close shave needs just one blade.

Plus, this brass-weighted razor looks great and is easy to clean.

$45

$50

Ship John Foley Card Wallet This simple wallet’s made with premium veg-tanned leather, brass hardware and smart, accessible design. $60

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Chef

When the take-out receipts pile up, it’s time to start cooking your own meals. These kitchen tools are for amateur cooks and master chefs alike.

Benriner “Little Beni” Japanese Mandoline “Little Beni” is a smaller version of a chef-favorite cooking tool. The mandoline guarantees every potato, cucumber, radish or apple slice is the exact same thickness. Three blades and adjustable depths provide room for experimenting, too. $26

Spicewalla 10-Pack

Chubo Plating Chopsticks

Buy. Fresher. Spices. Like coffee, ground-up spices will turn bad over time. Spicewalla’s are fresher than anything at the grocery store, meaning you need less for the same flavor impact.

This is not your usual pair of chopsticks. For years, Japanese sushi experts have used plating chopsticks, called moribashi, to delicately place fish. Nowadays, even Michelin-starred chefs have adopted them to create intricately designed dishes.

$42

$63

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THE RECOMMENDATION Five Two Bamboo Cutting Board Food52 turned to its readers to make a line of cookware perfect for the modern home cook. Its bamboo cutting board has a deep-grooved moat for catching juices, a pour spout and a phone slot so you can follow recipes or FaceTime your friends.

Verve Culture Molcajete

$59

$60

This Mexican mortar-and-pestle gets better as it ages. The old-school volcanic-rock multi-tool is best for grinding whole spices, prepping guac and making quick sauces or marinades.

Ken Tomita Founder, Grovemade

Thermapen Mk4

Made In Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan Carbon steel combines the heat retention of cast iron with the convenience of a non-stick surface. Made In’s Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan is meant for home kitchens (most carbon steel is intended for restaurant use) and reasonably priced.

In less than three seconds, get an accurate instant reading of your food’s temperature.

The Thermapen is the most recommended food thermometer there is, so this one’s a no-brainer. $99

My family and I go up to my mom’s house every Tuesday for teppanyaki dinner. COVID-19 put a halt to these meals, so my mother lent us her Zojirushi griddle to make teppanyaki ourselves,” Tomita says. “Teppanyaki is a style of cooking in which you cook food at the table. Most Japanese families have these hot plates in their homes, and Zojirushi is a trusted home appliance brand in Japan. I’ll use olive oil on one side and garlic and butter on the other of the non-stick hot plate. When the food is done, you grab it and dip it in sauce. It’s simple cooking where its pleasures lie in eating good ingredients right off the hot skillet.”

Zojirushi Gourmet Sizzler Electric Griddle $165

$65+

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Mixologist

If you know someone who’s just throwing a bunch of liquor into a cup and calling it a cocktail, these bar essentials will have them slinging Manhattans and margaritas in no time.

Crate and Barrel Coupe Cocktail Glasses, Set of 4 Champagne looks great in coupe glasses, but the bubbles go flat faster. Use tall-stemmed, dishwasher-safe coupe glasses as an elegant complement to your Sidecars or Manhattans. $35

W&P Design Extra Large Ice Cube Tray Big ice means less drink dilution. Peak’s ice trays have a sturdy steel frame that supports the flex ible silicone design, and a protective lid ensures freezer smells stay out of your ice cubes. $14

Seedlip Garden 108 Seedlip makes an array of alcohol-free spirits perfect for mixing up a different kind of cocktail. The 108 is fresh and floral on first sip with a satisfying herbal finish. $30

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Meehan’s Bartender’s Manual There are many books about cocktails.

None are as authoritative or respected as Jim Meehan’s drinks manual, which incorporates cocktail history, mixing technique and recipes in a sub-500-page tome that you’ll want to keep close to your bar cart. $20

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Fortessa Tableware Solutions Crafthouse Stainless Steel Cocktail Set Charles Joly, a bartending champion, helped design this layman’s cocktail set, which includes a Boston shaker, jigger, Hawthorne strainer and muddler. $40

Coravin Model Three Coravin’s brilliant wine preservation system means you can drink a single glass of your 50-year-old vintage (or just a particularly nice grocery store red) without compromising the whole bottle. $200

Hedley & Bennett Dashi Modern Apron Hedley & Bennett aprons look too good to get dirty, yet this herringbone denim version is begging to have whiskey sour splashed on it. $85

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Timekeeper

Watches themselves are expensive, but there are plenty of other great gifts for the horologically obsessed that won’t break the bank.

Moody Tools Screwdriver Set A few basic tools are all that’s required for most DIY watch tinkering — a set of screwdrivers, for example, can be useful for sizing a bracelet or changing a strap. This American-made set

by Moody Tools features six drivers of different sizes packed in a handy canvas case.

Watches: A Guide

by Hodinkee Full of watch-collecting insight, enthusiast knowledge and beautiful imagery, Watches: A Guide by Hodinkee is a great read, but it can also serve as an attractive appointment for the home or office.

$35

Those Watch Guys Calfskin Strap This pebbled calfskin strap has a soft feel and an elegant look, but its matte texture gives it an understated appeal that’ll surely compliment a treasured timepiece. Available in several attractive colors, it’s made of hand-stitched leather from an Italian factory with generations of experience. $75

$85

Timex Mark I Aluminum

Crown & Buckle Leather Watch Pouch

It’s hard to go wrong with this affordable interpretation of a field watch Timex made for the U.S. military in the 1980s.

