Gear Patrol Magazine, Issue Eighteen: The Summer Preview

The Summer Gear Awards: 60 Essential Products for Your Next Adventure 138

Glossary of Grilling: Everything You Need to Fire Up a Feast for the Ages 110

Deep Cut: Behind the Scenes with America’s Coolest Knife Maker 128

foxracing.com

O UTSI DE I S I N

ROARK.COM

Adventure Ready Goods R E V I VA L IS T H A R R IS ON ROA CH BY DY L A N GOR DON

Multi-Guard Structure A full metal shock-resistant structure To achieve the resin-based shock-resistant structure developed for G-SHOCK in full-metal form, the construction features a full redesign created just for the MR-G line. The newly developed Multi-Guard Structure protects the module with totally superior shock-absorption.

The multi-component bezel and case incorporates four-cornered suspension componentry combining T-shaped bars and flat springs as well as silicone buffering.

Multi-Component Construction Enabling precision polishing In order to apply sophisticated polished finishes to the tiniest corners of its complex form, the bezel had to be formed from 25 separate components. The dimples of the band are also constructed with separate pins that are embedded in round holes in each of the metal links.

Each part is polished prior to assembly to give the watch a stunning, distortion-free finish, right down to the most challenging spots like recessed portions.

Super-Hard Alloys Highly refined gorgeous luster The top of the bezel is made with COBARION,*1 a cobalt-chrome alloy with a hardness about four times that of pure titanium and a brilliant gleam comparable to platinum that is ideal for achieving high quality polished finishes. DAT55G*2 is used for the band, and Ti64 for the case, case back and buttons, both special titanium alloys that offer enhanced hardness. *1

COBARION is the registered trademark of a cobalt-chromium alloy manufactured exclusively by Eiwa *2 DAT is a registered trademark of Daido Steel Co., Ltd. in Japan.

Sallaz Polishing A sophisticated artisanal finishing technique Skilled artisans carefully polish each minute component individually to create stunning surfaces with high degrees of smoothness.

©2022 CASIO AMERICA, INC.

@gshock_us

gshock.com

Contents The Guide

ISSUE EIGHTEEN

TECH 20 The Best New Speakers That Look Like Old Speakers 24 Wireless Earbud Waterproofing, Demystified

OUTDOORS 30 T hese E-Bikes Chase Down South African Poachers

26 P ro-Ject A1 Automat 40 U ST Monarch Sleeping Bag

34 T he Rise of Unisex Outdoor Clothing

48 T aylorMade Stealth Driver

38 B ajío’s Quest to Save Your Peepers — and the Planet

56 I kea Starkvind 64 M ade In Dutch Oven 74 S achajuan Scalp Brush 86 T imex Giorgio Galli S1 Automatic 38mm 96 R olls-Royce Ghost Black Badge

8

FITNESS

HOME

42 Try This Plant-Based Active Lifestyle Gear

50 The Future of Getting High

44 Trail Running’s Next Big Thing

54 Why Robovacs Suck

GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

CONTENTS

The Guide

FOOD & DRINK 58 J. Kenji López-Alt on How to Buy a Wok 60 Canna-Beverages Take You Higher

STYLE 66 Famous Males Paint Your Nails 68 Summer Sneaker Starter Pack 72 How to Care for a New Tattoo

WATCHES

10

76 Porsche Design’s Chronograph 1 Turns 50

MOTORING

78 The Kids’ Dive Watch Brand Adults Love

88 Tarform’s Electric Motos Aim High

82 Steel Bracelets Catch On

92 Visions of Our EV Future

GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

T H E R E D S T O N E G L A C I E R + S TA I N L E S S

S AVA N N A H C U M M I N S : C L I M B E R | P H O T O G R A P H E R THEJAMESBRAND.COM

CONTENTS

Features

110

98

Glossary of Grilling

Setting the Record Straight

With the season upon us, here are all the terms, advice, expert opinions and products you need for seriously tasty outdoor feasts.

How Bulgari’s unprecedented , insanely thin Octo line reeled the famed jeweler from the fringes of horology to watchmaking’s elite center.

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138

Deep Cut

Summer Gear Awards

Nobody crafts knives quite like St. Stephen, South Carolina’s own Quintin Middleton. Probably because his story is one of a kind.

Covering home, style, outdoors, fitness and travel, these 60 standout products will help you get the most out of the longest days of the year.

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On the Cover:

The oldest shop in Manhattan’s Chinatown dates back to the 1890s, purveys uniquely classic and modern home and tableware and spearheads inclusive community initiatives.

Lou Mora shot this sunny surf-to-camp image in Malibu, California, with creative direction by GP’s own Joe Tornatzky. Special thanks to The Motoring Club’s Michael Rapetti, who lent the vintage Range Rover we packed with Summer Gear Awards picks and fun throwbacks.

Detour

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GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

STAND IN WHAT YOU STAND FOR

$20 OFF YOUR FIRST PAIR

MILWAUKEEBOOTCOMPANY.COM

MASTHEAD

founder , chief executive officer

ERIC YANG cofounder , chief content officer

BEN BOWERS

executive editor

associate editors

associate editor , social platforms

creative director

JACK SEEMER

TUCKER BOWE

SCOTT ULRICH

JOE TORNATZKY

TYLER CHIN

managing editor

art director

TYLER DUFFY

J.D. DIGIOVANNI

SHERRY WANG

BEN EMMINGER ZEN LOVE

senior editors

WILL SABEL COURTNEY ERIC LIMER

associate director , production design

HENRY PHILLIPS

assistant editor

EVAN MALACHOSKY

STEVE MAZZUCCHI

production designer

EMILY CHANG

staff writer

editors

HAYLEY HELMS

WILL PRICE JOHN ZIENTEK

creative project manager

AMANDA BERNAL

editorial production assistant

MADI BUDGE

graphic designer

EVAN RICHARDS

chief commercial officer

pacific northwest advertising director

ZACH MADER

SCOT BONDLOW

director of partnerships

southwest advertising director

MIKE BAILEY

JUSTIN PARKHURST

account executive

director of revenue and finance operations

BETH CHROBAK-MARCHESE

GENEVA AUDUONG

business development manager

manager , client services

MATTHEW PASTORIUS

DOMINIQUE GAGEANT

account director

senior sales planner

JOSH PARKER

NGHI HO

director of branded content , gear patrol studios

JOHN PEABODY senior editor branded content , gear patrol studios

NICK CARUSO associate content producer , gear patrol studios

NANCY O’CONNOR associate editor , gear patrol studios

GREG BABCOCK associate director , product and marketing

Where Product Meets Culture Gear Patrol Studios is the award-winning branded content agency of Gear Patrol. We leverage 15 years of storytelling to create compelling campaigns at the intersection of products and culture.

Gear Patrol Studios is the creative partnership arm of Gear Patrol. We are enthusiasts of design, utility and adventure, connecting brands with audiences through creativity, content marketing, branded events and more.

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.

CAITLYN SHAW

To learn more visit: https://studios.gearpatrol.com

ANGELA HAY

sales marketing coordinator

or reach out to us at: advertising@gearpatrol.com

chief financial officer

head of commerce

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issue 18 contributors

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INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED IN NEW YORK 276 5th Avenue, Suite 704 - 3126 NEW YORK, NY 10001 © 2022 GEAR PATROL, LLC ISSN 2381-4241 PUBLISHED BIANNUALLY PRINTED in USA by TANNER PRINT CO. on SUSTAINABLE PAPER

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GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

T H E O R I G I N A L WAT E R F I LT E R I N G S T R AW J U S T G O T E V E N B E T T E R .

T H E N E W L I F E S T R AW : B E T T E R F L O W, A D D E D V E R S AT I L I T Y.

AVA I L A B L E N O W AT W W W. L I F EGEAR STR AW.SUMMER C O M PREVIEW 2022 PATROL

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Change Is Hard.

That’s a Good Thing I spent last summer thinking about change.

Ten years, two months and 17 days after moving to New York City, I packed up my one-bedroom apartment on the Lower East Side and moved into a modest, run-down ranch house in New Jersey with my girlfriend and our cat. Weekends haven’t been the same since, and I’m now a pro at replacing old electrical outlets — though not without a few shocks (and cuts and calluses) along the way.

The Gear Patrol team also underwent a big change: instead of pushing back our return-to-office date for the umpteenth time, we finally pulled the plug, committing indefinitely to remote work. The transition hasn’t been perfect, and anyone who says such shifts are painless is trying to save face. But revisiting outdated workflows can unlock new ways to collaborate with your peers, and the pages that follow are proof of our team’s ability to adapt and thrive under pressure.

In the midst of personal and professional upheaval, the ground shifted in the product world, too.

Outdoor brands grappled with changing gender norms (p. 34). Their fitness counterparts traded synthetic fabrics for innovative plant-based materials (p. 42). And car designers envisioned what an electric future really looks like — not in two years’ time but 20 (p. 92).

Elsewhere, a sleeping bag was given wings (p. 40).

Adults started wearing kid’s watches (p. 78). And, at least for the moment, celebrities stopped trying to

sell us all booze, opting instead for bottles of ... nail polish (p. 66). Yes, guys, it’s okay to be interested.

Our choice of features reflect other changes afoot.

With its new record-setting timepiece, jewelry house Bulgari completed its transition into one of the world’s most renowned watchmakers (p.98).

Grilling, that ancient practice of cooking food over fire, evolved to the point that we dedicated 18 pages to various tips, tools and tech (p. 110). And in the little town of St. Stephen, South Carolina — population: 1,752 — a Black knife maker by the name of Quintin Middleton built the foundation of something greater than himself (p. 128).

If I’m being honest, this summer I could do with a little less change. But it might be wishful thinking, perhaps even a little misguided. The past few years have taught me that change is more or less inevitable. It’s also healthy, even when it hurts.

A former teacher once told me that stress is a symptom of progress. In this business, it usually leads to something thinner, cleaner, safer. Better.

Like the world’s thinnest dress watch, a more sustainable car or a simple old house with new outlets.

And when you look back, it’s almost always worth it.

Jack Seemer EXECUTIVE EDITOR @jackseemer | jseemer@gearpatrol.com

Kind of Obsessed Breville Barista Express, $700 World-class espresso within walking distance is one of the things I’ve missed most from my days in New York City. So I recently turned to Breville’s mid-tier Barista Express to help fill the gap. At $700, it’s the cheapest Breville machine that comes with a built-in grinder. It also has a steam wand, pressurized and non-pressurized brew baskets, and a feature called “dose-control grinding,” which replaces the need for a scale after dialing in a new bag of beans. It’s not the fanciest espresso maker Breville offers, and it can’t replicate the textured mouthfeel you get from a La Marzocco. But it makes a mean oat milk macchiato, virtually on demand, and that’s good enough for now.

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GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2021

Supreme support meets advanced cooling.

Wave Hybrid Snow Mattress Zoned Support™ Max + gel pods lift your waist and lower back ergonomic support.

Snow Technology™ continuously pulls heat away for 12+ hours of coolers sleep.

Visit casper.com or a store near you.

The Guide

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GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

Inclusivity. It’s become such a buzzword, just hearing it can feel exhausting. But what it stands for is anything but tired: a bigger tent we can all gather under, sharing our passion for product progress. In many ways, this Guide showcases how much inclusivity is a part of what we love at Gear Patrol, from the rise of gender-neutral outdoor clothing (p. 34) and male-celeb-backed nail polish (p. 66) to plant-based fitness gear (p. 42) and dive watches for kids (p. 78). It also celebrates a departure from two liquid mainstays — booze and gasoline — with such breakthroughs as alcohol-free party drinks (p. 60) and electric motorcycles (p. 88) that fly without fossil fuel. So, come on into the tent.

All are welcome.

the guide

Technology

20

text by

Tucker Bowe

photos by

Wini Lao

Retro Flair

With their understated aesthetic, most modern speakers are designed to disappear. Not these.

What’s old is new again — at least in the high-end world of hi-fi. Vinyl now outsells CDs, prompting a trickle-down effect to all manner of gear.

Today, audio components are capable of both analog and wireless playback. And while they may feature upgraded technology, their design stays true to their roots, embracing a vintage look and feel. Espe-

cially in speakers, a category where wood, cloth and foam have returned in force, along with large knobs that invite you to touch them.

Unlike that understated Sonos speaker designed to blend into your home, these retro-inspired designs are meant to stand out — loud reminders of a time that’s come, gone and back again.

Sonus Faber Omnia The Omnia is a luxurious all-in-one speaker that supports seemingly every type of playback, both wired and wireless. It’s designed as a more affordable alternative to Sonus Faber’s SF16, a $10,000 wireless speaker released in 2016. The Omnia shares a similar shape and gorgeous wood-and-aluminum design — both of which were inspired by the company’s Snail, an iconic system from 1980 that was made entirely out of solid wood — but comes in at a much more manageable price tag. You can think of this Omnia as a Sonos Five on steroids, and with a lot more visual appeal.

$2,000

GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

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the guide

Technology

Ruark R5 Music System Ruark Audio has a history that dates back to the mid-’80s and its newest line of speakers, the R Series, embraces the look and vibe of that time. The R5 is an all-inone speaker that has a wooden veneer and a fabric grill, but maybe the most retro thing about it is its built-in CD player. Aside from that, it has a variety of wireless and analog connectivity options that make it a wonderful all-around wireless speaker that’s fit for a streamer and vintage audio lover.

$1,000+

Tivoli Music System Home Nobody pulls off the classic radio look like Tivoli Audio. Released in 2021, the second-generation Music System Home is an all-in-one wireless speaker that oozes old-school flair and boasts all the conveniences of modern streaming as well as a few other new tricks like a CD player and, yes, AM/FM radios. It’s a speaker that truly looks like it’s from the ’60s. It’s available in three different wood finishes and has a fabric speaker grill. The only thing that doesn’t look vintage is the round screen that tells you what song is playing. Which, if we’re being honest, is a nice addition.

$900

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GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

Marshall Uxbridge Voice Marshall is well known for its guitar amps and speaker cabinets from the ’70s and ’80s and, in recent years, it has released more mainstream speakers that resemble its iconic amps. The Marshall Uxbridge Voice, for example, is basically Marshall’s take on the Sonos One. It’s a smart speaker that can work with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant (although you need to buy a specific model for each), but it has all the flair — woven silver grill, black body and golden accents — of a mini guitar amp. And yes, it rips.

$220

GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

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the guide

Technology

text by

Tucker Bowe

High-Water Mark How do you know if your earbuds can handle a workout — or a dip — without breaking down? Read the fine print.

24

photos by

Wini Lao

Have you ever seen somebody running or exercising while wearing AirPods? Yes. After all, they’re the most popular wireless earbuds on the planet.

The problem is that the original AirPods (the ones with the stem design) aren’t water- or sweat-resistant. And because of that, those who use them to listen to music while working out will inevitably find themselves with a pair of busted buds — probably sooner, not later.

The good news is that there’s an entire category of wireless earbuds specifically designed to be worn while getting hot and sweaty. So how do you know if your earbuds are up to the task? It all boils down to a little something called the IP rating.

What is an IP rating?

WHICH WIRELESS EARBUDS HAVE THE HIGHEST IP RATINGS?

An IP rating — or an “Ingress Protection” rating — is the ranking given by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that indicates how resistant a certain electronic device is to various solids (like dust) and liquids (like water).

No earbud is truly waterproof.

But these three handle sweat, water and other liquids better than most.

How can you read an IP rating?

An IP rating can usually be found as a spec on an item’s packaging or product page, and it’s the letters “IP” followed by two digits: for example, IP57. The first digit represents the rating (from 1 to 6) against solids, while the second digit represents its rating (from 1 to 8) against liquids. The higher the number, the more resistant it is to that element.

What if there’s an “X” in the IP rating?

It’s common to see an “X” in an IP rating where a number would typically be. This means that the electronic has not been rated for either a solid or liquid. Something that is IPX7-rated has not been tested for dust resistance, but it has a strong resistance to liquids.

BEATS FIT PRO The Beats Fit Pro are IPX4 rated and have a flexible wingtip that helps them stay in your ears while working out. They are powered by Apple’s H1 chip so they can quickly pair with an iPhone. $200

What if there’s no IP rating?

If an electronic device does not have an IP rating, that means it has not been tested for resistance against solids or liquids — and you should assume that it is not very resistant against either. For example, Apple’s entry-level AirPods do not have an IP rating, while the brand’s higher-end AirPods 3 and AirPods Pro both are IPX4 rated.

What is a good IP rating?

If you’re wondering if it’s safe to wear a certain pair of wireless earbuds and sweat without destroying them, you want to use ones rated IPX4 or higher. This means they are at least splash-resistant. However, if you sweat a lot, it might not be enough.

JABRA ELITE 7 ACTIVE The Elite

7 Active are fantastic wireless earbuds for working out and exercise. Each earbud is IP57-rated, but they only come with a two-year warranty. $180

IPX4 vs. IPX8: What’s the difference?

The higher the number rises, the more water resistant the device gets, of course. IPX4 is splash resistant; IPX5 is resistant to a sustained low-pressure water spray; IPX6 means your earbuds can withstand a sustained high-pressure spray. An IPX7 or IPX8 rating means they can be submerged for 30 minutes and still survive — the only difference being that IPX8-rated buds can go a little deeper.

JAYBIRD VISTA 2 The Jaybird Vista 2 are wireless earbuds specifically designed for endurance athletes. Each earbud has an IP68 rating, while the charge case is also pretty durable, with an IP54 rating of its own. $150

GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

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the guide

Technology

text by

Tucker Bowe

photo by

Henry Phillips

Pro-Ject A1 Automat The beloved Austrian hi-fi manufacturer has finally caved to produce its first fully automatic turntable, something it once vowed never to do. $499

The A1 brings the look and high-quality components of Pro-Ject’s higher-end turntables to a package that makes it easier to listen to vinyl. Like all automatic turntables, the A1 Automat is a pressand-play machine: after placing the record, tap a button and the tonearm automatically lowers the stylus and the record plays; the tonearm returns to its resting position when the music ends.

The A1 can also work as a semiautomatic turntable, however — meaning when you pick up the tonearm, the turntable starts spinning, allowing you to drop the stylus anywhere you want.

By design, an automatic turntable takes a lot of the guesswork — and peril — out of listening to vinyl, but for many folks, the guesswork is part of the fun. That’s why it’s great that the A1 is also a semiautomatic turntable. But versatility is a luxury here: for the price of the Automat, you could buy one of Pro-Ject’s excellent manual turntables and an external phono preamp.

FIELD NOTES

“The Pro-Ject A1 Automat may be considered entry-level, but only because it’s so easy to use. It’s a good-looking machine made of high-quality components, and the fact that it automatically turns off when the record ends gives it a safeguard for forgetful minds.”

GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

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i n pa r t n e r s h i p w i t h

G-SHOCK

produced by

Gear Patrol Studios

The New, Intensely Durable G-SHOCK MR-G Is Packed with Advanced Materials and Design Though its design pays homage to the first-ever G-SHOCK, the MRGB5000 is a rugged, state-of-the-art tech powerhouse that’s built to withstand any situation.

CASIO’s G-SHOCK watches are known as some of the most durable digital and analog-digital timepieces around, so it makes sense they’re trusted and put to the test by the Military and by law enforcement and outdoor enthusiasts worldwide. The rugged brand’s new model, the MRGB5000, is a true heir to the first-ever G-SHOCK model, the iconic DW5000C. With its distinctive brick pattern and red accent details, the new MR-G combines materials with clever, retro tributes to its forebears.

The new MR-G features digital functionality supported with a special modern module, which features gold plating applied to its circuit board retainer plate in order to reduce electrical resistance.

Further core features, like solar-powered timekeeping with Bluetooth® and Multi-Band 6 radio control for enhanced accuracy and reliability, mean you can stay connected no matter how off-grid your adventures take you.

Should you find yourself without sunlight, thanks to a high-brightness LED backlight that G-SHOCK calls Super Illuminator, the MR-G maintains clear readability in the dark. And to prove its place as the ultimate adventure watch, the MR-G includes an activity log function – press a button, and the watch records the current date/time and position on a map, all of which can be viewed via the companion CASIO WATCHES app.

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GEAR PATROL SUMMER WINTER PREVIEW PREVIEW2021 2022

But even advanced digital tech isn’t worth much without serious protection when it matters most: to provide the module with superior shock resistance and allow each part to be individually polished, CASIO has introduced a newly developed, 25-piece Multi-Guard structure using advanced materials.

The MR-G case and bezel are made of Ti64 titanium alloy; the top bezel is formed from COBARION, a cobalt-chrome alloy that is four times harder than titanium, and finished with Sallaz polishing for an unbeatably elegant look. Finally, the band is made of DAT55G titanium alloy, an extremely workable material that is three times harder than titanium alone. The sophisticated case and bezel assembly incorporates a four-cornered suspension design that combines T-shaped bars and flat, stainless-steel leaf springs as well as silicone buffering materials. The watch is finished in an all black diamond-like carbon coating and has non-reflective sapphire crystal. Basically, you can go the distance with this watch without worrying about it getting hurt along the way – even if that distance involves some serious impacts along the way.

The MRGB5000 balances signature G-SHOCK ruggedness and durability with an elegant and functional beauty for modern new look, making it the perfect timepiece for a day at the office or a day climbing your favorite mountain.

G-SHOCK MRGB5000B-1 Multi-Guard Structure Shock Resistant 200MWater Resistant Tough Solar (Solar powered) Bluetooth Smartphone Link Multi-Band 6 Atomic Timekeeping $4,000

the guide

Outdoors

text by

AnnaMarie Houlis

Bikes of the Southern Wild

From the verdant vineyards of Stellenbosch and the craggy cliffs along the Garden Route to the world-renowned safari sanctuary that is Kruger National Park, few corners of the world boast the biodiversity of South Africa.

There, the buffalo and wildebeest stroll, the elephants and rhinos roam, and the leopards and lions lurk behind baobab trees, traversing parts of this planet most humans won’t ever tread — save for the rangers who patrol these parks for poachers. And thanks to a clever pilot program from Swedish electric bike maker Cake, a growing number of those rangers are doing so in a cool new way: on silent, solar-charged e-bikes. .

With 35 years in product development, the same man who founded iconic cycling and snow sports outfitter POC has now

30

partnered with the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) to build the Kalk Anti-Poaching (AP) line of bush bikes and aid wildlife conservation. CEO Stefan Ytterborn is donating 3 percent of profits from the line to SAWC, which trains rangers in 127 parks around Africa, but the bikes themselves promise a more dramatic impact.

“My biggest passion has always been my business,” Ytterborn says, calling his work a “combination of heart and brains” and this particular project “the perfect combination of trial and error, science and reality.”

The project is still in its infancy, with a total of 10 bikes in action or on their way — all funded with a buy-one, give-one program by consumers. With an eye toward sustainability, each bike is accompanied by Yeti 6000X

GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

power stations and Boulder 200 briefcase solar kits provided by Goal Zero, Cake’s partner in solar-powered products.

“The rangers using the Yeti 6000X can experience virtually unlimited power by charging with the Boulder solar panels,” explains Bill Harmon, Goal Zero’s general manager. “It’s a durable, safe and effective solution without the noise, fumes or maintenance of traditional gas generators.”

Traditional bush bikes are inefficient and unsustainable. They run on costly gasoline (often shipped long distances via trucks or helicopters) with loud combustion engines that contribute to greenhouse gases and warn poachers miles away.

“The relationship between Cake and the SAWC is an extremely important one,” notes

photos courtesy of cake

Swedish e-bike manufacturer Cake lends a hand — and some souped-up wheels — to anti-poaching efforts in South Africa.

SAWC-trained rangers Gotchi (left) and Manuel patrol a park on two of CAKE’s virtually silent, adventure-ready Kalk AP bikes. They’re keeping their eyes out for signs of poachers, who hunt down thousands of wild animals to profit from on the black market every year.

the guide

Outdoors

Theresa Sowry, SAWC’s CEO. “Bringing innovative green technologies into the field of conservation will allow for more effective and efficient management of wildlife areas.”

The new approach couldn’t come at a more critical time. Poachers killed 451 rhinos in South Africa last year, according to the nation’s Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment. In 2020, 16 elephants were poached for ivory in Kruger National Park alone, the department reported.

According to the African Wildlife Foundation, the black rhino population is down 97.6 percent since 1960, and upwards of 35,000 African elephants are killed each year.

Laws are often toothless and poachers are persistent. Those patrolling the parks put their own lives on the line to stop them.

“Days are varied depending on the threat,” notes Mfana Xaba, an anti-poaching team leader on the ground in South Africa. Alongside an intelligence crew and informer network, his team patrols day and night, both in the field and with aerial surveillance, prepared to ambush. So do the bikes help?

“Just recently, a two-man patrol was able to surprise a small group of poachers with dogs hunting suni [small antelope] at night,” he says. “Because the bikes are silent, they could get close enough to make an arrest.

Night arrests are particularly difficult, so this was an important one for us.”

Both bikes in the Kalk AP line — the Kalk AP and Ösa AP — have been modified to suit the unique needs of teams like Xaba’s.

The ultralight Kalk AP, driven by 280 Nm of torque with an 11 kW motor, is quiet and quick, with a top speed of 56 mph. The Ösa AP, on the other hand, is more of a workhorse. With a modular, clamp-on configuration system, it can transport heavy equipment loads and double as a portable power station with multiple outlets.

What would normally be plastic parts on the bikes are made of biocomposites from Trifilon, a Swedish brand specializing in sustainable materials. The drivetrains are altered for torque, and the suspensions are tweaked to minimize maintenance, while fat tires tackle untamed terrain with ease.

Both bikes feature three different riding modes, so riders can choose between

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GEAR PATROL SUMMER PREVIEW 2022

“Just recently, a twoman patrol was able to surprise a small group of poachers with dogs hunting suni [small antelope] at night.

Because the bikes are silent, they could get close enough to make the arrest.”

facing page

Riders can modify the performance of the Kalk AP (top) and Ösa AP (bottom) by toggling through multiple riding and braking modes. t h is page

Harnessing energy from the sun, the bikes can be recharged in the field via Goal Zero power stations and solar kits.

extended range, maximum power, or performance and control depending on their needs and environment. Multiple brake modes boast high-tech motor-control algorithms that allow for freewheeling and energy regeneration.

“There’s a lot of potential for using the bikes for female rangers as well … and a goal [the SAWC has] is to involve more women,” adds Klara Edhag, leader of Cake’s anti-poaching project. “They are almost half the weight of normal combustion bikes.”

Nonetheless, there’s always room for improvement.

“The seat seems to be designed for motocross, so a more comfortable seat for long days in the saddle would be good,” Xaba shares, adding that a longer battery life would make them “more practical in large areas.”

Right now, Edhag says, the bikes should run for about five hours while patrolling. At full speed, however, they may only last an hour.

With Cake Connect, rangers can get indepth performance data and alerts — and the folks who bought the 10 bikes that funded the project can check up on their siblings in Africa.

“All of our bikes are connected and allow for [remote] monitoring,” says Daniel Pettersson, Cake’s head of connectivity. “This includes

position, battery [life], fault codes and many more parameters of usage … to track what area has been covered and how the bike has been used.”

This spring, Cake launched the first system for organizations to track fleets of bikes.

There’s also talk of a drone-surveillance function to track them, as well as concepts for solar-station carriers.

In the meantime, the brand is seeking a more reliable material for the fenders, a better sealant to combat dust and more efficient and sustainable ways to transport power stations — all to prolong product life cycles, for both the rangers and for the planet.

“The way we see it, the biggest threat to sustainability is our pace of consumption,” Ytterborn explains. “We base our product development on purpose, innovation, performance and physical quality. Those, together, help us serve the market with what can be used from generation to generation.”

Of course, this program is just the beginning of what the brand hopes will be a wide-ranging revolution in conservation. At press time, Cake has been approached by national parks from Canada to Australia to Pakistan, all inquiring about these clever e-bikes.

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Hayley Helms

The New Neutral Despite some inherent challenges, unisex outdoor clothing is on the rise — and striking a chord.

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labels, as well. As we humans continue to open it up and break down barriers, some of our favorite brands are doing so, too.

Sartorial history can be nebulous, but one could argue unisex clothing in the U.S. dates back to 1851, when Elizabeth Smith Miller designed the first predecessor to a full pant for women. Before then, women could wear pants-like clothing if they were doing manual work or chores around the house, but never in public.

Almost two centuries later, we’ve seen cycles of fashion where “acceptable” clothing for either gender goes in and out of vogue. Pants, skirts, shoulder pads … you can probably recall some items from your own life that have been at times “okay” for men to wear — and other times when they raised judgmental eyebrows.

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Jungmaven’s rugged, hemp canvas Coach Jacket fits a range of bodies. facing page

Unisex sweats and tees from Jungmaven and Patagonia prove everyday outdoor apparel best straddles the line between fit and function. photos courtesy of respective brands

When you’re shopping for apparel and gear, how often do you search by gender? It’s a convenient binary to organize products under: men shop these products, women shop those. Most of us fit under these categories in a way that feels natural, so we overlook the inherent structure.

In recent years, we’ve seen an intentional effort from the outdoor industry to create more inclusive, less gendered garments. These pieces aren’t overtly masculine or feminine. Instead, they speak to the growing desire for clothing that doesn’t fit a certain mold, expressing a more nuanced and fluid sartorial (and functional) bent.

It’s not restricted to outdoor trappings, of course: genderless clothing has been catching on with fitness brands like Girlfriend Collective and loads of fashion

“Getting the fit right can be hard.

It’s worth it, though. Unisex is the future and it’s only going to continue.”

In the early ’90s, long after women stepped out in trousers and broke the mold, Robert Jungmann launched a clothing line with the intention to put hemp in the spotlight — in a positive fashion. (This was during the War on Drugs era, making it a rather subversive move.) As Jungmann was developing his brand, which would evolve into the sustainability-focused, outdoors-oriented Jungmaven of today, he was balancing both the needs of a fledgling business and his personal ideals.

“Ever since those early days, I’ve been determined to design inclusive clothing for everyone,” he says.

“That said … creating unisex clothing was also a survival tactic when I was trying to launch a clothing line on a shoestring budget.” During those days, Jungmann showed a collection of men’s items at a women’s trade show — it was all he had. But the quality of the fabric, the “Made in the USA” tag and the fit and feel were what brought customers flocking, gendered label or not.

The origins of unisex clothing in the outdoors may have been pragmatic, but over the past few years, the industry (and its cousin, the fitness sphere) has seen a shift in perspective. Unisex has transitioned from a path taken out of necessity into an ideology. The forward-thinking brands of today understand that it’s not just about utility — it’s about self-expression.

Currently, when it comes to making unisex clothing and gear, one size does not fit all. Brands across different categories confront the challenge of physiology in different ways, spurring myriad treatments and solutions.

Last fall, Smartwool released a six-item collaboration capsule with Jiberish. Pictured on male and female models, the capsule includes two hoodies and two pants with roomier fits designed around Smartwool’s men’s regular sizing. Men are encouraged to order their standard size, while women are instructed to size down — fairly common instructions with unisex sizing.

Later this year, the brand plans to expand. “Smartwool will launch our first-ever unisex collection in the fall of 2022,” says Maggie Meisinger, manager of strategic communications. “We believe it is crucial to make performance products that benefit all people to go far and feel good.”

For other manufacturers, it’s not on the customer to adjust their sizing, but the brands themselves.

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Outdoors Take Burton’s AG Hedstall Gore-Tex 2L One Piece — part of Burton’s reimagining of its fashion-forward ’90s sub-line, Analog. An oversized silhouette helps combat the issue of differing waist-to-hip ratios between men and women, and it offers some flexibility in fit.

Another iconic brand stepping into the space in a big way is Patagonia. Come this fall, the brand will offer 33 unisex adult styles — and convert 71 percent of its kids’ styles to unisex.

“We recognize gender inclusivity as a brand value and our goal is to reduce gender constraints in style, color and textile,” says Patagonia spokesperson Corey Simpson. “We also realize that by reducing the gender constraint of specific products and categories, we live in closer harmony to our other goals of making less, reducing redundancies and overlaps, and providing an inclusive environment for our customers.”

However, like Smartwool, Patagonia’s approach currently bases adult unisex fit on its men’s sizing, which means it still fits some better than others. That remains the core conundrum: the more technical the garment, the more difficult it is to achieve a unisex product that doesn’t just appeal to everyone, but works, too.

For example, Allbirds’ newest trail running shoe, the SWT, is comfortable, capable and appeals to both men and women in sizing and color. But when comparing its specs with its more technical competitors, the shoe tracks one step behind. That is not due entirely to the unisex nature; Allbirds also doesn’t have the wellheeled history of a brand like Nike or Adidas to lean on.

But it also exposes the limitations of trying to make a shoe that works for all feet.

Even so, the overall trend of being less attached to gendered labels and offering a wider variety of fits is a step forward for everyone. Just look at Adidas × Ivy Park, the brand’s fashion-forward team-up with Beyoncé. Its online store features a wide variety of models rocking the apparel, plus eight different sizing options, including gender-neutral regular fit and gender-neutral oversized fit.

“Getting the fit right can be hard — you can’t please everyone, so you can see an increase in returns when navigating a unisex fit,” Jungmann says. “It’s worth it, though. Unisex is the future and it’s only going to continue … brands shouldn’t be deciding which apparel is right for you based on your gender identity.”

Technical unisex items veer toward comfort over performance, as evidenced by the generalized fit of the Allbirds SWT trail runner (top) and the roomier cut of Smartwool x Jiberish base layers (bottom).

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Outdoors

text by

Jacob Sotak

Shades of Green

With Bajío Sunglasses, performance eyewear–industry vet Al Perkinson aims to protect your peepers and the planet in one fell swoop.

Al Perkinson’s shoulder-length hair and goatee give him a Dude-like vibe — and he’s got the personality to match. Our Zoom call bridges the frosty late winter of the Northeast and sunny New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where the 60-something CEO of Bajío Sunglasses resides. I joke that I’ve all but forgotten what sandal-weather feels like. He plucks a flip-flop from his foot and holds it up. “Every day,” he grins.

As the marketing wizard behind Costa Del Mar Sunglasses from 2005 to 2016, Perkinson championed conservation initiatives, sustainable materials and fisheries research. An avid angler, he won over aquatic enthusiasts seeking a company that cared about their communities, not just their credit cards — and Costa grew 20 percent annually for over a decade.

But when French eyewear titan Essilor acquired Costa Del Mar Sunglasses for $270 million in 2013, the mood shifted more corporate — and three years later, Perkinson moved on. Then, after tilting at windmills for Simms, Orvis and Huk Gear, he realized something.

“I was trying to take other people’s companies and turn them into the brands I thought they should be,” he observes. “It just wasn’t working. So we decided to start our own.”

Bajío (pronounced Bah-Hee-Oh) is a Spanish word that translates to “the shallows,” where land and sea meet. These fragile intertidal zones are a critical habitat for a wide variety of ocean fish — and the perfect name for the new eyewear brand he and his wife, Marg, hatched in 2020.

In addition to making shades, the company seeks to preserve these vibrant ecosystems, crystalized in the Bajío Odyssey, a conservation plan extending to Belize, Abaco, Fiji, Myanmar, the Seychelles, Sudan and beyond. Budgeting over $1 million toward the fiveyear initiative, Bajío endeavors to build a global union of people motivated by common values.

“You connect, you give, you share,” he says. “You join the community instead of targeting it.”

Of course, it’s tricky when you’re making products, a practice that inherently impacts the environment.

So Bajío’s manufacturing process prioritizes sustainability. All packaging comes from recycled paper materials, and it’s biodegradable. The frames are formed largely from plant-based polymers while the cases emerge from cactus dried in the Mexican sun. And the company is carbon neutral, a standard currently reached by purchasing carbon offsets.

“There are no perfect solutions, only trade-offs,” Perkinson admits. “But we’re trying, and we are working within our values.”

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photos courtesy of bajio

the guide

The catch? The product itself is excellent. I’ve tested some Bajío Bonevilles on several multiday fishing trips. Lightweight and comfortable, the shades offer incredible clarity and, at $249, are priced to compete with other high-end polarized sunglasses.

As a brand, Bajío still has to prove whether it can actualize its ideals. Yet it already projects urgency and audacity — part magnum opus, part middle finger to an industry consumed by consumption.

“I am a huge believer in attitude,” Perkinson concludes. “Yeah, there are a lot of problems. If you address them with hope, you’ve got a chance.” Especially in flip-flops — and a great pair of shades.

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Perkinson aims to aid spots like Xcalak, Mexico, part of the Bajío Odyssey. t h is page

Avid anglers and guides value Bajío’s performance and its style.

SUPERIOR SUNNIES Providing contrast and clarity while blocking blue light to minimize eye fatigue, these three Bajío shades are worth a look.

CA BA L L O Crafted with durable bio-

based nylon, this extra-large frame employs flexible, grippy contact points on the nose and temples to keep the glasses comfortably in place. $199 (poly lenses); $249 (glass lenses)

R OCA This modern oversized frame provides complete coverage via vented side shields, reducing glare off the water and overall light intrusion without fogging up. $199 (poly lenses); $249 (glass lenses)

CHEL EM Not unlike its siblings, the stylish, medium-sized Chelem boasts polarized, color-enhancing lenses to filter out blue light and better define colors and shapes in the water. $199 (poly lenses); $249 (glass lenses)

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Hayley Helms

Scott Seiver

UST Monarch Sleeping Bag This innovative sleeping bag provides a new way to rest up in the wild. $300+

The Monarch is taking on the triedand-true design ethos of the sleeping bag category with its unique design: a rectangular middle bag flanked by two “wings” that allow the sleeper to manually control the temperature. The wings each stuff into their own respective stuff sacks, should you forget a camp pillow. The hood features an internal sleeve to keep said pillow in place, and the ventable footbox lets hot sleepers dump heat at a moment’s notice.

