Gear Patrol Magazine, Issue Twelve: The GP 100 by Gear Patrol

THE BEST PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR

Zen at 60 mph. THE ALL-NEW ELECTRIC LIVEWIRE™ Here comes Harley’s first step into the electric future—one that goes 0 to 60 in 3 seconds with a twist of the throttle. No clutch, no shifting, just pure exhilaration. Discover the most connected rider experience with H-D ™ Connect technology that helps you stay in touch with your joyride.

L E A R N M O R E A B O U T T H E L I V E W I R E ™ AT H - D . C O M

© 2019 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. Third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The H-D™ Connect service is not available in all markets. See dealer for details.

LEICA M10 THE ART OF THE DECISIVE MOMENT

www.leicacamerausa.com

LEICA M-LENSES A TRADITION OF OPTICAL EXCELLENCE

PHOTO: EXPOSURE ISO APERTURE

LOCATION: SOMEWHERE Follow us:

@LeicacameraUSA | #LeicaCameraUSA

N E W YO R K CH ICAGO ASPEN SAN FRANCISCO LO S A N G E L E S A E T H E R A P PA R E L .C O M

#DiscoverYour Planet “Satan’s Palace” Miyakojima, Japan

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT SEIKOWATCHESUSA.COM

Coiling darkly through the coral reef, a narrow shaft ends in an illuminated cavern unlike any place on earth. It’s known as Satan’s Palace.For those with the passion to challenge and explore the unknown.

OXO POP Containers www.oxo.com/pop

Organize your gear.

Home Technology for the Holidays The Dyson Demo Store has something for everyone on your list. Our most intelligent vacuum that automatically adapts suction between floor types, a purifier that removes gases, allergens and pollutants from the air, a light that is designed to help reduce eye strain and a fast drying hair dryer that protects your hair from extreme heat damage. Discover all of our latest technology and enjoy exclusive offers and colors when you visit a store for your holiday shopping today.

Dyson Demo Store 5th Avenue, New York City Union Square, San Francisco Westfield Century City, Los Angeles Tysons Corner Center, Virginia

Contents

Tech

All good tech is innovative, but not as an end unto itself. Great gadgets excel at giving game-changing ideas the fit and finish they deserve.

Audio

Killer audio equipment will always treat your ears, but that’s just table stakes. The most notable hi-fi gear ups the ante by taking on jobs you didn’t know you wanted it to.

Outdoors

Lightest. Smallest. Quickest. These sorts of superlatives typically describe the best outdoor products. This year’s class, however, redefines the category’s priorities.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

CL E R MON T K . Y.

U. S .

THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE ON OUR GIFT LIST. WE’VE GOT BOTH COVERED.

EVERY BIT EARNED

CONTENTS

Fitness

The finest fitness gear removes friction to make sweatcentric pursuits as pleasant as possible. Nimble gym shoes, ultralight gravel bikes and perfect ear buds do just that.

Motoring

101

Every vehicle has to compromise, but the best show off their strengths and downplay weaknesses. The year’s best rides don’t just make that look easy. They make it look fun.

Style

119

A Western shirt that’s fully recyclable. A boot that looks like a sneaker. Affordable workwear with premium details. Who said menswear classics had to be static?

Home

135

What does a $1,600 chef’s knife have in common with bespoke fertilizer? Like the rest of our favorite home products, both make everyday life every bit less mundane.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

CONTENTS

151

Drinks

From a bourbon that celebrates blending to a spiked seltzer you’ll drink for taste — no, really — the best drinks of the year stir up something the competition can’t quite match.

165

Travel

Whether it’s a luxurious new trailer just a versatile pair of kicks, the year’s finest travel drops make it easy to embrace the open road.

179

Watches

Affordable reissues of quartz classics. Timepieces inspired by cockpit instruments. The year’s best watches draw from disparate sources but each is uniquely worthy of your time.

The Standards A collection of the products we never tire of recommending, regardless of when they first came out.

117

Apple iPad

Ultimate Ears Boom

Patagonia Black Hole

Nike Training Club App

Subaru Outback

133

149

163

177

191

Dickies Chore Coat

Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

Zero Halliburton Aluminum Carry-On

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

Visit & shop Montblanc.com

AVAILABLE AT MACYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S, MACYS.COM & MONTBLANC BOUTIQUES

LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

The 101 Product st

Here’s some quick inside baseball about the GP100, Gear Patrol’s annual index of the best products of the year: the picks that follow are those of our writers and editors, who have spent the last twelve months rigorously testing all the gear in these pages. And while I agree with most of their selections, there is one I don’t — Google’s Pixel 3a (page 30). Which is to say, when our Deputy Editor, Jack Seemer, asked me to speak about my favorite product of 2019 as the subject for this column, I relished the privilege of asserting my own opinion into the mix: The best smartphone of the year is the new iPhone. It’s easy to gloss over the fact that the iPhone 11 is nothing like the one Steve Jobs first revealed to the world. The 2007 iPhone was an iPod with cellular service that could surf the internet, sort of. Thirteen generations later, we have a full-on pocket-size supercomputer that can run countless apps and take photos capable of challenging most dedicated DSLRs for mainstream users, both of which it does reliably for hours on end. When you think about it, Apple’s annual iPhone reveals have become much more than product releases. They’re cultural advents. Each September, society receives a masterfully presented look into next year’s promises — a glimpse of silicon and hope as seen through irresistibly named capabilities: Visual Voicemail, iMessage, Live Photos, FaceTime, TouchID, FaceID … The new 11 is packed with so many new features that Apple appears to have introduced new presentation and website designs just to accommodate the endless list of capabilities. I’ve always found it interesting that Apple has continued numbering the iPhones (8, X, 11) while the rest of its products simply evolve through functional variation; I don’t use a MacBook Pro 10, I just use a MacBook. (The 13-inch, Pro version, for those

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

wondering.) My theory here is that it isn’t just for marketing purposes, but that Apple is on its own journey to finalize what the ultimate iPhone should be. But this year, we were also introduced to a larger phenomenon surrounding the iPhone, one that may change its course in 2020 and beyond: an erosion of curiosity. Many reviewers of the iPhone 11, while simultaneously praising its new features, saw Apple’s September release as an opportunity to argue that, for everyday consumers, marginal improvements in smartphones are not always worth the effort or cost to upgrade. Like many people, I’ve stopped purchasing a new iPhone each year. But that doesn’t change my perspective. No other release spawns as many questions and messages for my opinion. People I rarely speak with use the iPhone launch as reasons to ping me with with a tinge of bemused hope, “Eric, is it worth it?” To that I say, “Yup, if you need it. And, by the way, the kids are doing great.” When we review products at Gear Patrol, an underlying principle of “value” tends to be one of the most important results we try to attain. What do I use most? What brings me the most lift in my life? What is going to really impact me without having it? For me, it continues to be the unrelenting truth that the most important consumer products in the world — whether you buy the latest one or not — is the iPhone. That is, until next September.

Eric Yang FOUNDER, CEO @hashtagyang | eyang@gearpatrol.com

ARCTIC 600

Step into winter with confidence. With Vibram Arctic Grip outsole technology and PrimaLoft Gold insulation, the all-new Arctic 600 is ready to conquer the icy-cold. Weatherized for life outside. DANNER.COM/WEATHERIZED ®

MASTHEAD

founder , chief executive officer

ERIC YANG @hashtagyang cofounder , chief content officer

BEN BOWERS @benbowersgp

deputy editor

staff writers

chief commercial officer

head of commerce

JACK SEEMER @jackseemer

GERALD ORTIZ @geraldortiz

ZACH MADER @z_mader

BRIAN LOUIE

business development director

content director , commerce

MIKE BAILEY

JACOB SOTAK @jacobsotak

senior account executive

store operations manager

ALYXANDER EFFRON @alyxeffron

CHRIS HEALY @cl_healy

TANNER BOWDEN @danger_bowden

editors

WILL SABEL COURTNEY @willsabelcourtney

TUCKER BOWE @j_tb3

ERIC LIMER @ericlimer

associate staff writer

STEVE MAZZUCCHI @motosandmore

ZEN LOVE @zlo_watches

associate editors

associate editor , editorial operations

OREN HARTOV @ohartov

J.D. DIGIOVANNI @jdedig

JOHN ZIENTEK @sieben_tagen

TIM MURRAY

project coordinator , editorial operations

RYAN BROWER @owen_brow

assistant editor

WILL PRICE

account executives

KEVIN O’BRIEN @_kevinobrien_

KYLE SNARR @kyality

client success manager

GENEVA AUDUONG @genevaa25

editorial associates

editorial coordinator

TYLER CHIN @tylerch.in

MEG LAPPE @meglappe

SCOTT ULRICH @scottkennethulrich

consumer marketing manager

CAITLYN SHAW @heyitscgs

sales planners

DOMINIQUE GAGEANT @dgag3ant NGHI HO @nghi.dy

sales marketing coordinator

AISHA LOPEZ @aishalyn

campaign manager

art director

deputy photo editor

JOE TORNATZKY @jtornatzky

HENRY PHILLIPS @henrysp

GREG TATE @thegregtate pacific northwest advertising director

senior designer

staff photographer

SHERRY WANG @sxw

CHANDLER BONDURANT @chandlerbondurant

cfo

BRANDON FRANK

SCOT BONDLOW @scotbondlow southwest advertising director

associate designer

HUNTER D. KELLEY @type_hunter

head of marketing

JUSTIN PARKHURST @justinparkhurst

design intern

JASMINE YU

head of gear patrol studios

MONICA HARE director of video

coordinating producer

ANDREW SICELOFF @andrewsice

NICK CARUSO @thenickcaruso

gearpatrol.com/subscribe

multimedia producer

CUSTOMER CARE

support@gearpatrol.com

BRENDEN CLARKE @brenden.jpeg

CAREERS gearpatrol.com/jobs issue 12 contributors

STORE

ERIC ADAMS @ericadams321

JAMES STOUT @jesstout

ANDREW CONNOR @andrew_m_connor

CHRIS WRIGHT @wrights_writing

gearpatrol.com/store

PATRICK LEGER @patrick.leger.art

CORRECTIONS & REPRINTS

ADAM HURLY @adamhurly

sayhello@gearpatrol.com

BRIAN MARK @brian__mark CORY SMITH @climbercory J. TRAVIS SMITH @jtravissmith

WHOLESALE REQUESTS wholesale@gearpatrol.com

NICOLAS STETCHER @nickstecher

director of content and strategy , gear patrol studios

MEGAN BILLINGS @meganblings project manager , gear patrol studios

AJ POWELL @allenjamespowell content producer , gear patrol studios

CHARLES MCFARLANE @charles_mcfarlane 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

Club Sport. Made in Germany. This new sports version of the Club model is particularly robust, exceptionally water resistant, and equipped with a NOMOS bracelet. At work inside is the neomatik date caliber, DUW 6101, well protected by the stainless steel case. This automatic timepiece is available now at Bhindi, Blakemanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fine Jewelry, Borsheims, Brinkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Brown & Co., Chatel, Diamond Cellar, Henne, Hyde Park Jewelers, JB Hudson, L. Majors, Lewis, London Jewelers, Reis-Nichols, Schwarzschild, Shreve & Co., Shreve, Crump & Low, Swiss Fine Timing, Timeless Luxury Watches, Tiny Jewel Box, Tourneau, Wempe, and Windsor. As well as here: nomos-glashuette.com

PRESENTED BY IWC

Best in Class

EDITOR’S PICKS

We tested thousands of products in 2019, a yearlong process driven by a single purpose: to tell you which stuff is worth your time — and your money. Our list of editor’s picks represents the gear we recommend the most.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

TEC H

Google Pixel 3a 30

STYLE

Levi’s Wellthread × Outerknown Western Shirt 120

AU D I O

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

HOME

Sunday 137

48 OUT D O ORS

D RINKS

152

Specialized Turbo Kenevo Expert

Four Roses Small Batch Select

FI TNESS

TRAVEL

166

M OTO R I NG

WATCHES

Hoka One One Carbon X

Jeep Gladiator 102

Fujifilm X-T30

Blancpain Air Command 180

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

G E A R PAT R O L S T U D I O S / C R O W N R O YA L

What’s so special about the LaSalle distillery? The LaSalle Distillery played an important role in the history of Crown Royal as one of a handful of distilleries that produced the individual component whiskies for our extraordinary blends. Even though the distillery closed in 1993, the Crown Royal blending team was based on-site until 2017. How does Crown Royal XR Blended Canadian Whisky differ from Crown Royal’s standard offering? We utilize the highest standards of corn, rye and barley to craft our individual component whiskies and allow them to mature in a combination of brand new and previously seasoned American oak barrels. What sets the LaSalle edition apart from the other blends in the Crown Royal family is that it focuses on the remaining whiskies of our famed LaSalle distillery.

Stephen Wilson Director of Whisky Engagement, Crown Royal Situated on the edge of Lake Winnipeg, Crown Royal has been producing Canadian whisky since 1939, with its first batch gifted to the Queen of England. Since then, from Manitoba and previously at its storied LaSalle Distillery in Waterloo, Crown Royal has been working with Canada’s natural resources to add distinction to its collection of blended whiskies. Located on the island of Montreal, it’s been said that the LaSalle distillery, in particular, can attribute some of its success to having made use of the waters surrounding it. Since it’s closure in 1993, a limited series of whiskies have been produced with the remaining barrels for an extra rare series. Below, industry veteran Stephen Wilson, Director of Whisky Engagement for Crown Royal, gives his take on the very last bottles of the Crown Royal Extra Rare Whisky Series, crafted in-part from the final batches produced at the LaSalle Distillery, all of which are expected to sell out this year.

What are some of the tasting notes & how was this whisky aged? Crown Royal’s LaSalle edition is the rarest in our whisky series and boasts an exceptionally full-bodied and smooth sipping experience. The sophisticated blend of dried fruits and honey harmoniously balance the spicy notes of Canadian rye for a round finish that tastes of raisins, cocoa and brown sugar. Crown Royal uses American Oak barrels — we bring the barrels in brand new to the distillery and then continue to re-use them several times. By using a combination of new wood and seasoned wood, we provide our blending team with all the building blocks they need for our Crown Royal blends. What’s your preferred way to drink the LaSalle edition? For the LaSalle edition, I prefer enjoying it neat. This is a whisky with a lot of depth of flavor and (responsibly) sipping on it neat is the best way to appreciate its history and personality.

Crown Royal XR Blended Canadian Whisky Distilled: LaSalle Distillery, Montreal Canada Tasting Notes: The LaSalle edition is rich and complex with a light sweetness and spicier notes reminiscent of Canadian Rye Suggested Retail Price: $140

The very last of the very best. Crown Royal XR Extra Rare is the last of an exceptional blend of whisky, crafted from one of the final batches produced at the renowned LaSalle Distillery. Any aficionado will appreciate the full-bodied, smooth sipping experience.

P L E A S E D R I N K R ES P O N S I B LY. C R O W N R O YA L X R B l e n d e d C a n a d i a n W h i s k y. 4 0 % A l c / Vo l . T h e C ro w n R o y a l C o m p a n y, N o r w a l k , C T.

Super Sea Wolf 53 Bolder and more elegant than ever before, this edition of the classic Super Sea Wolf 53 features a black plated case and bracelet. The white lume hands glow blue in the dark for a pop of bright color. Movement: STP 3-13 AUTOMATIC Water resistant: 200 METERS Case size: 40 mm

Tech

Like a shark, technology always moves forward, but who said anything about a straight line? This year has been full of twists and turns that illustrate how true innovation sprouts in unexpected directions. From Google’s $400 phone that redefines the category on price as much as features to Apple’s triumphant resurrection of the long-lost rectangular desktop computer, the year has been replete with refinement and revitalization. Inventing the future is only half the battle. After that, you’ve got to get it right. Top 10

Credits

Google Pixel 3a

Words

Kindle Oasis

Alienware Area-51m Laptop

ERIC ADAMS TUCKER BOWE ERIC LIMER HENRY PHILLIPS

Fujifilm GFX100

Photos

Oculus Quest

CHANDLER BONDURANT

Disney+

Illustration

DJI Ronin-SC

P AT R I C K L E G E R

Sony a7R IV

Samsung Space Monitor

Apple Mac Pro

The Standard 43

TECH

Apple iPad

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

EDITOR’S PICK

Google Pixel 3a People now use their smartphones to take more photos than calls. It’s about time someone treated a killer camera like a baseline necessity, rather than a premium feature.

Each year, the telephones relentlessly improve. Their microchip brains increase in computing horsepower. Their physical forms get slimmer, more refined and more jewel-like. Their screens stretch outward towards their bodies’ very edges. But as the leading flagships converge towards a single expensive full-screen black-slab ideal, they avoid addressing a crucial question: What is improvement? Google’s Pixel 3a, a pointed departure from its competition’s assumptions, is not just a great little phone — it represents a different idea of what a great little phone is. Announced by Google earlier this year with little run-up or fanfare, Google’s plastic Pixel 3a has an offbeat combination of features compared to its contemporaries. In many ways, it’s gleefully adequate. Its polycarbonate body is not fancy, but it is functional. Its mid-range processor is fine with being just fast enough. Its screen is as good as you’ll reasonably need for browsing the web and drinking from social media’s firehose. It skimps on features like wireless charging and waterproofing, as you might expect from a $400 phone. But unexpectedly, its camera is top-tier — a superb feature it shares with its high-end sibling,

TECH

the Pixel 3, which cost twice as much at launch. It’s this unusual inclusion of a premium feature in a seemingly budget phone that makes the Pixel 3a feel impossible — or worse, almost like a con. But in fact, it’s a more fundamental innovation than any face-scanning technology or gyroscopic stylus: it’s a reordering and redefining of what features matter in a phone. Here in 2019, where phones look like minature versions of the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey, it’s easy to forget that the collection of features a phone requires was not always agreed upon. (During and shortly after the dominion of the BlackBerry, for example, a physical keyboard was arguably a must.) What the Pixel 3a’s marriage of plastic and photography prowess argues is that a great camera — not just any smudgy shooter — is as integral to a phone as a 4G radio and onboard storage and more integral than premium materials and luxury fit-and-finish. It’s an argument that, if it proves persuasive to buyers, could shift the direction of phone development. But the combination of features found in the Pixel 3a could not have crystallized without all the tech that paved the way for it. Google has spent years developing its photography chops via software

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

Specs Display: 5.6-inch, OLED, 1080 x 2220 pixels Body: Plastic Headphone Jack: Yessir $399+

instead of hardware. Instead of using multiple (and expensive) camera sensors and lenses to attempt to simulate the depth-of-field effects of fancy lenses on full-fledged DSLRs, the company decided from the jump to put its algorithmic expertise to work to recreate the same effect with artificial intelligence. That decision came with an initial — but now rapidly diminishing — cost. Early versions of the tech produced images that could look ever so slightly off (and sometimes still do) compared to their impeccable analog competition. But the software is ever improving. More importantly, it is extremely cost effective to scale and even possible to implement retroactively. When Google released its “Night Sight” feature that algorithmically combines multiple low-light images taken at different exposures into a single image that appears almost magically bright, it was released not only for the brand new Pixel 3, but for the Pixel 2 and original Pixel as well — a camera upgrade, years after the

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

fact, for free. Google isn’t the only company to upgrade its cameras via software, but with the Pixel 3a, it has taken an enormous step toward making its camera capabilities revolve primarily around software — and, as a result, universal across its phones, regardless of age or price. While the Pixel 3a is certainly laudable for how much it offers in a $400 package, it’s also exciting for where it indicates this road might lead. The lion’s share of flagship phones have become obsessed with offering additional luxuries to justify their growing prices, but the prevailing trends have left a whole host of assumptions completely unchallenged: The best cameras are unique to only the most expensive phones. Thinner is always better. One thousand dollars is a reasonable price for a phone that will be obsolete in three years at best. Perhaps the Pixel line itself has no appetite for challenging more of these assumptions, but it has at least revealed one of them as false. And that’s about as exciting of a feature as you can get.

TECH

Its camera is top-tier â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a superb feature it shares with its high-end sibling, the Pixel 3, which cost twice as much at launch.

Kindle Oasis The Kindle has been the reigning king of e-readers for more than 10 years, but Amazon isn’t resting on its laurels. The 2019 model of its flagship Oasis reader is the latest — and maybe final — step in the brand’s quest to perfectly emulate paper. Its ability to delicately change the color temperature of the screen to easy-on-the-eyes shades of yellow is a small tweak to a winning formula, but one that may represent the end of a very ambitious journey. Specs Screen: 7-inch Paperwhite display Shades of Gray: 16 Waterproofing: IPX8 (3 feet of water) $250+

Alienware Area-51m Laptop Laptops are growing thinner by the minute, which is great for throwing them in your backpack, but has effectively set their specs in stone. Alienware’s beefy Area-51m laptop valiantly swims against the current with its 17-inch screen and 1.2-inch-thick body that provides a unique superpower: this eminently upgradable beast lets you swap out your RAM, CPU and even GPU with ease. Yes, it’s more suitable for a suitcase than a briefcase, but this is the rare laptop you’ll be able to use for a decade.