Powered by a reliable quartz movement, the Mark I is made of lightweight aluminum rather than the original’s plastic and measures a perfect 40mm. $89

The Ardal Pouch from Crown & Buckle, which features a high-quality leather exterior with a suede interior and a brass rivet closure, will help your watch travel in safety and style. $55

THE STOCKING STUFFERS

Prometheus Design Werx EDTC This everyday carry case is a clever, lightweight and compact way to keep everything from watches to sunglasses to knives protected and easily accessible. $15

Spring Bar Set Spring bars tend to shoot across rooms and disappear. With replacements in sizes from 8mm through 25mm, this set will cover all your needs. $11

B&R Bands Original Bond “Seat Belt” Nato Strap B&R Bands’ high-quality NATO is super tough yet soft to the touch, and it’s available in a regimental style popularized by James Bond. $20

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Driver

Can’t buy the car enthusiast in your life that new Porsche they’re lusting after? They’ll love any of these items, too.

Gerber Strap Cutter A seatbelt cutter is the sort of device you hope you never use — but you’ll be glad you have if the need arises. Gerber’s slim device shields your fingers from the cutting edge, while a glass breaker enables you to punch through a car’s windows in a hurry. $24

Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and Their Battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans If you liked Ford v Ferrari, you’ll love the book it was based on. Automotive journalist A.J. Baime takes you inside the story of how some of the biggest names in automotive history — Carroll Shelby, Enzo Ferrari and more — collided in a quest to dominate the motoring world’s toughest race. $15

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Anker PowerDrive+ III Duo Anker’s new 12-volt adapter offers two USB-C ports that can charge devices faster than your car’s built-in plugs; the faster of the two can charge laptop computers, while even the slower can juice up your phone or laptop quicker than you’d expect. $28

Project Cars 3

THE RECOMMENDATION

The newest entry into the Project Cars franchise lets you choose from more than 200 different cars, customize them to your liking, then pit them against the computer or other players on 140-plus tracks. You can even play it in VR. $60

Vaughn Gittin Jr.

MagLite ML300L Flashlight

Stanley 500 Instant / 1000 Peak Amp Jump Starter A dead battery is one of the waking nightmares of every driver, but battery advances mean portable jump starters are smaller and cheaper than ever before. This Stanley is small enough to vanish into your trunk, but produces enough amps to kick-start a V8 engine. $79

MagLite has been one of the most-trusted names in flashlights for decades, and the ML300L shows why. With its 3-D-cell batteries and a powerful LED, its beam casts out more than four football fields at full power; in energy-saving mode, it can burn for more than three days straight. $75

Formula Drift Racing Driver

Vaughn Gitten Jr. calls himself a “professional fun-haver,” and his job certainly stands up to that claim: he’s one of the biggest names in Formula Drift, which means he makes his living sliding cars sideways around racetracks. “The Type S 360 driving camera is a new staple in my vehicles,” he says. “It’s designed to constantly record while driving and it also has a shock meter in the case anyone hits your vehicle or breaks into it while parked. The benefits to capturing incidents are obvious.

However, what I love most about it is capturing fun on and off road driving with the family, friends or solo. It is awesome to review the experience in 360, standard forward facing POV or split screen. The recorded video easily is downloaded on your phone for sharing and reviewing purposes.

Have fun with it!”

Type S Drive 360 Dash Cam $155

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DETOUR 213 Taaffe Place, #106 Brooklyn, New York 11205

By Appointment Only monroegarden.net @monroegardenoutdoor

t e x t b y ta n n e r b o w d e n i l l u s t r at i o n b y j o e m c k e n d r y photos by henry phillips

MONROE GARDEN OUTDOOR VINTAGE Small Brooklyn basements don’t usually conjure images of the great outdoors, but Monroe Garden Outdoor Vintage isn’t like most Brooklyn basements. Inside this appointment-only showroom, you’ll find a one-of-a-kind horde of outerwear and ephemera, prized from flea markets, vintage shops and online vendors across the country. The treasure trove of colorful yet technical jackets and fleeces, old trekking backpacks and out-of-print climbing magazines will have you dreaming of your next trip to Yosemite. in stock

Patagonia, L.L.Bean, The North Face, Fjällräven, Gregory, Kletterwerks, Class-5, REI

“THE EARLY LOGO OF GREAT PACIFIC IRONWORKS, THE PREDECESSOR OF PATAGONIA, USES THE BIG WAVE OF JAPANESE UKIYO-E PAINTED BY HOKUSAI, AND THE BACKPACK WITH THAT LOGO [ESTIMATED VALUE: $1,500] IS MY MOST IMPORTANT PIECE.” — KIYO S., FOUNDER

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A commitment to our readers.

Going Beyond Products Every month, Gear Patrol reaches millions of readers seeking insights and knowledge to make the right purchases. Driving our content is the belief that information and insights about products can positively impact people’s lives.

Now more than ever, it’s clear that the future Gear Patrol champions, one where everyone deserves the right product, is a future that champions social justice and racial equality.

As a 13-year-old company, Gear Patrol is not without its mistakes. But our team considers inclusivity to be as important as our product coverage. Thus, in light of this year’s events, we consider it essential to make our stance known.

Gear Patrol stands in solidarity with the Black community and the Black Lives Matter movement.

To learn about the steps our team is taking, visit: gearpatrol.com/aware

GSTB300S-1A

New rugged style G-STEEL models that feature Carbon Core Guard structures. These new models adopt tough G-SHOCK styling with a disk indicator at 6 o’clock that shows the current mode and charge level, and a front button that completes the overall rugged look. The disk, a round graphic digital display between 1 and 2 o'clock, and a digital display at 12 o'clock add to both functionality and looks. The GSTB300 and B300S models come with a resin band, while the GSTB300SD has a mirror finish stainless steel band. @gshock_us

gshock.com