In theory, the attached wings offer a three-in-one bag experience for the sleeper, but the system is rather cumbersome. If you’re sharing a tent, throwing a wing off yourself usually means it’ll land on your tentmate. It’s easy to get caught up in the extra fabric of the wings, and having the wherewithal to throw a wing off in the night is a lot to ask of a drowsy camper. Also, the snaps that attach the wings are hard to use in the dark — so if you do pack the wings away, be sure you’re ready to commit to the temperature you’ve chosen.

FIELD NOTES

“While living with the UST Monarch isn’t as utopian as advertised, the experience is still a comfortable one — and at the end of the day, its existence forces sleeping bag makers to reexamine what’s possible when it comes to sleeping outdoors.”

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the guide

Fitness

text by

Hayley Helms

Turning Over a New Leaf Plant-based diets? That’s old hat. Try plant-based shoes, bags, apparel and more.

Cork. Mushrooms. Coffee beans. Beech. Birch. Eucalyptus. Spruce. What do each of these have in common, besides the fact that they grow in the ground? You’re going to start seeing them on the tags of your favorite outdoor gear. A new and growing trend in the outdoor and fitness space is the making of items and apparel either entirely, or partially, from innovative plant-based fabrics.

Plant-based is nothing new in clothing — cotton and hemp are two well-known plants that have been used in clothing since the dawn of time. Seaweed, coffee, trees and mushrooms, however, aren’t as popular — yet. We’re seeing a plant-based revolution in the gear world, with brands and manufacturers re-examining the natural order of goods. And just in case you’re wondering: yes, plant-based fabrics perform as well as their synthetic or animal-based counterparts.

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photo by

Wini Lao

Lululemon Barrel Duffle Bag This bag is made with Mylo, which is also called mushroom leather because it is crafted from mycelium, a.k.a. mushrooms’ underground root system. It looks and feels like leather, but is kinder to animals and the earth.

Scarpa 4-Quattro Series Ever progressive and high-performance, the lightest GripWalk hybrid ski boots on the market draw on flora in an unconventional way; the shell and cuff are made from castor bean plants.

Duer No Sweat Jogger Made with cotton, Tencel (a wood-based material, typically made with beech, birch, eucalyptus and spruce), and Lycra polyester and spandex, these pants are about as close to 100-percent plant-based as performance-oriented joggers can get.

Reebok Nano X1 Vegan Meet one of the most popular training shoes, reimagined as a vegan product. The vegan Nano X1 uses a plant-based version of Reebok’s Flexweave knit and Floatride Energy Foam made with castor bean.

Cariuma Skate Shoe Cariuma’s skate shoe features a cork and bio-based foam insole (made in part with mamona oil), as well as a vulcanized natural rubber outsole.

Satisfy CoffeeThermal Base Layer While the notion of transforming your used coffee grounds into a lightweight, soft and capable long-sleeve shirt may seem farfetched, Satisfy has done it. Its NILIT-HEAT Coffee Thermal fabric is knitted with coffee-charcoal infused fibers.

A WORD TO THE WISE When it comes to clothing, plant-based and vegan mean two very different things. A shoe, shirt, ski boot or pair of sunglasses can be vegan, and treated with all kinds of nasty chemicals and synthetic materials to replace animal products. Plant-based materials, on the other hand, are exactly what they sound like: made from plants. This doesn’t mean they don’t come with their own chemical treatments, but they do tend to be friendlier on the planet, due to their inherently recycled and upcycled nature.

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⁄

Many upstart brands claim to have dreamt up the next big thing. In the trail running space — thanks to one transformative ingredient — Montreal’s Norda may have actually done it.

When we think of The North — be it Canada, Scandinavia or elsewhere — we’re struck with visions of cold, harsh conditions. Mist, snow, rain, dark winters and craggy terrain come to mind, along with maybe a scene or two from Game of Thrones. Sure, it’s not actually that foreboding everywhere, but thriving takes a measure of grit — so we grant its denizens considerable respect.

In the sporting world, the best analogue may be trail running, a pursuit that requires athletes to persevere with strong calves and even stronger mindsets. It’s not simply “one foot in front of the other” when you’re negotiating a twisty trail festooned with rocks, roots and fallen branches, not to mention

p h o t o s b y j u l i e n pay e t t e - t e s s i e r

Northern Exposure

norda

Fitness

text by

Will Porter

A close look at the Norda 001 reveals it is crafted with a keen eye for design and style. From upper to outsole, the shoes boast trail-ready bona fides, but they have also been picked up by a number of top fashion e-retailers, including Ssense and Mr Porter.

gravel, dirt and mud. To succeed, you also need gear that can blast through tough conditions, especially on your feet. That’s where Norda comes in.

Named after the Latin word for north, Norda was founded by Nick and Willa Martire, Montreal-area endurance athletes and shoe designers who wanted more from their trail running shoes.

“We live on a farm and we step out our door basically onto trails and dirt,” Nick says. “So 99.5 percent of the time, Willa and I run trails and dirt roads, to grass, to whatever, so we wanted to create products that were suited to our needs. Every time we would go running, [we were] dissatisfied with the products that we ran in and, as lifelong shoemakers and athletes, we thought we had to know how to do it. So we did.”

With over 20 years of experience designing shoes for the likes of Steve Madden and Aldo, the Martires had the background to break into the business. In 2021, after two years of testing and development, they quietly released their flagship trail running shoe, the Norda 001.

As a small brand, Norda didn’t want to spend big on marketing, which is why this might be the first you’ve heard of it. When you give the 001s a runout, you quickly realize the bulk of the brand’s resources went into the product itself.

What stands out? Rather than simply beef up an existing road running shoe, as some bigger brands are wont to do, the Martires built the 001 from the ground up with trail running in mind. There is no road running version.

Getting more granular, the feeling underfoot impresses. A grippy Vibram outsole boosts traction, while the midsole is plush but not squishy. The fit is ultra secure thanks to a gusseted lock system that doesn’t waver. Where the shoes truly differentiate themselves, though, is the upper, made from one of the most technologically advanced materials in outdoor gear, and maybe the world: Dyneema. (Norda opted for new bio-based Dyneema, which reduces the carbon footprint by 90 percent.)

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Fifteen times stronger than steel, yet half the weight of it, Dyneema is something of a miracle fiber. Made exclusively by a Dutch company called DSM, the fabric was first used in the outdoor world to make climbing rope before showing up in bags, tents and even down jackets. If you’ve ever glimpsed one of the many streamlined, blackand-white products made by Hyperlite Mountain Gear, you’ve seen Dyneema.

Probably the biggest thing limiting its prevalence is that the material can be difficult to work with: it’s a bit stiff, which is why you don’t see it in a lot of footwear. When the Martires discovered its advantages, however, they became determined to make it the foundation of the 001.

It took globe-spanning Zoom calls and multiple iterations to nail down the upper, but after consulting with experts and top factories, they settled on a new type of Dyneema. While the material usually has the feel and look of a tarp, Norda used a bit of secret alchemy to weave it. Don’t ask them how they did it, though. When I do, Nick and Willa break into wry smiles.

“I can’t give you all the secrets,” Willa says. “But we said, try and raise it to this temperature now, or lower to this temperature. It’s about finding a way to make it. What’s the word I’m looking for? There’s like a little recipe.”

Whatever magic was involved, it works. Play around with a pair, tug as hard as you can at the upper — hell, let your dog have a go at it — and you’ll see it’s virtually indestructible. That makes the shoe ideal for everyone from ultrarunners to the weekend warrior that pounds their shoes hard and puts them away wet. The do-it-all performance comes at a premium: over $280 USD. But adherents say it’s worth it.

One of the first pros to don the shoe was Serbian ultrarunner Jovica Spa-

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Where the shoes truly differentiate themselves is the upper, made from one of the most technologically advanced materials in outdoor gear: Dyneema.

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t h is page

The lugged Vibram outsole features dozens of sipes in the rubber, similar to the traction you’d find on a winter tire. facing page

The virtually unbreakable laces are made from recycled polyester and bio-based Dyneema.

jić. He took a new pair of Norda 001s straight from the box and ran Utah’s gnarly Moab 240 last fall. He placed second, beat his previous best time by nearly 6 minutes and is still hooked.

“From the first moment I was thrilled by the design and aesthetics, the selection of sophisticated materials, innovation and details,” Spajić says on Norda’s blog. “[I loved] the comfort ... the way the shoes behaved on various surfaces, including the technically most demanding mountain terrains ... and the fact that the shoes didn’t lose any of their potential even after 1,000 kilometers [620 miles].”

The 001 has since been adopted by a handful of pros and is gaining steam organically, via word of mouth, positive buzz on hardcore running blogs and the like. That’s how the Martires prefer it, rather than Instagram ads and sponsorships.

Heck, they’ve been too busy developing Norda’s next breakthrough shoe, the 001 G+ Spike, a $330 upgrade waterproofed with a membrane made of Graphene — the lightest, strongest, most conductive natural material on Earth.

Considering the quality of the product after less than a year of operation, it is apparent that a colossal marketing budget won’t be necessary.

FIRST TRACKS We don’t all have dirt trails right outside our doors, but here are early impressions of the Norda 001 from the streets of Brooklyn.

My very first run in the 001 was on slushy city sidewalks after a snowstorm. Not a trail, per se, but going out in my regular road shoes would have been unfathomable.

In fear of slipping, I was shocked to find my traction super steady, even on patches of ice. Dyneema may not sound like the comfiest material, owing to its comparisons to steel, but it actually makes for one of the best uppers I’ve ever run in. The seamless construction cradles your feet and the footprint is just wide enough to be a comfortable platform without feeling like a shoe an astronaut would wear. —WP

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Jack Seemer

Henry Phillips

TaylorMade Stealth Driver Equipped with 60 layers of carbon fiber on the face, the Stealth is so revolutionary that it signals an end to titanium-made drivers — at least, so claims TaylorMade. $580

One of the main selling points of the Stealth is its simple, clean aesthetic; unlike other TaylorMade drivers, there are no distractions here — even with that blood-red face, which is almost hidden at address. And even if the material is “revolutionary,” the sound and feel are not; they’re very familiar.

Indeed, the Stealth offers distance, speed and some forgiveness. But if there are any gains over last year’s drivers from TaylorMade, they’re marginal at best. For high-handicap golfers looking to reel in wayward shots, there are other options, such as Callaway’s advanced new Rogue ST drivers, that could be a better match.

FIELD NOTES

“The Stealth driver is a very good product. But it’s also the first in what’s likely to be a long line of driver innovations using carbon fiber. I can’t help but wonder, ‘In just a few short years, how much better will future installments be?’”

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Home

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Jackie Bryant

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Cam Oden

Paraphernalia Paradox Canna-business is booming. Why is it so hard to buy decent gear?

When it comes to anything having to do with cannabis, two things are often true at the same time. Its use is as at once legal — at least according to some 36 states — and illegal, if you ask the feds. And while the last 10 or so years have seen cannabis’s legality spread quickly, giving birth to different and improved means of consumption, another paradox remains: There’s seemingly never been a better time to do business in weed, and it’s also never been more challenging to get products in the hands of consumers.

The problems plaguing the weed business are perhaps best encapsulated by legal disputes, like when, in 2019, Puffco filed a complaint alleging that a previous class action lawsuit filed against it had been secretly coordinated by Kandypens, one of its competitors.

The lawsuit alleged Puffco’s Peak vaporizers — one of the most popular high-end e-rigs on the market — were bunk, particularly its ceramic atomizers, which kept breaking on customers; it also alleged the company wasn’t honoring warranties.

In the complaint, Puffco accused Kandypens CEO Graham Gibson of creating a series of Instagram pages dedicated to disseminating information about the class action lawsuit before it was even filed and later shared a copy of the class action complaint. Puffco said Kandypens never disclosed that it created the pages.

In January, Puffco announced via Instagram that the suit was settled in its favor. But all the drama and general desperation signaled that these issues persist, with companies sometimes resorting to litigation to gain market share in the face of a variety of market problems. This is not unheard of in the cannabis world, where the still-legalizing status means emotion and

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mudslinging run rampant. The fight for air is even more fraught when it comes to vapes, a category plagued with draconian regulation that has spilled over from nicotine vaping problems.

Around Christmas of 2021, Puffco announced that, due to the Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act’s provision regulating “nicotine delivery systems” coming into effect, it would no longer be able to use its online store to ship directly to consumers. Even though the law appears to apply strict regulations to the mailing and taxation of cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products only, it includes stringent requirements for vape gear of any stripe. This erroneously includes dab gear, which slides in under a technicality of inhalable “liquid.” It’s a classification that would rightly make most cannabis concentrates enthusiasts recoil, especially because no tobacco or nicotine is involved.

“If USPS determined that this ruling does include cannabis concentrates, which it did, we knew we won’t be able to ship,” says Puffco CEO Roger Volodarsky.

DHL, UPS and FedEx all followed suit.

Still, there is a long history of cannabis being swept up in tobacco regulations. Ask any vape or dab tech maker what their biggest headache is right now, and I’d wager that all of them will say it’s the EVALI lung disease scandal. In 2019, an outbreak of an e-cigarette-associated lung disease, subsequently known as EVALI, caused a crackdown on nicotine and illegal cannabis vaping products, from which the vaping segment of both industries has not fully recovered. Plus, there’s still stigma with using cannabis, and dabbing even more so.

Volodarsky says that Puffco started as a direct result

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“Clearly, consuming concentrates is the best experience in this space. How do we make this more accessible to people?”

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Puffco’s Peak (top), the electronic dab rig that launched a thousand imitations, remains the standard setter in the category. The Daab (bottom), made by Ispire, is the Peak’s most legitimate competition. It’s priced similarly, comes with similar features and is aesthetically close to its forebearer.

of stigma related to dab consumption, which historically was done with a torch and a quartz rig, which more or less looks like a steampunk bong. Since dabbing requires high heat and cannabis concentrate, it’s essentially freebasing weed. Because of the stigmas associated with freebasing other types of drugs, particularly crack cocaine, the practice came with some side-eyeing, especially in New York, where consumers historically have been more image-conservative than their counterpoints on the West Coast.

“I had already been arrested for cannabis a few times,” Volodarsky says, so whatever product he made, it was going to have to be discreet. The result is a suite of products, including a dab “pen” and an electronic hot knife, that are sleek, futuristic, expensive, effective, and, yes, discreet. Puffco’s best-known offering is easily the Peak, a space-age-looking electronic dab rig that has given the company flagship and mythic status in the hash community since it debuted in 2018.

The Peak has suffered some problems over the years since its release, like faulty wiring in the base and finicky ceramic atomizers, but Puffco made tweaks that have resulted in a much more reliable product. Nowadays, it’s impossible to attend a party with serious weedheads without seeing a fleet of people walking around dabbing on the go.

A few years ago, this was unheard of, mostly because e-rigs didn’t exist. Now, Puffco’s success has inspired a gang of low-quality copycats alongside a few high-quality e-rigs that could give the Peak a run for its money. Ispire’s Daab is probably the best example of the latter. Released this past February, it appears to have taken design elements from the Peak — like a

glass rig piece affixed to a black electronic base — but it has a few extra bells and whistles, like a more dialed-in range of temperature settings and induction heating.

It’s the traditional look of the Daab’s glass apparatus that specifically calls back to more traditional users, who often think that using an e-rig is “cheating,” despite its conveniences. But there’s a technical boon, too.

“With a lot of the other smart rigs on the market, e-nails and things like that, it hit me that they are putting products on a metal or ceramic atomizer. That introduces more toxins into a process where you’re consuming a very pure form of cannabis,” Ispire CMO Rick Egan says. “Ours is an all-glass experience, so it gives users the closest feeling of using a rig without having to use a torch.” In addition to being cleaner, it is also a direct nod to the Peak, enticing traditional dabbers to make the leap.

Now all Ispire needs to do is get its e-rigs in the hands of consumers. It, along with other dab tech companies like Greenlane, which owns vaporizer company DaVinci, resolved its issues with the USPS and other shippers before the PACT Act was set to take effect earlier in 2021, essentially working out one-on-one deals that showed they were exempt because cannabis concentrates are not nicotine liquids. Puffco, meanwhile, has resorted to using a system of smaller regional deliverers. According to Volodarsky, Puffco is now back “up to 70 percent” of its previous direct-to-consumer delivery network, allowing the company to think about the end user again.

“Clearly, consuming concentrates is the best experience in this space. How do we make this more accessible to people?” Volodarsky asks. “There’s more to come.”

HOW TO GET HIGH LIKE IT’S 2022 There are dozens of products pushing the envelope on what it means to get high. Here are four of our favorites.

VESSEL HELIX An elegant, functional one-hitter from a brand obsessed with elevating the canna-gear space. The Helix is made of heavy brass and breaks apart for easy cleaning. $55

ISPIRE DAAB Part of the new generation

of high-end dab rigs, Ispire’s Daab uses a tiny induction burner to heat concentrates rather than other, more messy heating elements, and takes concentrates of any viscosity level. $300

DAVINCI IQC If your vape can’t take

both flower or extract, what are you even doing? DaVinci’s IQC vape handles both, and comes with a five-year warranty to boot. $229

PUFFCO PEAK The device that launched

the electronic dab rig craze. It’s sleek, fast, customizable, efficient and it’s tough to see it being dethroned anytime soon. $250

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Kailah Ogawa

Robovacs Suck Just not the way you want them to.

In 1997, Electrolux introduced the Trilobite, the first automatic vacuum cleaner, to the world.

Featured on BBC’s Tomorrow’s World TV show, the Trilobite gave the public a reason to believe that they would one day own a piece of real-world sci-fi tech that would clean up all of their floor messes.

Two decades later, robot vacuums, or “robovacs” as they’re affectionately called, are now a $3.5 billion market, with models ranging from $100 to nearly a grand. But no matter how advanced or intuitive these robovacs get, you’ll never find one in my home — and it’s not because I’m afraid of a full-scale robot invasion.

Here’s why you should stick to manual vacuuming like a self-sufficient human.

if your floors are completely bare (which can be nearly impossible), many robovacs can’t transition properly from hardwood floors to carpets.

Paint It Brown Your robot vacuum is supposed to avoid crashing into things, whether it’s a wall, your foot or a pile of clothes on the floor. But that turd your dog just dropped? Yeah, it’s getting mowed down … and around … and all over the place. Head to YouTube, and you’ll find too many videos of robovacs painting homes with feces. The issue is so prevalent that iRobot, maker of the popular Roomba robot vacuums, recently released a model that’s specifically designed to identify and maneuver around your pet’s business.