Specs Maximum Processor: 9th Generation Intel Core i9-9900K (8-Core, 16 MB Cache) Maximum Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 8 GB GDDR6 Maximum RAM: 64 GB, 4x16 GB, DDR4 2400MHz $2,000+

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

TECH

Fujifilm GFX100

Specs Viewfinder: OLED, 0.5-inch, 5.76 million dots Number of Effective Pixels: 102 million Video: 4K video at 30 fps $10,000+

Photographers know that the sensor is king: the bigger the better. Larger landing pads for incoming light mean greater sensitivity and more data to work with as you shape your final product in editing. The Fujifilm GFX100 is capitalizing on how much sensor technology has improved while simultaneously becoming (relatively) more affordable. The end result? The first truly mainstream mirrorless medium-format rig, ready for wielding on weekend walks through town, opening the possibility of lush medium-format imaging to a new range of photographers. Big-picture, medium-format cameras have largely been the purview of studio and landscape photographers — who typically have the luxury of taking their time to carefully set up shots — but Fuji has made sure the GFX100 appeals to run-andgun action shooters, street photographers, and travel and adventure aficionados as well. You may not see a GFX100 on the Super Bowl sidelines anytime soon, but it’s got a quick boot time when you fire it up, a fast autofocus, weather-sealing, built-in

5-axis image stabilization to ensure the staggering 102 megapixels are used to their fullest and continuous shooting at up to 5 frames per second. Unlike the many medium-format rigs that have come before, the GFX100 is meant to be brandished by hand in the field. With grips on both the side and bottom, it allows users to quickly pivot from shooting horizontally to vertically and back without contorting their arms in all directions. The GFX100 is also mirrorless, bringing along all the advantages and creature comforts that were once confined to much less capable cameras. For instance, it sports a high-resolution electronic viewfinder, which shows the image as it will actually be captured (rather than as it looks through the glass), with a tilting touchscreen in the back. It’s not a new feature by any stretch, but paired with a gargantuan medium-format sensor, it creates a combination of astonishing image quality and ease of use that is as novel as it is enticing, and which is destined to earn the GFX100 a place among the legends of Fuji’s past and present.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

TECH

Oculus Quest

Specs Screen: OLED, 1600 x 1440 pixels per eye Connectivity: Wireless PC: Not required $399+

By the standards of its technological ancestors, the Oculus Quest feels like a pipe dream. In 2013, as the first Oculus Development Kit shipped out to backers of a Kickstarter project that beat its goal by an order of magnitude, the bar was as low as could be: to eventually build a virtual-reality headset that did not immediately make you lose your lunch the way that first $300 prototype often did. Of course, it’s not just by that metric that the Oculus Quest succeeds. The all-in-one headset, a product of Facebook’s five years of attention and investment after purchasing the company, is a perfect storm of features that first cropped up in interesting but flawed predecessors and competitors. It has the all-in-one, wireless design of gimmicky but prescient smartphone-based headsets like Samsung’s Gear VR and Google’s DayDream. It has deeply immersive hand-tracking controllers and head-tracking capabilities, developed in the early days of its arms race with

the HTC Vive virtual-reality system. But crucially, almost magically, the Quest does its tracking with no external cameras or wires required. The Quest is by no means perfect. Its all-important wireless design leaves it limited in computational horsepower compared to competitors like the Valve Index that explore a different evolutionary path, offering perks like higher-resolution screens, a wider field of vision and more computational horsepower — but at a $1,000 price, plus the cost of a beastly PC to do the heavy lifting. The Quest’s rejection of that path, a path the earlier Oculus Rift seemed primed to race down, is what makes it such a crucial landmark in the still-developing field of virtual reality. Its mix of essential features, an all-in-one form factor and a reasonable $400 price point make it the first headset actually prepared to bring virtual reality into the mainstream the way earlier VR headsets were hyped to do, but ultimately failed to.

Disney+ It’s been more than a decade since Netflix kicked off the streaming age in earnest, and in that time, innumerable competitors have popped up to lay claim to your eyeballs. It’s into this crowded space that Disney+ is making its monumental landing. With an unparalleled archive including everything from all 30 seasons of The Simpsons to the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbusters, the promise of new content from juggernaut franchises like Star Wars, and a low $7-per-month price tag, it’s destined to be a game-changer the likes of which only a behemoth like Disney could deliver this late in the streaming wars. Specs Iconic Properties: Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, Walt Disney Classics Upcoming Series: The Mandalorian, She-Hulk, Loki and more Supported Devices: iOS, Android, Chromecast, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and more $7/month

TECH

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

DJI Ronin-SC The Ronin-SC, DJI’s latest stabilizing gimbal — born out of camera-mount tech used on its drones — is designed with the masses in mind. Made specifically to stabilize popular mirrorless cameras, it’s smaller and lighter than DJI’s older two-handed models, making it a better buy for photographers of all stripes. Add to that the ability to physically track a subject and remote control from your smartphone, and what you get is a pro-photography tool that’s more accessible to hobbyists than ever before.

Specs Gimbal Weight: 2.4 pounds Maximum Payload: 4.4 pounds Battery Life: 11 hours $439+

FEELS LIKE N O T H I N G. A N D

T H A T

M E A N S

E V E R Y T H I N G.

Our new Intraknit™ Merino wool baselayers have less seams, an articulated performance fit, and body-mapped ventilation to cut down on bulk while allowing for better movement. They’re breathable, flexible, and perfect for helping keep you warm in variable conditions and high-intensity activities.

smartwool

Sony a7R IV Resolution or speed? Once, photographers were forced to choose between cameras with maximum autofocusing power and high frame-per-second shooting and ones with huge megapixel counts. The Sony a7R IV blows that dividing wall to pieces. With a 61-megapixel back-side-illuminated sensor, autofocus points covering 99.7 percent of the frame and 10 frame-per-second shooting, it’s the best of both worlds. Sure, the menus are clunky and the video isn’t perfect, but the a7R series continues to redefine expectations as to what a camera can do. Specs Maximum Resolution: 9504 x 6336 pixels Sensor Type: Full frame Autofocus points: 567 $3,500

Samsung Space Monitor Monitors may be getting thinner, brighter and crisper, but they’ll always take up space on your desk, whether you’re using them or not. Samsung wants to change that with its Space Monitor, unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at the beginning of the year. With its adjustable built-in arm stand, it can do more than be a beautiful 4K display — it can also get out of the way and give you back your precious desktop real estate when you need it. Specs Screen Size: 27-inch or 31.5-inch Resolution: 4K UHD Refresh Rate: 60 Hz $400+

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

TECH

REVOLUTION

VISUAL

EXPERIENCE

Experience a Visual Revolution

We set out on a journey to pioneer a new perspective. BirdsEye Vision™ featuring ChromaPop™ lens technology increases your field of view by 25%.

INTRODUCING 4D MAG™

Apple Mac Pro

Apple’s 2013 Mac Pro redesign that turned the classic metal box into a black cylinder casually known as the “trash can” was a daring failure. It proved to be a case of divisive form over lackluster function as it became clear the unconventional design made the Mac Pro next to impossible to upgrade. The 2019 model, on the other hand, is an explicit and resounding reversal of course. Its traditional tower form isn’t just retro-chic, but makes modular upgrades easy — at least, it will in some distant future when its powerhouse specs don’t cut it anymore. Configurable with up to 28 CPU cores, 1.5 TB of RAM and a mess of GPUs, the Mac Pro can be tricked out well beyond the needs of the average user (and even some professionals). It will cost you, of course. The base model — without even a screen — will run you almost $6,000, with overkill combinations climbing well into the double digits. But despite being chock full of bleeding-edge guts, what actually makes the Mac Pro

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

so notable is its restraint. Its design is obvious and straightforward, devoid of the counterproductive flourishes that doomed its predecessor. It doesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel because, well, the wheel is already pretty great. It’s a lesson any tech behemoth would do well to learn, but especially one whose flagship pocket supercomputer, which practically invented an all-new breed of gadget, is already over a decade old. It’s great to change the world, but you don’t have to do it every day. Specs Maximum Storage Capacity: 4 TB Shape: Rectangular Maximum GPU Setup: 2x Radeon Pro Vega II Duo + Afterburner accelerator card $5,999+

TECH

THE STANDARD

Apple iPad

When Steve Jobs announced the first iPad in 2010, people joked that it was needless and doomed to fail. In the ensuing nine years, Apple has sold some 360 million of the devices. In contrast to the clunky failures that preceded it, it’s become the most well-known tablet of all time, so much so that the words “iPad” and “tablet” are often used interchangeably. Apple has not rested on its laurels, instead

TECH

pushing forward with the 10.5-inch iPad Air, two models of iPad Pro for creative professionals, and the new iPad Mini, updated by popular demand last spring after almost four years untouched. This year, Apple’s returned to its roots, issuing a seventh generation, 10.2inch version of its original and most popular iPad model. The tablet’s story is clearly far from over.

SINCE

2010 NEXT ITEM

Page 61

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

G E A R PAT R O L S T U D I O S / B E L L & R O S S

Breaking the Mold

The BR05 is like no other watch from Bell & Ross. For a watch company that is already known for breaking the mold, Bell & Ross is at it again with its latest design. Like the daring professionals they craft watches for, Bell & Ross is always looking to push the limits with the legibility, functionality, reliability and precision of its watches. In keeping with those points, we have a feeling you will find the new BR05 exciting and different. The lines of the BR05 combine round and square, the basic geometric shapes that form an integral part of Bell & Ross’s identity. But rather than being a square peg for a round hole, the result is a new uniquely sleek and urban case. “The goal was to develop an intermediate model between the square – our utilitarian icon – and the round – which is universal and generic,” says Bell & Ross

Creative Director Bruno Belamich. “The idea was to move from the professional world of the extreme to the urban landscape; a transition from the off-road to the in-road.” Never shy about the inspirations behind its watches, Bell & Ross pulls on design cues from the watch world of the ‘70s, the BR05 is far from retro but captures that same spirit of freedom and exploration of the decade. The BR05’s confident style is designed to take on that energy along with a city dweller element with its 40mm case, integrated bracelet and satin finish that all make it the ideal urban companion. Bell & Ross’s new jewel of masculinity is full of character, exuding strength and elegance, ready for any urban adventure. The BR05 is the start of a new era for Bell & Ross.

T O R E A D M O R E A B O U T T H I S N E W C H A P T E R F O R B E L L & R O S S V I S I T G E A R . G P/ B R 0 5

T H E C A R T E R B L A C K + S TA I N L E S S

THEJAMESBRAND.COM

Audio

The tech behind audio gear is always changing but its purpose generally stays the same: record players spin vinyl, headphones are for portable listening, amplifiers amplify. But this year has brought us innovations in how and what. Bose’s headphones don’t just help you listen, they help you talk, while Sonos’s bookshelf speaker is, thanks to Ikea, a literal bookshelf. All that in addition to stellar headphone amps, mobile DACs, record players and more. Top 10

Credits

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Words

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt

Cambridge Audio Alva TT

TUCKER BOWE ERIC LIMER JOHN ZIENTEK

Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones

Fender American Acoustasonic Telecaster

Ikea Symfonisk WiFi Bookshelf Speaker

Schiit Ragnarok 2

JBL Link Bar

McIntosh MTI100 Integrated Turntable

Astell&Kern Kann Cube

Photos CHANDLER BONDURANT

Illustration P AT R I C K L E G E R

The Standard 61

AUDIO

Ultimate Ears Boom

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 EDITOR’S PICK

Noise-canceling headphones changed the way you listen. Bose’s new cans, upgraded with a state-of-the-art microphone system, will change the way you’re heard.

Noise-canceling headphones aren’t what they used to be. The first pair from Bose, the legend goes, was conceived by founder Amar Bose in 1978 while he was attempting to listen to music over the incessant hum of a plane engine and first took form as a niche headset for pilots in 1989. A decade later, in 2000, the now-iconic QuietComfort line arrived as the first active noise-canceling headphones for everyday buyers. Today, the purpose headphones serve has rapidly changed. No longer solely a travel companion or stereo component, they are a fixture of everyday life. A 2014 survey by Sol Republic found that millennials clocked in an average of four hours per day wearing headphones. In that time, noise-canceling technology has stretched far beyond Bose, and everyone from Sennheiser to Anker has been getting in on the feeding frenzy. According to many discerning ears, Bose has been unseated from the throne it designed most recently by Sony and its WH-1000XM3 headphones, which are as lovely to listen to as they are hard to pronounce. It’s from this position on the back foot that Bose has developed its latest headphones, which aim to take the tech a leap forward like QuietComfort before them. And as soon as you put them on, it’s

clear: the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are the culmination of years of worthwhile toil. Before the Headphones 700, Bose had arguably grown accustomed to effortlessly being the best. Its QuietComfort series had been the king of the noise-canceling headphones for so long that it became an almost untouchable standard. The QuietComfort 25s released in 2009 even look striking similar to the QuietComfort 35 IIs released almost a decade later. But with the Headphones 700, Bose did more than design a completely new, sleek and minimalist look. It also took the technology a step forward to a new, decidedly 2019 use: reinventing how you use your phone. And the results are genuinely stunning. When you talk on the phone in a noisy environment, the natural reaction is to talk louder — you raise your voice to the volume of the room. It’s a natural, subconscious and nigh unstoppable phenomenon in psychoacoustics. You can’t really help it, and it’s why people wearing headphones and listening to loud music always have a tendency to scream at you. It’s also why, in a noisy room, you will invariably scream at someone you’re talking to on the phone. The Headphones 700s put their noise-canceling

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

AUDIO

The Headphones 700s are able to use their noise cancelation not only to cancel noise, but to deliver a sense of privacy even when you’re in a very public place. This is, for now, a very novel and unconventional feature.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

powers to work to fight this phenomenon by canceling out ambient noises for you, so you feel like you’re in a quieter environment and naturally speak more softly. At the same time, they pluck out your voice specifically for transmission across the phone line. The secret is the Headphones 700’s completely new eight-microphone system. Six of those microphones take care of the new noise canceling and transparency modes, while four microphones (one pair is pulling double duty) isolate your voice to separate it from background noise. The result is twofold: no matter how loud the room you’re in, the Headphones 700s are able to pick out your voice in particular, so that your conversation partner can hear you loud and clear. But better yet, because the headphones’ noise cancelation tricks your brain into letting you talk more softly, you can speak at volumes that are nigh inaudible to eavesdroppers in a noisy room. The end effect is that the Headphones 700s are able to use their noise cancelation not only to cancel noise, but to deliver a sense of privacy even when you’re in a very public place. This is, for now, a very novel and unconventional feature. Of course, any noise-canceling headphones worth their salt can’t get by on gimmicks — they still need to check the two big boxes of sound quality and noise cancelation. Naturally, the Headphones 700 do that as well. They’re the best that Bose has ever made. Throw in all the modern features that the QuietComfort 35 IIs lack, such as ridiculous levels of customization when it comes to noise-cancelation levels, swipe gestures for playback and a fantastic transparency mode, and the Headphones 700 put Bose back where it belongs: on the throne.

AUDIO

Specs Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0 Charging Port: USB-C Battery Life: Up to 20 hours $400

AUDIO

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt AudioQuest carved out a nice little niche in the hi-fi market making highquality USB digital-to-analog converters (DACs) for smartphones and laptops, but its latest portable powerhouse, the Cobalt, is poised to be a breakout hit. The highest performing DAC AudioQuest’s portable DragonFly series has delivered to date, it’s powerful enough to properly drive professional-grade headphones and monitors. It’s also power-efficient enough not to savagely sap your smartphone’s battery like its predecessors, making the Cobalt a small luxury actually worth considering. Specs Audio Resolution: Up to 24-bit/96kHz Digital-to-Analog Converter: 32-bit ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M Compatibility: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android $300

Cambridge Audio Alva TT Cambridge Audio has been in the high-end audio business for over half a century, but its latest turntable, the Alva TT, looks forward to the next 50 years. The first turntable with Bluetooth aptX HD streaming, it’s able to stream high-resolution vinyl tracks (up to 24-bit/48kHz) to any compatible wireless headphones, speakers or Bluetooth receiver for top-tier sound without all the wires. And if you’re feeling old school, you can still wire speakers directly to the Alva TT’s RCA connections. Specs Turntable: Direct drive Cartridge Type: High-output moving coil Bluetooth Codecs: SBC, aptX, aptX HD $1,700

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

AUDIO

Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless Noise-Canceling Headphones When Apple released the first AirPods back in 2016, it broke the mold and started a flood of true wireless earbuds. Since then, the category has exploded, and today every audio company from Jabra to Sennheiser, Samsung to Beats, is all but obligated to take its own stab. But one killer feature that no brand — including Apple — has yet to master is great active noise cancelation. It’s a tall order to fit all the necessary guts (audio drivers, processors, microphones, battery and more) into such a small and wireless form factor. But then Sony came along, brushed the dirt off its shoulder and slapped the WF-1000XM3 down on the table. Descended from Sony’s over-ear noise-canceling headphones — which are arguably some of the best you can buy — Sony’s WF-1000XM3 pack almost identical features into a two-bud true wireless body, with virtually no compromise. Both have powerful noise canceling and sound modes, take advantage of the same Sony Head-

AUDIO

phones app, use similar swipe gestures for playback and call control, charge via USB-C and are available in either black or silver. As impressive as Sony’s WF-1000XM3 are, perhaps their most impressive feat is beating Bose to the punch. The two titans have fought tooth and nail for noise-canceling dominance over the past few years, and Sony has waged an uphill battle against its more established, legacy competitor. However, Bose has been in the true wireless earphones game for years and has yet to fit active noise cancelation into any of its offerings, though it has its sights set on 2020 to make it happen, and an early version of some of its tech has made an appearance in Amazon’s Echo Buds. In the meantime, if you want great sounding true wireless earbuds with active noise cancelation, Sony’s WF-1000XM3 are your best and only option while waiting for Bose to catch up. And that makes them not just a great pair of buds, but a great accomplishment for the underdog brand.

Specs Battery: 6 hours per earbud; up to 24 hours with ANC (using case) Charging Port: USB-C Key Features: Noise canceling, adaptive sound control $230

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

Fender American Acoustasonic Telecaster For decades, the recording industry defined clear and codified musical genres to classify, produce and market music. There were barriers between country and rock, in both sound and business, but that’s changing. “Those lines have been blurred heavily in the past three to four years,” says Billy Martinez, the vice president of Fender’s Acoustic Division. Now, many guitarists freely blend elements of blues, funk, rock, folk and country without a second thought. They switch between acoustic and electric guitars, searching for new sounds rather than recreating iconic tones. It was for this versatile guitarist that Fender created the American Acoustasonic Telecaster, a hybrid modeling guitar framed with a legendary body shape. According to Martinez, the design focused on “true acoustic fit, feel and playability.” The hollow tele-shaped body — a mahogany back and sides paired with a Sitka spruce top — is resonant and loud. But the “Deep C”-shaped neck plays more like a traditional electric. Under the hood, you’ll find the guitar’s most compelling features. Its modern Fishman electronics are unique to this instrument: an under-saddle piezo, internal body sensor and N4 magnetic pickup are controlled by a “Mod” knob and a five-way switch. While the combination may sound confusing, it’s an incredibly intuitive system. Unlike traditional modeling guitars, which try to recreate classic sounds, this instrument offers a unique sonic palette. “If we were going to show true innovation, it needed to be more about convolution,” Martinez says, describing the brand’s new modeling technology. “We set out to make this the best instrument that gives so much flexibility to dial in your own sound — you have one modification knob that switches between two body shapes and two different tone woods.” The result is an endless amount of tonal color. “Theoretically you have two

guitars in one switch position, but because of that blend knob, you can move it ever so slightly and it’s like having a whole new guitar at your fingertips.” This guitar is certainly not for everyone — it’s the kind of thing that offends the purists — but it will surely be creatively stimulating for many musicians. It’s a new innovative tool that perfectly illustrates how Fender heeds modern guitarists’ needs. “Where genre-specific music was very intentional with everything you did, that’s not as big of an intent now,” Martinez says. “We want to give artists that opportunity to grow.”

Specs Wood: Mahogany neck, back and sides; solid Sitka spruce top Pickups: Under-saddle piezo, internal body sensor, N4 magnetic pickup Controls: Master volume, “Mod” knob, 5-way switch $2,000

AUDIO

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

Ikea Symfonisk WiFi Bookshelf Speaker Specs Availability: Exclusively through Ikea Drivers: One tweeter, one mid-woofer Maximum Load in Shelf Mode: 6.5 pounds $99

For years, Sonos has been the comfortable king of mid-range audio. With speakers that can take similarly priced Bluetooth models to task and audio quality within spitting distance of much more expensive and niche audiophile offerings, Sonos has established itself as the speaker of choice for households who want something well made, but who don’t want to fall down an enthusiast rabbit hole or pay out the nose. But Sonos hasn’t been content to stand still and has been expanding the scope of what a speaker can be. Most recently, that transformation has taken the form of the company’s first smart and Bluetooth speakers, the Sonos One and Sonos Move, respectively. But perhaps the largest sea change has been the expansion of its spread into unprecedented levels of affordability. Just a few years ago, the idea of a sub-$100 Sonos speaker seemed fanciful, but in the form of the Symfonisk Bookshelf Speaker, the dream has become reality. Taking a page from its partner in the project, mass-market furniture giant Ikea, Sonos has been able to strip back production costs to make its cheapest speaker to date, and one that doesn’t compromise on quality,

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

either: the Symfonisk Bookshelf Speaker, a true Sonos speaker with all the fixin’s, sounds almost as good as the company’s Play:1, and it works exactly like one. The Symfonisk plays nice with the Sonos app, can be grouped with any other Sonos speaker, has Sono’s signature Trueplay tuning technology and supports AirPlay 2. At a very low cost, it can elevate a single soundbar into a true speaker system by stereo pairing with a second Symfonisk to act as a rear-channel speakers. The result? A basic but attainable home theater setup. The Symfonisk Bookshelf Speaker is noteworthy for more than just its cost. In addition to working as a bookshelf speaker in a stereo pair, it’s also a bookshelf, horizontally mounting on a wall with its flat surface supporting the weight of several books. But beyond its strikingly accessible price and Ikea-inspired furniture tricks, the Symfonisk Bookshelf Speaker is more than just a terrific launchpad into the brand’s ever-growing suite of extremely cost-effective speakers. It’s emblematic of Sonos’s willingness to push its own boundaries and explore the fringes of what a speaker can be, which is good news for all of us.

AUDIO

When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been making watches for as long as we have, some things just come naturally.

Big Crown ProPilot X Calibre 115

Schiit Ragnarok 2 Schiit Audio is a small California company that sells high-end audio components directly to consumers, resulting in superlative products that are surprisingly affordable. The company’s Ragnarok 2, a stereo integrated amplifier, is much more than the sum of its parts — but what makes it truly unique is its versatility. You can use it to power bookshelf loudspeakers and hi-fi headphones, or you can integrate it into a larger hi-fi system. Specs Power Output, Speaker Outputs: 60 watts RMS per channel (8 Ohms), 100 watts RMS per channel (4 Ohms) Frequency Response: 20Hz-20Khz, -0.1db, 3Hz350KHz, -3dB Power Consumption: 500-watt maximum $1,499+

JBL Link Bar Soundbars can give your TV’s subpar sound quality a boost, but JBL’s Link Bar also upgrades your “dumb” TV to a smart one. Acting as a set-top box and a Google Home smart speaker, the Link gives you access to Netflix or YouTube and lets you control your TV with your voice. Even if your TV has built-in smarts, the Link is a one-step solution to clunky interfaces and infrequent updates that can plug right into your next TV, too.