The Robot Trap Despite being designed to avoid furniture and walls, robot vacuums have a tendency to get stuck. And sometimes they get stuck in the most frustrating ways that make prying them from their trap even more annoying. They’ll manage to navigate in between chair legs before realizing those chair legs are now the bars to their jail cell. Step away for too long and you’ll find your robovac has spent more time locked away than cleaning your floors.

Carpet Non-Cleaner Robovacs excel at cleaning hard floors. Don’t expect one to do very well at vacuuming your rugs and carpets, though. It’ll do perfectly fine at suctioning up the debris on the surface level of your carpet. But the higher the pile and the longer the fibers, the more dirt and debris that gets stuck toward the base. Robovacs have neither the suction power nor bristle length to get deep down into rugs or carpets, making their cleanings purely superficial.

World’s Worst Obstacle Course Robovacs need a perfectly clutter-free home to properly run. They probably won’t register that there are some charging cables on the floor, so they’ll run them over and get stuck. Before you even start your robovac, the onus is on you to remove everything from the floor to create an obstacle-free workspace, which defeats the purpose of having an automatic vacuum. And even

Time Suck Without a doubt, you can manually vacuum a space faster than a robot vacuum can. That’s because a robot vacuum needs to run through its algorithms to decide where to go and how to get there — and that’s not including the minutes lost when the thing gets stuck somewhere. Plus, all that time spent trying to figure out where to go leads to faster battery drain.

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GET THE MOST OUT OF A MANUAL VACUUM F OL L OW A GR ID

When you vacuum, imagine there’s a grid on your floor and stick to it. This will ensure you cover every square inch of your home so your floors get extra clean.

K EEP IT CL E A N

Your vacuum does some heavy lifting, so the least you can do is clean the vacuum itself.

Take out the brush and give it a thorough, soapy soak every once in a while lest you start spreading dirt everywhere.

AT TACHMEN T IS S UE S

Besides the main cleaning head, a traditional vacuum will come with myriad attachments for cleaning high-up areas like ceilings, fans and vents, or suctioning upholstery. Use them.

HIGH T O L OW

Ceilings and fans don’t need as much love as your floors, but when you do decide to clean those elevated areas, hit them first. Some dust will fall to the floor, which you can then suck up on your bottom pass.

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Ikea Starkvind For its second go at the air purifier market, the Swedish furniture brand hid one inside a side table for maximum surreptitiousness. $259

Air purifiers aren’t the most attractive appliances. So Ikea tucked one inside an inconspicuous side table; the only giveaway to the Starkvind’s dirty secret is the electrical cable running down its leg. Better yet, it stays out of mind: the whisper-quiet Starkvind automatically responds to air pollutants by adjusting its own fan speed, truly making this a set-and-forget piece of tech.

What the Starkvind gains in the looks department, it gives up in strength. The air purifier works best in rooms up to a measly 215 square feet. Also, it’s not strong enough to handle heavily polluted environments. The cost is above average for a unit with its strength; you’re paying for its ability to operate incognito.

FIELD NOTES

“In a crowded product category, the Starkvind stands out not for its aptitude at cleaning the air but for its attention to design. For the price, I wish it were both.”

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Food & Drink

Carbon Steel Carbon steel’s high volumetric heat capacity means it can sear with the best of them while remaining thin enough to stir and toss with ease. As a bonus, Kenji says, “It’s virtually indestructible. I’ve had the same wok for over 20 years and I cook in it all the time.”

Wok Talk J. Kenji López-Alt, YouTube’s mad scientist of home cooking, has a new experiment: convincing you to buy a wok.

J. Kenji López-Alt (pictured above) usually reaches for his wok. It isn’t some heavy triply that set him back $250, either. It’s light, cheap and blackened by 20-plus years of heavy use. He loves it, and he’s just taken the affair public.

Kenji — as he’s known to his over 1 million subscribers on YouTube — mentions woks, albeit briefly, in his 2016 James Beard Award-winning culinary tome The Food Lab. But it’s in The Wok, his near700-page manifesto released this spring, where he fully shares the secrets of cooking’s most versatile tool.

To prepare, we asked Kenji what features to look for when buying a new wok.

14-Inch Diameter Skip the 22-inch wok from your favorite Chinese joint. You want 14 inches, lip-to-lip — large enough to cook for a family of four while still remaining nimble.

“When you’re stir-frying food,” says Kenji, “the most important thing is to get the food moving around and up in the air.”

“For people familiar with Western equipment, the long handle is the way to go,” says Kenji, who prefers a wooden-handled pow wok, in contrast to Cantonese-style woks, which have two ear-shaped handles. “I look for one with a relatively low angle and a helper handle on the other side. Sometimes you want to lift the whole thing.”

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p o rt ra i t by au b r i e p i c k

Wooden Handle

text by

J. Travis Smith

photo by

Wini Lao

14- or 16-Gauge Steel “Oftentimes in a recipe, you’ll be adjusting the heat many times over the course of just a few minutes,” says Kenji, so you need a wok thin enough to respond quickly to these temperature changes. Careful now: too thin and it’ll become unstable and warp.

Flat Bottom For electric, induction and gas ranges, Kenji likes to keep his wok bottoms flat. Sure, round bottoms are traditional, but they require a gas range with a wok ring for stability, which “ends up elevating your wok too far above the flame to be effective. In the kitchen, heat dissipates at the inverse square law.”

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Food & Drink

S-Shots

High Life

With alcohol consumption at an all-time high, these canna-beverages provide a bubbly, blazed respite from booze.

Nothing says “summer” like picnics, barbecues and beach trips, all fueled by ice-cold beers and spiked seltzers.

However, alcohol is downright terrible for your health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, long-term effects of alcohol include high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, digestive problems, multiple kinds of cancer and mental health problems. A two-year pandemic hasn’t helped, either — one study shows that binge drinking has increased 21 percent since the onset of COVID-19.

Cannabis use is on the rise as well, with 38 states with medical marijuana programs and 18 states legalizing it recreationally.

According to a 2019 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 43.5 million people reported using cannabis.

Studies suggest that cannabis may carry less of a risk compared to alcohol. Some low-dose infused beverages even include magnesium, L-theanine and other functionals and terpenes for specific applications, like sleeping or working out.

“We’re learning that alcohol is toxic at lower doses than we realized, so even a drink a day is definitely worse than a 5-milligram edible for (the) liver and probably worse for brain shrinkage longterm,” says Mitch Earleywine, professor of psychology at the University at Albany, SUNY, and author of Understanding Marijuana.

Low-dose THC beverages are a crisp, cool, non-alcoholic alternative that help you avoid feeling like you’re the only one not drinking at the barbecue.

These beverages come in multiple dosing levels — starting at 2 milligrams all the way to 10 milligrams — and resemble popular sippables like seltzers, beers and cocktails, minus the hangover.

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Rip shots without regret (or make a magical mixed drink) with S-Shots, which pack 100 milligrams of THC per bottle.

text by

Amanda Reed

photo by

Henry Phillips

Wunder This sparkling beverage has two dosing levels: Sessions, which feature 2 milligrams of Delta-9 THC, 2 milligrams of Delta-8 THC and 4 milligrams of CBD; and Higher Vibes, which include 10 milligrams of Delta-9 THC and 10 milligrams of Delta-8 THC.

Wynk Each can features 2.5 milligrams of THC and CBD, and comes in three flavors: lime twist, black cherry fizz and juicy mango.

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Food & Drink

Cann Each 8-ounce can of Cann has 2 milligrams of THC and 4 milligrams of CBD, coming in sassy, yummy flavors like blood orange cardamom and yuzu elderflower. Additionally, the company sells 12-ounce Hi Boys that are dosed at 5 milligrams and unspiked seltzers with CBD.

Mad Lilly These spritzes come in three flavors and pack a light punch with 5 milligrams of THC and CBD.

Artet This cannabis aperitif comes in four flavors that each pack a different punch, but its flagship aperitif dosed at 2.5 milligrams of THC per serving is the most popular. Drink it by itself, or on the rocks.

ALT These zero-calorie, zero-sugar vials have 5 or 10 milligrams of THC and can be added to any beverage.

Rebel Coast Rebel Coast offers cannabis-infused seltzers and “wine,” all containing 10 milligrams of THC.

Klaus The three varieties of cannabis-infused beverages, mixed by Warren Bobrow, are for classic cocktail lovers with a penchant for cannabis. Each can packs 10 milligrams of THC and high-quality ingredients found in restaurants and hotels, like extra hot and spicy ginger syrup from Pickett Brothers.

Tinley’s Tinley’s offers non-alcoholic, craft tonics and mixers that are infused with premium distilled botanicals and cannabis grown in California’s Emerald Triangle, all dosed at 5 milligrams.

CBD-Infused Beverages If cannabis seltzers are not available in your state, try a CBD-infused beverage like ones from Crisp and Crude and Outbound Brewing, or sip on a Delta-8 infused beverage that provides a similar headhigh to Delta-9 THC.

WORRIED ABOUT GETTING TOO STONED?

Go “low and slow,” says Austin Stevenson, chief innovation officer at Vertosa, a cannabis chemistry company which produces active ingredients for infused product makers like Artet, Cann and Wunder. “People will start between 2 and 5 milligrams, then they’ll want to graduate to 10 milligrams” — the single-serving limit of cannabis beverages.

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Tyler Chin

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Henry Phillips

Made In Dutch Oven The cookware brand made a name for itself with uncompromising, affordable alternatives to expensive legacy cookware — and its Dutch oven falls squarely in line with that ethos. $199

Le Creuset and Staub, which take the lion’s share of the Dutch oven category, have two things in common: They’re French. And they’re expensive. Made In’s Dutch oven shares the former quality while avoiding the latter. The enamel-wrapped cast-iron pot features a naturally nonstick interior that’s tough enough for all your braising, stewing and deep-frying needs. Its dimpled lid helps reintroduce moisture lost through evaporation — and as a bonus, the glossy blue exterior and brass knob are beautiful when on display.

The Made In Dutch oven features a sleek black interior, which is a pain when it comes to cooking and cleaning: although it provides excellent heat retention, the dark interior makes it hard to keep track of browning food. And while it’s half the price of comparable options from legacy brands, it still might be slightly expensive for those with tighter budgets.

FIELD NOTES

“Considering its looks and capabilities, Made In’s Dutch oven will make you question why someone would spend double the price for essentially the same item, just because of the brand name.”

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Finger Paint

These brands are selling more than just “malepolish.”

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Men wearing nail polish is no new phenomenon. In fact, queer men — especially queer men of color — have worn it for decades despite the inherent, and unjust, risks that come with overt self-expression. (Think: societal or career exile, even violence.) But times are a changin’. Even though nail polish has always been a gender neutral product, brands targeted toward, let alone started by, men didn’t really exist until the mid-2010s.

It has to be said, though, that these new brands aren’t formulaically all that different from the classics you’ll find in the beauty aisles at big-box stores. Instead of reinventing the paint itself, these new age nail art brands are betting on cooler colors and backing from big name celebrities. But, unlike in a category like liquor, where everyone can own or back a brand even if they’re sober, the faces of these brands really use the stuff. They’re out every day in it, whether on tour or courtside for a Lakers-Clippers game.

Here are a few brands started by some familiar faces.

photos courtesy of respective brands

Style

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Evan Malachosky

Pleasing

Crete

harry styles

lil yachty

The former One Direction frontman sells skincare and nail care products under the brand name Pleasing.

Pearls are a theme, but the products change with the seasons.

Crete, initially backed by rapper Lil Yachty, ditches the traditional bottle and dipper brush for a marker. They’re easier to use, especially if you have little to no experience with the old types.

Golf le Fleur A Nail Polish

UN/DN LAQR

tyler , the creator

Golf le Fleur is Tyler, the Creator’s pastel-colored creative outlet. He uses it to sell France-inspired fragrances, fine leather luggage and a few blue and white nail polishes.

NO NAME, ALL GAME These two upstart options come without the celebrity surcharge.

machine gun kelly

With names like Mary Jane and Twenty Five to Life, UN/DN LAQR from rapper-turned-punk-rocker Machine Gun Kelly feels the least personal. But… it’s definitely on brand.

FACULTY

TO BE FRANK

Faculty wants men to embrace masculinity’s ever-changing nature — and that starts with being comfortable wearing nail polish.

To Be Frank focuses on being gender-free, but also modern colors. Think: olive green, muted gray, pastel yellow and pink.

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Style

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i l l u s t r at i o n s b y

Evan Richards

Summer Sneaker Starter Pack Today’s high-demand designs derive their looks from a small handful of pioneering silhouettes.

These days, you could choose from a million and a half different sneaker designs — rare, eccentric and often expensive. But each one owes much of its DNA to a small handful of silhouettes that came before, many of which remain popular today. Even better: you don’t have to queue in line to buy a pair.

These classics are readily, and cheaply, available when you need them.

Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star Debuted: 1917 Style: High top, lace up

Converse named its rubber-soled, high-top basketball sneaker the All-Star in 1922.

More than a century later, people still wear it — and for good reason: they cost just $60 and look best a little beat up. $60

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Hood Rubber Company 1955 Conference High Cut Debuted: 1933 Style: High top, lace up

The 1955 Conference High Cut from the recently revived Hood Rubber Company (now owned by Mitchell & Ness) looks like it was plucked out of an old high school locker room. Don’t let the distressed aesthetic fool you, however; it comes with plenty of support, courtesy of a removable molded liner and a heavier six-ounce canvas upper. $85

Jack Purcell Canvas Debuted: 1935 Style: Low top, lace up

B.F. Goodrich approached badminton player Jack Purcell about making his own signature shoe in 1935. The simple sneaker catered to Purcell’s on-court demands, but its low profile made it popular with style icons like Steve McQueen and James Dean. Converse eventually bought the rights to the brand and still makes the shoes to this day. It’s easy to tell these and Chucks apart: look for the “smile,” a curved line that cups the toe. $65

PF Flyers Center Hi Debuted: 1960 Style: High top, lace up

PF Flyers was founded by B.F. Goodrich in 1933, but it would take almost three decades for the brand to drop its most famous sneaker: the PF Flyers Center Hi. Marked by its iconically chunky sole and straightforward canvas upper, it battled stiff competition through the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s before fading into obscurity. But a spot in the 1993 movie The Sandlot gave the shoe new life. $78

Adidas Stan Smith Debuted: 1965 Style: Low top, lace up

In the 1960s, Adidas needed a tennis star to name its signature shoe after. Cue Stan Smith. The tennis star has become larger than life, considering the brand has sold over 30 million pairs of sneakers adorned with his face. It’s a simple silhouette that pairs well with most outfits, and it breaks in without cracking. $100

Vans Authentic Debuted: 1966 Style: Low top, lace up

When the Vans Authentic came out in 1966, then called the #44 Deck Shoes, only 12 customers bought them directly from the factory, or so the story goes. Over time, they defied their damning debut to become popular not only within the SoCal skate scene but with everyday people around the world. Today, Vans sells more than 75 million pairs of shoes a year. $55

Puma Suede Classic Debuted: 1968 Style: Low top, lace up

Initially called the Crack, slang for someone skilled at their craft, the Puma Suede made its grand debut at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City when U.S. athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos protested the racial injustices happening on the other side of the border. They became deeply embedded in our culture, as much a comfortable sneaker as proof you supported the cause. $70

Nike Waffle Trainer Debuted: 1973 Style: Low top, lace up

Nike’s Waffle Trainer was born in a waffle maker. The waffle-patterned outsole was designed to work like track spikes minus the sharp edges. Their softness, and noticeably lighter weight, made them a favorite of runners and non-runners alike.

While Nike’s running technology has come leaps and bounds since the 1970s, the Waffle Trainer remains a popular lifestyle option. $90

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Pang

How to Take Care of a New Tattoo Congrats on the ink. Here’s how to keep those lines looking sharp, according to an expert.

The first few weeks of a tattoo’s life are critical. How the skin heals determines how bright and, of course, how correct the tattoo looks.

But worry not: all you need are a few tips and products to ensure a quick, complete rebound. We summoned some advice from Carl Kuo, owner of Mission Ink Tattoo and Piercing in San Francisco. He offers ways to build habits that will preserve the ink’s color for years to come.

HEALING While each artist has a preferred method of covering fresh ink, Kuo says that recovery is fastest with an ointment wrap — specifically Saniderm or 3M Tegaderm. “Leave it on for three to five days,” he says.

“You can shower with it, but remove the wrapping if irritation develops at the edges of the wrap.” In addition, avoid tight clothes and itching or scratching.

If you follow these directions, your skin should fully recover in under two weeks.

WASHING After removing the bandage — and throughout the healing process — wash the area with an unscented cleanser, says Kuo. Synthetic fragrances can be irritating, and you want this recovery to be seamless.

Nécessaire Fragrance-Free The Body Wash simultaneously nourishes skin with vitamins C and E as well as omega-6 and omega-9.

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NOURISHING The scent aversion continues with your choice of a lightweight, fragrance-free lotion. Kuo says to follow each wash with this protective, fortifying cream until the wounds have healed (one to two weeks). Verb Body Lotion is his choice, thanks to its soothing aloe vera and its barrier-creating coconut oil, which seals precious moisture inside the skin. Even after the tattoo heals, daily moisturizing will prevent fading.

PRESERVING Speaking of color preservation, Kuo says to “avoid sun exposure for at least two weeks.” Ditto for a favorite summer pastime: swimming in salt water or chlorinated pools. All of these things can compromise the tattoo’s vibrance as it rebounds.

Then, moving forward, always apply SPF 30+ to your ink for the same reason. Jack Black Oil-Free SPF 45 Sunscreen resists water and sweat for up to 80 minutes.

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Evan Malachosky

photo by

Henry Phillips

Sachajuan Scalp Brush This tool enhances your shampooing routine by lifting out dead skin cells and clearing buildup left behind by styling products. $17

Showering with the Sachajuan Scalp Brush feels like an entirely new cleaning experience. The bristles are made from soft silicone but the brush itself is plastic. As a result, it’s easy to grip, even when you’re holding it with wet, soapy hands. Plus, unlike cheaper, ostensibly similar products you could buy on Amazon (of which there are many), the tips of Sachajuan’s bristles won’t break off under heavy use; they hold their own well against firm, circular scrubbing.

Using this tool involves scrubbing your head in a circular motion, but that can tangle your locks if you do it too intensely or have a thick head of hair. The shape of the handle makes the brush easy to hold between two fingers; it also makes it hard to store: Storing it bristles-down just feels wrong. Resting it on its side — either on a shelf or on the ledge of your shower — is easiest, but if it’s out of sight, it can be easy to forget.