Specs Drivers: Two 20mm tweeters, four 44x80mm racetrack drivers Connectivity: Chromecast, Google Home, Bluetooth 4.2 TV Audio Out: HDMI Arc, Toslink optical $400

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

AUDIO

PHOTO Hansi Heckmair

SWISSWOOL LIGHT PIZ BOVAL  breathable, windproof, and scuff-resistant  made with RECYCLED PERTEX QUANTUM  100% SWISSWOOL insulation  REVERSIBLE Learn more about the origin of our wool on ortovox.com

McIntosh MTI100 Integrated Turntable All-in-one turntables make listening to vinyl easy and cheap, so it’s no wonder they’re in vogue. For high-end audio nerds, the lack of customization options is generally a significant downside, but not so with the McIntosh MTI100. Yes, it’s an all-in-one, but it features the company’s renowned high-end phono stage, tube preamplifier and class-D power amp. Add in McIntosh’s signature black lacquer finish, large tactile knobs and lime-green glow, and the result is a form factor audiophiles like to scoff at elevated to a product of undeniable appeal.

Specs Cartridge Type: Moving magnet Stylus: Elliptical Playback Speeds: 33 1/3 and 45 rpm $6,500

Astell&Kern Kann Cube While it might be adequate for podcasts, a smartphone can’t deliver quality, hi-fi-level audio. However, with its great built-in digital-to-analog converter and powerful headphone amp, the Astell&Kern Kann Cube can power your nicest pair of cans. You’ll also need music, of course, and it has support for services like Spotify, Tidal, Deezer and Amazon Music, along with the ability to play virtually any lossless codec imaginable. Topped off with fast USB-C charging, it’s virtually a full kit for the audiophile on the go. Specs Audio Playback: Native 32-bit/384 kHz Supported Formats: WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, ACC, ALAC, AIFF, DFF, DSF, MQA Digital-to-Analog Converter: Dual ESS ES9038PRO SABRE DACs $1,499

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

AUDIO

THE STANDARD

Ultimate Ears Boom

A Bluetooth speaker is less of a gadget with a spec sheet to pore over and a release cycle to follow and more of an appliance: you need one, you need it now, and it needs to do its damn job with no fuss, no trouble and no BS. And it’s that ability to reliably, seamlessly, automatically fill a need that makes the UE Boom the perennial solution to the recurring problem of “How do I bring my music with me?” Sound quality? Good enough. But perhaps more importantly, it’s loud. Battery life? If you manage to run it all the way down from a full charge then it’s probably time for bed. Durability? More

AUDIO

than capable of fending off anything short of deliberate sabotage. Since 2013, the UE Boom has specialized in colorful and fun sufficiency, with flashes of brilliance along the way. The waterproofing introduced in 2015 with the Boom 2 was inspired, and the 2019 Boom 3’s Magic Button that lets you pause the jams from the speaker itself is all but destined to become an industry standard. In a few short years, this thing may well be literally bombproof and solar-powered. But between now and then (and likely well after), the Boom is a no-brainer buy.

SINCE

2013 NEXT ITEM

Page 81

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

G E A R PAT R O L S T U D I O S / D A N N E R

Where the Subway Ends Exploring New York’s City Island

The words explore and adventure often call to mind mountaineers scaling ridgelines in the Himalayas or wetsuit-clad surfers chasing some far-off wave. But they don’t have to. In fact, sometimes the adventures most worth taking, and the areas most worth exploring, are close to home. Such is the case with City Island — a New England-style fishing hamlet nestled on a 1.5-mile long stretch of land in the Long Island Sound in New York City. Likewise, when many think of Danner’s iconic leather boots, they may picture a bearded hiker stepping off the Appalachian Trail after a seven month thru-hike, or a professional photographer traversing a rocky coastline to get the perfect shot. And while Danner’s high-quality leather boots can certainly take on the most rugged of excursions, they’re equally well-suited to taking on your next microadventure. Danner’s historic headquarters of Portland, Oregon, home to the brand since the 1930s, is not dissimilar to City Island — both places were built on the backs of heavy industry.

While Charles Danner first made his boots to serve Oregon’s booming logging trade, we can’t help but imagine that his early boots would have found a home in the shipbuilding industry on City Island as well. Today, the shipbuilding industry has all but abandoned City Island, but its influence is still vibrantly apparent. Art installations of ships built there can be seen in storefronts and on the sidewalks throughout. And, sailmakers still craft and repair sails in the island’s historic buildings — trading canvas for advanced sailcloth materials infused with carbon fiber stringers. These sails carry some parallels to Danner’s boots: They’re made with the same passion and craftsmanship today that they were in the 1930s — with updated materials to improve performance. The boots feel at home here, on the weathered floors and sleepy streets — a stark contrast to the hubbub and monolithic steel of Manhattan. Few would say this is a part of New York City if they were dropped here blindfolded — and that’s what makes it worth exploring.

G E A R PAT R O L S T U D I O S / D A N N E R

Danner Vertigo 917 The Vertigo 917 is tailor-made for urban exploration. The boot, which comes in both men’s and women’s versions, has a sleek and streamlined silhouette that is perfect for pairing with just about any outfit. The Vertigo also features a waterproof Gore-Tex liner alongside the Danner-exclusive Vibram 917 outsole with XS Trek rubber, providing copious amounts of traction on a variety of surfaces. The contrasting red laces are there for a pop of color while the Ortholite footbed and nylon shank offer endless comfort. This boot will fit in anywhere. $220

Danner Mountain Pass The Mountain Pass, available in both men’s and women’s models, is similar in appearance to Danner’s Mountain Light, yet comes 25 percent lighter and with unmatched comfort right out of the box. But don’t let its featherweight stature fool you, the Mountain Pass is still brawny and durable. In fact, before selecting a full-grain leather upper for the boot, Danner puts it through six different tests to ensure its quality. Add in a Vibram sole, fiberglass shank and Gore-Tex liner and the Mountain Pass is a surefire recipe for good vibes all day. $360

G E A R PAT R O L S T U D I O S / D A N N E R

Danner Feather Light Revival The Feather Light Revival is Dannerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest addition to the Portland Select collection. The boot is still made by hand, the same way it was when it was first released in the 1980s. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s similar to the Light Revival, and features the same Gore-Tex liner, but has a five-inch height instead of six. The boot features a stitchdown construction, so you can have it resoled if you ever manage to wear through the Vibram Kletterlift outsole. The aesthetic is timeless and classic, and is just as at home on a jagged mountain trail as it is paired with a cuffed pair of high-quality jeans. $390

UNFAILING GOODS

FILSON.COM

Outdoors

For products to stand out in the outdoor space, they usually have to nail at least one of a few key superlatives: lightest, smallest, quickest. And while some of the year’s best releases do just that, others simply go against the grain. From a sleeping pad that’s intentionally big to a surfboard made of sheep’s wool, the best outdoor products might even make you wonder which superlatives really matter.

Top 10

Credits

Specialized Turbo Kenevo Expert

Words

Adidas Terrex Free Hiker

The James Brand Hell Gap

TA N N E R B O W D E N R YA N B R O W E R STEVE MAZZUCCHI JAMES STOUT

Firewire Woolight Seaside

Photos

The North Face A-Cad FutureLight Jacket

CHANDLER BONDURANT

Nemo Equipment Roamer

Illustration

Salomon S/Lab Ultra 2

P AT R I C K L E G E R

Leatherman Free P2

Igloo Recool

Gerber Compleat

The Standard 81

OUTDOORS

Patagonia Black Hole Duffel

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

EDITOR’S PICK

Specialized Turbo Kenevo Expert There’s no nice way around it: most of today’s electric mountain bikes just feel foreign on the trail. Good thing Specialized’s latest isn’t like most electric mountain bikes.

Mountain biking is an exercise in compromise. If you want to ride down a hill, you have to ride up it. And if you want to ride up a hill, you have to worry about the weight of your bike — and all those body-busting climbs. If you don’t want to worry about that weight and those climbs, you could shuttle, but then you have to knock elbow pads with a dozen other sweaty people in the back of a grimy minivan, and that gets old fast. A few years ago, bikes with electric motors promised the end of those grimy-van days. But that promise was overblown, because early electric mountain bikes…well, they sucked. They were heavy, the batteries got in the way of pedaling, and they needed special, cruddy wheels. Second-generation e-mountain bikes were a bit better designed, but their bottom brackets had to be dropped to keep all that weight down low —

OUTDOORS

meaning just as things were getting rad, you buried a crank and wound up braking with your face. Specialized’s new Turbo Kenevo Expert leads the charge of the third generation of E-MTBs — the first ones that don’t suck. It’s designed to rip down hills and climb up them again with equal aplomb. Like a Leatherman, it can do things you probably never will, but it’s cool to think you might. Now, any bike weighing 53 pounds won’t exactly be deft; it’s going to demand some changes in technique. But the Expert excels when you point it straight down a chute, release the brakes, hit the dropper post lever to lower your seat, swing your backside over the rear wheel and hope for the best. Its specs showcase its intention to conquer the gnarliest of trails: the wide bars, short stem and frame that’s stiffer, lighter and longer than previous editions all contribute to high-speed sta-

bility. Thanks to a new design, the rear axle travels backwards as the suspension compresses, helping you deal with big, angular rocks and logs. Ride this bike like a monster truck, and you’ll be blown away with what you can make it over. But the Expert’s not just a downhill bomber. The design team rethought the geometry, shifting angles and weight distribution to improve pedaling efficiency and control on steep climbs, so shuttling back up the hill doesn’t suck all the fun out of sending it down. The bike’s three levels of electric assistance (Eco, Sport and Turbo) amplify your power by up to 410 percent, allowing you to tackle lines that would seem ridiculous on just about any other bike. Even better, the power spools out smoothly; it doesn’t lurch forward before seizing, like many e-bikes do. The battery is better, too: Specialized claims a 40 percent improvement in

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

range over previous models, enough to sustain even the longest days of riding. With the user-friendly Mission Control app, you can monitor the motor and battery, make adjustments and maximize efficiency. For example, you can regulate the pedal-assist level to last the duration of your ride, so you’re not stuck sweating after running out of juice on the final climb of the day. And if you’d prefer to keep your phone in your hip pack, there’s also a handy LED indicator light on the top tube next to the power button, so you can easily monitor your battery charge level. Speaking of that battery: a common hang-up with e-mountain bikes is that they use a very specific removal key, one that inevitably disappears and leaves you searching for it between the car seats while your friends are cracking post-ride beers. Thankfully, the Expert’s power pack pops out with a simple Allen wrench, helping you get to the cooler more quickly. (And you will need to pop the battery out of the downtube to recharge it,

because if the bike isn’t too filthy to bring inside after a day of riding, you’re doing it wrong.) All of these advancements, of course, do nothing to prevent one of the worst parts of riding an e-bike: other riders accusing you of cutting corners, a critique that often involves the phrase “earn your turns.” But let’s face it — that’s bogus. You earn your turns by riding responsibly and doing trail maintenance, not muscling up hills. And if you have a permanent injury that hampers your riding capability, or if you’re new to cycling, or if you’re getting up in years but still want to rip with the kids, nobody should tell you that you haven’t “earned” the right to do so. The Turbo Kenevo Expert opens mountain biking up to those who may not have been able to embrace it before, and that should be celebrated. So whether you fall into one of those aforementioned groups — or you love conquering rock gardens and chutes but hate sweaty vans — this exceptional e-bike is worth a long, lingering look.

Specs Frame: M5 premium aluminum Battery: 700 watt-hours Travel: 180mm (7.1 inches) $8,225

While the electric assist amplifies your power by up to 410 percent, allowing you to tackle lines that seem ridiculous, the power spools out smoothly; it doesn’t lurch forward before seizing, like many e-bikes do.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

OUTDOORS

Adidas Terrex Free Hiker As evidenced by the wave of Canada Goose jackets status-symboling down city streets these days, outdoor products and urban style trends continue to cross paths. At the confluence of function and fashion reside excellent items like the Adidas Terrex Free Hiker. This clever, sneaker-fied hiking shoe finds itself equally comfortable at both clubs and campsites. Active ingredients? Foot-hugging Primeknit uppers, energy-returning Boost foam soles and funky styling rarely seen on trails. Specs Weight: 13.5 ounces Collaboration: Continental rubber outsole Bonus: Waterproof Gore-Tex for an extra $50 $200

The James Brand Hell Gap When you can buy a knife at the hardware store for $20, why would you spend $300 on a fixed blade you intend to prep a campfire meal with? Simple. Because a cheap knife wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t last. But the Hell Gap, with its purebred Crucible S35VN, micarta construction and timeless good looks, will. Plus, its distinctly non-tactical dress and reasonable size make it a joy to deploy at home, too.

Specs Weight: 3.1 ounces Length: 7.8 inches Blade: 3.8-inch drop-point full-tang $299

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

OUTDOORS

Firewire Woolight Seaside

Specs Sizes Available: 5'2" – 6'1" Volumes Available: 26.5 – 46.5 liters Fin Setup: Quad $840

OUTDOORS

Historically, sheep and surfboards haven’t had much to do with each other. But that started to change a decade ago, when New Zealand surfboard shaper Paul Barron spilled fiberglass resin on his wool sweater. Instead of dripping off, the resin settled into the natural fibers — and inspired the Woolight Seaside board that Firewire Surfboards launched this year. For all the “connecting with nature” allure it touts, surfing’s dirty secret is that most wetsuits and boards feature materials derived from fossil fuels that are harmful to the environment. Case in point: petroleum-based fiberglass fabric makes up nearly every board’s outer shell. For the Woolight Seaside, Firewire replaced that material with wool sheared ethically from sheep in Barron’s home country — introducing the surf world to a naturally occurring alternative to unsustainable fiberglass. “Paul approached us two and a half, three years ago,” Firewire CEO Mark Price says. “We were just excited by it. It’s a natural fiber that grows, so to speak, in a very environmentally friendly way.” Sustainable Surf, a third-party label for surfboards that sets the eco-friendly standard for the

industry, has given the Woolight Seaside board an Ecoboard Level One rating — just one tier shy of the highest rating possible, Level Gold. (Sheep produce too much methane to score the top honors.) “Overall, the use of natural materials in surfboards is a good thing,” Sustainable Surf cofounder Kevin Whilden says. “Especially if it doesn’t affect other qualities such as surfboard performance, look, feel and durability.” And that’s one of the most surprising (and delightful) things about the Woolight tech: the resulting board feels and performs just like a fiberglass one would. Over the course of many test rides throughout 2019, the Woolight Seaside has ridden as playfully and durably as a “normal” board does. Firewire produced a limited quantity of Woolight Seaside boards this year, and they’ve been well received, even selling out in Germany. Firewire and Barron may not have reinvented surfboard performance in any way, but they’ve done something much bigger: shifted the paradigm of production for this iconic recreation device. Cross your fingers it presages a sea change that ensures we’ll still be catching waves a hundred years from now.

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

The North Face A-Cad FutureLight Jacket Some companies might spend five years prepping a new product for its debut. It took roughly two for The North Face to go from an idea sparked in a conversation between mountain climbers to the production version of FutureLight, a new waterproofing technology that just might be revolutionary. That exchange took place on the high flanks of Colorado’s Mt. Sneffels, where mountaineer Andres Marin groused about needing to constantly remove and replace layers during a climb. He daydreamed of an outer layer so breathable, he could leave it on from base to summit. The recipient of that offhand remark was Scott Mellin — TNF’s global general manager of mountain sports — who thought, Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. Nor was it a simple one to execute. To do so, the brand had to harness a process called nanospinning (a.k.a. electrospinning), in which liquid polyurethane is extruded through more than 200,000 microscopic nozzles into impossibly thin threads. Those threads are overlaid atop each other to create a lattice with thousands of gaps too small for water to penetrate, yet big enough to promote airflow. Laminate that membrane to fabric, and voilà: a snowboarding jacket. Or a running jacket. Or the perfect mountaineering shell, as requested by Mr. Marin. Many options are possible, thanks to The

North Face’s ability to “tune” permeability levels based on intended usage. FutureLight may be new this fall, but The North Face’s team of athletes has been wear-testing the tech for more than a year in some of the world’s harshest environs. “If you put it on the very first time, it’s already got a great feel,” legendary mountaineer David Lama told Gear Patrol in January, a few months before his untimely death. “But the true advantages, where it really stands out, that’s something you have to feel yourself in the field.” As someone who tested the stuff on a daily basis — including on his solo first ascent of 22,621foot Lunag Ri in the Himalayas — Lama would have known. And after our own experience with various FutureLight apparel, including the A-Cad jacket and bib, in the varying climates of Colorado, Utah, Vermont and New York City, we have to agree. Specs Materials: 100% recycled polyester with brushed tricot backer and DWR finish Weight: 2 pounds, 1 ounce (size medium) Ideal Use Conditions: Whatever comes your way $599

FutureLight may be new this fall, but The North Face’s team of athletes has been wear-testing the tech for more than a year.

OUTDOORS

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

Nemo Equipment Roamer Sleeping pads keep shrinking, with the slimmest ones now packing down to the size of a soup can. But does smaller + lighter = better? Nemo says no with the Roamer, which addresses a camping reality: most of us make basecamp near our vehicles, so why not bring the most luxurious pad available? This pad self-inflates, is available in two sizes and is still lighter and comfier than the blow-up air mattress you might otherwise stuff into a tent. Sweet dreams. Specs Material: 50-denier stretch fabric, polyester top Weight: 5 pounds, 3 ounces Lets You Sleep Like: The happiest baby ever $210+

Salomon S/Lab Ultra 2 The first iteration of the S/Lab Ultra was widely available, but Salomon really made it for one person: world-class ultra-runner FranĂ§ois Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Haene, who used it to win 50-plus-mile races (and set the speed record on the 211-mile John Muir Trail). Salomon has since gone slightly more egalitarian, releasing this pared-down design with a lighter yet more durable upper. Nonetheless, the streamlined profile, close fit and all-terrain tread remain, making this version the ultimate trail running shoe. Specs Weight: 10 ounces Drop: 8mm Waterproofing: None $180

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

OUTDOORS

Leatherman Free P2 When Tim Leatherman and his wife, Chau, booked a trip abroad in 1975, they had wide-ranging goals: to stay in cheap hotels, experience life under communism and figure out what to do with the rest of their lives. As it turned out, the first two birthed the third. An excessive number of pocket-knife repairs of their rickety rental Fiat led Leatherman to jot a simple thought into his idea notebook: “Add pliers to Boy Scout knife.” “It started in a hotel room in Tehran, Iran, with some sketches and cutting pieces of cardboard,” he says. “I had a concept in my mind that it’d be a pair of pliers and each handle would have a channel, and out of the channel would come blades.” After eight years of toiling in a garage, Leatherman unveiled the Pocket Survival Tool, which featured a knife, screwdrivers, a can opener and other handy implements rotating out of the handles of collapsible pliers. It’s a design the company has riffed on,

but not departed from, in all its decades of production. But Adam Lazenby, advanced development engineer at Leatherman, envisioned something different: a tool with handles that swung freely, but locked into place when stored or deployed. What he wanted seemingly broke the laws of physics. He asked his team for it anyway. Magnets were the solution. They allow the Free P2 — and its big brother, the P4, which adds saw and serrated-knife blades — to stay closed until the magnets are disengaged with a firm flick of the thumb, at which point the handles butterfly open without friction and lock with a satisfying click. The internal tools swivel open by pushing on tiny nubs, instead of wedging fingernails into annoying little knicks. The result? You can deploy every single tool in the P2 using one hand. To make it happen, Lazenby and his team had to overhaul the production process. The Free multi-

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

tools must interact seamlessly, so rolling them out at scale demanded the precision of automotive and aerospace tooling, minimizing manufacturing tolerances to near zero. As a result, every product coming out of Leatherman’s Portland factory will be better made than what has come before. Like its predecessors, the P2 is another plier-centric implement with handy functions that swivel out of its handles. It just happens to be the best iteration of the multi-tool to date. Specs Weight: 7.6 ounces Knife Blade Length: 2.76 inches Number of Tools: 19 $120

OUTDOORS

Igloo Recool As the mega-cooler wars between Yeti and its imitators rage on, Igloo is taking a different approach. The Recool — an entirely recycled-material, biodegradable 16-quart cooler — provides an Earth-friendly alternative to those pervasive Styrofoam units found at every gas station. Sturdy and reusable, it keeps beer ice-cold all day long. While it might not replace the giant ice chest in your truck bed, it’s easily the best, most conscientious cheap cooler around.

Specs Weight: 1.6 pounds Material: Compostable recycled paper Capacity: 16 quarts (or 20 12-ounce cans) $10

Gerber Compleat The spork became a camp cutlery classic by uniting spoon and fork. But in doing so, sporks diminish the effectiveness of both utensils. The Compleat avoids this master-of-none trap; not only does it boast a separate spoon and fork, but also it has a dual-edge spatula (one edge serrated, the other rubberized) and a peeler-equipped tool that opens bottles, packages and cans. Slide the fork or spoon’s handle into the spatula for the coup de grâce: tongs. Specs Weight: 2.3 ounces Materials: Heat-resistant nylon and anodized aluminum Total Number of Implements: 8 $30

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

THE STANDARD

Patagonia Black Hole Duffel

When it comes to rugged adventures, your gear is only as good as the vessel in which you transport it. Thankfully, Patagonia perfected the Black Hole Duffel more than a decade ago. The super-burly, water-resistant hauler boasts convenient pockets, removable backpack straps, a padded protective base, daisy chains for lashing on additional gear and more; it even comes in multiple sizes, so there’s a version for everything from day trips to extended escapades.

OUTDOORS

Even so, Patagonia did introduce one notable change for 2019: fabric made from recycled plastic bottles is now part of all 25 Black Hole-branded bags, packs and totes. The body fabric and webbing of the 55L bag, for example, comes from 33 bottles. Total number of recycled bottles in the entire collection? Ten million. And whether that matters to you or not, these bags are tough enough to last a lifetime — a proposition that’s promising for both your wallet and the world.

SINCE

2004 NEXT ITEM

Page 99

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

G E A R PAT R O L S T U D I O S / A R C ’ T E R YX

Animal Inspiration How one designer tapped into nature to design a groundbreaking prosthetic foot. Inspired by the near gravity-defying balance of mountain goats, Kai Lin set out to help people — and change the life of one adaptive rock climber. His goal: design the perfect prosthetic foot for mountain climbing, one that would let amputees reach new heights on the wall. Lin grew up in the industrial city of Fuzhou, China, drawing his days away in his bedroom, sketching pictures into the wee hours of the night. But eventually, at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, Lin shifted from illustration to industrial design. “I wanted to move beyond drawing for self-expression,” Lin says. “I wanted to work on projects that solve a very specific real-world problem, to help people.” In his third year of studies, Lin stumbled across a video of mountain goats climbing a seemingly vertical rock face. Fascinated by the goat’s hooves kept them balanced, Lin started designing a mountain goat inspired prosthetic foot, called KLIPPA, the Swedish word for a cliff. In 2014, Lin’s KLIPPA was a finalist for the James Dyson Award. In a round of media appearances, he was introduced to Craig DeMartino who had lost his leg in a climbing accident. He was the person KLIPPA was designed for. But, Lin needed more funds to build a working prototype and after graduation, was caught up in the throes of a busy day job. That’s when Arc’teryx stepped in to help, offering Lin the use of a 3D printer. With that, Lin took to the design table and DeMartino prepared to test the prototype at Indian Creek, in Utah.

Y O U C A N S E E T H E W H O L E S T O R Y AT A R C T E R Y X . C O M / E X P L O R E / P R O B L E M - S O LV E R S

Craig DeMartino Climber

Arcâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;teryx specializes in technical, high-performance apparel, outerwear and equipment. Design is our way forward. Make it yours.

Arcâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;teryx Equipment | Vancouver, Canada | arcteryx.com

THE REGULUS

THE RIPLEY

THE SUMMIT B A C K PA C K

Adventure Forward. THE BACKCOUNTRY COLLEC TION IS HERE A Nico Mueller designed bag and two tactical watches, each with Recco technology and created to provide extra peace of mind when elements strike outdoors.

Fitness

Fitness isn’t always what you’d call fun. Which is why we love any product that brings us one step closer to that elusive feeling. Shining examples from 2019 include a record-breaking running shoe for the everyman, an ultralight gravel bike that goes really fast and a vibrating myofascial release ball that does all the hard work for you.

Top 10

Credits

Hoka One One Carbon X

Words

Reebok Nano 9

Care/of Protein

TA N N E R B O W D E N MEG LAPPE STEVE MAZZUCCHI CORY SMITH

Hyperice Hypersphere Mini

Photos

Velocio Concept Bib Short

CHANDLER BONDURANT

Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar

Illustration

Jaybird Vista

P AT R I C K L E G E R

Allied Cycle Works Able

ShakeSphere

On Running Weather Vest

The Standard 99

FITNESS

Nike Training Club App

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

EDITOR’S PICK

Hoka One One Carbon X Carbon-fiber-plated running shoes from Nike may grab all the headlines. But Hoka’s more-inclusive take on the technology is the one most people should buy.

Add the word “carbon” to any running shoe nowadays and two things are likely to happen: the price tag will double and everyone will want it. (Heck, you’re probably reading this article because it’s about a carbon-fiber shoe.) The hype machine really got rolling two years ago, when Nike’s Vaporfly 4% gained celebrity-level popularity with its embedded carbon-fiber plate, prompting other brands to rush their own carbon-fiber shoes to market. Funny thing is, Nike wasn’t the first to enhance a running shoe with carbon fiber; in the early 2000s, Adidas added a carbon-fiber plate to the racing-focused AdiStar, dubbing it the AdiStar ProPlate. So why aren’t we talking about that shoe today? Well, Nike’s marketing team did a fantastic job promoting the Vaporfly 4%’s benefits through its staged attempt to break the two-hour marathon barrier, “Breaking 2”; the shoe was almost as big a star as marathoner Eliud Kipchoge, the 2016 Olympic champ and official world-record holder

(with a 2:01:39 set at the 2018 Berlin Marathon) who was striving to accomplish the feat. On top of that, an independent team of University of Colorado researchers confirmed the shoe’s time-shaving benefits. Not surprisingly, serious runners began believing it would propel them toward quicker times. Fast-forward two years, both Hoka and New Balance have released carbon-plated running shoes as well. However, comparing the 4% to the Hoka Carbon X or New Balance 5280 because they all have carbon-fiber plates is like comparing a car, motorcycle and speedboat because they all have engines. So what’s the difference and which one is best for you? Short answer: it depends. Shoes like these are typically designed for very specific purposes. The New Balance 5280, for example, is intended for mile road races — hence the name 5280, the number of feet in a mile. Fittingly, it’s the shoe that eight-time Fifth Avenue Mile champ Jenny Simpson has worn while winning the prestigious race down that

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

FITNESS

famous stretch of Manhattan pavement the past two years. The Nike Vaporfly 4%, despite the promise of immediately cutting four percent off a marathon time, is better-suited to elite speedsters, as its geometry favors efficient runners with a midto-forefoot strike pattern. The studies confirming its four percent efficiency gains have largely been done on front-of-the-pack racers with near-flawless form, leaving it unclear whether the average runner would actually see the same improvements. Then there’s the Hoka One One Carbon X, a maximum-cushioned runner with a carbon-fiber plate sandwiched in the midsole. Unlike the others, this shoe is inherently stable, while mimicking the quick-footed feeling of a racing sneaker. “We’ve always prided ourselves on being a brand that includes as many people as possible,” says Matthew Head, the brand’s director of design. “If you go to a marathon, quite often you start to see Hoka towards the back of the pack,” he adds. Those back-of-the-pack runners often resort to the heavyweight trainers they use daily come race time, but every ounce counts. Studies show lighter shoes can mean faster times, with one quantifying a 0.78 percent improvement in finishing time per 100 grams (3.53 ounces) cut over 3,000 meters. At under nine ounces, the Carbon X is considerably lighter than your normal everyday training shoe, while still delivering that all-important stable ride.

Multiple studies have found lighter shoes contribute to faster times. At under nine ounces, the Carbon X is considerably lighter than your normal everyday training shoe, while still delivering that all-important stable ride.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

FITNESS

But how does that carbon-fiber plate increase efficiency? When Adidas was developing the ProPlate, lead researcher Darren Stefanyshyn hypothesized that, as your toes bend when hitting the ground and pushing off again, you lose a small amount of energy. The carbon-fiber plate supports your toes, keeping them straight — thus saving that otherwise-lost juice. Asked if Hoka had done any lab studies to test efficiency gains on the Carbon X, Head demurs. “We’ve done independent lab testing, but we don’t look specifically for efficiency gains,” he says. “We want to make sure it’s performing as a Hoka, ensuring we are getting the characteristics we want.” Those characteristics are achieved via Hoka’s classic rocker geometry — a curvature of the outsole that acts like the rails of a rocking chair to propel you forward and help you move smoothly through the gait cycle. “When touching down on the heel, it minimizes deceleration, or that jolt through the body,” Head says. “And when you take off, it maximizes acceleration.” The curved carbon plate amplifies this feeling, an unseen force gently nudging you forward with each stride. Bottom line: don’t try to compare the Nike to the Hoka — or four percent gains versus unclaimed ones — just because these shoes both boast a carbon-fiber plate. One shoe is not better than the other. It’s more about what you need in a running shoe, and what you plan to do with it. And the beauty of the Carbon X is that it isn’t designed for elites on race day; it’s an all-inclusive, everyday shoe that’s bouncy and fun and probably the brand’s best iteration of rocker tech yet. In other words, it just might be the most democratic high-performance running shoe ever made. Specs Heel-Toe Drop: 5mm Weight: 8.7 ounces Use Case: Road running and racing $180

FITNESS

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

Reebok Nano 9 Reebok makes a point of ruling CrossFit, and its latest signature sneaker shows the brand at its best. The Nano 9 boasts ample breathability and cushioning, plus burly protective wraps that stabilize your feet for explosive lifts. A two-piece outsole encourages heel-to-toe movement, making it more run-friendly than earlier iterations. Those features add up to a shoe that craves punishing routines — an ideal scenario when you’re busting your 50th burpee of the day.

Specs Key Material: Flexweave upper Use Case: CrossFit WODs and HIIT workouts Variety: Available in 18 colorways $130

Care/of Protein Protein shakes are the quickest route to postworkout muscle recovery, but finding a clean protein source you love isn’t easy. Among the plethora of powders that launch each year, Care/of is a clear winner. A five-minute quiz personalizes the protein you need based on your workouts and goals — and pea, pumpkin seed and hemp- or whey protein isolate-based powder arrives within roughly a week. Mix with milk, almond milk or water and feel the fuel go to work. Specs Quantity: 18 grams of protein per serving Flavors: Vanilla, chocolate, unflavored Personal Touch: Literally has your name on it $28 /15-serving tub; $15 /5-serving packets

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

FITNESS

Hyperice Hypersphere Mini Vibration therapy has taken over the recovery space, and this whimsical wonder will make you a believer. It’s small enough to toss into your gym bag or carry-on (yes, it’s TSA-approved), yet plenty effective: just 30 seconds of use will have you feeling the benefits of myofascial release. Grappling with plantar fasciitis, tight hip flexors, lower-back issues or sore pectorals? Three levels of pulsation ensure you’ll find the right degree of tension-relieving vibration for every muscle group. Smaller and yet more powerful than a traditional foam roller, the Mini will soon be your new go-to for everything from a foot roll-out to a deep-tissue total-body massage.

Specs Diameter: 3.9 inches Exterior: Silicone blended with a dense shell Battery Life: Over 2 hours per charge $99

Velocio Concept Bib Short More than anything, the everyday rider’s cycling apparel should be comfortable — aerodynamically close-fitting, yes, but comfy above all. It often comes down to the chamois, the oh-so-critical protective bit of padding that sits where rider meets saddle. Velocio’s new approach involves the use of high-density foam and anti-vibration inserts integrated into the bib, enabling it to “float,” which minimizes seams and chafing. The result: quite possibly the most luxurious cycling shorts you’ll ever wear.

FITNESS

Specs Composition: 70% polyamide, 30% elastane Breathability: Laser-cut perforated ventilation Production: Made in Italy $289

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar Whether it’s products for swimming, cycling, running or adventuring, Garmin has just about cornered the market on GPS tracking. And while the brand’s Forerunner and Vivo lines are excellent, the crown jewel may be the Fenix series: a consistently rugged and dependable choice of watch equally at home on New Hampshire’s Franconia Range and at the New York City Marathon. So it’s no surprise that the crème de la crème of Garmin’s 2019 lineup is the Fenix 6X Pro Solar, which draws power directly from the sun. Yes, it has a traditional power supply too, but the ridiculously long battery life of 21 days in smartwatch mode extends to an even more ridiculous 24 days when your watch sunbathes. A scratch-resistant Power Glass lens protects the watch faceslash-solar panel while still allowing light in. The vast majority of the juice comes from what resembles a simple design accent — a thin strip around the inside edge of the bezel. Now, you can’t just wear this thing outside to gain those three days of free power; there are tricks to making sure it soaks up the maximum amount of solar rays. It works best in direct sunlight, when your sleeve isn’t covering it and you’re not standing in the shade. Likewise, clear skies are better than cloudy ones for this Garmin. (Of course, cloudless skies tend to make a day at the beach or a day on the mountain even more satisfying, so odds are good you’ll be aiming to be outdoors those days anyway.) And if you’re curious about how much solar power the Fenix 6X Pro is collecting, you can even follow along via the sun icon on the face. The more light the watch guzzles, the greater the number of tiny indicator lines around the icon light up. In addition to this innovative solar-powered element, the Fenix 6X Pro Solar boasts all the GPSand fitness-tracking features we’ve come to expect from Garmin products. But this one also comes preloaded with topographic and ski maps for more than 2,000 resorts and 41,000 golf courses around the world — just in case you need another excuse to hang out in the sun.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

FITNESS

Specs Bezel Material: Titanium Water Rating: 10 ATM (good for everything but scuba diving) Battery Life in GPS + Music Mode: Up to 16 hours $1,000+

Jaybird Vista

Specs Driver Size: 6mm Weight: 6 grams each Fast Charge: 1 hour of playback after 5 minutes $180

It’s been three years since Apple ceremoniously killed the headphone jack, claiming, a little smugly, that it required courage “to move on and do something new that betters all of us.” Annoying, sure, but the brand may have been right. Since then, a world of wireless headphones has sprung up to support every type of listener, and perhaps no one has benefited more than everyday athletes. That’s particularly true in 2019. With the release of the Powerbeats Pro, Beats effectively gave Apple customers what they’ve been asking for since the disappearance of the headphone jack: sweatproof, sports-oriented AirPods. But that release was soon challenged by Jaybird — a company that specifically targets active people — with the Vista. Pavement-pounding audiophiles have debated the merits of these two worthy adversaries, but the Vista wins out in the long run for a few key reasons. They’re lighter and smaller (try fitting the Powerbeats under a ski helmet), and have a superior IPX7 waterproof rating, meaning they can with-

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

stand submersion in up to three feet of water, among other things. Three sizes of rubber inserts mean the Vistas cling inside the ear in a way that helps block outside noise. And the app has a nifty feature that lets you customize the equalizer. But what really cements the Vista’s case is, well, the Vista’s case. It’s tiny, barely bigger than a box of Tic Tacs (unlike the bulky Powerbeats case, which is comparable to a hockey puck). You can easily carry it in your pocket without it becoming obtrusive, even when exercising. That means the 10 hours of playback stored in the case are accessible on the go — and together with the six hours packed into a pair of fully charged earbuds, you can run or hike or bike for 16 hours without worrying where the nearest outlet is. And let’s not forget the price: the Vista costs a full $80 less than the Powerbeats Pro. Tally up all those factors, and you have a product that could make even the most fervent Apple devotees stray from their unified theory of tech.

FITNESS

When thinking about American spirit two brands come to mind: Hamilton and Schott NYC. The Hamilton Khaki Pilot Schott NYC is a limited edition that brings these two great American names together in a unique collaboration. With so many things in common this was a creative collaboration waiting to happen.

#HAMILTONXSCHOTTNYC

Allied Cycle Works Able You might think it surprising that Colin Strickland and Amity Rockwell won the men’s and women’s titles at the Dirty Kanza, North America’s most famous backroads bicycle race, on the same model bike. You might also find it curious that this bike was unveiled mere hours before riders took to the starting line of the 200-mile meat grinder of a course through Kansas’s Flint Hills. But if you were to take the Able for a spin down a pothole-studded dirt road or a length of loopy singletrack, you wouldn’t find that odd at all. Simply put, the Able rips. The notion of going as fast as possible on the worst roads lies at the root of the bike’s creation. Allied Cycle Works sought to build something that maintained the feel of a road bike while possessing “the ability to take on much rougher terrain,” according to Sam Pickman, Allied’s director of product and engineering turned CEO. That might sound like the pitch for any gravel bike — and the Able sits near the middle of the increasingly crowded spectrum between road and mountain bikes. Yet it’s uncommonly capable going off-road, despite its drop bars and lack of shocks. The Able’s defining feature is a raised chainstay that takes cues from hardtail mountain bikes. It’s a callback to 1980s bicycle design that, as repurposed here, is notably innovative; the lift creates enough clearance for beefy tires while keeping the rear end short and snappy. Combined with an ultralight carbon frame and a simple 12-speed drivetrain with a single front chainring, it produces the sort of ride Allied’s engineers had dreamt of. Beyond its good looks and racing pedigree, the Able demonstrates the potential of the rapidly growing gravel category, which begets bikes that are exceptionally versatile yet oddly specific. “It has a point of view,” says Pickman. He’s referring to the sole reason for the Able’s existence: to go fast on rocky and rutted terrain. But in pursuing that singular vision, Allied still managed to build a bike that’s as much of a joy to ride on pristine asphalt as it is on poorly manicured backroads.

Specs Frame Weight: 3.75 pounds Bike Weight: 17.85 – 18.96 pounds Production: Made in Arkansas $5,499+

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

FITNESS

SHRED HARDER.

RECOVER FASTER.

ShakeSphere Watch former British track champ Rick Beardsell show off his revolutionary shaker bottle on QVC and you may raise an eyebrow. Can this simple, capsule-shaped tumbler with no internal corners really use centrifugal force to purée fruit, skirting the hassle and mess of blending? But toss some bananas, powdered peanut butter, milk and whey protein into the mix — and be wowed by how the ShakeSphere makes post-workout recovery easier and tastier than ever. Specs Material: BPA-free plastic Capacity: 700 milliliters Shake Time: 60 seconds or less $20

On Running Weather Vest Getting a running vest right is a tricky proposition. They can often be too bulky, awkwardly pocketed or just not warm enough. Then there’s this lightweight, streamlined gem. Its blend of thin yet insulating fabric suits crisp fall days, but it can also slip under or over another layer in winter. A water-repellent front protects you from spring showers, and the vented back spares you the wrath of the summer sun. Yes, Goldilocks, it’s just right — all year long. Specs Weight: 2.98 ounces Key Material: Ultra-light Japanese stretch fabric Storage: Waterproof pockets on chest and back $140

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

FITNESS

THE STANDARD

Nike Training Club App

For 10 years, Nike Training Club has been a fabulous resource for fitness fanatics, thanks to more than 180 free routines. This year, the iconic app received a serious upgrade in the form of NTC Premium, which adds on-demand workouts, nutrition expertise, and mindfulness and sleep tips from Nike Master Trainers Joe Holder, Betina Gozo, Kirsty Godso and Ryan Flaherty. Nike handpicked each trainer for his or her expertise in various areas — from yoga to boxing to HIIT to running — with the goal of inspiring users and helping them mimic the way elite athletes

FITNESS

train. You do have to shell out for NTC Premium ($15/month or $120/year), but the cost is a fraction of what these gurus’ clients pay. Sign up for a range of four- to six-week programs, and the trainers provide all the moves needed to garner tangible results. The free version of the app is still excellent. But if you’re looking to add strength training to your marathon plan or variety to the daily gym grind, Premium lifts NTC even further above the competition it has itself spawned since its release a decade ago.

SINCE

2009 NEXT ITEM

Page 117

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

WAN DERI N G SINCE 1931

#LIVERIVETED

airstream.com

Motoring

It doesn’t matter if you’re talking cars, trucks, SUVs or motorcycles. The needs of passenger vehicles are governed by opposing forces: safety or speed, efficiency or comfort, style or capability. The year’s best new vehicles were chosen because they blend qualities in ways that play up strengths and mitigate weaknesses. They push transportation into the future. They combine the abilities of multiple vehicles into one. And above all else, they’re machines we’d be proud to own. Top 10

Credits

102

Jeep Gladiator

Words

106

Porsche 911 Carrera S and 4S

106

Audi E-Tron

ERIC ADAMS NICK CARUSO WILL SABEL COURTNEY STEVE MAZZUCCHI NICOLAS STETCHER

107

Zero SR/F Electric Motorcycle

108

Mercedes-AMG G63

110

Bird One

112

Ram 2500 and 3500

114

Toyota GR Supra

116

Bentley Continental GT V8

116

Indian FTR 1200

Photos HENRY PHILLIPS

Illustration P AT R I C K L E G E R

The Standard 117

MOTORING

Subaru Outback

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

101

EDITOR’S PICK

Jeep Gladiator When Jeep decided to hang a metal bed off the back of its iconic Wrangler for the first time, the pressure was officially on. The new Gladiator proves the carmaker has what it takes to deliver.

Americans love pickup trucks. They buy one every 12 seconds. And Americans love Jeeps. In 2018, the company had its best sales year ever, moving almost a million vehicles in the U.S. alone. So clearly, the nation hungers for big vehicles with a commanding road presence and four-wheeldrive grip. Yet in spite of a blatantly obvious opportunity to merge those two trends, Jeep went almost three decades without producing a vehicle with a metal bed hung behind the passenger seats — which explains why the company’s fans howled with delight when they glimpsed the all-new Gladiator at the Los Angeles Auto Show at the end of last year, all but preemptively thrusting cash in Jeep’s direction. But it was only this spring that the truck finally launched, at long last giving them the chance to do so. Rather than attempt to build a new truck from the ground up, Jeep’s product planners and engineers chose to keep it simple, taking the four-door Wrangler — specifically, the all-new, more-refined JL generation — stretching out the wheelbase and affixing a metal box to the end of it. The Wrangler-based design means all the parts and features that have elevated that model into an icon over

102

the last few decades come along for the ride. Removable top? Present, in both soft and three-piece hard-top forms. Removable doors? Also in attendance, and every bit as easy to doff as they are on the Wrangler. A waterproof interior, designed to be easy to clean and boasting one of the most intuitive, convenient layouts in the industry? Standard on every one. Jeep even offers the choice between manual and automatic gearboxes, making the Gladiator one of the last trucks sold in America to give drivers the option of rowing their own gears. But being a pickup truck means the Gladiator also can accomplish things its SUV sibling can’t — like towing up to 7,650 pounds (the Wrangler maxes out at 3,500). The five-foot-long bed boasts more cargo space than the trunk of its twobox brethren; plus, even with two or three adults aboard, it can still take on half a ton of gear. And options like an integrated 110-volt plug in the bed and an integrated Bluetooth speaker that charges from the car makes the Gladiator among the best tailgating rigs out there. The added space between the axles does dock the Jeep’s off-road capability a tad; it’s easier to wind up high-centered on unfortunately placed hillocks, and the breakover and departure angles

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

MOTORING

of 20.3 and 26 degrees respectively mean it won’t be able to keep up with the Wrangler when the going gets really rough. Still, that’s not enough to keep it from being every bit one of the most capable trucks on sale — especially in trail-conquering Rubicon form, which builds on the model’s inherent prowess by adding features like locking differentials, an electronic sway bar disconnect and a lower low range better suited for rock crawling. On the road — where, let’s face it, Jeeps spend most of their time — the Gladiator drives even better than the latest-generation Wrangler, which redefined on-pavement comfort for the model. Its long wheelbase gives the Gladiator delightful stability on the highway, making it a superior choice for long slogs behind the wheel. Added convenience features like radar-based active cruise control, blind-spot warning and parking sensors bring the sort of comfort not traditionally associated with trucks in general or Jeeps in particular. Hell, you can even pick one up with leather seats. Granted, it’s easy to price this truck up to a total near $60,000 if you go buck wild on the options sheet or spend extra on official aftermarket accessories like lift kits and off-road lights. But play it smart, and you can snag a well-equipped one for around $45K — only a few thousand dollars more than the average new-car price nowadays. Considering you’re scoring an off-roader, a five-seat family car, a convertible and a pickup truck in one for that price, it’s hard to see that as anything but the deal of the year.