FIELD NOTES

“Hands alone work just fine, but this brush helped me reach deeper into my scalp. Not only was the sensation of it sort of refreshing, but I felt confident it helped me remove the stubborn styling products I wear during the day.”

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the guide

Watches

text by

Zen Love

Back to Black

The Porsche Design Chronograph 1 isn’t just another stealthy timepiece.

It’s the original all-black watch.

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photos by

Henry Phillips

What do the Porsche 911 sports car, blacked-out watches and Tom Cruise have in common? A chronograph that came out 50 years ago.

Before the Porsche Design Chronograph 1, there were no watches with black cases. It’s hard to imagine today, what with the preponderance of cases clad in black PVD- or DLC-coated steel, or even produced in materials like ceramic or carbon. Black watches are sleek and serious-looking, and they’ve become staples of streetwear, military-chic and high-end watchmaking. They’ve even snuck onto the silver screen; the Chronograph 1 was famously worn by Tom Cruise’s character in the 1986 film Top Gun.

The Chronograph 1 was the brainchild of Ferdinand Alexander “Butzi” Porsche, best known for having designed the Porsche 911. In 1972, when he decided to leave the auto company his grandfather founded, he launched his own design firm, Porsche Design, by debuting this unprecedented watch. It was meant to match Porsche’s cars, and also to apply automotive design principles to a wristwatch.

The 1970s were a time of transition, experimentation and wild design, but even if you wanted to make a black watch, there hadn’t so far been a good way to achieve it. Enter physical vapor deposition, or PVD, which had been used in the automotive and aviation

industries to atomically bond a thin layer of material to the metal beneath rather than simply coat it like paint; by the ’70s, it was finally becoming available in a form that could be applied to watches.

Black looks cool on just about anything, but the idea behind using the color was practical: legibility. Just as in the gauges and instruments of cars and airplanes, black trim functions to avoid diverting one’s gaze. High contrast with white hands and indices offers easy reference without distraction, which the watch is meant to do for drivers. Looking badass is a bonus.

The automaker connection and worldfirst tech let this watch stake a claim in the horological history books, but it wouldn’t have become an icon if the design weren’t also on point. Butzi’s Bauhaus training manifests in the Chronograph 1’s austere minimalism, functional form and the shock of red of the stopwatch’s seconds hand. It recalls auto racing — or, more specifically, a Porsche’s dashboard.

For the first several decades of its existence, Porsche Design partnered with watchmakers for the actual production of its watches. The earliest iterations of the Chronograph 1 feature Porsche’s own name on the dial alongside watchmaker Orfina; the brand would later partner with IWC and Eterna on more innovative timekeepers. Since 2014, however, the brand has taken on many aspects of watch production itself, so those co-branded dials are a thing of the past.

For 2022, Porsche Design is marking its 50th anniversary by recreating the watch that started it all. Side by side with the original model, it’s slightly chunkier, but remarkably faithful in almost every way. It’s also produced in titanium, referencing another Porsche Design landmark: when it made one of the earliest watches in the material with IWC in 1980. Even at 50, the Porsche Design Chronograph 1 looks as fresh today as it did in 1972.

SCREEN TIME

The Chronograph 1’s appearances on famous wrists aren’t limited to ‘80s military movies. Dustin Hoffman wore one in the 1979 film Kramer vs. Kramer, and race car driver Mario Andretti often wore one behind the wheel. And, of course, it’ll be appearing on Tom Cruise’s wrist again in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the iconic film.

facing page

The 2022 version of the Porsche Design Chronograph 1, seen here next to a wellloved version of the 1973 original.

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Watches

Turning Back Time Cara Barrett’s new watch brand, Parchie, may be aimed at the younger set, but its appeal isn’t so limited.

t h is page

Industry vet Barrett founded Parchie in part to bring some fun back to watches. facing page

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⁄

the brand after an invisible childhood friend she played with on a family vacation in Italy. “Not the creepy kind,” she insists. “Peter Pan’s shadow. Or maybe kind of this blob that hung out with me.”

Specializing in colorful, affordable watches for kids, Parchie is Barrett’s first watch company. She started out as a cataloguer at Sotheby’s watch department, then took a job as a writer at Hodinkee, the world-renowned watch magazine, where she quickly became a notable voice in the overwhelmingly male world of watches.

portrait by emiliano granado

“I like to wear watches. I think it makes me look cool.”

I am Zooming with my niece, Izzy, who is holding in one hand her Parchie Pal wristwatch and in the other her hamster, Chips. The hamster is brown with black spots; the watch, pink, yellow and white.

Truth has been spoken. Izzy, who excels in martial arts and doesn’t care much about rules, is notably cool. I have hardly ever felt closer to her. I have been a watch nerd for over a decade, and now my eight-year-old niece is one, too.

Parchie’s founder, Cara Barrett, named

pa r c h i e

To ease time telling, the hour hand matches the hour numerals on the bezel, while the minute hand is the same color as the dial indices.

text by

Chris Wright

“I wanted to make something that looked like an adult’s watch, but mini, because sometimes kids want an adult version of things for themselves.”

“I think it’s an intimidation thing,” she told the New York Times in 2017 about male dominance of the watch industry.

“Because some of the comments can get a little out of control.”

Though Hodinkee’s readership hovers around 85 percent male, Barrett wrote with a universally keen eye and an attention to watches that could be worn by all people, not just men.

Perhaps her magnum opus was an article titled “All Watches Should Be Unisex,” in which she dismantled the embarrassingly stuffy high-end watch custom of separating men’s watches from women’s. “‘Women’s watches,” she wrote, were “men’s watches that are simply shrunken, bedazzled, and quartzified for the ladies.”

Last year, she quit the magazine to pursue her decidedly less reverent approach to wristwear. “Watches became so serious,” she says. “Everyone’s all worked up over lug width, diameter, materials, logo placement. All stuff watch nerds love to get upset about! It became very exhausting for me.”

With Parchie, she set out to “make them fun again.” The result? A 32mm dive watch, made of aluminum, with a Japanese quartz movement, a toothed bezel and bright color schemes.

Izzy’s two-part appraisal? “It’s very neon. And it’s very shiny.”

The best part might be the superskinny NATO strap, which fits wrists 4 to 6.5 inches around. No, it’s not pristine like your Orient Bambino’s Perlon, but the nylon-and-velcro closure offers a snug fit. “The strap thing

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is comfortable,” reports Izzy. Perhaps most important, the colors coordinate, in particular on some new purple-andpale-blue-with-white-dial versions. The effect is incredibly ’90s and vibrant — a dive watch by Willy Wonka.

“There are lots of kids’ watches on the market already,” Barrett notes. “But it’s all Mickey Mouse, Disney movies, weird flower designs, or the watch is very balloon-like, too big or too small. I wanted to make something that looked like an adult’s watch, but mini, because sometimes kids want an adult version of things for themselves.”

Barrett also designed the watch to help kids learn how to tell the time.

The hour numerals on the bezel are big and the same color as the hour hand.

The minute hand matches the dial indices. “The larger five-minute markers on the dial became too crowded,” she explains. “We wanted to focus on just generally being able to read the watch.”

Izzy, who recently learned how to tell time on a clock, found the watch a good refresher. “I usually can’t tell the time very well,” she says. “But I did basically tell the time. Mom set it for me, but she accidentally set the time an hour late. I used it to not miss lunch at 11 a.m.”

Izzy has taken up wearing her Parchie every day and, like any true watch nerd, finds gazing at the watch itself pleasurable. “I like to watch time going by,” she says. “Digital and analog are completely different things.”

The watch is aimed at kids older than six — “or anyone young at heart,” Barrett says. She also knows her real customers are parents and grandparents: “Enthusiasts, fashion moms, grandparents — anyone’s game.” This market includes those adult, mostly male watch nerds who want to connect with their daughter or niece.

I tested a few different Parchie models around LA, where people carefully wear whatever the hell they want and look fabulous doing it. I found them

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In a nod to classic dive watches of yore, Parchies come complete with NATO straps. These particular ones are made of nylon and velcro and fit wrists 4 to 6.5 inches around.

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p h o t o s b y a l e x a n d r a r o w l e y , s t y l i n g b y k at h l e e n j e r r y

Watches

to be comfortable and good-looking.

Barrett is right — all watches should be unisex — and I would argue that all good watches should be ageless, too, from a Parchie to an IWC Portugieser.

At 32mm, they’re smaller than I’m used to — my current watches range from a 35mm Zodiac Sea Wolf to a hulking 48mm Seiko Solar Arnie — but a bright neon-purple dial has a certain pop that wears much larger.

They’re water resistant, too, and tested well in my tub. My extremely stylish friend Michael wore one and loved its

color and subtle size. I wore mine playing basketball and found it unobtrusive and, frankly, a great match for my pinkand-blue Embiid 1s. It costs $50.

As far as I’m concerned, Parchie is a roaring success, and not only as a kids’ watch.

Sitting beside my massive black Seiko Solar Arnie, ’60s Zodiac Sea Wolf, militaristic MKII Hawkinge and Orion Hellcat in blue, Parchie is a candy pop of color, sharp in profile. A bit of fun with the time. That, as Izzy would say, is very cool.

At the moment, Parchies come in seven different colorways. They are water-resistant up to 30 meters, so kids can totally swim and shower wearing them, though they can’t deepsea dive with them. Most of the watches cost $50, and they top out at $60.

CHILDHOOD FAVORITES Check out the best kids’ watches of all time.

“One thing I noticed with Hodinkee watch collectors and enthusiasts — everybody remembers their first watch,” Barrett says. “Oftentimes that first watch is what catapults someone’s interest in watches in the long-term.”

A handful of kids’ watches are legends in this regard.

These junior grail watches include the following.

SWATCH FLIK FLAK

This crowd-pleaser from the titan of affordable, youthful watchmaking has been around since 1987. It was Barrett’s first watch, in fact.

DISNEY MICKEY MOUSE

Ingersoll made the first watch with Mickey’s hands telling the time in 1933. Disney and others still put out its descendants today.

TIMEX TIME MACHINE

This kids’ line is versatile — with pandas, flowers and dinos.

The brand also offers miniature classics, like the Expedition field watch.

CASIO BABY-G

Once your kid becomes a tween, this more mature line has all the street style and function they need — in every cool pastel color under the sun.

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Watches

Royal Resurgence Prestigious luxury watches have given rise to creative and accessible modern design.

In 1972, the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak showed that steel sport watches can be as elegant — and expensive — as their luxury counterparts. Half a century later, the cottage industry it inspired is having a moment: edgy design principles like octagonal bezels, exposed screws and bracelets integrated into the watch case itself have been reinterpreted by brands big and small, with surprisingly versatile results.

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text by

Zen Love

photos by

Henry Phillips

WHY ALL THE FUSS? With the Royal Oak, Audemars Piguet unleashed a new kind of luxury item on the world. Its design is iconic, inspired by nautical themes, but it also introduced the idea of the steel sport watch as a luxury item. Today, it’s become a coveted status symbol beyond what even its creators could’ve imagined.

Maen Manhattan 37

Atelier Wen Perception

Small brands like Maen are showing that you can get a solid product and features usually associated with five-figure watches — like integrated bracelet designs — for far less.

Raising the bar with a guilloche dial and refined design, this Chinese-French brand offers a unique and attractive interpretation.

$620

$2,588

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Watches

Zenith Defy Skyline The Defy Skyline recalls the angular design of a Zenith watch from 1969, but it’s reinterpreted for a modern feel and powered by an impressive movement inside.

$8,400

Hublot Big Bang Integral Time Only Hublot watches tend to offer bold interpretations of the Royal Oak concept, but this smaller, simpler model brings it a lot closer to the classic. $17,800

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Frederique Constant Highlife Automatic COSC An integrated bracelet doesn’t mean a watch can’t be versatile for formal or everyday wear. The Frederique Constant Highlife proves it.

Yema Wristmaster Traveler You’ve got the octagonal case, prominent bezel and integrated bracelet, but Yema’s Wristmaster Traveler leans sporty.

$849

$2,195

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Watches

photo by

text by

Zen Love

Henry Phillips

Timex Giorgio Galli S1 Automatic 38mm A premium Timex smashes the notion of what an affordable watch can be. $450

You expect a Timex watch to be fun and inexpensive, not packed with refined details and high-quality components. But the Giorgio Galli S1 Automatic 38mm (named for its designer) is full of surprises — including a sapphire crystal, high-tier Japanese automatic movement, solid case, three-dimensional dial and excellent finishing.

Those looking at a Timex likely aren’t looking to spend this much. Conversely, those looking for high-end details and features probably aren’t looking at a Timex. And shoppers looking for something strictly classical and retro might find the architectural case structure of the Giorgio Galli S1 Automatic 38mm a bit too much on the modern side.

FIELD NOTES

“Maybe my expectations were low. But every time I wore this humble little Timex, I was blown away not only by its quality but by just how special it felt.”

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Motoring

text by

Ebony Roberts

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Innovation Rolling out of Brooklyn, Tarform’s avant-garde electric bikes are ready to rock — sustainably.

With its combination of speed and freedom, the motorcycle has long represented a spirit of rebellion. That tradition lives on in Brooklyn, where a startup called Tarform is producing a new breed of electric machine, reimagining what’s possible from the ground up. Bucking outdated manufacturing methods and material use, the brand has already ventured into uncharted territory: a world where motorcycles are recyclable and biodegradable. The dream is to become a power player within the clean energy revolution — and to take a new generation of bikers along for the ride.

“Where I think design should be headed today is not just creating things that are superficially beautiful, but using design as a driving force to adopt a more sustainable mindset,” explains founder Taras Kravtchouk. Now 37, the Stockholm-raised former martial artist went from working in digital design and software development while fixing up vintage bikes on the weekends to founding the semi-eponymous brand five years ago. “Be like water,” he says, quoting Bruce Lee. “I think that kind of sums it up.”

Riding out the pandemic, the brand’s zero-emission motorcycles are just now becoming a reality. The first handful of limited-edition Founders models appeared earlier this year, and Tarform aims to deliver a couple hundred of the more accessible Luna series bikes

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to customers this summer — then get into volume manufacturing in 2023.

While the Luna might look like something out of Blade Runner, not even Philip K. Dick could have imagined the innovation in this state-of-the-art machine. First, there’s not an ounce of petroleum-derived plastic on the thing. Recycled aluminum makes up the frame, while biobased resin, woven flaxseed fiber and algae pigments mix to create the bodywork.

“We started playing with all these recipes and doing prototypes and eventually found a way to create a composite panel out of these three ingredients,” Kravtchouk says. “[The

Kravtchouk has high hopes for the daring new Luna.

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“If we’re going to build something, let’s build something that does the least amount of harm to the environment.”

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Motoring

thinking was] if we’re going to build something, let’s build something that does the least amount of harm to the environment.”

The bikes also incorporate plant-based leather, 3D printing and bioplastics. The result is a high-performance piece of art powered by clean technology.

The sculptural form is reminiscent of mid-century automotive design, distilled to capture movement in as few pen strokes as possible. “It took months to refine every line on the bike to define the silhouette and the shape of it,” Kravtchouk says. He wanted the bike to communicate organic power, even when standing still — and it does.

With parts sourced from craftspeople worldwide, the bikes come to life at Tarform’s headquarters in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a historic location with centuries of industrial heritage. The significance of returning to a one-time hotbed of American manufacturing isn’t lost on Kravtchouk.

“It felt almost like destiny,” he says.

“They used to build warships, and now we build electrical machines.” Sitting on 300 acres, the space also conveniently accommodates a test track.

The magic of Tarform’s evolutionary approach is that the Luna can be adapted for tomorrow, a stark contrast to our current era of disposable every-

thing. Thanks to a modular platform, what becomes outdated in the bikes can be upgraded. As new materials and technological advancements surface, Tarform can swap out the battery, powertrain and other mechanical components.

For now, the bike can reach 60 mph in under 4 seconds and hit a top speed of 120 mph, with a city range of around 120 miles, recharging via a 110-volt household outlet in about four hours.

The Luna is offered as a Scrambler or (Cafe) Racer, two bikes with the same basic skeleton and capabilities but different style and trimmings.

Both versions lean into a classic aesthetic and can switch between three riding modes (highway, city and natural trail), but the Scrambler has spoked wheels, knobby tires and taller suspension.

Not unlike Priority Bicycles, their belt-driven, pedal-powered neighbors in TriBeCa, the bikes are virtually maintenance-free, requiring no scheduled servicing. They start at $24,000.

That pricing is pretty premium.

The longtime leader in the electric moto space, Zero, offers the strippeddown FXE for as little as $9,795.

The California-based brand’s top-of-

THE LUNA LOWDOWN Tarform’s flagship bike stands out in a variety of ways.

Here are just a few.

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The Luna Scrambler and Luna Racer share many of the same specs: Charges via a household outlet (110v) in 4 hours or Level 2 charger (220v) in 2 hours 4G connectivity and over the air updates Modular powertrain and bodywork No maintenance powertrain 0-60 in 3.8 seconds Top speed of 120mph 120-mile city range Lowest weight in its class (440lbs)

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p h o t o s c o u r t e s y o f ta r f o r m

The Luna Racer and Scrambler boast a mix of performance and style. Continuous upgradability of the hardware and software allows for improvements to the powertrain, battery and mechanical components that prolong the bike’s life.

The modular body lets riders personalize aesthetic elements, and it’s how Tarform can offer two variants of the same basic design.

Three riding modes — highway, city street, and natural trail — adapt the bike to better suit specific environments.

Each mode corresponds to an acceleration profile with customized regenerative braking.

Connected to the cloud using 4G, the rider can see the live status of the bike’s health, like battery charge and temperature, and receive information on the optimal range.

Tarform can predict part failures through the operating system and adjust service timelines based on mechanical wear, rather than relying on arbitrary maintenance intervals.

the-line SR/S — with a top speed of 124 mph, city range of 156 miles and full charge time of 4.5 hours — starts at $20,595.

While old-school moto lovers might have a hard time grappling with the Luna’s lack of gearbox and shifter, they’ll likely appreciate the sound.

Tarform chose to amplify the natural noise of the motor through the use of an acoustic resonator — similar to how an electric guitar works — creating a distinct sonorous hum.

For anyone who has ridden an eerily quiet electric bike, that feature is enticing: it emphasizes the exhilaration of acceleration while boosting safety, giving other motorists an auditory cue they’re not alone.

Even though the Luna is tech-heavy and 4G-connected, Tarform aims to use data in intuitive ways, enhancing the connection between bike, rider and environment without getting overly gimmicky.

“There’s a fine line between using too much technology in the two-wheel experience,” Kravtchouk observes. “At the end of the day, we [didn’t] want to put a giant screen and have the bike ride by itself. It’s not a Tesla. You are creating the experience.”