104

Rather than attempt to build a new truck from the ground up, Jeep’s product planners and engineers chose to keep it simple, stretching out the wheelbase of the four-door Wrangler and affixing a metal box to the end of it.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

MOTORING

Specs Powertrain: 3.6-liter V6 or 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6; 6-speed manual or 8-speed automatic transmission; 4-wheel-drive Horsepower: 285 (gasoline); 260 (diesel) Torque: 260 lb-ft (gasoline), 442 lb-ft (diesel) $33,545+

Porsche 911 Carrera S and 4S Today’s 911 is many things the original was not. The cabin is decidedly high-tech, replete with screens and a toggle-switch shifter. The extra-wide rear houses a turbocharged version of the traditional flat-six, mated to a new eightspeed dual-clutch transmission. (Porsche even says a hybrid 911 is in the works.) Change is the only constant here — well, that and round headlights. Perhaps that’s why every new version of the 911 keeps Porsche at the head of the sports car pack. Specs Powertrain: 3.0-liter turbocharged flat-six; 8-speed dual-clutch automatic; rear- or allwheel-drive Horsepower: 443 Torque: 390 lb-ft $113,300+

Audi E-Tron Competition in the electric vehicle world is heating up, and it was Audi that delivered the first EV with a truly premium experience and high-end build quality, even if the E-Tron’s 204-mile range doesn’t compete with EVs from other makers (like Tesla and Jaguar). Still, the crossover is exceptionally well-engineered, delivering its own brand of sporty performance. It moves the ball forward — for customers, for parent company VW and for the world we live in.

Specs Powertrain: Dual asynchronous electric motors; all-wheel-drive Horsepower: 402 Torque: 490 lb-ft $74,800+

106

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

MOTORING

Zero SR/F Electric Motorcycle

Specs Horsepower: 110 Torque: 140 lb-ft Range: 161 miles in town; 99 on the highway at 55 mph; 82 on the highway at 70 mph $19,945+

Thanks to gas prices and environmental concerns, the argument in favor of electric cars becomes easier to make every day. The case for electric motorcycles, however, is trickier. Traditional bikes are already relatively fuel efficient, and rumbling engines are generally considered a good way to make sure drivers notice you. Still, when an electric bike promises cost savings, environmental friendliness and one-of-a-kind thrills, you pay attention nonetheless. Enter Zero Motorcycles. The California company has been at this game for 13 years, outlasting fly-by-night competitors and even impacting Harley-Davidson, which just rolled out its first electric model, the LiveWire. Early Zero releases were more proof of concept than perfect product, but the bikes have continued improving with each passing year. And the newest model is like that point on the evolutionary chart where the creature stands blissfully upright; the jaw-droppingly sporty Zero SR/F is fully formed and ready to run. Most riders might approach the machine with skepticism. The Zero SR/F flies contrary to the hallmarks of classic motorcycling: there’s no engine to purr, no gears to shift, no neutral to pop it into at

a light. But any doubts whoosh away the moment you twist the throttle. Try going from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than two seconds; it’s a cartoonish rush that never gets old. The whisper-quiet motor does demand added awareness; no one hears you coming, raising the risk of being cut off at high speed. Thankfully, the bike’s handling is impressively smooth, courtesy of traction control and ABS. Further improving the riding experience is the ability to quickly toggle between drive modes at a whim. In eco mode, regenerative braking most notably boosts the bike’s range, but the distance you can travel on a full battery is a concern. The weight of that worry could be worse, though — there’s a rapid charge option that juices the battery to 95 percent in an hour and a slick app that lets you monitor charging status while crushing roadside tacos. Is the SR/F going to replace that growling Harley you fire up for Sturgis every year? Hell no. But this head-turning urban speed demon will deliver more smiles per dollar than just about anything else on two wheels, all without ever using a drop of gas or pushing a molecule of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Green means go, baby.

Mercedes-AMG G63 New versions of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class come around less frequently than new popes. So when this year’s Gelandewagen arrived, it did so with roughly as much fanfare, though of a decidedly different flavor. Its Detroit Auto Show debut featured both indoor pyrotechnics and Arnold Schwarzenneger in a cowboy hat. But for all the commotion, it takes a keen eye to tell the new “G-Wagen” from the old, at least from the outside; the exterior is as boxy as ever, with all its flat panels and right angles. However, no such trouble occurs once you open the door. It used to be that all the wood and leather in the world couldn’t veneer over the car’s roots as a military transport, but the new breed finally boasts an interior worthy of a six-figure price tag, both in terms of ergonomics and materials. The cabin is roomy and comfortable enough for even tall people to log long hours, while the widescreen dashboard and center console are laden with modern tech. The G-Class can’t quite drive itself, but its active cruise control, lane-keeping function and blind-spot warning sys-

108

tem might lead you to wonder if it could. Especially since it can park itself. Two models make up the entirety of the G-Class range, but it’s the high-performance AMG G63 version that truly shows how far this off-road legend has come. AMG has played the part of G-Wagen fairy godmother before, sometimes to near-absurd effect (just look up the six-wheeled G63 6x6 of 2013), but this time it elevated the vehicle to the level of an off-road muscle car. Independent tests have shown this 577-horsepower beast capable of blasting from 0 to 60 in less than four seconds, in spite of its 5,842-pound curb weight and brick-like aerodynamics. More impressively, the G63 cracks off mind-bending acceleration times without sacrificing the offroad ability that lets the G-Class be mentioned in the same breath as Land Rover and Jeep. The fulltime four-wheel-drive system serves up low range at the touch of a button; front, center and rear locking differentials offer even more traction for sticky off-road situations. Off-road driving modes specif-

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

ically tailored for rock crawling, slippery surfaces and soft sand take some of the guesswork out of four-wheeling, and 9.5 inches of ground clearance means this G is unlikely to slap its expensive belly on any unfortunately placed rocks. Fast as a muscle car, comfortable as a luxury sedan and capable as any SUV, the G63 truly is the ultimate automotive multi-tool.

MOTORING

Specs Powertrain: 4.0-liter turbocharged V8; 9-speed automatic; 4-wheel-drive Horsepower: 577 Torque: 627 lb-ft $147,500+

Bird One Shared electric scooters lead hard lives — which means smart companies build them tough. Bird’s first conveyance built for purchase, the One, has tubeless wheels to prevent flats and a steel-reinforced aluminum chassis that’s four times tougher than its shared brethren. GPS and Bluetooth connectivity lets you use your phone to lock and track your scooter. Plus, you can score deals on Bird’s network of public scooters when you’re away from your personal wheels. Specs Range: 30 miles on a charge Charging Time: 4 – 6 hours Top Speed: 18 mph $1,300

110

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

MOTORING

FIELD WATCH No. 1 SOLAR POWERED MOVEMENT SUSTAINABLY MADE

Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy-duty pickups have become big business, but maximum capability is only half the equation; today’s buyers want the same comforts they’ve gotten used to in other vehicles. In top-trim form, both the Ram 2500 and 3500 are as tech-packed and comfortable as a luxury sedan. That’s not to say they can’t haul: the giant 3500 cranks out 1,000 pound-feet of torque, giving it enough towing capability to pull a small herd of elephants.

Specs Powertrain: 6.4-liter V8 or 6.7-liter turbodiesel inline-six; 6- or 8-speed automatic transmission; 2- or 4-wheel-drive Horsepower: 410 (gas), 370; 410 (diesel) Torque: 429 lb-ft (gas), 850; 1,000 lb-ft (diesel) $33,645+

Toyota GR Supra

Specs Powertrain: 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six; 8-speed automatic; rear-wheel-drive Horsepower: 335 Torque: 365 lb-ft $49,990+

Building a sports car is an expensive proposition, especially if you want it to be good. To create the fifth-generation Supra, Toyota got by like Ringo Star, with a little help from its friends: the folks at BMW. The collaboration stirred up plenty of criticism — spurred on, no doubt, by the Supra’s 17year absence from showrooms, which heightened fans’ expectations to an almost-insurmountable peak. Thankfully for them — and Toyota — the GR Supra delivers on the hype. This sports car goes, stops and turns with the sort of passion and performance that’ll boggle your mind if “Toyota” makes you think of jellybean Camrys and lethargic Highlanders. It’s also a shock to the system of anyone expecting a redux of the last generation, which, despite its The Fast and the Furious rep, was a beefy grand tourer made for high-speed straight-line travel. The new version, however, is as much at home on the track as it is on the highway. Its 50/50 weight distribution and shockingly low center of gravity prove it has the sports car basics down pat, while features like an

adaptive suspension and electronic limited-slip differential build upon that foundation with modern-day performance technology. The spec sheet may have far more in common with the rides of the Bavarian Motor Works than with anything alongside it in the Toyota showroom, but that’s a feature, not a bug. Dynamometers have found the German-sourced inline-six blasts out far more horsepower than the alleged 335, which helps explain how the car can zip from 0 to 60 in less than four seconds despite claiming barely more ponies than an Avalon. It’s enough power to feel fast without ever being overwhelming the way supercars and muscle machines can be. Sure, there are flaws: there’s no manual transmission and the steering is light on feedback. But the legend around the Supra has grown so strong over the years, no car Toyota put out could ever satisfy every expectation. With the fifth-generation Supra, Toyota chose not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good — and it delivered a great car as a result.

Bentley Continental GT V8 When a car costs as much as a house, it has to work hard to justify its price tag. The Bentley Continental GT makes the job look easy. Slide into the leather-laden cabin, fire up the twin-turbo eight-cylinder engine, and the Conti takes off like a shot, hitting 60 miles per hour just four seconds into its run up to 198 mph (all while weighing two and a half tons with you onboard).

Specs Powertrain: 4.0-liter turbocharged V8; 8-speed dual-clutch automatic; all-wheel-drive Horsepower: 542 Torque: 568 lb-ft $198,500+

Indian FTR 1200 Indian’s FTR 1200, its first all-new bike in half a decade, may be based off the brand’s modern FTR750 racer, but it draws the most inspiration from the Minnesota company’s rich history in flat track racing. A clean-sheet design meant engineers could start from scratch, and they optimized airflow into the potent V-twin by placing the airbox directly above the engine where the fuel tank would go. The effect? A lower center of gravity for superior agility. Specs Powertrain: 1203cc V-twin; 6-speed gearbox Horsepower: 123 Torque: 87 lb-ft $13,499+

116

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

MOTORING

THE STANDARD

Subaru Outback

The best cars in the world have always evolved in tune with their core customers — think Porsche 911, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Jeep Wrangler. Yet no icon captures the zeitgeist quite like the Subaru Outback, which pioneered the crossover category and redefined the idea of everyday transportation for millions of Americans. Subie’s stalwart off-road station wagon enters its sixth generation this year with a revision that’s neither too much nor too little. Compared to the competition, it’s more compact and fuel

MOTORING

efficient, but make no mistake about its weekend prowess; it can hold plenty of adventure gear in the back, while the all-wheel-drive and 8.7 inches of ground clearance mean it can leave the pavement and venture pretty much anywhere an SUV can go. The Outback helped Subaru’s U.S. sales inch up for almost 100 months straight, and that’s not because of incentives or bargain-basement prices. When it comes to the evolving needs of the American driver, the Outback has perfect pitch.

SINCE

1994 NEXT ITEM

Page 133

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

117

The Better Way to Buy and Sell Watches stockx.com/watches StockX is an independent marketplace and is not affiliated with any watch brand, nor is an authorized dealer. All brand and model names are the trademark of their respective owners.

Style

From suits to boots to sunglasses, menswear designs have long been codified. But that hasn’t stopped some heritage brands from pushing the boundaries. This year, Levi’s released a Western shirt that’s fully recyclable, while Tiffany & Co. made its first-ever men’s jewelry line; even Gillette infused its line with new tech that brought the heat (literally). Other brands, meanwhile, found new ways to produce ever-more-affordable versions of things we already love like vintageinspired shades and American-made workwear. Top 10

Credits

120

Levi’s Wellthread × Outerknown Western Shirt

Words

124

Warby Parker × Geoff McFetridge Sunglasses

125

GilletteLabs Heated Razor

TYLER CHIN A D A M H U R LY JOHN ZIENTEK

126

Tiffany & Co. Men’s Collections

128

Veilance Rhomb Jacket

128

Givenchy Gentleman Cologne

129

Viberg Chelsea Sneaker

130

KC Jacks

132

Aesop Gentle Facial Cleansing Milk

132

Montblanc × Bape Document Case

Photos CHANDLER BONDURANT

Illustration P AT R I C K L E G E R

The Standard 133

STYLE

Dickies Chore Coat

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

119

EDITOR’S PICK

Levi’s Wellthread × Outerknown Western Shirt Levi’s takes its footprint very seriously. This year, the 166-year-old brand released a shirt that’s completely recyclable — yes, even the buttons.

The apparel industry is one of the world’s top industrial polluters, and it’s been that way for years. According to the Ellen McArthur Foundation, greenhouse-gas emissions from textile production totalled 1.2 billion tons of CO2 in 2015 — that’s more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined. The foundation also found that the dyeing and treatment of textiles contributes to 20 percent of industrial water pollution globally. Meanwhile, the laundering of synthetic garments releases almost 200,000 tons of microfibers into marine environments every year, according to environmental consulting company Eunomia. If you find these statistics sobering, just wait; the situation is only likely to get worse. McKinsey and Company, a management consulting firm, found that “clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014, and the number of garments purchased each year by the average consumer increased by 60 percent.” Fueling the voracious cycle? The fact that a staggering 60 percent of all clothing produced ends up in incinerators or landfills within a year of being made. Within the apparel industry, there are some glimmers of hope, driven in no small part by the most unlikely of players: Levi’s. While the company is one of the largest clothing companies in the world, it’s also poured an extensive amount of resources into forward-thinking manufacturing processes and designs. Case example: Levi’s Wellthread. In its very first season, the program, led by Paul Dillinger of Levi’s Global Product Innovation division, was able to put 23 distinct material innovations into use. Over the past 12 seasons, Dillinger and his team have evaluated ideas for hundreds more. Since 2017, Wellthread’s discoveries have been featured in cobranded collections with California wardrobe essentials brand Outerknown. And the most recent season, released for fall, included an unprecedented version of the

STYLE

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

121

classic Levi’s Barstow Western shirt. Available in olive moleskin and indigo ikat, the shirts are made entirely of cotton — that includes the fabric, thread, label and even the buttons. This means they have the greatest potential to be recycled in the future. Materials made up of one substance — called pure inputs — maximize material efficiency in a recycling system, but very few garments available today fit that definition. Fabrics like nylon, and even some cottons, are blended with elastane for stretch. And if they aren’t blended, they may be sewn with durable polyester thread, include plastic buttons or metal rivets, utilize interior polyester backings or flaunt polyester labels and tags. All of these elements negate recyclability at the end of a garment’s life. “I can’t make it and call it sustainable if I’m also making something that I know isn’t recyclable,” Dillinger says. While this entirely cotton shirt is a first for the Levi’s Wellthread x Outerknown collab, the brands released a 100 percent polyester Sherpa Trucker jacket in 2017. They also released 100 percent polyester board shorts — the thread, fabric, buttons, drawstring and iconic Levi’s Red Tab were all polyester, ensuring it could be recycled as a pure input. “When it does go into a recycling system, it maximizes the potential material efficiency,” Dillinger says. “And that’s not what any of the recycled nylon vendors right now are doing.” Currently, the apparel industry lacks the technology and processes to recycle garments on an industrial scale. It requires proper grading, labeling, take-back and maintenance systems to make true circularity viable. When these are developed, Levi’s and its single-fiber clothing will be ready. In the meantime, Dillinger prioritizes tasteful, functional garments that stand up to years of wear. So when he approached the iconic Barstow shirt, he sought to redesign the pocket flap, which was prone to ripping the shirt fabric after years of use. Adjusting the way it was attached reduced strain and potential tears without changing the outward appearance. “If building a better pocket keeps that pocket from ripping, that’s what keeps [the shirt] out of the landfill and you won’t have to worry about things like recycling,” he admits. “The best strategy for circular design is to just make things that last for a very long time.” As Dillinger unlocks more keys to creating revolutionary garments, he hopes other brands borrow his ideas. “Most exciting for me is when I see components developed for Levi’s successfully and broadly deployed by other companies,” Dillinger says. “That’s when I feel we’ve actually had an impact.”

Materials made up of one substance — called pure inputs — maximize material efficiency in a recycling system, but very few garments available today fit that definition.

122

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

STYLE

Specs Material: 100% cotton Fabrics: Olive moleskin and indigo ikat Sizes: S â&#x20AC;&#x201C; XXL $128

Warby Parker × Geoff McFetridge Sunglasses Warby Parker is no stranger to collaborations, and its collection with LA artist Geoff McFetridge might be its best yet. The oversized sunglasses — available in either rounded or rectangular styles — are based on vintage frames owned by McFetridge. They’re made from thick acetate and feature double-rivet details, sculpted curves and scratch-resistant lenses. Available in two colors per silhouette, these shades deliver vintage style without the vintage sticker shock — each pair costs less than a C-note.

Specs Materials: Cellulose acetate frame, scratch-resistant lenses Inspiration: Vintage French and American shades Colors: Rosemary Crystal, Cacao Crystal, Peppercorn Tortoise, Jet Black $95

124

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

STYLE

GilletteLabs Heated Razor Specs Temperatures: 109°F, 122°F Battery Life: 6 shaves Cost of Razor Cartridges: $25 (for 4) $200

STYLE

All good shaves start with heat. Whether it comes from a hot towel or splash of warm water, its purpose is the same: to calm the senses, soften whiskers, open pores and ready your skin for the razor. So if heat is so crucial to a clean, effective shave, why doesn’t it play a more centralized role throughout the entire shaving ritual, rather than just the prelude? It’s a question that informed the first release from Gillette’s in-house innovation division, GilletteLabs, which combines technology and luxury to upgrade standard grooming routines (like the everyday shave). Its answer: the market’s first chargeable, heated razor, which posits mid-shave warmth is as important to a smooth shave as the warm-up. The Heated Razor boasts a long list of tech-forward perks, including a stainless-steel warming bar situated beneath five blades. The heat appears instantly and holds steady until you click the razor off. “It took an incredible amount of technology for that stainless-steel bar to be able to heat up in less than

a second,” says Stephanie Niezgoda Moss, Product Innovation Senior Engineer at GilletteLabs. “And to integrate intelligent heat sensors that allow the razor to maintain the right temperature throughout the entire shave.” The complex design is far from one-note. You can lower the heat by clicking and holding the power button. Like other premium razors, the GilletteLabs model is entirely waterproof, featuring a handle made of durable aluminum-zinc. Each five-blade cartridge clicks into a flexible disc-like head; this allows the razor to hinge left or right as it adjusts to the contours of your face. As is customary with any shave regimen, the heated-razor routine must still end with a cool splash of water and post-shave lotion to close the pores and calm the skin, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see GilletteLabs explore this with future releases. “We can assure you that heat is just the beginning,” Niezgoda Moss says.

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

125

Tiffany & Co. Men’s Collections

“I feel like Tiffany is the only American luxury brand that has credibility in making men’s jewelry.”

126

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

Tiffany & Co. is a hallowed name in women’s jewelry, but that hasn’t kept men away — Donald Glover and A$AP Ferg can be seen decked out in Tiffany & Co. necklaces from time to time. And now the brand that set the U.S. sterling silver standard has a new agenda. Under the direction of chief artistic officer Reed Krakoff, Tiffany & Co. now offers full-fledged collections of jewelry, accessories and homewares dedicated to men. “I feel like Tiffany is the only American luxury brand that has credibility in making men’s jewelry, all the way up to men’s fine jewelry,” Krakoff says. “It felt like such a natural and obvious opportunity to give the customer that is visiting Tiffany something new.” The men’s line is divided in two: the Tiffany 1837 Makers and Diamond Point collections. Krakoff’s inspiration for the utility-driven Makers collection was a trip to the Tiffany’s hollowware shop where silversmiths turn unadorned pieces of metal into extraordinary works of art. The Makers collection references the tradition of artisans hammering hallmarks onto their creations; Tiffany stamps “T & CO MAKERS,” “AG925” and “NY” onto the collection’s assortment of rings, bracelets and necklaces. The simple jewelry designs in the Makers collection highlight the sculptural beauty of flat edges and curved forms. The Diamond Point collection approaches luxury head on: it was inspired by a solid-gold archival travel clock, its surface cut in a diamond print motif. The elevated, sophisticated Diamond Point pieces — ranging from a pendant to a cocktail mixer — feature that same subtle diamond motif. The addition of a tumbled finish results in a soft, mellow glow. Krakoff has wanted to release a men’s line since joining the brand in 2017. The two collections, he says, are for men with a less-is-more attitude, who seek heirlooms that don’t play into trends. “This is really a whole other attitude and point of view on jewelry for men, much younger in spirit,” Krakoff says. “I would call them modern classics-to-be.”

STYLE

Specs Notable Pieces: Necklaces, bracelets, rings Metals: Silver, gold Vibe: Understated elegance $60 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $75,000

Veilance Rhomb Jacket Veilance, the Arc’teryx offshoot designed for city dwellers, recently concentrated its minimalist design aesthetic on warmer climes. The brand’s lightweight Rhomb jacket uses Gore-Tex with Shakedry technology to remain waterproof and highly breathable, thus utilizing the technical features of performance jackets without conspicuous colors or slope-focused designs. It’s developed for hot and humid urban wear, and it packs into a small internal storage pocket when not in use. Specs Material: Gore-Tex with Shakedry Construction: Taped seams Notable Features: 2 open hand pockets and 1 internal pocket $650

Givenchy Gentleman Cologne For the third consecutive year, Givenchy released a fresh take on its classic Gentleman scent from the 1970s. The latest in the trio is an iris-infused citrusy fragrance that aims for subtlety over extravagance. Its opening notes wear lightly, while a satisfying trail of ambroxan and musk lingers longer. Pick it not to turn heads; that distinction goes to 2017’s black-label Gentleman. Instead, wear the new iteration to satisfy your own senses, or those of anyone who’s nuzzling your neck. Specs Size: 3.4 ounces Notes: Citrus, iris, vetiver, musk Original Release: 1974 $88

128

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

STYLE

Viberg Chelsea Sneaker Viberg’s boots have been the gold standard for over 85 years, but the brand has a new target. After five years of examining shoes by Nike and Jordan Brand, the Canadian boot maker has expanded its in-house offerings to include sneakers. Viberg’s Chelsea Sneaker merges a traditional wholecut upper with a street-friendly sole, and it’s executed with the same attention to detail and premium materials as the brand’s famous work boots. Specs Material: Italian suede cowhide Sole: Vibram Fuga Construction: Cemented $470

KC Jacks If you want a pair of Ryan Martin’s W.H. Ranch jeans, get in line. There’s a two-year waitlist for the $375 dungarees, which are crafted from start to finish by Martin from vintage patterns he reverse-engineered himself. For everyone else, there’s KC Jacks, his new brand of workwear that offers a similar level of attention to detail without the long wait or prohibitive price tag. KC Jacks started when Eric Edwards, the owner of Kansas City clothing store E. Edwards Work Wear, reached out to Martin about creating a new brand of American-made workwear. Martin saw it as an opportunity to refine a range of hard-wearing wardrobe essentials like t-shirts, jeans and sweatshirts. So he set to work bringing the collection to life, focusing on Californian manufacturing, domestic materials and good-looking, functional designs. The t-shirts are based on the Army’s pattern. They’re made from heavyweight fabric knit in L.A. from Texas cotton and have a contoured fit (somewhere between slim and classic) with a longer body that stays tucked in. “The arms are very, very boxy, but the construction is completely military spec,” Ryan says. Available in four colors, they’ll each run you a square $16. Like the tees, KC Jacks sweatshirts are cut from heavy-knit Texas cotton. For $60, you can get a classic pullover or a zip style, the latter of which includes a military-grade zipper from the last operating American zipper manufacturer. At the same $60 price point are two styles of work jeans. Both are made in L.A. from 14-ounce tight-weave bull denim. The silhouettes are far from baggy, but they still allow a full range of motion. They come washed once to remove any stiffness and feature vintage-inspired details like a flattering steeper-pitched back yoke and triple-stitched seams. “Those are tiny little things I obsess over,” Martin explains. “They almost look like vintage jeans without the buckle backs.” One pair is styled like a traditional carpenter jean — with accessory pockets on both legs and a handle loop — and the other just includes one accessory pocket (sized for a cell phone). Both pairs feature military-grade American-made zippers. According to Martin, the $60 jeans could reasonably cost closer to $250 and nobody would blink twice. “But that’s not the market we’re going for,” he says. Specs Knits: Heavyweight Texas cotton Jeans: 14-ounce bull denim Production: Made in Los Angeles $16 – $60

130

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

STYLE

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

131

Aesop Gentle Facial Cleansing Milk Aesop’s newest cleanser is gentle enough for dry skin and frequent face washers, but it was designed for tough tasks, too. It can remove a day’s grime, a post-workout sheen or a layer of makeup. This makes it ideal for active lifestyles, all skin types and for countertop-sharing with your significant other. Best of all, it nourishes skin while it cleanses, thanks to the hydrating and soothing powers of panthenol and grape seed oil. Specs Texture: Non-foaming Dosage: Half a teaspoon Fragrance: Mild, woody, herbaceous $35

Montblanc × Bape Document Case When the worlds of fashion and streetwear collide, the results can be striking. Take, for instance, the document case from Montblanc and Bape, which sees the German atelier’s sleek Saffiano leather briefcase emblazoned with Bape’s cult-favorite camo print. Similar to the 2017 collaboration between New York-based Supreme and Parisian luxury house Louis Vuitton, this piece combines the street cred of a much-loved Japanese label with the prestige and craftsmanship of a revered brand. Specs Material: Saffiano leather Closure: Dual-zipper Street Price: $1,200+ $995 (MSRP)

132

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

THE STANDARD

Dickies Chore Coat Chore coats were born out of necessity. Workers and ranchers of the 19th century needed durable yet lightweight pieces of outerwear that acted as added layers of warmth during the cooler months of the year. Early designs featured tough fabrics, patch pockets and a button closure; seams were triple-needle stitched for strength and the collar and cuffs were reinforced for longevity. Today, the quintessential chore coat is made by Dickies, which got its start in 1922 selling denim bib overalls as the Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. As the brand expanded, later producing military uniforms for World War II, its chore coat became a mainstay. This year, Dickies produced a chore coat inspired by early iterations of the style, made in the 1920s. Cut from 11-ounce Cone Mills White Oak selvedge denim, it includes two U-shaped pockets and corduroy collar and cuffs. Almost a century has passed but the design feels fresh as ever. Workwear’s lasting appeal is rooted in its functionality — a trait that’s truly timeless.

SINCE

1928 NEXT ITEM

Page 149

STYLE

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

133

Home

At their flashiest, the best home products err on the quiet side — a kitchen knife from a famous bladesmith, a neo-Scandinavian accent chair and the best coffee you can drink from a can. At their most mundane, they maximize utility — an instant-read kitchen thermometer, an ultra-affordable smart bulb and fertilizer designed with the help of data. Disparate in name and use, the year’s best home products still share one thing in common: they make every day just a little bit better. Top 10

Credits

136

Sunday

Words

139

Casper Glow Light

140

Burrow Nomad Collection

ANDREW CONNOR WILL PRICE JACK SEEMER

140

Wyze Bulb

141

Ikea Fyrtur

142

Kramer Shokunin Series

144

Dosist Dose Dial

145

Vipp Furniture Collection

148

ThermoWorks Thermapen IR

148

Elemental Beverage Co. Snapchilled Coffee

Photos CHANDLER BONDURANT

Illustration P AT R I C K L E G E R

October 18 149

HOME

Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

135

EDITOR’S PICK

Sunday

The year’s best direct-to-consumer shakeup had nothing to do with reading glasses, mattresses or crowd-sourced cookware, but data-driven fertilizer.

In March of 2019, a United States District Court ordered Bayer AG, owner of Monsanto, the maker of the popular herbicide Roundup, to pay $80 million to a 70-year-old defendant who claimed the product caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Though regulatory agencies in the U.S. and Canada have stated that glyphosate, the key ingredient in Roundup and similar weed killers, is not a carcinogen, some studies have suggested there is a link between the compound and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and it is currently facing sweeping bans in multiple countries. The controversy raises an entirely reasonable question: is it really worth using such a questionable chemical compound to kill a few dandelions? Coulter Lewis doesn’t think so. After purchasing a home, Lewis was dismayed to find that the options for lawn-care products at his local Home Depot were limited to pallets of chemicals. “The challenge is that people really lack a lot of experience with lawn care, and if you’re going into

HOME

a store, there aren’t a lot of choices,” Lewis says. “The way we’re told to take care of it is in this very antiquated, brute-force kind of way, where we’re covering our entire property in pesticides and herbicides just in case we have a problem, rather than addressing things as they arise.” Having cofounded an organic snack company with his wife, Lewis saw an opportunity to do something similar in the lawn-care industry. He realized that as consumers become increasingly conscious of what they put in their bodies, the same thing could happen with their grass. And given that lawns blanket 40 million acres of the U.S. — more than corn, wheat and fruit trees combined — there’s room in the market for new takes on lawn care. Sunday is Lewis’s solution: for around $150 a year, the startup sends customers regular intervals of bespoke natural lawn-care products via mail. “What we’re doing is taking some of the most innovative tactics from golf course and high-per-

formance turf areas, where they’re trying to be more natural,” Lewis says. “We’re trying to bring that level of control and data-driven action to the household for the first time.” To do this, Lewis hired Frank Rossi, a professor and turf scientist who managed some of the country’s most high-profile grass at places like Yankee Stadium and Lambeau Field. Together, Rossi and Lewis built a system that could be tailored to every lawn in America. Sunday relies on a combination of soil parsing, historical climate data and satellite imagery that, according to Lewis, is clear enough to see spots and patches in the grass. “Data on light, soil and water conditions can be used to inform not just the products best suited to [a customer’s] needs, but best practices for them to have a successful lawn. Our focus on simplicity recognizes most lawns need small-batch blends of mineral nutrients and biostimulants to be successful,” Rossi says.

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

137

“That moment of being in Home Depot and feeling totally lost can be disparaging, because you feel like you should know what to do but you don’t. We’re all about providing that kind of comfort.”

Specs Consistent: 3 shipments a year Location Sensitive: GPS data assesses sunlight deficiencies Clean: No glyphosate used in any product $129+

138

When a customer signs up for Sunday, they receive a kit to take a soil sample. From there, Lewis says Sunday will test the contents of the soil to determine what vital nutrients might be missing and needed to better promote the health of the grass. Customers then receive products — which are comprised of materials like organic food waste from grocery stores and seaweed — that are meant to fill in the gaps. “[Soils that have] adequate organic matter and permit drainage, hold nutrients and support vibrant microbial life are important,” says Rossi. “There are issues where it doesn’t matter where you are — you need adequate light, good soil and good drainage.” Sunday’s core belief is that a properly grown and maintained lawn is fully capable of rooting out is-

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

sues like excessive weed growth on its own, but knowing that this approach isn’t infallible, it also produces a spot-treatment organic herbicidal soap and an iron-based dandelion killer. It can be tempting to write Sunday off as an organic lawn-care subscription box, but the company’s considered, data-driven take on lawn care presents a genuinely new way to care for a backyard, a take Lewis believes to be helpful beyond a tidy yard. “Almost nobody is an expert in this area, and that’s okay,” says Lewis. “That moment of being in Home Depot and feeling totally lost can be disparaging, because you feel like you should know what to do but you don’t. We’re all about providing that kind of comfort.”

HOME

Casper Glow Light The year’s best sleep accessory was designed to wake you up. The Casper Glow syncs with users’ sleep schedules — it dims as you doze off and gradually lights up in the morning — but its true calling card is the ability to function as a motion-controlled flashlight away from the nightstand. With long battery life and variable brightness levels, it also functions as a mood light for reading or “Netflix and chill” in the other room.

HOME

Specs Battery Life: 7 hours per charge Color Temperature: 2,700 Kelvin (warm) Shell Material: Polycarbonate $129

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

139

Burrow Nomad Collection The couches in Burrow’s updated Nomad collection are the result of a company listening to its customers. Since the brand launched in 2018, consumers have wanted the option of lower armrests for more comfortable napping. They’ve also asked for a sturdier USB charging port built into the base, a chaise and — here comes the big one — leather. So Burrow responded in kind by giving them all of the above. How’s that for customer service?

Specs Surface Options: Leather or upholstery Sizes: Ottoman to sectional sofa Assembly: Approximately 20 minutes $295+

Wyze Bulb Not everyone wants to drop $50 on a single smart bulb. Thanks to Wyze, which burst onto the scene last year with a $20 smart security camera, connected lighting can be had for about the cost of a six-pack. The Wyze Bulb undercuts offerings from Philips Hue and Lifx with an $8 dimmable LED bulb that’s compatible with both Alexa and Google Assistant. No hub required. Specs Life Expectancy: 20,000 hours Color Temperature Range: 2,700 – 6,500 Kelvin Lumens: 800 (60 watts) $8

140

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

HOME

Ikea Fyrtur

Specs Designer: David Wahl Adaptable: Comes in 8 sizes Availability: Only at Ikea stores $129+

HOME

Smart blinds have always been a tough sell, but not because it wouldn’t be nice to ask Siri, Alexa or Google to let in the light every morning before leaving bed. With brands like Lutron and Somfy, early adopters of smart blinds have had to deal with clunky UX, not-so-easy installation and hefty price tags, and until this year, even the most affordable smart blinds have cost hundreds of dollars per window. Meanwhile, retrofit options like those from Soma, which can smartify regular blinds, also have their own barrier to entry: they require a lot of moving parts, such as a bridge and individual motors, and, of course, they’re often sold in separate parts. Then Ikea came along. The Scandinavian company’s plan to release smart blinds was revealed back in September of 2018, followed by intense speculation, hype and, finally, a Europe-exclusive launch in February 2019, when it released Kadrilj and Fyrtur, translucent and black-out versions of the same motorized blinds.

Only the latter has made it to the U.S. but that shouldn’t dampen their appeal. Starting at $129, the battery-powered blinds require no electrical installation and can be controlled independently or as a group — meaning users can ask their virtual assistant to simultaneously raise or lower blinds in different rooms. The release isn’t completely out of left field for Ikea, which is best known for its affordable furniture and the occasional helping of Swedish meatballs. The retailer has been expanding its portfolio of home-automation hardware for years, which now includes everything from smart bulbs to a WiFi-enabled bookshelf speaker developed in collaboration with Sonos (see page 56). Then again, the 76-year-old company has always excelled in popularizing the unapproachable — designer chairs, niche gastronomy — and convincing everyday shoppers that some products are just too good to pass by. Its new smart blinds are no different.

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

141

Kramer Shokunin Series Only Bob Kramer could make a $1,600 knife seem like a steal. From his Bellingham, Washington, workshop, Kramer, widely regarded as America’s greatest living bladesmith, makes knives from scratch using custom-made steels, precious metals and artful handworked designs. He sells them in online auctions for tens of thousands of dollars. Kramer’s fame came in a rush. Features in Saveur, The New Yorker and a glowing review in Cook’s Illustrated, gave his knives a nationwide platform. His waitlist for bespoke knives ballooned from a handful to more than six years’ worth of blades (that’s when he made the move to auction sales). His new Shokunin series, meanwhile, features kitchen knives made for more people. Available with fixed prices starting in the mid-$1000s, the knives are released in batches that feature different blade styles; so far, he’s released a nakiri vegetable knife, a santoku and a chef’s knife. To be clear, these are still Kramer knives, and they include many of his trademarks — wide bevels worked paper-thin at

the edge, balanced weight distribution and incredibly high-hardness carbon steel. The name of the series alludes to Kramer’s greater purpose — Shokunin means “craftsman” in Japanese, and proceeds from sales are devoted to building the Kramer Metal Arts Lab, a stateof-the-art bladesmithing school to train the next generation of knife makers. Kramer says his shop will likely release one or two batches a year, with a little under 100 knives available per batch. But he also says nothing is set in stone. That’s the flexibility afforded when you can make 8-inch chef’s knives that fetch $30,000 at auction. Specs Featherweight: 7.5 ounces Tough: 62 Rockwell hardness score Handles: Cocobolo or blackwood $1,600+

Kramer, widely regarded as America’s greatest living bladesmith, makes knives from scratch using custom-made steels, precious metals and artful handworked designs.

Dosist Dose Dial Dosist’s sublingual mint tablets aren’t like other edibles. They’re not gummies or confectionary. They don’t taste good. And they don’t get you stoned — which is kind of the point. Each one carries a small, controlled, predictable dose of cannabinoids, which gets you just the right amount of high, every time. Sublingual consumption also means you don’t have to wait an hour and a half for one to kick in.

144

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

Specs Measured: 3.7mg of cannabinoids per tablet Tablets: 30 per Dial Availability: Only in California and Florida $30

HOME

Vipp Furniture Collection Vipp is no newcomer to home design. It’s a beloved, family-owned Danish brand celebrating its 80th year in business. And what product did this revered design company cement its legacy with, you ask? A trash can. While the Vipp Pedal Bin has been the center of the company’s image for decades, it’s not all the brand is capable of. In recent years, Vipp has slowly expanded its offerings, launching a line of kitchen goods in 2012 and a lighting collection in 2015. At the very end of 2018, though, Vipp announced a bolder project: a full furniture collection. If the iconic Vipp Pedal Bin is an exercise in design shrewdness — the bin you can buy today is more or less what founder Holger Nielsen designed in 1939 — the brand’s furniture is cut from the same aesthetic cloth. The familiar monochrome powder coating found on the bin and many of Vipp’s other wares is front and center, but the collection also incorporates new materials like wood, leather and ceramic. The resulting lineup feels immediately Scandinavian. Vipp’s industrial appearance lends itself well to the sharp, minimalist lines you’d expect from a Danish designer while still highlighting natural materials, offering up a deeply cutting-edge take on a familiar genre of interior design. While other high-end furniture makers employ similar techniques, it’s Vipp’s uncanny ability to draw a cohesive conceptual line between an 80-year-old trash can and luxe modern furniture that makes this one of the best home-design releases of the year.

Specs Designer: Morten Bo Jensen Selection: Sofas, chairs, coffee table Materials: Aluminum, upholstery, leather $775 – $6,795

HOME

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

145

ThermoWorks Thermapen IR Thermapen has long been the first-choice instant-read thermometer for chefs and pitmasters of all stripes and skill levels. It’s faster and more accurate than its competitors; plus, the digital display rotates automatically for easy reading. And though it was already the best kitchen thermometer money could buy, ThermoWorks upgraded the design with a pro-grade infrared sensor. Use it to track heat levels in all the places you’d rather not put your hands — like a cast-iron skillet. Specs Margin of Error: Accurate to 1 degree Fahrenheit Efficiency: Reads temperature in 2 – 3 seconds Probe Length: 4.3 inches $139

Elemental Beverage Co. Snapchilled Coffee Even the best coffee goes bad, and the culprit is always the same: oxygen. Elemental Beverage Co., maker of a new range of shelf-stable coffees that come in cans and bottles, gets around the problem with a proprietary technique called “snapchilling” that cools hot coffee fast enough to ensure the beans’ original flavors aren’t destroyed by oxidation. Even the snarkiest of coffee snobs in your circle will be impressed.

Specs Single Origins: Burundi, Ethiopia, Colombia Shelf-Stable: Stays fresh 4 – 6 months Availability: Online $30 (6-pack)

148

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

HOME

THE STANDARD

Lodge Cast-Iron Skillet

Lodge has been making accessible cast-iron cookware since 1950. Not around 1950; the year 1950. Prior to that, the Tennessee foundry was making pots, pans and griddles the hard way — by hand-pouring smelted iron into individual casts. Then the old ironmaker went the way of most American manufacturing, streamlining its production process at every stage. It’s hard to get too upset, though: the Lodge pans we know today — inelegant, rough-surfaced and heavy as they may be — are cheap to make and

HOME

cheap to buy, making the company not just the largest cast-iron maker in the States, but the largest cookware manufacturer in America, too. That’s afforded the brand the ability to spread its wings. Just in 2019, Lodge has released performance-focused (Chef’s Collection) and vintage-inspired (Blacklock) lines of iron cookware. It even acquired Finex, its largest high-end competitor. So while Lodge has yet to reissue the silky smooth pans from before World War II, it’s made clear that it isn’t going away anytime soon.

SINCE

1950 NEXT ITEM

Page 163

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

149

Drinks

It’s easy to get into overly meta discussions around what the best drinks in the world are. Well, it has little to do with taste; quality is important, of course, but it will only get brands so far. The best drink products go beyond by offering up something the competition doesn’t — such as well-aged whiskey that’s shockingly affordable or spiked seltzer that’s both fun and serious. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when they go down easy. Top 10

Credits

152

Four Roses Small Batch Select

Words

156

Shacksbury Shorts

156

Old Forester Rye Whisky

R YA N B R O W E R ANDREW CONNOR JACK SEEMER J . T R AV I S S M I T H WILL PRICE

157

Allagash River Trip

158

Legent

160

George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond

161

The Finnish Long Drink

161

Riedel Drink Specific Glassware

162

Dims. Barbican Trolley

162

Haus Citrus Flower

Photos CHANDLER BONDURANT

Illustration P AT R I C K L E G E R

The Standard 163

DRINKS

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

151

EDITOR’S PICK

Four Roses Small Batch Select Thirteen years since the last addition to Four Roses’s core lineup, the well-timed Small Batch Select touches on all of bourbon’s biggest trends.

Lost in the explosive rise of bourbon in America is a decades-long whiskey comeback story, a comeback that, until recently, would’ve been easy to miss. Four Roses was introduced in 1888 and, by the 1930s, had become America’s top-selling bourbon. But after the distillery was purchased by Seagram in 1943, the brand began moving the sale of its Kentucky straight bourbon to European and Japanese markets, leaving America with the lesser Four Roses whiskey. For Americans, Four Roses went into hibernation. Then in 2002, Kirin Brewery took over the brand and jettisoned Seagram’s blended mistake for Four Roses Yellow (now simply “Four Roses”). Two years later, under newly-appointed master distiller Jim Rutledge, Four Roses Single Barrel hit shelves; then came Four Roses Small Batch and, for the next decade, the three expressions amassed a cult following. They were the bourbons that any seri-

152

ous drinker would inevitably stumble upon, and then immediately fall in love with. The recent lull was interrupted this spring when the distillery announced the first update to its mainline bourbon collection in 13 years: Four Roses Small Batch Select. While other distilleries were buying national ad spots and importing sherry casks from Spain, Brent Elliot, the current Master Distiller, spent over a year blending Four Roses recipes, seeking out the perfect ratio for the new Four Roses bottle. “Fortunately,” said Elliot, “we use ten different recipes.” These 10 recipes are what makes Four Roses unlike any other bourbon distillery. Distillers at their Lawrenceburg, Kentucky location pitch five unique yeasts into batches made using two separate mashbills. Once barreled, these 10 distinct recipes are mixed and matched. All 10 are blended to make Four Roses, four are blended to make Four Roses

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

DRINKS

Specs Proof: 104 All Natural: Non-chill-filtered Serve: Neat, with a few drops of water $55

“We wanted to offer something exciting and new that consumers will be able to find anytime.”

Small Batch and, obviously, one recipe is bottled for Four Roses Single Barrel. The new Four Roses Small Batch Select is a blend of six recipes, each aged for at least six years, including the four recipes that showed up in Elliot’s one-off, the 130th Anniversary Small Batch, which took home the title of “World’s Best Bourbon” in the 2019 World Whiskies Awards. Small Batch Select is Elliot through and through; since taking up his role, he’s been releasing blends with some of the lesser-known recipes, like those made with its more herbal yeast. Also of note: Small Batch Select is the most pre-

DRINKS

mium Four Roses to ever see wide release. It’s the highest-priced booze of the permanent collection and, in a nod to current trends, it weighs in at the highest proof. And the company elected to skip the chill-filtration process, giving the whiskey a thicker, more oily mouthfeel. Previously, you could only find non-chill-filtered Four Roses at this proof if you were able to get your hands on the annually released Four Roses Limited Editions. “Limited Editions are great, but the problem is their availability,” says Elliot, referring to the fact that these bottles are released in very short supply and are universally lauded by critics and drinkers,

making them nearly impossible to find and impossibly expensive to purchase on second-hand markets. “We wanted to offer something exciting and new that consumers will be able to find anytime.” And so beginning this spring, drinkers in Kentucky, New York, California, Texas and Georgia now have a new Four Roses in town, with more states on the docket for the future. It’s the next logical step for the distillery, and with new recipes to show what they can do and a nod to the trends that have pushed proofs up and pushed chill-filtration aside, it’s a great service to fans who want more than the yearly limited-edition releases.