Toward that end, one notable feature is blind-spot detection, which has existed in cars for decades but is much less common in two-wheeled vehicles. (Ducati just rolled it out on the Multistrada V4 a couple of years ago, for example.) “[It works] through haptic [feedback],” Kravtchouk says. “So vibration in the seat alerts you if there’s a car in your blind spot.” There’s also a front-facing camera that can advise riders to put some extra braking distance between themselves and the vehicle ahead.

It’s clear that for Kravtchouk, Tarform isn’t just about manufacturing revolutionary motorcycles; it’s an exercise in human potential — making it hard not to wonder if he plans to expand beyond two-wheeled transportation. “Yes,” he says with a half-smile.

“What that is will for now remain more of a mystery.”

So let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

With the ambitious brand still in its infancy, it is better to borrow some wisdom from another of Kravtchouk’s influences, Lao Tzu: “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” — or, more appropriately, a single twist of an electric throttle.

facing page

An HD display and grilled headlight blend form and function. t h is page

The bodywork sheathing the recycled aluminum trellis frame?

Entirely bio-based.

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Motoring Hyundai’s purchase of robotics company Boston Dynamics makes for all-new EV possibilities. This Mobile Eccentric Droid bundles steering, powertrain and brakes into each wheel, giving it unparalleled agility.

Visions of Our EV Future The future of transportation is batteryelectric. These concepts suggest it will be cool, weird — and maybe exactly what you’ve always wanted.

text by

Tyler Duffy

Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX Mercedes wants to be, well, the Mercedes of electric car manufacturers. Consider the Vision EQXX the brand’s statement of intent. This concept hypermiler achieves a range of 620 miles on a single charge, enough juice to drive from New York to Cincinnati. It does this using revolutionary aerodynamics — its 0.17 drag coefficient makes it more slippery than an American football — and unprecedented efficiency, sending an incredible 95 percent of its battery energy to the wheels, versus about 30 percent for the power coming from the engine of a conventional car. Mercedes won’t build a production version, but the concept’s tech will reach reality. That should put even Tesla on notice.

Airstream eStream

photos courtesy of respective brands

Airstream’s eStream concept is a camping trailer with a built-in electric motor designed to mitigate two of the principal stresses of trailer life: parking and towing. The power plant can propel the trailer by itself for tight maneuvers at low speed, allowing you to line up to your tow vehicle’s hitch or reverse into a parking space by steering it with a smartphone. It also has a Drive Mode that uses the battery to propel the trailer on the highway, reducing the strain — and increasing range — for the towing vehicle. We don’t know when this technology will be cost-effective for Airstream to put into production, or how much the increased weight from the batteries offsets efficiency gains, but it’s an ambitious new way of looking at camping trailers for our electric future.

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Motoring

DS E-Tense You may not know Citroën’s luxury brand DS — it’s not sold in America — but like many car brands, they’re going electric. The new E-Tense racing concept features some supremely fancy tech, like a full carbon-fiber monocoque and a motor that can stop the car entirely using regenerative braking (the brake pads are only there as backup). But what we’re excited about is the dual-motor AWD system that pumps out 815 horsepower and propels the car from 0-60 mph in around two seconds.

See, DS is an offshoot of multicontinental megaconglomerate Stellantis, which also owns Dodge (a brand transitioning from epic V8s to epic battery-electric power). It’s a good bet, then, that DS E-Tense tech could end up being Dodge’s so-called eMuscle electric vehicle tech — soon to be revealed in the brand’s forthcoming EV muscle car. How about an 815-horsepower electric Dodge Challenger, anyone?

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Hyundai PnD The car of the future may not even be a car per se. Last year, Hyundai acquired robotics firm Boston Dynamics (you know, the one from that Sam Adams Super Bowl commercial). Instead of showcasing yet another new crossover, Hyundai’s booth at CES 2022 featured the PnD, a so-called modular all-in-one mobility system.

The PnD can be flexibly configured to move goods for last-mile deliveries, or it can operate as a single-seat, short-range personal mobility device. The PnD is designed to operate autonomously — but Hyundai also envisioned giving a driver manual control using a joystick. The PnD can even pirouette 360-degrees like a figure skater, so now we’re picturing ourselves weaving through a crowded street like Barry Sanders through a defense.

Toyota Pickup EV Vehicle propulsion may be changing, but some things will remain exactly as the motoring gods intended — just with more electrically sourced low-end torque. Toyota recently unveiled an onslaught of new EV concepts, one of which included — among electric takes on a Lexus sports car and a small off-road SUV — a truck called the Toyota Pickup EV. It looks like a conventional, nearly production-ready Toyota pickup, even going so far as to sport stubby off-road tires. Toyota has been stingy with details, but it looks like the Pickup EV will basically be the electric version of the Tacoma. We’d be lying if we said we weren’t already squirreling away money to preorder one.

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Motoring

text by

Will Sabel Courtney

Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge Think Rollers are made for stuffy old folks? This sedan will make you reconsider. $376,350+

Unlike most Rolls-Royces, Black Badge models are aimed at younger, hipper buyers, a target the brand shoots for with features like added power and blacked-out chrome. Still, a Rolls is a Rolls, no matter what color its badge.

This one practically redefines the term waft as it travels down the road. The twin-turbo V12’s power delivery is effortless and exhilarating, at any pace.

And the interior is downright sybaritic, all the way down (or rather, up) to the optional Starlight Headliner that embeds thousands of white LED lights in the ceiling to create any constellation, and even boasts the occasional “shooting star.”

Nobody buying a Rolls-Royce is worried about the value proposition, but even so, it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Bentley Flying Spur does just about everything as well as this Ghost for six figures less. For a Rolls-Royce, the rear seat isn’t quite as palatial as you might expect. And with an effectively boundless palette of paints and leathers to choose from, settling on one colorway offers many chances to violate the boundaries of good taste.

FIELD NOTES

“If you prefer driving to being driven and being seen to going incognito, the Ghost Black Badge is the Rolls-Royce you’d want to have parked in the garage of your (very large) home.”

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SETTING THE RECORD

photos courtesy of bulgari

STRAIGHT With eight world records in as many years, Bulgari’s Octo line reeled the famed jeweler from the fringes of horology to watchmaking’s elite center. Where does the brand go from here? text by

Oren Hartov

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In the Beginning Ask a child to draw you a picture of a watch, and chances are it’ll look something like this: a circle with numbers around the periphery — probably Arabic numerals — and stick-like hands, plus some sort of crude band. And for most of horological history, that drawing would have been perfectly accurate.

Boringly accurate, even.

This notion changed drastically in the 1970s, when a Swiss industrial designer named Gérald Genta was contracted by Audemars Piguet and Patek Philippe to design the first “luxury sports watches.” The Royal Oak and Nautilus, respectively — whose cases were more angular and based upon nautical motifs such as the diving helmet and porthole — featured integrated bracelets and unique shapes. No child would have drawn a watch that looked anything like either of them.

Genta would go on to establish his own eponymous manufacture, a logical step for a man rumored to have conceived of over 100,000 watches during his lifetime — including, notably, a fantastically complicated, octagonal-cased timepiece called the Octo Grande Sonnerie, famous for being the billionaire playboy’s watch of the 1990s.

Then, seeking to establish itself as a respectable watchmaking house, famed Italian jeweler Bulgari acquired both the Genta and Daniel Roth brands in 2000, along with their manufacturing facilities in Le Sentier, Switzerland.

Over time, the company began iterating upon the Octo design, issuing a Bulgari Gérald Genta Octo Grande Sonnerie Tourbillon in 2010 that updated the yellow gold case of the original with a more modern white gold housing.

Two years later, everything changed.

abo v e

During more than two decades of working with the brand, Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani has overseen Bulgari’s growth into a serious player in the watch space, largely on the strength of ever-thinner and more jaw-dropping Octo Finissimo models. le f t

Gérald Genta’s Octo Grande Sonnerie, the billionaire playboy’s watch of the 1990s.

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The Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic (left) broke two world records in 2018 — thinnest automatic watch and thinnest tourbillon-equipped watch. Meanwhile the Octo Finissimo Automatic Blasted Gold (below) is surely the watch Auric Goldfinger would wear in 2022.

The (Re-)Birth of the Octo Italian designer Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani joined Bulgari in Rome in 2001, and one of his first jobs was to design a bracelet for the Octo, back when it was still beneath the Genta brand umbrella. He later left the company for a brief spell but rejoined in 2007 as creative director for the watch division, operating under a specific remit: to transform Bulgari into one of the best watchmakers in the world. First, however, some consolidation was necessary.

Buonamassa took the bold step of moving the company’s watchmaking design offices from Rome to Neuchâtel, Switzerland, in 2011, in order to be closer to its manufacturing base. (At the time, the brand had separate dial, case and movement makers spread across Switzerland.) Honoring the ubiquity of the octagon in classical and medieval history (and especially in Roman and Italian architecture), Buonamassa and his team reimagined the Octo in a more contemporary guise — something cutting edge and bold.

“I think the uniqueness of this brand,” he says, “is the blend between the Roman sense of aesthetics and the Italian design rules that we have in our history.”

Launched in 2012, the Bulgari Octo, which no longer carried the Genta moniker, introduced the Roman jeweler to the world as a serious horological contender: 41.5mm wide in pink gold or steel, it featured an octagonal flange married to a round bezel, a black lacquer dial and a leather alligator strap. The polished steel and satin case featured an unprecedented 110 facets, while the watch was powered by a dual-barrel automatic movement with 50 hours of power reserve. It was an impressive, innovative design, and it certainly turned heads.

But this was just the opening salvo.

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The Arrival of the Finissimo The defin ing mom en t — the moment that spun heads in the watch industry — was the launch of the Octo Finissimo in 2014. (Finissimo meaning something along the lines of “superfine.”)

Buonamassa, along with Bulgari CEO Jean-Christophe Babin and their team, decided to take Genta’s idea of octagonal luxury and turn it into something more refined than had ever been seen before in modern watchmaking.

Something very, very thin.

The first Octo Finissimo was a mechanical Octo with hours, minutes, a small seconds indicator at 7:30 and a power reserve indicator visible on the dial side. Powered by a hand-wound, in-house caliber with 65 hours of power reserve, the entire watch measured just 5.15mm thick including its 2.23mm-thick movement — two nickels and a dime stacked on top of one another.

The design was unmistakably new. It was freer, based on something more adventurous than the iterative (indeed, often glacial) Swiss industrial design. “The inspiration is everywhere around us,” Buonamassa says. “I often say that the brand itself is the biggest source of inspiration, and Rome is another. But the Italian culture and sense of beauty is the big umbrella of the Bulgari aesthetics.”

This ultrathin time-and-date watch was immediately followed up by a gauntlet drop — a 5mm, tourbillon-equipped Octo Finissimo with another in-house movement that measured just 1.95mm thick. (The tourbillon, invented in the 18th century, ensures accurate timekeeping regardless of orientation.) It was so thin, in fact, that it broke a world record for thinnest tourbillon movement in the world — and would prove to be merely the first in a long list of world record–breaking innovations.

It’s unlikely that any of these feats would have been possible without Bulgari’s vertical integration, as finding suppliers to make ultrathin components for single watch references is far from easy. But the consolidation that began early in the 2000s meant that Bulgari, the watchmaking maison, now owned its own movement maker, its own dial maker, its own case maker, etc. In short: it was now a proper watchmaker.

“The Octo Finissimo is the ultimate expression of contemporary horology. It’s a near-perfect synthesis of art, craftsmanship and technology, and one that continually pushes the boundaries of design.”

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For the Record The 2.23mm-thick Bulgari Calibre BVL 138 powered what was briefly the world’s thinnest automatic watch: 2017’s Octo Finissimo Automatic (before 2018’s Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic came along). It features impressive finishing and a micro-rotor winding system.

Watch in dustry v eter a ns quickly took notice of Bulgari’s meteoric rise in the world of fine watchmaking. “Bulgari’s transition from strictly jewelry to purveyor of record-breaking haute horlogerie is pretty much unprecedented in the luxury industry,” says Adam Craniotes, founder of international watch enthusiast community RedBar Group. “To my eyes, the Octo Finissimo is the ultimate expression of contemporary horology. It’s a near-perfect synthesis of art, craftsmanship and technology, and one that continually pushes the boundaries of design.”

Still, Buonamassa and Babin — joined more recently

by Antoine Pin, managing director of the watch division — had only just begun. New case metals and finishes followed in 2015 for the time-only and tourbillon Octo Finissimo models, but 2016 saw the introduction of another game-changer: the world’s thinnest minute repeater, a watch that audibly chimes the time using a set of miniature gongs.

Minute repeaters were historically stuffy complications — widgets found on antique pocket watches or ultrafine, traditionally round watches from the grand dames of the Swiss watchmaking world. In short, they were impressive but boring, like someone who can speak multiple languages but can’t flirt in any of them. Not so in Bulgari’s case.

Five years in development, the Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater appeared in a special Grade 5 titanium case and dial for optimal sound reproduction. With a total case thickness of just 6.85mm, it remains the thinnest minute-repeating wristwatch in the world and has since been joined by carbon and gold versions, all of which feature the same innovation: a special “ventilated” dial in which the indices are cut-outs, allowing sound to transmit freely from the movement through the watch.

An Octo for Every Wrist Of cou r se , no t everyone can afford a minute repeater — especially a $160,000 carbon version. But Bulgari, despite being a luxury maison, wasn’t interested in attracting only one type of customer.

So while it developed the Octo Finissimo line, it simultaneously maintained the regular Octo collection, whose flagship Octo L’Originale received a special, black DLC (diamond-like carbon) version dubbed the Ultranero. And in 2017, the Octo was joined by the newest member of the family, the Octo Roma — a somewhat simplified Octo featuring 58 facets rather than L’Originale’s 110, and an overall rounder shape.

“The Octo Roma was born for a different client [than that of the Octo Finissimo],” Buonamassa points out. “This was the Octo for the people for whom the Octo L’Originale was too big and the Octo Finissimo was too expensive. It’s the entry, the gate to the Octo collection — with a very affordable price and very interesting features.”

Bulgari would in time adopt this rounder Octo platform to house ultracomplicated movements, but the basic, time-only version on a bracelet begins at $6,800, maintaining a purposefully wide-ranging price scale in the Octo universe. Still, if Bulgari wished to appeal to the average luxury watch buyer — neither the beginner nor the connoisseur — it needed a more practical offering within the Octo Finissimo line itself. It needed an automatic watch.

That same year, Bulgari launched the 5.15mm-thick Octo Finissimo Automatic. With its brand-new, ultrathin, integrated bracelet and ultrathin automatic movement, it succeeded the manually wound version from 2014 without adding any thickness whatsoever to the case. The in-house caliber powering the watch immediately won the maison yet another award — this time for thinnest automatic watch movement in the world, at just 2.23mm.

At $12,200 in steel, the Automatic still sits firmly within the realm of “luxury sports watch.” But now Bulgari was finally appealing to the typical buyer looking for an everyday timepiece — an Italian-designed fastball right up the middle.

Still, the timing was odd. Upon the launch of the Automatic, Bulgari was already three years into the Octo Finissimo release schedule. Why begin with ultra-complicated pieces such as a hand-wound tourbillon and wait so long to introduce the type of watch that most consumers find truly useful?

“Often we begin with the grand complication watches, and after, we go more for a mainstream approach for the big crowd,” explains Buonamassa. “Some other brands do the exact opposite. But if you’re able to produce the thinnest manual-winding tourbillon, you are able to produce the thinnest hour/minute/seconds. Sometimes the opposite is not true.”

The Octo Finissimo Minute Repeater became the thinnest minute repeating wristwatch upon its debut in 2016 — and remains so. Its ultra-thin, manual-winding movement measures just 3.12mm thick and boasts 362 components, while a special titanium case is designed to amplify sound.

“Often we begin with the grand complication watches, and after, we go more for a mainstream approach for the big crowd. If you’re able to produce the thinnest manualwinding tourbillon, you are able to produce the thinnest hour/ minute/seconds. Sometimes the opposite is not true.”

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The Evolution Continues

Bulgari’s vertical integration in the early 2000s granted it the capacity to manufacture its own highly complex movements in-house.

The brand also earns respect by making its own complex cases and dials.

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The wor ld r ecor ds continued flowing in, sometimes two at a time. In 2018, Bulgari released the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Automatic, an openworked model in which you can view the movement beating away beneath the dial. At just 3.95mm, it became the thinnest automatic watch in the world, and the thinnest tourbillon watch in the world.

In 2019 came perhaps the most unique Octo Finissimo to date: the Chronograph GMT Automatic. “After the hours/ minutes/seconds, you are obliged to do a chronograph watch — everybody’s asking for one,” Buonamassa says.

“It was, as often happens in Italian industrial design, that the constraint was the turning point of the project, and what drives the aesthetics. We don’t need to have three counters for the chronograph, and on the other hand we have enough room on the movement to put a 24-hour counter, which is even maybe more useful. This is the most interesting thing when you’re on the manufacturing side: you’re able to develop your own complications.”

The result — the thinnest mechanical chronograph in the world — was a revelation. But Bulgari barely skipped a beat, quickly following it up in 2020 with the Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Skeleton Automatic — the thinnest tour-

billon-equipped chronograph in the world. (Indeed, this

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record is sufficiently esoteric enough that most watchmakers likely shy away from breaking it out of lack of interest. But the watch itself is bonkers, featuring an openworked dial with a dual-register chronograph display and the tourbillon visible at 6 o’clock.) At 150,000 EUR and limited to just 50 pieces worldwide, it was the sort of piece that said “We dare you to do better,” and, as of yet, no one has.

In 2021, Bulgari tackled that famed complication for which Patek Philippe is so beloved: the perpetual calendar, a sort of mechanical computer that hardly needs manual adjusting. That the Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar is the world’s thinnest quantieme perpetual probably goes without saying — the automatic, inhouse BVL 305 movement with micro-rotor clocks in at a mere 2.75mm thick, while the watch itself is only 5.8mm tall.

It’s a stunning accomplishment in both micromechanics and in the realm of industrial design, what would seem a fitting pinnacle for a series that the watch world has very much recognized as a triumphant achievement. “The Octo Finissimo [line] is about as contemporary as you can get while still maintaining an ultrasleek and elegant look,” remarks Paige Reddinger, watch and jewelry editor for The Robb Report. “So many brands either try too hard to be different or to do their own version of the hype watch of the moment. The Octo Finissimo is in a category of its own.”

But Bulgari wasn’t quite done yet.

Octo Innovation, By the Numbers

Octo L’Originale

Octo Finissimo Automatic

Octo Roma

Launch: 2012

Launch: 2017

Launch: 2017

Diameter: 41.5mm

Diameter: 40mm

Diameter: 41mm

Case Depth: 10.5mm

Case Depth: 5.15mm

Case Depth: 3.8mm

Movement: Bulgari BVL 193 automatic

Movement: Bulgari BVL 138 automatic

Movement: Bulgari BVL 191 automatic

Power Reserve: 50 hours

Power Reserve: 60 hours

Power Reserve: 42 hours

World Record: Thinnest Automatic Movement

Octo Finissimo Chronograph GMT

Octo Finissimo Perpetual Calendar

Octo Finissimo Ultra

Launch: 2019

Launch: 2021

Launch: 2022

Diameter: 42mm

Diameter: 40mm

Diameter: 40mm

Case Depth: 6.9mm

Case Depth: 5.8mm

Case Depth: 1.8mm

Movement: Bulgari BVL 318

Movement: Bulgari BVL 305 automatic

Movement: Bulgari manual-winding movement

Power Reserve: 55 hours

Power Reserve: 60 hours

Power Reserve: 50 hours

World Record: Thinnest Chronograph Movement

World Record: Thinnest Perpetual Calendar Watch

World Record: Thinnest Mechanical Watch

“The Octo Finissimo [line] is about as contemporary as you can get while still maintaining an ultrasleek and elegant look. So many brands either try too hard to be different or to do their own version of the hype watch of the moment. The Octo Finissimo is in a category of its own.”

The Way Forward Sev en wor ld r ecor ds in seven years — an extraordinary stunt in the world of horology.

What else does Bulgari have to prove to the world?

After all, it has already shown that it’s capable of not just top-tier watchmaking but of some of the best watchmaking on Earth.

As it turns out, the maison had one more trick up its sleeve, which it revealed at Watches & Wonders Geneva 2022: the thinnest mechanical watch in the world. A record previously held by the Piaget Altiplano, a 2mm wafer of a timepiece, the title now goes to the Octo Finissimo Ultra, at just 1.8mm thick and 40mm wide. The hand-wound movement — as well as the bracelet and buckle — are completely new designs. The bracelet is nearly half the thickness of the standard Octo Finissimo bracelet, and the run is extremely limited — just 10 exclusive pieces.

Of particular note is a QR code visible on the movement’s barrel. When scanned, it gives the wearer access to a unique NFT that accompanies the watch — part of a metaverse that’s increasingly becoming part of the daily conversation at the intersection of commerce and art. “I love these kinds of things,” says Buonamassa. “We put all our know-how on the table to have something that you cannot touch.”

Of course, the majority of said savoir-faire is going into the watch itself. “When you see the watch from the face, it looks like a normal watch — when you see it from the side, it makes the Octo Finissimo S look like a Royal Oak Offshore,” he says, comparing the thin, automatic Octo Finissimo to a notoriously thick watch. In fact, the watch is so thin that it was impossible to include a conventional time-setting

crown; instead, it comes with a custom-made box that winds and sets it via connection to a nuclear clock. James Bond–level stuff.

So is this finally the end of the line — eight world records in as many years? Can Bulgari finally rest on its laurels? It would seem like the brand has earned that privilege. After all, the world records aren’t even the real point. Bulgari, a renowned jewelry maker not particularly known for its watchmaking, did the unthinkable — slingshot itself from relative horological obscurity to the absolute top of the heap within a decade.

“From my point of view, this is the beginning of the new journey,” reflects Buonamassa. “Before the Octo Finissimo we were just a jewelry brand that made timepieces, but now we’re recognized as the masters of miniaturization, the masters of ultrathin watches. We were able to combine Italian design, Italian elegance, Italian taste with the most incredible execution in the watchmaking industry. You cannot find another watch like Finissimo on the market. If you love it, you love it — if you don’t, it becomes a matter of taste.”

Indeed, the iteration could conceivably continue forever, until the Octo is so buried in the horological conscience that it becomes a new trope. Who knows — maybe another decade in the future, if you ask a child to draw you a picture of a watch, it’ll no longer be round, but octagonal. And with a certain Italian flair.

“Each time, we push the limit on a different dimension,” Buonamassa concludes. “It was not enough for us to make the thinnest watch on the market, but we pushed again to have the thinnest bracelet and buckle for this kind of watch.

The idea was to have the full package — and we are very happy with the results.”

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text by

Tyler Chin, Will Price, Jack Seemer, John Zientek

Glossary of Grilling i l l u s t r at i o n s b y

Alexa Edgerton

With the season upon us, here are all the terms, advice, expert opinions and products you need for seriously tasty outdoor feasts.

P

erfectly formed patties sizzling over white-hot coals. Spatchcocked chicken so tender it almost melts in your mouth. Steak, shrimp, salmon and veggies seared with griddle marks and bursting with flavor. Such visions are what get outdoor cooking geeks stoked to bust out their grills at the first signs of summer — if they haven’t been grilling year-round.

We count many such geeks amongst our own crew here at GP — and we are by no means alone. According to Retail Tracking Service data from market research giant The NPD Group, the grilling industry grew 14 percent last year,

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hitting $6.1 billion in sales. That uptick came hot on the heels of 2020’s pandemic-spurred surge; since July of that year, U.S. consumers have purchased more than 21 million grills and smokers.

Looking to join those ranks, or simply get, ahem, fired up for prime grilling season? Like the lid on a kamado, we’ve got ya covered. This glossary provides expert insights and tips on all the stars of the grilling game (from charcoal to gas to pellet), plus lesser-discussed players like basting brushes, grill baskets and tongs. So turn the page already — the next epic cookout is so close we can taste it.

photo by cam oden

Sweet

Basting Brush Few aspects of grilling are quite as satisfying as slathering your favorite sauce on pieces of meat mid-cook. For this step, it’s best to reach for a heat-resistant silicone brush like this $15 option from Oxo. The wide middle bristles sop up more than enough sauce, while the angled head lets you rest it on a side table without making a mess. It’s more precise than a traditional mop — and easier to clean, too.

Spicy

Savory

3 Great StoreBought Sauces to p

No pantry is complete without a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s. This version includes onion powder for an extra tang. mi d d le

This sauce takes the original Stubb’s formula and packs a one-two punch of habanero and black pepper. bottom

Garlic, ginger and green onion — the holy trinity of umami, which Bachan’s small-batch sauce has no shortage of.

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Charcoal Charcoal typically comes in two forms: briquettes and hardwood lump.

Briquettes are made from processed wood, bound with additives into a uniform shape and size; lump charcoal is simply pieces of wood burned into carbon. But which is better?

“I’m very biased toward hardwood lump charcoal,” says Russ Faulk, cookbook author and chief designer at Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet.

“If you [end up with] a huge pile of ash that weighs almost as much as your charcoal did to begin with, the efficiency of that fire was not very favorable, right? Across the board, you will find that hardwood lump charcoal is going to leave less ash than charcoal briquettes.”

That said, lump charcoal usually burns hotter and doesn’t last as long as briquettes. If you need the predictability of a briquette fire, opt for all-natural hardwood briquettes from a brand like Royal Oak.

Is Charcoal Unhealthy?

Cooking with charcoal is not bad for you, generally speaking. It’s all about what you grill and how you grill it.

For instance, carcinogens can form if you char your meat or let fat drip onto the hot coals.

Fire Pit They may be all the rage, but here’s a hot take: fire pits ain’t great for grilling. If you’ve got the time, you could wait for your wood fire to burn down to coals or truss some meat and hang it near your fire, but those are time-consuming endeavors. If you’re not on a camping trip, a dedicated grill is the most efficient and effective way to deliver the goods.

Flat Top Griddle Who says you need a live fire to get grilling? Flat top grills are heating up, for good reason. They excel at whipping up breakfast foods like bacon and eggs, putting a crust on smash burgers or cooking enough hot dogs for your kid’s entire Little League team. Quality flat tops, like Blackstone’s two-burner, 28-inch gas griddle ($299), feature grease catchers for no-mess cooking and easy cleanup. You’ll never look back.

Gas Not unlike charcoal grilling, gas grilling carries a fuelbased conundrum: natural gas or liquid propane? The issue is talked to death online, but the decision is straightforward.

“The main reason not to use natural gas would be that you don’t have a natural gas grill,” explains Max Good, director of equipment reviews at AmazingRibs.com.

Natural gas grills are typically more expensive than liquid propane gassers on the front end, but not having to refill a propane tank (or worry about forgetting to refill a propane tank) and the affordability of natural gas itself are difficult to beat. Is there anything wrong with propane gas grills? No, but natural gas grills typically match their cooking performance while offering just a bit more in the convenience column.

Gloves A good pair of gloves is essential to your Sunday garb, especially if you grill with charcoal or wood and need to move things around. Our favorite kind? Welding gloves, which tend to feature longer cuffs and heatresistant leather. Burch Barrel’s $45 Stockman’s Gloves will last you more than a few seasons, but you could also simply stroll into your local hardware store and buy the first pair that falls within your price range.

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Skip the Cast Iron The strengths of cast-iron grill grates are the strengths of cast-iron cookware: added mass means increased temperature retention, which means preheated grates start searing no matter how cold the steak you drop on them is. That also means they take longer to heat up — and, more problematically, they’re either going to require regular seasoning (like a cast-iron skillet) or be coated with enamel porcelain, which is easily chipped with a spatula. From cookware to grates, the solution is the same: stainless steel. Steel grates don’t rust, aren’t damaged by grill tools and release leftover food bits when cleaning much more easily than their cast-iron counterparts.

Grates As with everything in the grill world, conventional wisdom and old-school methodology collide to create confusion in places where there needn’t be any. Cleaning grates should be done consistently, says Napoleon’s Steve Schwarz, but it doesn’t require a new or inventive approach.

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“Once you’ve taken your food off the grill, turn all burners on high, close the lid and let it go for five minutes,” recommends the brand’s director of grills research and development. “It can be easy to forget to return to the grill after five minutes, so it’s important to set a timer. After the burn, use a grill brush to brush off any debris or accumulation.”

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He also offers one small warning: check your grate brush before use.

If there’s any sign of degradation, or you see bristles coming off the brush while cleaning the grates, trash it and get a new one. Those bristles can get stuck to the grates and caught up in dinner, a scenario best avoided.

Grill Basket You can find grill baskets that cost as much as $150, but unless you dislike money, we’d point you toward Grillux’s handy $20 BBQ Grill Basket.

Its edges are raised and the holes are just small enough to keep food in the basket while over the fire. The material is sturdy but not so heavy that you can’t pick it up. Sometimes the simplest solution is the best one.

Grill Pan “[Grill pans] don’t recreate all the harmony of an outdoor grill, but you get the awesome grill marks that are reminiscent of cooking outdoors,” says Zach Schulz, chef de cuisine at 232 Bleecker. First set out by getting the heaviest grill pan you can find, then follow Schulz’s advice for getting the most out of it.

1. Preheat the Pan

2. Use Less Oil

You want to get the pan as hot as possible, “like almost smoking hot when you start, so you can grill hot and fast.”

Like the old saying, a little goes a long way. Rather than pouring oil directly onto the pan, simply coat your mains — whether it’s meat or vegetables — with a little oil.

3. Mimic Smoke If you use a sauce like Worcestershire, which is “dark-tasting like the fire,” or caramelized mushrooms, which “carry an umami flavor that comes from grilling,” you can create a smoky flavor without actual smoke.

4. Use a Lid to Trap Heat As Schulz reminds us, outdoor grilling involves both direct and ambient heat. The stove only offers the former, which is why the lid will come in handy.

Hybrid Grill Hybrid grills offer two or more fuel sources for grilling, with the most common combo being gas and charcoal. Are they worth it?

Pros Don’t feel like waiting for coals to light? Turn on the gas. Want higher temperatures? Use the charcoal side.

While hybrid grills are typically more expensive than gas or charcoal grills, they cost less than buying one of each.

Cons Limited space; typically each fuel source will have its own cooking area, meaning each side is smaller than a singular grill space.

Grill quality can suffer when manufacturers squeeze both charcoal and gas components into one unit.

Indoor Grill The luxury of having an outdoor space to house a grill is just that: a luxury. The next best thing is an indoor grill, and while it won’t be a perfect substitute, some units can work wonders. We like Zojirushi’s $100 EB-DLC10 Indoor Electric Grill for its large cooking area (roughly 165 square inches), minimal smoke emissions and easy-to-clean grill surface.

Infrared Burner An above-average gas grill burner will max out around 650 to 700 degrees, which is roughly half of the max temperature a charcoal fire can reach. So one hallmark of great gas grills is the presence of infrared burners, which push temperatures to new heights, compensating for this fundamental disadvantage. Typically smaller and separated from a gas grill’s primary burners, infrared burners harness radiant heat instead of convective heat, which is a fancy way of saying they’re going to push 1,000-plus degrees and brown a steak perfectly.

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Kamado The often pricey oval-shaped cooker known as a kamado is the charcoal-lover’s high-performance machine. Why? These grills have a tighter seal and more precise air control, so you can fine-tune the cooking process. Because certain designs — including those from Vision Grills — are ceramic, they retain heat better than traditional metal-body grills. Plus, the added height on the interior allows for different types of cooking like smoking, because the coals are farther away from the food.

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Kettle In some circles, there are really only two types of grills: kettles and everything else. Kettles get their name from a spherical design pioneered by Weber in the 1950s, and the DNA of modern iterations remains squarely — or rather, roundly — intact: circular lid, steel cooking grates and vents at the top and bottom. Though some kettles use gas as a fuel source, charcoal versions reign supreme.

Here are two we recommend.

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Just Get This

Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill This no-nonsense unit is authentic to the original, with a few smart upgrades that amplify its ease of use: a hinged cooking grate that lets you add more charcoal mid-cook, and a handy ash catcher for easy clean-up. $194

The Upgrade

PK Grills PK360 Grill + Smoker Along with a somewhat non-traditional oval shape, the PK360 is constructed from aluminum, which is a more efficient heat conductor than steel, and boasts four vents for maximum control over airflow. $1,000

Konro A konro is a narrow tabletop grill lined with ceramic that’s popular in Japan for cooking yakitori (bitesized skewered chicken). Traditionally, the ends of the skewers rest on the edges of the grill so that meat sits atop a bed of binchotan charcoal. Konros are great for small gatherings, bringing a ceremonious kind of precision to grilling everything from chicken skin to asparagus.

Prime the Damn Auger What sounds like a step yelled out in a game of Spaceteam is critically important to the safety and efficiency of your next cookout. “Priming speeds up the auger, ensuring pellets reach the fire pot before the hot rod’s safety shutoff kicks in. It’s basically your way of telling the grill, ‘Hey, I need pellets now.’”

Preheat Patiently Novice grillers in general are too quick to throw meat on, Matassa says, but doing so with a pellet grill is particularly problematic. “The consequences are worse on pellet grills, which cook almost exclusively with hot air — more like an oven than a char-griller. Hot air isn’t the best at transferring heat, so let your pellet grill come to temp for about 10 or 15 minutes before starting to cook.”

Secure the Bag

Pellet The ability to add a variety of smoky wood flavors via compressed sawdust has made pellet grilling oh-so-hot of late. Just heed these need-to-knows from BBQGuys chef and product expert Tony Matassa.

Do not leave your bag of pellets open for any extended period of time. Even the slightest bit of moisture overnight will cause the pellets to puff up and become unusable.

Matassa recommends tying them up after use and storing them in a sealed five-gallon bucket.

Get Smart Nearly all pellet grills come equipped with some level of smart technology.

Matassa recommends prioritizing a PID (proportional–integral–derivative) controller if you want accurate readings and higher-level data.

Smoker The most revered pitmasters around the country use industrial-size smokers with chambers that range from 500 to 1000 gallons.

If you’re using a smaller backyard unit, you need to make some minor adjustments to achieve similar results.

Matt Horn, of Oakland’s Horn Barbecue, typically keeps his large smokers at 275–285 degrees, but recommends lowering the cooking

temperatures for smaller units because they tend to cook the meat and form a bark a lot faster.

“With a smaller cooker, you may want to run it at 225, 230 — you want to dial it down that much,” he says.

Horn also recommends adding moisture to the cooking chamber with a water pan and by spraying the meat. “You want to make sure that you’re spraying it and you’re cooling the surface temperature, so I always make sure I have a nice spray bottle.”

Skewers For hot kebabs off the grill, you’re going to need some skewers. The question is: wooden or metal? It’s kind of a toss-up.

Wooden skewers, typically made from bamboo, are great because they’re disposable and don’t require any washing. You will, however, have to soak them before use to prevent them from catching on fire on the grill.

Metal skewers will get much hotter than wooden ones, and they’re also reusable. On the other hand, they’re more expensive than their wooden counterparts, and they increase the risk of heat-related injuries.

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Starter Forget lighter fluid: if you’re looking to light a bed of charcoal quickly and grilling hot, a chimney is your best bet. But if you’re opting for lower temps, starting your charcoal by lighting a single point, a handheld torch can be incredibly efficient. Russ Faulk recommends a plumber’s torch over more expensive, handheld electric starters.

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Thermometer Instead of guessing if your food is cooked or using some archaic hand-touching method, go for an instant-read thermometer. The best one we’ve found is ThermoWorks’ Thermapen One, which gives food temperature readouts in a literal instant, in addition to being easy to use and incredibly accurate.

Common Meat Cooking Temperatures Chicken: 165°F Pork: 145°F Beef (Rare): 120°F Beef (Well Done): 160°F Seafood: 145°F

Tongs At less than $20, a pair of Oxo’s Good Grips 16-inch locking tongs are long enough to keep your forearm hairs unscathed, while feeling less like an add-on tool and more like an extension of your own arm. Use the tongs to flip steaks, move burgers and grab skewers with ease.

deep Nobody crafts knives quite like Quintin Middleton.

Probably because his story is one of a kind.

text by

Stinson Carter photos by

Gavin McIntyre

cut

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over the past decade, Quintin Middleton has become a name synonymous with handmade culinary knives that are as supremely functional as they are sublimely beautiful. His creations have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Vogue and GQ. While the untrained eye can easily admire them, only an icon — like, say, Bob Kramer of Kramer Knives, adored by the likes of Thomas Keller and Anthony Bourdain — can fully appreciate their next-level craftsmanship.

“I’m coming for you, Bob,” Middleton once playfully told his hero in a phone call, and Kramer has deep respect for the 37-year-old rising star. “Quintin’s got such a great enthusiasm and positivity,” raves Kramer. “He’s tireless in his pursuit of making better knives and building his business.”

But from the start, Middleton’s ambition has been about more than making the best knives. For him, the dream is to create something that brings jobs to rural South Carolina. The makers of samurai swords in Japan say that heat-treating steel breathes life into a sword. Middleton intends to use the fire within himself to breathe life into his community. Considering the journey he has taken, I wouldn’t bet against him.

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The makers of samurai swords in Japan say that heat-treating steel breathes life into a sword. Middleton intends to use the fire within himself to breathe life into his community.

a n hou r’s dr i v e north of Charleston lies St. Stephen, a little town with a population just under 2,000. In a quiet cul-de-sac on the outskirts sits a compound where Middleton lives with his wife and business partner, Kendra, and their two kids, forging the exquisite Middleton Made Knives that are renowned across the country.