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

155

Shacksbury Shorts Don’t let the smirking giraffe fool you — Shackbury Shorts is not a cutesy cash grab. Though the hard seltzer finds itself lined up against goliaths like White Claw, it may very well be the sleeper champion of 2019’s hard seltzer war. The Vermont cidery’s take on the biggest new category in booze is made with a New England apple cider base, featuring a touch of citrusy botanicals for complexity. It’s light and bright, with a Champagne-like aftertaste. In short, it makes other hard seltzers taste like flavorless sugar bombs. Specs ABV: 4.5% Calories: 70 Apple base: Mac, Empire, Gala, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious Apples $8 – $10 (6-pack)

Old Forester Rye Whisky Available year-round across the country, Old Forester’s entry-level, 100-proof rye is something of a whiskey chameleon: it’s rich enough to sip neat or with a splash of water; strong enough to stand up in a Manhattan; and cheap enough to serve as a house whiskey. It’s got staying power, so consider it up there with bottom-shelf greats like Wild Turkey 101 and Evan Williams Black. Specs Proof: 100 Age: No age statement Availability: National distribution $23

156

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

DRINKS

Allagash River Trip Specs ABV: 4.8% Hops: Nugget, Cascade, Comet and Azacca Calories: 128 (per 12 ounces) $12 (4-pack)

DRINKS

Three years ago, a group of Allagash employees set out on a canoeing expedition through Maine’s 92.5-mile-long Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Naturally, they wanted to bring beer, but the brewery’s award-winning heavier, higher-ABV Belgian-style ales weren’t ideal takes for hot days on a river. So they decided to make one that was. The aptly named River Trip was brewed specifically for days on the water and evenings around a campfire. The new Belgian-style session ale drinks like a hoppier, lighter version of Allagash’s iconic White. Combined with local pale malt, local raw quick oats and coriander, Allagash dry-hopped the beer with Comet and Azacca hops, a rarity for the brand. For the uninitiated, dry-hopping is a brewing technique that brings out the floral and fruity qualities of hops while suppressing the bit-

terness. In River Trip, that means balanced notes of grapefruit, melon and stonefruit shine through. Allagash also opted to can-condition River Trip, a traditional carbonation method that adds a small amount of yeast and sugar into the brew just before canning, allowing the beer to referment in the can while coming up to full carbonation. Translation: it makes the beer taste fresher for longer. The final product, an entirely crushable 4.8 percent ABV, 170-calorie ale, is packed into 16-ounce cans. It furthers what Allagash has been doing for decades now — effectively integrating the best parts of American craft beer into traditional Belgian beer styles — and, by way of a thoughtful mix of some of the biggest trends in beer, River Trip has more than earned its spot on the shelf.

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

157

Legent Specs Proof: 94 Flexible: Good for mixing or sipping Availability: National distribution $35

“Blended” used to be a dirty word in Kentucky bourbon. Now, one of the most respected names in bourbon is producing it en masse. Seventh-generation Jim Beam Master Distiller Fred Noe teamed up with Shinji Fukuyo, the fifth-ever Chief Blender at Suntory, the founding house of Japanese whisky, to create Legent, the first wide-release, stand-alone bourbon brand from Beam since the Jim Beam Small Batch Collection was introduced almost 30 years ago. Legent (pronounced lee-jent) begins as straight Kentucky whiskey, produced and aged for four years at Jim Beam’s Clermont, Kentucky, distillery. A portion is then finished in sherry barrels, another portion in red-wine barrels, and then Noe tosses the keys to Fukuyo, who blends the now three whiskeys to merge styles from opposite sides of the world into one neat, 94-proof package. The resulting bourbon is a window into Kentucky for fans of delicate-smooth Japanese blends and sherry-bomb Scotches, and a lifeline for those American drinkers waiting for some of the better whiskey trends to flourish stateside: the red wine and sherry casks round out the bourbon’s spiciness, as

DRINKS

they do to Scotch’s peatiness; and Fukuyo’s blending, which famously layers complexity atop a delicate base, lends nuance that stands distant from the rough-cut “blended bourbons” of the past. The category’s dirty reputation stems from unscrupulous American distillers of yesteryear, who would blend a little whiskey, a lot of neutral-grain spirit and a few drops of coloring and sell it as “blended whiskey.” The shoddy, whiskey-flavored vodka mixtures led to a dismissal of the style and an embrace of ideas like Bottled-in-Bond to ensure that each bottle was the real deal. But those days are long gone and blends are returning in droves, led by experimenting craft distillers. “Blends absolutely have a place in the future of bourbon,” says Fred Minnick, best-selling author and bourbon expert. As long as they’re honest, and, of course, taste good. Legent, a flex from Beam Suntory to show off both arms of its whiskey-making empire, is a flavor that Americans can expect to see more of. “Legent is really something special,” says Noe. “As a bourbon distiller, I enjoy breaking rules and creating new traditions.”

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

159

George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond The exclusion of a whopping 13-year age statement on this bottle was either the best or worst branding decision in whiskey this year. Old whiskey sells, especially as age statements have become rarer and rarer. Perhaps the people behind this ludicrously cheap $36 Bottled-in-Bond whiskey wanted to keep it a secret unto themselves; if not for the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;Distilling Season - Fall 2005â&#x20AC;? scrawled vertically on the label, they might have pulled it off. Specs Proof: 100 Age: 13 years Mashbill: 84% corn, 8% rye, 8% malted barley $36

160

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

DRINKS

The Finnish Long Drink The Finnish long drink — a carbonated, gin-based, grapefruit-forward alcoholic soda — doesn’t fit into any category of American booze. It’s not a spiked seltzer, and its founders say it’s not a canned cocktail, either. And it’s not particularly new; the lonkero, as it’s called in Finland, was invented by the Finnish government to satisfy tourists during the Summer Olympic Games in 1952, and thanks to the four friends behind the Long Drink Company, it’s now available stateside. Their canned version goes down like a cold Fresca, without the syrupy aftertaste. Pour over ice.

Specs ABV: 5.5% Distribution: Available online Calories: 180 (per 12 ounces) $16 (6-pack)

Riedel Drink Specific Glassware Riedel consulted with bar consultant Zane Harris for the first series of cocktail glasses to give ice the attention it deserves in mixology. The six shapes — Rocks, Highball, Sour, Nick & Nora, Fizz, Neat — are sized to factor in liquid displacement (or the lack of it) from your choice of ice, elevating your cocktail game without any effort. There’s a matching mixing glass ($60) and spirits decanter ($149) for completionists.

DRINKS

Specs Material: Crystal Sold in: Sets of 2 Care: Dishwasher-safe $30 – $149

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

161

Dims. Barbican Trolley

Specs Colors: Green, black, white Assembly: None required Use Case: Bar cart, trolley, rolling table, serving tray $350

No discussion of affordable furniture happens without addressing the big, blue, Swedish elephant in the room. But at some point, recent college graduates find themselves looking to graduate from Ikea’s flat-packed ranks to something that, god willing, will transition from apartment to house to heirloom item. When that time came for Eugene Kim, he, like most of us, was dismayed. There was no furniture brand that managed to check all his boxes — well-made, well-designed and well-priced. So he started his own direct-to-consumer furniture brand called Dims. Like any new brand worth its salt, it’s positioned to disrupt its industry by offering quality products at a reasonable cost. We’ve all heard that pitch before. But it sets itself apart in its approach. Instead of riffing on (or downright stealing) classic and established designs like much of the competition, each piece is created by a different designer or studio. In effect, it provides a proving ground for lesser-known talent while sharing six percent of sales with the maker. In that sense, Kim hopes that

Dims. (the period is always there) can become like Design Within Reach with price tags that are, well, actually within reach. When Dims. launched early in 2019, it did so with a modest four-piece collection. Included alongside a solid-wood coffee table, a desk and a steel side table was the breakout hit: the Barbican Trolly. This bar cart is designed by New Yorkbased industrial design studio Visibility and made from steel and ash wood. The studio, which has had plenty of success on its own (Forbes’s “30 Under 30” list, Wallpaper* Design Award, Fast Co. Innovation by Design Award), describes the Barbican as “an architectural take on the bar cart.” It’s easy to see where they’re coming from: the ash-wood handle seamlessly extends from the top shelf like a cantilever, while the bottom tier’s retaining wall opens it up to far more possibilities than just beverage duty. It may seem like heady stuff for something designed as a home for bottles of liquor, but that’s what Dims. is aiming to provide: thoughtful design at approachable price points. Cheers to that.

Haus Citrus Flower California startup Haus may very well be the first direct-to-consumer booze brand in the U.S. Its aperitif-like expressions, sold exclusively online, use grapes like wine and clock in under 24 percent ABV; that means Haus can bypass most states’ mandated three-tier distribution system, comprised of producers, distributors and retailers. The brand’s first offering, Citrus Flower, blends unoaked Chardonnay with lemon, cane sugar, hibiscus, grapefruit, elderflower and cinnamon for a lowsugar answer to the Aperol craze of yesteryear. Specs ABV: 15% Versatile: Mix with Prosecco, club soda or fruit juice Clean: No additives, preservatives or coloring $35

162

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

DRINKS

THE STANDARD

Bell’s Two Hearted Ale

There is no one way to brew an IPA. From the oily and bitter brews of old to today’s juicy, fruit-forward offerings, the category is ever changing, save two constants: the IPA still reigns as king of American craft beer, and Bell’s Two Hearted Ale is never out of style. Two Hearted Ale was first brewed in 1990 but then fell out of production, only to be overhauled as a seasonal release in 1997 using 100 percent Centennial hops. The 2.0 iteration had the ability

DRINKS

to balance the bitter and fruity and became a yearround offering in 2013. This year, Two Hearted lovers have another reason to celebrate: Bell’s is releasing it in two new variants. Its take on a Double IPA — aptly named Double Two Hearted — has more than twice the hops, while a low-calorie, low-ABV version dubbed Light Hearted Ale (available 2020) offers a totally session-able drink. With these new releases, the king of the IPA won’t be dethroned any time soon.

SINCE

1990 NEXT ITEM

Page 177

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

163

Travel

The best travel products are the ones you don’t think about, whose features and convenience allow you to be present. This year, Airstream and AeroPress downsized crowd-favorite products for portability, Fujifilm made a relevant travel camera in the smartphone era (no easy feat) and Seiko’s GPS smartwatch took the pain out of tracking time zones. When products are well-designed and their features are intuitive, you’re primed to concentrate on the journey ahead. Top 10

Credits

166

Fujifilm X-T30

Words

169

Peak Design Travel Tripod

170

Nite Ize RunOff Collection

170

Mophie Powerstation Hub

TYLER CHIN WILL SABEL COURTNEY OREN HARTOV HENRY PHILLIPS JOHN ZIENTEK

171

AeroPress Go

172

Airstream Bambi

174

Pacsafe Vibe 325 Econyl Sling Pack

174

Seiko Astron 5X GPS Solar

175

Atoms Model 000

176

Cohérence Ruiz Packable Coat

Photos CHANDLER BONDURANT

Illustration P AT R I C K L E G E R

The Standard 177

T R AV E L

Zero Halliburton Aluminum Carry-On

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

165

EDITOR’S PICK

Fujifilm X-T30 In an era when every traveler has a smartphone in their hands, Fujifilm makes the case for putting it away — and pulling out a real camera instead.

The idea of a “travel camera” is a confusing one in 2019. Just about everyone who’s traveling already has one on their phone, and odds are, it’s pretty good. Multiple lenses paired with technological effects like portrait mode, HDR and ultra-low-light settings all mean that not only are high-end smartphones incredibly convenient, their images are more than attractive enough to induce #FOMO when viewed at 600 pixels wide on Instagram. So where does that leave something like the Fujifilm X-T30? Dollar for dollar, it’s maybe the best travel camera ever made, but — like an idyllic sunset seen on vacation but not posted to social media — does it even matter? Before we dive into the deeper question, a little justification of that rather bold claim about the X-T30. Fujifilm is generally considered (at least among our photo staff) to make the best cameras available for less than $2,000. There’s a greatness about their cameras, going all the way back to 2011’s X100 and ramping up with the introduction of its X-Trans sensor in the X-Pro1 in 2012. (Without getting too nerdy, X-Trans is a rearrangement of the color filter that sits in front of the sensor, helping to improve issues like noise and grain structure.) The colors are fantastic, the sharpness and micro-contrast are great and the film modes (simulations of old Fujifilm film stocks) are way better than they have any right to be. The current flagship, the X-T3, reflects these qualities better than any camera the brand has made. The X-T30 is effectively the travel-size brother of that phenomenal X-T3. It’s a bit smaller and lighter, gives up a couple features and is a full $600 cheaper than the $1,500 X-T3. What’s most important though, is what remains unchanged: the 30 boasts the excellent X-Trans sensor, color science, autofocus, processing speed, burst speed, physical dials (sans ISO dial), general control scheme and semi-retro aesthetics as its bigger brother. What,

166

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

T R AV E L

The X-T30 has outrageously high image quality thanks partly to the excellent sensor, but it’s Fujifilm’s suite of lenses that make the biggest difference. No smartphone portrait mode can get close to the optical perfection of Fuji’s 35mm f/1.4.

Specs Sensor Size: 26.1 megapixels ISO Range: 160 – 12.800 Max Continuous Shooting: 8 frames per second $899 (body)

168

then, makes it 40 percent less expensive? The camera isn’t weather sealed, the video capability is (slightly) stunted and the viewfinder is smaller— but these compromises are more than fair for the price. You’re not going to find another camera under $1,000 that can surpass the X-T30. So what makes a good travel camera, and why is this one so well-suited for the task? Outrageously high image quality is a must (gotta justify using it over your phone, after all) and the X-T30 has that in spades. That’s in part thanks to the excellent sensor, but it’s Fujifilm’s suite of lenses — especially its fast and compact prime lenses — that make the biggest difference. No portrait mode in the world can get close to the pure optical perfection of Fuji’s 35mm f/1.4. Other requirements for travel camera excellence? Straightforward controls, good battery life, a lightweight body, easy wireless connectivity (for all-important social media posting), decent video capability and a reasonable price. There are individual cameras that can do many of these things better than the X-T30 — but holistically, nothing else ticks all the boxes.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

All of this skirts around the bigger, more difficult question: Why bother with a stand-alone camera at all? After all, an iPhone 11 Pro has no fewer than four cameras on board, not to mention computational photography, studio-lighting modes, a form factor that can’t be beat — and it’ll let you play Angry Birds. The answer is twofold. There’s the objective reason: the photos are better, plain and simple. On top of greater resolution than a phone camera, the X-T30 offers vastly superior lenses, sensor performance and user control. The other reason...well, that’s more subjective. By nature, a phone is an everyday object, mired in loathsome associations with work, stress, social media and other parts of your life that you’re on vacation to avoid. These days, a camera can represent purposeful, meaningful engagement with one’s surroundings. The very act of shooting on a device dedicated solely to pictures adds emotional depth to the photos — at least, in the eye of the shooter. Grabbing a travel camera to shoot with can enrich an experience in a way a smartphone rarely will. So while you’re grabbing one, you might as well grab the best one of 2019.

T R AV E L

Peak Design Travel Tripod Anyone can snap a halfway decent shot with a smartphone, but some photographs just require the help of a tripod â&#x20AC;&#x201D; problem is, traveling with one can be a hassle, given their weight and size. Peak Designs offers up a novel solution with its Travel Tripod. Constructed from either carbon fiber or an aluminum alloy, both models weigh less than four pounds but can handle up to 20 pounds of camera. And they fold up so tightly, you might forget you packed one. Specs Weight (Carbon): 2.81 pounds Weight (Aluminum Alloy): 3.44 pounds Dimensions (Collapsed): 15.4 x 3.1 inches $350; $600

Nite Ize RunOff Collection The latest pouches and bags from Nite Ize ensure your travel essentials stay dry, no matter the weather. The RunOff collection includes two packing cubes, a wallet, a phone pocket, a tech pouch and a toiletry bag, all of which utilize flexible plastic panels that have welded seams and toothless, waterproof zippers. They’re translucent, so you can easily locate your gear, and they’ll withstand full immersion in water for up to 30 minutes. Specs Material: Waterproof and dustproof TPU Construction: Welded seams, waterproof zippers Different Styles: 6 $25 – $55

Mophie Powerstation Hub On the road, trusted plugs are hard to find. Hence the appeal of Mophie’s Powerstation Hub. Two USB-A ports and one fast-charging USB-C on the side and a wireless Qi charger up top mean it can fuel smartphones, tablets, cameras and laptops on the go, either using the internal battery or through an outlet via the integrated fold-out AC plugs. It’s about twice the size of a deck of cards, so it’s easy to slide into even the most crowded of carry-ons. Specs Weight: 9 ounces Dimensions: 3.31 x 3.3 x 1.16 inches Battery Size: 6,000 mAh $100

170

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

AeroPress Go Brewing a truly delicious cup of coffee on the go is easier said than done. You can take a pour-over setup on the road, of course — or, if you’re a real diehard, you can unplug your expensive espresso machine and toss it in the trunk of your car. But these are clunky solutions, stop-gap measures not ideal for the frequent traveler. It was a persistent problem for coffee geeks — until Alan Adler came along. Though Adler holds nearly 40 patents in electronics, optics and aerodynamics, his best-known invention is quite humble: a single-serving coffee maker. In the mid-1990s, during a conversation about drip coffee machines, Adler realized making a sole cup that isn’t watery is extremely difficult. After experimenting with more than 40 iterations of a new device, Adler settled on the basic concept of the AeroPress, which uses a small, airtight chamber to slowly deliver a “shot” of coffee into a cup below. The process delivers a brew that’s rich, flavorful and not bitter, all thanks to a portable device.

Well, relatively portable. The self-contained design consists of several parts, including the pump itself (with plunger), a filter cap, a scoop, a stirrer, a filter holder and 350 filters in a storage carton. Still, in spite of that, it’s proven a go-to for frequent flyers and weekend campers alike. Travelers looking for a better brew often opt to leave the superfluous items at home, packing just the pump, a few filters and enough beans with them to last a short trip. Since the AeroPress has proven so popular with travelers, the brand decided to optimize its design for those on the move. This year, the company released the AeroPress Go, which retains the concept and mechanics of the original system but folds down into a self-contained travel mug. It includes a stirrer and scooper — both of which can be stored in the mug when not in use — and a silicone top, and can brew up to 15 ounces of American-style coffee at a time. And much like its big brother, the AeroPress Go costs less than $40 and can be cleaned in seconds.

Specs Weight (Including Accessories): 11.4 ounces Mug Capacity: 15 ounces Packed Dimensions: 3.7 x 5.3 inches $37

T R AV E L

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

171

172

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

T R AV E L

Airstream Bambi Ask Airstream where the name “Bambi” came from and they’ll say founder Wally Byam named the company’s small, single-axle trailers after a type of agile deer he saw while overlanding across Africa in the ‘60s. True or not, the nickname stuck, and has lasted for more than half a century. And as of 2019, Bambi has finally become its very own line within the Airstream family. The four Bambi models may be Airstream’s cheapest traditional aluminum-sided trailers, but they lack for little compared with their larger, pricier siblings. This Airstream’s interior looks and feels fancier than many apartments, let alone the tobacco-stained double-wide you’d find at many a trailer park. In spite of the diminutive footprint — barely larger than an average parking spot — strategic packaging means there’s room for all the comforts of home: a two-burner gas stove, a stainless steel sink, a refrigerator and freezer, an LED television (with integrated antenna), a builtin stereo, a memory foam mattress, even a shower and a flushing toilet. Air conditioning also comes standard, but you likely won’t need it much; with the windows popped, the shades drawn and the integrated roof fans spinning, the interior stays cool even on a summer’s day. (There’s also an electric heater for when things turn chilly.) For longer-term stays, there’s always the option to plug into the grid, but the built-in batteries are enough to get you through a night or two. Plus, the Bambi comes pre-wired for solar panels — even a thin strip affixed to the roof is enough to power the batteries back up during the day while you’re out and about. Thanks to its generous features and smart layout, the compact Bambi never feels cramped. Even the second-smallest of the four lengths available is capacious enough for the tallest couples to stand, sit and sleep comfortably for a few days, or for a group of seven or eight to hang out without feeling like sardines. And while hauling a trailer can seem intimidating for those who’ve never dabbled in the art of towing, a Bambi is small and light enough to be towed by midsize pickup trucks and family crossovers without concern, making life easier for anyone graduating from car camping to trailer life. It’s all the best parts of being an Airstream driver, delivered in a smooth, easy-to-handle package. Think of it as the aluminum gel tab of camping trailers. Specs Lengths: 16 feet, 19 feet, 20 feet, 22 feet Weight: 3,000 – 3,900 lbs. Sleeping Capacity: Up to four people $48,900+

T R AV E L

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

173

Pacsafe Vibe 325 Econyl Sling Pack Pickpockets run rampant in many parts of the world, preying on visitors and making off with their possessions. Pacsafe’s new Vibe 325 Econyl Sling Pack is designed to fend off any Artful Dodgers. The recycled nylon exterior is secretly armored with stainless steel mesh beneath the skin; RFID-blocking materials keep thieves from stealing your data if they can’t snag your physical property. The pièce de résistance: the interconnected locking zippers, which are practically impossible to open surreptitiously. Specs Volume: 10 liters Weight: 1.25 pounds Dimensions: 15.8 x 9.1 x 3.2 inches $85

Seiko Astron 5X GPS Solar Automatic GMT watches may have the allure of Jet Age design and mechanical movements, but modern technology can make a timepiece far more useful for the modern-day traveler. Seiko’s Astron GPS Solar 5X is the world’s smallest, thinnest solar-powered GPS watch, and it features mind-boggling functionality: by synching with satellites twice a day, it can track itself across 39 time zones and update automatically, even accounting for Daylight Savings Time. Specs Case Diameter: 42.9mm Movement: Solar-powered quartz Time Zones: 39 ~$2,437+

174

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

T R AV E L

Atoms Model 000 Brooklyn startup Atoms has created an everyday sneaker that’s both TSA and office friendly. Inspired by iconic tennis shoes, the Model 000 has a minimalist lace-up upper and comfortable foam midsole. It’s designed to be slipped on (the laces are stretchy) and worn without socks (an antimicrobial copper-lined insole kills bacteria). And to insure these lightweight kicks fit perfectly, customers can order quarter sizes for each foot. Specs Upper Material: Durable coated yarn blend Insole: Antimicrobial, copper-lined Sizes: Quarter sizes from 5 – 15 $179

Cohérence Ruiz Packable Coat You could call Mark Cho many things, but stationary isn’t one of them. The jet-setting cofounder of the Armoury — a tailoring emporium with locations in Hong Kong and New York — utilizes a network of international artisans to stock his stores with superlative wears. And one of them is Kentaro Nakagomi, the founder of high-end Japanese outerwear brand Cohérence. “[Nakagomi-san] has a deep understanding of historical garments, such as the trench coat, but [he] doesn’t set out to recreate them,” Cho says. “Instead, he upgrades them, making something that is very clearly descended from — but also better than — the originals.” The Armoury was one of the first stockists to carry Cohérence, as Nakagomi was a close friend to one of Cho’s favorite tailors. Regular conversations between the two led to the creation of the Ruiz coat, an elegant, travel-friendly raincoat released this year. Inspired by a packable French army raincoat, Nakagomi transformed the functional jacket to complement the Armoury’s assortment of traditional bespoke suits. Available in navy and tan, the Ruiz coat is made from a unique waterproof synthetic fabric, a polyester jersey that doesn’t wrinkle when packed into an internal pocket. “Previous versions of this coat by other brands would have been in cotton, which is much bulkier and also gets wrinkly when packed this tightly,” Cho says. It has a detachable hood, shaped to offer high visibility and coverage from the elements, along with side vents and large front buttons. Notably, the coat features an A-line cut, which is wider than some conventional raincoats, and fits comfortably over a suit. “It just adds so much gravitas and drama, especially when the coat is in movement,” Cho says of the full silhouette. The Ruiz coat is crafted for the globetrotter, improving on conventional packable coats with a design appropriate for formal functions. But its utility isn’t limited to just business attire. “I like the blue with suits and I like the tan with jeans, chinos and casual outfits,” Cho says. “And it’s an easy addition into my carry-on luggage because it’s so compact.” Specs Material: High-density stretch-jersey polyester Colors: Navy and tan Pairing: A hand-tailored suit or jeans and a tee $1,250

176

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

T R AV E L

THE STANDARD

Zero Halliburton Aluminum Carry-On Zero Halliburton’s aluminum luggage has carried some of the world’s most consequential objects: Apollo astronauts transported lunar rock and soil back to Earth in one of the brand’s cases; a custom-made case houses the documents and equipment that allow the U.S. president to authorize a nuclear strike. Though trusted in high-stakes situations, the brand comes from decidedly civilian origins. In 1938, American industrialist Erle Halliburton founded the company with a selection of personal travel cases designed to stand up to the rigors of rough-andtumble Midwestern oil fields. Zero Halliburton was the first company to produce aluminum luggage, and its cases — airtight, moisture-proof and dust-proof — quickly developed a reputation for quality. That lasting double-ribbed design, first introduced in 1946, is proudly utilized in the Limited Edition International Carry-On. But the new heat-treated 22-inch aluminum case also features several modern upgrades; a six-wheeled base makes transport easy, and a biometric fingerprint scanner adds additional security on top of the TSA combination lock.

SINCE

1938 NEXT ITEM

Page 191

T R AV E L

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

177

Watches

A well-designed wristwatch should transcend time, giving information about the present in a package that references the past. The year’s best timepieces — from a sports watch that combines vintage design cues with an affordable movement to a GMT that’s uniquely dressy and simultaneously robust — do that and then some: they also prove that although the wristwatch is aging tech, it can still feel fresh as ever. Top 10

Credits

180

Blancpain Air Command

Words

184

Casio G-Shock Full Metal GMW-B5000V

185

Q Timex

OREN HARTOV ZEN LOVE CHRIS WRIGHT

185

Baltic Aquascaphe

186

Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar

187

Christopher Ward C1 Moonglow

188

Panerai Submersible 42mm

188

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Bi-Compass

189

Monta Atlas

190

Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Twin Beat

Photos CHANLDER BONDURANT

Illustration P AT R I C K L E G E R

The Standard 191

W AT C H E S

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

179

EDITOR’S PICK

Blancpain Air Command An obscure pilot’s watch from the 1950s gets a second wind, thanks to increased production, next-level attention to detail and plenty of midcentury vibes.

Vintage-inspired watches are on the come-up and have been for years. From midcentury racing chronographs to military timepieces only issued to servicemen, nouveau-vintage pieces are — to varying degrees of adherence — modernized, reimagined versions of their respective originals. And though the vintage trend spawned dozens of reissues over the calendar year — including some that are simply an easy cash-grab — it also informed one of the most unique watches in recent memory: the Blancpain Air Command. Few people have ever gotten their hands on the obscure original that inspired the modern Air Command. In the 1950s, Swiss manufacturer Blancpain was contracted to produce the

180

now-iconic Fifty Fathoms dive watch for the U.S. Navy, to be distributed by Blancpain’s American distributor, Allen Tornek. The Air Command, a flyback chronograph where the chronograph hand can be reset to zero and started again with a single button push, was then constructed roughly to the design of the famed Type 20 military chronograph and intended for use by the U.S. Air Force. However, only a dozen timepieces were ever produced, and the watch never made it to full serial production. In other words, this puppy is all kinds of rare. Once every blue moon, an original Air Command will surface at an auction, hammer for somewhere north of $100,000 and quietly fade into the ether.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

“This is one of the most intriguing watches in Blancpain’s history, and a real mystery watch,” says Jeffrey Kingston, noted collector, author and speaker on watches. “Did Blancpain create the Air Command and then Tornek tried to sell it to the Air Force, or the other way around? It’s the classic chicken-and-the-egg question.” Whatever the answer, someone seems to have done some head scratching at Blancpain before the company created a new limited-edition version of the watch, available in a run of 500 pieces. Apart from a few concessions to modernity — an upgraded, in-house movement with automatic winding, Super-LumiNova-coated hands and indices, and sapphire crystals among them — the new Air Com-

W AT C H E S

“This is one of the most intriguing watches in Blancpain’s history, and a real mystery watch.” W AT C H E S

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

181

mand is otherwise a dead ringer for the original. Like the original, the design of the modern watch remains utility focused. It is intended for pilots, and it can record intervals up to 12 hours in duration using the chronograph function (the original’s running-seconds subdial has been replaced with a 12-hour subdial, though both models feature 30-minute subdials at three o’clock). The dial features both a 1/5th-seconds track and a base-1,000 tachymeter, used to compute speed or distance traveled in conjunction with the chronograph. Then there’s the rotating countdown bezel, used to measure remaining time in an event, and the aforementioned flyback function, making it a cinch to time intervals such as one-minute holding patterns. In other words, the Air Command is a textbook example of a pilot’s watch, and it oozes midcentury cool. Kingston, a pilot and flight instructor himself, loves the utility of the Air Command: “The feature that you don’t see very often is the countdown be-

182

zel. What you’re always thinking about as you’re flying is the time to the next ‘fix,’ which is a destination or a waypoint. A countdown bezel allows you to measure the amount of time to the next fix, and not many watches that call themselves pilot’s watches have this feature.” But the question on the mind of every watch nerd out there has nothing to do with usefulness or historical accuracy — it’s a question of laziness. If watch companies continue relying on recreations of vintage pieces, what will the iconic designs of tomorrow look like? Updated versions of the iconic designs of yesteryear? The Air Command occupies a special place in the modern horological landscape. Having never been commercially available — hell, having never been available even to the U.S. military — a modern remake gives the general public access to a product that it would otherwise never have been able to appreciate, let alone own.

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

Specs Case Diameter: 42.5mm Winding: Automatic Power Reserve: 50 hours ~$19,800

W AT C H E S

Casio G-Shock Full Metal GMW-B5000V The original resin-cased G-Shock of the 1980s has a cool factor all its own, but the more substantive GMW-B5000V steel incarnation from Casioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Full Metal series features a unique lived-in finish. And while black-ion plating and artificially worn edges give it a hard-worn aesthetic, solar charging and smart connectivity make it a premium, full-featured G-Shock for the fashionably oriented.

Specs Case Diameter: 43.2mm Movement: Quartz Water Resistance: 200m $1,000

184

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

W AT C H E S

Q Timex Modern reissues of vintage watches are common fixtures in today’s horological scene, but it’s tough to find one that’s both handsome and affordable. Enter the ultra-popular Q Timex, a nearly one-forone reproduction of a 1970s watch with a squaredoff case, woven steel bracelet and Rolex-inspired bicolor bezel that uses wallet-friendly quartz to bring vintage vibes to the masses. Specs Case Diameter: 38mm Movement: Quartz Water Resistance: 50m $179

Baltic Aquascaphe Any watchmaker can reproduce a vintage watch spec for spec, but capturing the essence of a particular period without copying a specific timepiece requires a bit more grace. French microbrand Baltic pulls it off with Aquascaphe, a watch that draws from several midcentury classics, such as the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms. At 39mm, the Aquascaphe comes in a perfectly modern size, and its use of a commonly available Japanese automatic movement keeps the price well under a grand. Specs Case Diameter: 39mm Winding: Automatic Water Resistance: 200m ~$654+

W AT C H E S

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

185

Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar The Audemars Piguet Royal Oak is a titan of watch design. Its octagonal shape is modern, cool, original. Its dials are perfectly textured. The design is simple and clean. And it still sells like hotcakes. The new Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar, however, is noteworthy for being a departure from the Royal Oak, which is so bedrock to Audemars Piguet that straying from it is inherently shocking and controversial. This helps explain why, when the Code 11.59 line was released at one of the watch world’s most important events, SIHH, some people absolutely hated it. And yes, they have a point. Some watches within the collection are misses. And its name — which references the AP code (“Challenge. Own. Dare. Evolve.”) — is clumsy. But the Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar bests all that. Its dark blue aventurine dial, with three sub-registers, shimmers under a double-domed sapphire crystal, grabbing the eye and not letting go. Its 18-carat pink gold case looks perfectly round from the top and perfectly octagonal from the side, even referencing that of the Royal Oak slightly. Its size — at 41mm in diameter and less than 11mm thick — is perfect. “Code 11.59 is both a nod to the history of the brand, with its recognizable design codes, while also looking to the future as an exercise in creativity and innovation,” says Patrick Ottomani, CEO of Audemars Piguet North America. It’s hard to disagree. The watch is the best example of what AP’s new line could be — and refreshing proof that the watchmaker is trying to think outside the Royal Oak mold. Specs Case Diameter: 41mm Winding: Automatic Power Reserve: 40 hours $74,500

186

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

W AT C H E S

Christopher Ward C1 Moonglow Most moonphase complications are tucked into a small window at the bottom of a watch dial. Not so with the C1 Moonglow from British brand Christopher Ward, which displays the current phase of the moon along with glowing stars in Super-LumiNova at the top of the dial. Even more dazzling is the rotating disc that carries the display â&#x20AC;&#x201D; it remains constantly visible through the smoked-sapphire crystal.

W AT C H E S

Specs Case Diameter: 40.5mm Winding: Automatic Power Reserve: 38 hours $1,935+

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

187

Panerai Submersible 42mm For this year’s Submersible, Panerai put its military dive-watch aesthetic into one of the most wearable packages in the brand’s 159-year history. That’s not to say Panerai cut any corners, of course. At 42mm wide, the Submersible retains a bold wrist presence. But it brings the line’s genuinely rugged qualities — like 300 meters of water resistance and a scratch-resistant ceramic bezel insert — and a solid Swiss automatic movement to more wrists than ever. Specs Case Diameter: 42mm Winding: Automatic Water Resistance: 300m $9,800

Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Bi-Compass Bell & Ross has made a name for itself by crafting timepieces based on cockpit instruments, but some designs translate to the wrist better than others. The Bi-Compass, which draws on a radio compass once used by U.S. naval aviators, is one such watch. With its matte-black ceramic case and stark Super-LumiNova-coated indices, it manages to turn a vintage aviation instrument into a futuristic, wrist-bound masterpiece. It doesn’t hurt that it’s handsome as hell.

Specs Case Diameter: 42mm Winding: Automatic Power Reserve: 38 hours $3,900

Monta Atlas Monta was founded in 2015 by a pair of American entrepreneurs who entered the watch industry by making aftermarket straps. But it looks more like an established luxury brand than a startup, and this year’s Atlas GMT proves the company’s prowess in making sophisticated but down-to-earth tool watches. With a conservative but sporty design, the Atlas is supremely versatile — equally appropriate for collectors who will appreciate its details and for those who want an adaptable single watch for all occasions. At a comfortable 38.5mm wide, it can easily be dressed up but promises rugged durability with 150 meters of water resistance. And it’s as handsome on its excellent steel bracelet as it is on a strap. The Atlas includes the popular and convenient GMT function for tracking a second time zone in 24-hour format, a feature that’s more relevant than ever in today’s globalized world. But what should get people excited is more nuanced: its polished bevels and sophisticated elements lend the Atlas an elegant feel, but they don’t distract from its functional purpose. You’d be hard pressed to find competitors offering the same level of finishing and details for similar money. Whether the resulting watch’s style or character wins you over is a subjective matter, but it’s hard to single out (or criticize) any one element. Stainless steel, sapphire crystal and a Sellita SW330 Swiss automatic movement visible through the case back are all solid luxury fare. As a complete package, however, the Atlas amounts to a lot more than the sum of its specs, and it makes a strong case no matter how you wear it. Specs Case Diameter: 38.5mm Winding: Automatic Power Reserve: 48 hours $1,565+

W AT C H E S

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

189

Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin Beat

190

A perpetual calendar is a self-regulating watch complication, meaning it automatically adjusts for differences in the number of days per month, including leap years — usually for a period longer than a human lifetime. However, there is an Achilles’ heel to this date invulnerability: if you don’t wear or wind the thing and its power reserve runs down, you enter a world of pain — readjusting the watch to the correct date can take an incredibly long time. Vacheron Constantin solved this problem with its Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar, which is an expensive horological innovation that’s not just flashy, but genuinely useful. The “TwinBeat” moniker comes from its dual-frequency movement, which allows its wearer to choose between two different modes: Active, during which the movement beats at 5 hertz and has a four-day power reserve (which is a long time for a perpetual calendar, especially one with jumping indica-

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

tions); and Standby, which slows the movement’s oscillations to 1.2 hertz and increases the watch’s power reserve to 65 days — a very, very long time. If you’re not going to wind or wear it, switch it to Standby and it’ll continue keeping accurate time until you pick it back up. (After two months, you’re on your own.) A standby, power-saving mode is something you’d expect on an Apple Watch, not necessarily on a mechanical watch — let alone one that costs $200,000. But who said high-end horology had to be hard to wear? Specs Case Diameter: 42mm Winding: Manual Power Reserve: Variable (4–65 days) $199,000

THE STANDARD

Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch Professional

By 1969, the Omega Speedmaster had already been out for more than a decade, but it’s the watch’s connection to the first moon landing that sells it. Indeed, that a modern customer can purchase and wear the same type of watch that was worn by the first humans on the moon is perhaps the best sales pitch in all of watchmaking. Beating out watches from other companies, including Rolex, the original Speedy passed a battery of rigorous tests as would be expected for space-going equipment. And though the watch was issued to all Apollo astronauts, it was actual-

W AT C H E S

ly Buzz Aldrin, not Neil Armstrong, who first wore the watch to the lunar surface. (During Apollo 11, Armstrong left his watch in the lunar capsule to serve as a backup for a failed mission timer.) Omega’s sober chronograph is today considered a masterpiece of purposeful design. The company has long produced a modern “Moonwatch,” revised with the less-expensive 861 and 1861 movements, but history buffs have had to wait until this year, when Omega released a Speedmaster with the original 321 movement to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

SINCE

1957

T H E 1 0 0 B EST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9 G E A R PATROL

191

Photo Index 30-33 Google Pixel 3a - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 34 Kindle Oasis - Photo: Amazon 34 Alienware Area 51m Laptop - Photo: Alienware 35 Fujifilm GFX 100 - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 36 Oculus Quest - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 37 Disney+ - Photo: Disney 38 DJI Ronin-SC - Photo: DJI 40 Sony a7R IV - Photo: Sony 40 Samsung Space Monitor - Photo: Samsung 42 Apple Mac Pro - Photo: Apple 49-51 Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 52 AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt - Photo: AudioQuest 52 Cambridge Audio Alva TT - Photo: Cambridge Audio 53 Sony WF-1000XM3 Headphones - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 54-55 Fender American Acoustasonic Telecaster - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 56 Ikea Symfonisk WiFi Bookshelf Speaker - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 58 Schiit Ragnarok 2 - Photo: Schiit Audio 58 JBL Link Bar - Photo: JBL 60 McIntosh MTI100 Integrated Turntable - Photo: McIntosh 60 Astell&Kern Kann Cube - Photo: Astell&Kern 69-71 Specialized Turbo Kenevo Expert - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 72 Adidas Terrex Free Hiker - Photo: Adidas 72 The James Brand Hell Gap - Photo: The James Brand 73 Firewire Woolight Seaside - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 74 The North Face A-Cad FutureLight Jacket - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 76 Nemo Equipment Roamer - Photo: Nemo Equipment 76 Salomon S/Lab Ultra 2 - Photo: Salomon 78 Leatherman Free P2 - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 80 Igloo Recool - Photo: Igloo 80 Gerber Compleat - Photo: Gerber 87-89 Hoka One One Carbon X - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 90 C/O Protein Powder - Photo: C/O 90 Reebok Nano 9 - Photo: Reebok 91 Hyperice Hypersphere Mini - Photo: Hyperice 91 Velocio Concept Bib Short - Photo: Velocio 92-93 Garmin Fenix 6X Pro Solar - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 94 Jaybird Vista - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 96 Allied Cycle Works Able - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 98 ShakeSphere - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 98 On Running Weather Vest - Photo: On Running 103-105 Jeep Gladiator - Photo: Henry Phillips 106 Porsche 911 Carrera S/4S - Photo: Porsche 106 Audi E-Tron - Photo: Audi 107 Zero SR/F Electric Motorcycle - Photo: Henry Phillips 108-109 Mercedes-AMG G63 - Photo: Henry Phillips 110 Bird One - Photo: Bird 112-113 Ram 2500 & 3500 Heavy Duty - Photo: Henry Phillips 114-115 Toyota GR Supra - Photo: Toyota 116 Bentley Continental GT V8 - Photo: Bentley 116 Indian FTR 1200 - Photo: Indian 120-123 Levi’s Wellthread x Outerknown - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 124 Warby Parker x Geoff McFetridge Sunglasses - Photo: Warby Parker

192

GEAR PATRO L TH E 100 BEST P RO DUCTS O F 20 1 9

125 GilletteLabs Heated Razor - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 126-127 Tiffany & Co. Men’s Collections - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 128 Veilance Rhomb Jacket - Photo: Veilance 128 Givenchy Gentleman Cologne - Photo: Givenchy 129 Viberg Chelsea Sneaker - Photo: Viberg 130-131 KC Jacks - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 132 Aesop Gentle Facial Cleansing Milk - Photo: Aesop 132 Montblanc x Bape Document Case - Photo: Montblanc 136-138 Sunday - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 139 Casper Glow Light - Photo: Casper 140 Burrow Nomad Collection - Photo: Burrow 140 Wyze Bulb - Photo: Wyze 141 Ikea Fyrtur - Photo: Ikea 142-143 Kramer Shokunin Series - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 144 Dosist Dose Dial - Photo: Dosist 145-147 Vipp Furniture Collection - Photo: Vipp 148 ThermoWorks Thermapen IR - Photo: ThermoWorks 148 Elemental Beverage Co. Snapchilled Coffee - Photo: Elemental Beverage Co. 150 Drinks Section Openening Photo - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 153-155 Four Roses Small Batch Select - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 156 Shacksbury Shorts - Photo: Shacksbury 156 Old Forester Rye Whisky - Photo: Old Forester 157 Allagash River Trip - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 158-159 Legent - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 160 George Dickel Bottled-in-Bond - Photo: George Dickel 161 The Finnish Long Drink - Photo: The Finnish Long Drink 160-161 Riedel Drink Specific Glassware - Photo: Riedel 162 Dims. Barbican Trolley - Photo: Dims. 162 Haus Citrus Flower - Photo: Haus 164 Travel Section Opening Photo - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 167-168 Fujifilm X-T30 - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 169 Peak Design Travel Tripod - Photo: Peak Design 170 Nite Ize RunOff Collection- Photo: Nite Ize 170 Mophie Powerstation Hub - Photo: Mophie 171 AeroPress Go - Photo: AeroPress 172-173 Airstream Bambi - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 174 Pacsafe Vibe 325 Econyl Sling Pack - Photo: Pacsafe 174 Seiko Astron 5X GPS Solar - Photo: Seiko 175 Atoms Model 000 - Photo: Atoms 176 Cohérence Ruiz Packable Coat - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 178 Watches Section Opening Photo - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 181-183 Blancpain Air Command - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 184 Casio G-Shock Full Metal GMW-B5000V - Photo: Casio 185 Q Timex - Photo: Timex 185 Baltic Aquascaphe - Photo: Baltic 186 Audemars Piguet Code 11.59 Perpetual Calendar - Photo: Audemars Piguet 187 Christopher Ward C1 Moonglow - Photo: Christopher Ward 188 Panerai Submersible 42mm - Photo: Panerai 188 Bell & Ross BR 03-92 Bi-Compass - Photo: Bell & Ross 189 Monta Atlas - Photo: Chandler Bondurant 190 Vacheron Constantin Traditionelle Twin Beat - Photo: Vacheron Constantin