I cruise slowly down the gravel road and park in the grass beside his new home, currently under construction. By the time I step outside, he’s greeting me with an outstretched, workgloved hand. We had met a week earlier at the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, where he presided over a table draped in a white tablecloth, every square inch covered by his stunning chef’s knives, paring knives, fillet knives, cleavers, and his newest creation: a crowdfunded folding chef’s knife called the Ona. There, he held court in a black leather jacket zipped to his neck and a different set of gloves to keep fingerprints off the blades, sharing the fruits of his labor with all manner of aspiring foodies. At his home, I saw the other side of the show table. A world of grinder belts, steel dust and hard work. I would come to learn that Middleton’s ability to move in and out of different circles is one of the keys to his success.

“That’s not just my cool swagger, that’s a limp,” he says as we make our way to his shop, referring to a physical disability resulting from nerve damage in his leg caused by a benign tumor that compressed his spinal cord. Parked in and around his shop are a golf cart, a three-wheeled

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motorcycle and a two-wheeled electric motorcycle that help him easily traverse his property.

Everyone I have spoken to — his friends and mentors — confirms my impression of a man who rises to face this measure of adversity like he would any other. As an ordained minister and a “very spiritual person,” his well of positive resolve runs deep.

The inside of Middleton’s workshop is dark on this overcast day, with fluorescent lights hanging where they’re needed most, like over the band saw he uses to cut the knife shapes out of sheets of stainless steel, or above the row of six grinders where he freehand-grinds his blades.

Metal dust clings to everything, and on the wall hang hundreds of grinder belts, each with a different job to do.

Middleton makes both stainless steel and carbon steel knives, and each type begins in a different way. Stainless steel knives are cut out of small sheets of steel in a process called stock removal. Carbon steel blocks start off thicker and are heated in a forge and hammered out or kneaded into shape.

“A lot of people romanticize forging, and say that’s the only way to make knives, but truthfully, everything is forged,” he explains. That’s because stainless steel has already been forged in the manufacturing process, whereas with carbon steel, you complete that step manually. “I learned how to do forging first, but after having all these issues with my body, forging is a little harder on my body and stock removal is

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easier for me,” he says. Yet Middleton still makes knives both ways, and he makes a lot of them — typically 30 a month.

Once the basic shape is outlined, Middleton uses belt grinders with varying grit levels to fine-tune the silhouette. Then it undergoes heat treatment. The first stage is high heat, around 1500 degrees Fahrenheit, for 15 minutes. Once rapidly cooled, the metal is extremely hard but also brittle. That’s where tempering — reheating the blade at 400 degrees over two hours — comes in, lending much-needed resilience to the final product. One needs a deep understanding of how to use heat to manipulate the grain structure of the steel for the perfect balance of hardness and strength.

Next, Middleton grinds the bevel, or the cutting edge, of the knife. He etches a line down the middle of the steel as his grind-to point. “Everything for me is done by hand,” he says, and this freehand grinding stage seems more art than science.

A chef’s knife must be super thin for delicate tasks, unlike a hunting knife. Or as he puts it: “A chef’s knife is a Ferrari, and a Bowie knife is a Hummer.” When the blade is finished, he adds the handle material, using grinders to carve out his signature contoured “Coke bottle” handle shape, a tribute to the style of his mentor, Master Bladesmith Jason Knight.

When does he know a new knife makes the proverbial cut? “I have two rules,” says Middleton. “It needs to perform well, and it needs to look sexy.”

le f t an d abo v e

For his carbon steel blades, Middleton heats the metal in a forge before hammering it into shape in preparation for the next stage: grinding. below

Middleton makes roughly 30 knives a month, a prolific number when you consider how labor intensive the process is, including freehand grinding every blade.

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family matters to Middleton. He comes from a military legacy that he credits for his strong work ethic. He was born at Fort Knox, where his father was stationed at the time. And he now lives on land once owned by his paternal grandfather, who served in two wars and retired as a sergeant major, the army’s highest enlisted rank. When Middleton was growing up, he would wake to the sound of his grandfather whistling as he came to knock on the boy’s window and say, “Don’t let the sun catch you in bed,” remembers Middleton. “That meant I had to get up and go help him.”

When it was Middleton’s time to follow in the footsteps of his father, uncles and grandfather, however, it didn’t feel right. He asked for his grandfather’s blessing to take a different path.

“The Middletons have put a lot of blood in the army,” the old man told him. “It’s alright for you to sit this one out.”

After high school, Middleton was studying aircraft mechanics at a technical college and working part-time at a knife and cigar shop in a nearby mall when a customer shopping for a katana mentioned he made knives for a living. That customer was Knight, and Middleton — a lifelong tinkerer who, inspired by Conan the Barbarian, made swords and daggers by hand as a hobby — was thrilled to imagine it was a real profession he could pursue. The teenager began driving an hour each way to apprentice with Knight as often as he could.

“He did this mysterious Mr. Miyagi thing for me,” says Middleton, describing a teacher who gave him specific tasks and then walked away to let him sink or swim on his own. “He allowed me to fail… and always said, ‘If you’re serious, I’m serious.’”

Middleton was quite serious.

“Whenever someone is willing to put forth the work and effort, I’ll share the information,” says Knight. “I try to push all the nonsense out of your way, to get to the place where you’re supposed to be.” Knight gets choked up just talking about Middleton, his “most surprising student, and also the most successful.”

Middleton was mainly making outdoor knives when he dreamt God told him to start making chef’s knives. Knight said to do so, he’d have to invest in an electric grinder; Middleton was still grinding his knives by hand because he couldn’t afford one.

“I told him he needed to sell something to buy one,” says Knight. All Middleton had of value was a gold coin collection he’d inherited from his grandfather, and he told Knight he couldn’t sell the coins because they were his legacy to his kids.

“I grabbed his hands and I turned them over and said, ‘That’s your heritage right there,’” recalls Knight. “He sold his coins and pretty soon every great chef in Charleston had one of his knives.”

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t h is page

The last step? Adding ergonomic wooden handles resembling Coke bottles. facing page

Middleton currently makes all the knives himself, but he plans to train and employ more local craftspeople in the future.

But it wasn’t that easy. After losing his job as an industrial mechanic in 2012, Middleton found himself at a crossroads: look for a new job and keep making knives on the side, or go all in trying to make knife-making that job. Thankfully Kendra, whom he met in high school band class and married in 2007, believed in her husband and his dream. She encouraged him to focus on his knives, going back to work to help support the family while he hustled to take his business to the next level.

As Charleston’s culinary scene boomed, Middleton made a list of all the top chefs in the city and approached each of them with his knives.

Every single one rejected him. Undeterred, he shifted tactics, asking one of those chefs to help him develop his chef’s knife. And for the next two years, he refined his design by creating countless prototypes for the executive chef and chef de cuisine at Cypress, then one of Charleston’s top restaurants.

“He just walked in one day and handed us a case of knives to test out,” says Bob Cook, now the exec-

utive chef at the Charleston restaurant Edmund’s Oast. “We would tell him, ‘This one’s too long,’ or ‘This one’s too heavy,’ and sure enough he’d come back in a couple weeks with an updated version.”

Every detail was refined, down to things like rounding off the spine so it’s comfortable to pinch the top of the blade for long hours at a time.

“A lot of people have talent, but he had the drive and humility to go with it,” explains Cook. “You could either help him out, or you could tell he’s gonna do it without you.”

The two are still friends a decade later, and Cook owns a number of Middleton’s knives, including one from the first series he ever made.

“He always had a way bigger plan,” says Knight.

“He was developing his own market and took a different road, selling at food and wine festivals instead of knife shows — and now Quintin is a master maker in his own right.”

While perfecting chef’s knives, Middleton started working on something different after looking at a broken Japanese santoku blade and thinking it would make a cool folding chef’s

knife. He refined the design over eight years, iterating prototypes into what eventually became the undeniably cool Ona (see p. 136). To scale production at the level of quality he wanted, he teamed up with the folks at Idaho’s Millit Knives after meeting them at a trade show.

“I know the design, I know how to make the knife, and I know what I’m looking for, but there are people who are better than me in the manufacturing world,” says Middleton. “And I needed someone to help me get it to a different level.”

This partnership marks an evolution from purely freehand grinding to designing knives and having them fabricated at scale — a critical step toward his dream of building a business locally to manufacture his knives. He compares learning about the manufacturing process today to what it felt like collaborating with chefs a decade ago. Back then, making chef’s knives was his new frontier, and now it’s manufacturing that will open doors and allow him to branch out even further, into knives for hunting and fishing, with the help of other skilled craftspeople.

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on the ba n ks of the Ashley River 15 miles northwest of Charleston lies the remains of a vast estate called Middleton Place. The Middletons began building it in the mid-1700s, making money from rice and indigo on nearby tracts, but the riverfront mansion was burned down by Union soldiers in 1865.

The mansion was never rebuilt, but there’s still a sprawling English-style garden there. And in this garden is a tree known as the Middleton Oak, estimated to be nearly 1,000 years old. It was there when Quintin Middleton’s ancestors were enslaved by the Middleton family.

Last year, Middleton made one of his chef’s knives with an oak handle from a branch of this tree. “What are my ancestors saying to me?” he asks. “‘I’m glad you’re taking something that was brutal and building something beautiful.’”

Middleton’s community is not just St. Stephen, but also the broader Gullah-Geechee community, an African American diaspora unique to the Southeast. Gullah and Geechee people are the descendants of enslaved people who retained close linguistic and cultural ties to West Africa because of their geographic separation from the rest of the American South. They built Charleston, they are the heart of the entire region, and when Middleton starts manufacturing knives here, he plans to call his line the Geechee Boy Series.

His own last name may be connected to a brutal chapter of South Carolina’s past, and his

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family’s past, but he sees things differently. “My grandfather always told me that your name is everything,” says Middleton. “And I’m defining what my name is.”

Part of doing so is not taking the easiest path.

“I could have gotten a big knife company to produce my knives and I’d be fine, living a great life,” he says. “But to say, ‘No, I’m going to build something.’ That’s the hardest way.”

Middleton’s dream is that 50 years from now, he’ll be known as a man who started something from the ground up and breathed life into the region. “It’s not just me making a knife,” he says.

“It’s building something for a community and trying to be a beacon for hope.”

From the inside of his shop, it’s clear more hard work is needed to shift from free-grinding artisanal chef’s knives to overseeing the manufacture of a product line bigger than what his hands alone could ever do. But Middleton is prepared.

“For the past 10 years, I’ve built my foundation,” he says. “And now it’s time for me to build up.”

Toward the end of our visit, Middleton asks me if I do any gardening. Then he tells me that he often thinks about a lesson his aunt gave him for planting tomatoes.

“She taught me that you don’t let them bear fruit right away,” he says. “When you start to see the first little flowers, you have to snip off the buds because you need the stalk to get strong.

That way, it’ll have the strength to bear the fruit.”

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The Ona, a unique folding chef’s knife, boasts a 5-inch blade made of S35VN stainless steel and sells for $380. below

All of Middleton’s handcrafted knives bear his name — each one is a product of his vision and a piece of his legacy.

“My grandfather always told me that your name is everything, And I’m defining what my name is.”

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Onda

Onda is a classic tequila soda, but in canned form.

At 5 percent ABV, it’s low enough in booze to let you sip a few before naptime, and it comes in delicious flavors like lime and tropical passion fruit. $2.70/can

B EST P O RTAB L E SPE AKE R

B EST CAST- I RO N S K I L L E TS

Sonos Roam

Field Company

The Roam pulls double duty: it’s an excellent portable Bluetooth speaker you can take on the road, and a smart speaker that can play along with the other Sonos speakers you have at home.

While Field Company doesn’t make the cheapest cast-iron skillets you can find, the brand’s cast iron is lighter, smoother and simpler than that of rival skillet makers. $95+

$179

B EST UP GRADE SMA RT THERMOSTAT

Amazon Smart Thermostat

This no-frills unit is super affordable, works with most 24-volt HVAC systems (a.k.a. most homes) and can be voice-controlled using a compatible Alexa-enabled device such as an Echo or the Alexa app. $60

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BEST CH ARCOAL GRILL

Weber Kettle Premium Grill This souped-up version of the classic Weber kettle has an improved ash catch for faster, easier cleanup, while remaining sturdy enough to lock in heat without being back-breakingly heavy. $194

B EST AIR PUR IFIE R

Coway AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier This unit offers some of the best air purification on the market at its price point — eliminating pollutants ranging from microscopic germs to harmful, stinky smoke — and it does so in spite of a fairly small body. $230

BEST CO O L I N G P I L LOW

Casper Foam Pillow with Snow Technology Casper took its heat-sucking Snow Technology, once used exclusively for its mattresses, and applied it to a pillow. The pillow draws warmth away from the sleeper, providing up to 12 hours of cool-headed sleep. $139

B EST CO L D B R E W CO FFE E M AKE R

Oxo Good Grips 32-ounce Cold Brew Coffee Maker

This setup offers excellent coffee extraction, with a metal filter that minimizes the mess of dealing with soggy coffee grounds. Ready for a cup? Dispense directly from the brewer with the flip of a switch. $52

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B EST TOW E R FAN

Lasko Portable Electric 42-inch Oscillating Tower Fan B EST OU TDO O R F UR N ITUR E B RA ND

Outer

Outer’s line is designed to withstand the elements, doing so with beautifully crafted sofas, tables and chairs. Each piece features sustainable materials and is backed by an up-to-10-year warranty.

A tower fan doesn’t need much to be great, but that’s what makes this Lasko a must-get.

It has three quiet fan speeds, a remote control and a nighttime mode; plus, it’s light enough to easily tote from room to room. $75

$745+

BEST B E AC H C H AI R

Lido The Chair

This product ticks off all the boxes for an excellent beach chair: it’s portable, it’s comfortable and it reclines. Better yet, additional features include an insulated cooler, a boatload of pockets and fold-out tables. $195

BEST WEED VA P E

Pax 3

Compatible with both dry herb and concentrates, the Pax 3 heats up in 20 seconds, providing excellent dabs for hit after hit, along with your choice of four temperature settings (or more if you have the app). $250

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BEST SNEA KERS

Converse Chuck 70 No sneaker looks better beat up than the Chuck Taylor All Star.

By upgrading to the Chuck 70, you’ll get more wear out of a pair thanks to sturdier canvas uppers, an enhanced rubber outsole and a cushioned insole. $85

B EST SPRAY DEO DO RANT

OffCourt Body Spray

This prebiotic option addresses stench-causing bacterias by encouraging the growth of good ones.

It smells fresh and complex despite coming from a can, and it won’t irritate your already sweaty skin.

BEST BEAC H TOW E L

Slowtide Sundown Towel

$11

Sustainably sourced, thoughtfully designed and, most importantly, super comfy, this towel is sure to be your new favorite at home or at the beach. It even features a handy little loop for hanging.

B EST B UCKE T HAT

$70

American Trench Corduroy Bucket Hat Cut from 100 percent corduroy fabric made in New York, American Trench’s bucket hat boasts minimal branding and a super soft, velvet-like feel. It’s even nice enough to dress up. $48

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B EST BOAR D S H O RTS

Birdwell Beach Britches These iconic boardies feature Birdwell’s tough double-layered SurfNyl nylon fabric. They also boast a button fly, adjustable nylon drawstring waist, snap back pocket with a key loop and triple-stitch construction throughout. $80

B EST SANDALS

Birkenstock Arizona These classic sandals have a foam-topped cork footbed that molds to your foot. On top, two adjustable straps guarantee a secure fit appropriate for all-day wear. $110

B EST NATO WATCH STRAP

Crown & Buckle Supreme NATO NATO straps come in all manner of quality, styles and details. Crown & Buckle nails everything with a comfortable seat belt–like material, excellent hardware and obvious durability. $28

B EST SUN GL ASS ES

Le Specs Bandwagon Sunglasses Le Specs is a vintage brand revived. Its Bandwagon frame references European ones popular in the late ’70s and early ’80s, but with tweaks to the construction for improved comfort and durability. $69

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B EST ALO E V E RA

Cetaphil Soothing Gel Cream Cetaphil’s proprietary blend soaks in quickly, without leaving your skin sticky or slick.

It works fast to treat not only your sunburn but also issues like dryness and uneven tone that exposure to the sun might have exacerbated, too.

BEST D I V E WATC H

Seiko Prospex “Turtle” The iconic Turtle perfectly encapsulates why Seiko has so many ardent fans. It’s built to last a lifetime, uber-comfortable and packed with character. Best of all, the price is shockingly reasonable for an automatic dive watch.

$9

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B EST T-SHIRT

Outerknown Groovy Pocket Tee B EST S P RAY SU NSC REEN

Oars + Alps Hydrating SPF 50 Sunscreen Spray

Organic cotton makes you feel good when buying this tee, while a loose knit and relaxed silhouette makes you feel good when wearing it. The garment-dye process only adds to its colors and character. $58

This non-greasy spray promises to be better for you and the environment than conventional sunblock.

Packaged in a recyclable non-aerosol can, it’s free from chemicals that are harmful to coral reefs as well as ones that are (at least somewhat) toxic to humans. $16

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B EST UP G RADE P O CKE T KNIFE

The James Brand The Carter

O U T D O O R S

High-end EDC knives can get expensive.

But even with a smooth slide-lock mechanism, a corrosion-resistant VG-10 stainless steel blade and stunning good looks, the Carter comes in at a price lower than many rivals.

BEST H IKIN G SAN DAL

Chaco Z/1 Classic

The Z/1 Classic boasts both the ability to walk in water as well as look good on city streets thanks to monochromatic colorways and a supportive, grippy footbed.

$139

B EST HE ADL AM P

Black Diamond Spot 350 Notable features like dimming, red light for night vision, 350 lumens of brightness and waterproofing good for up to one meter, along with an affordable price point, make this headlamp an easy sell.

$100

$40

B EST RAI N JAC K E T

Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 Gore-Tex Paclite Plus Jacket

B EST HIKING SHO RT

Prana Stretch Zion Short II Reinvented to include thoroughly modern updates like added recycled, sustainable materials, this do-it-all hiking short still manages to maintain a classic feel.

With its two-layer, stretchy yet durable Gore-Tex material, this jacket is perfect for fending off surprise summer showers on the trail. At just 9.6 ounces, it’s also eminently packable.

$75

$300

B EST BINOCU L A RS

Nocs Standard Issue These waterproof, fogproof, smartphone-compatible dynamos feature a Swiss-designed phase coated Bak4 Prism lens, delivering optics that are on par with binocs that cost two to three times the price. $95

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BEST BU TTON-D OW N SU N S H I RT

Arc’teryx Skyline Shirt LS

This class act marries refined style and technical details, bringing together the best of both worlds. It’s light, breathable, UPF-rated 50+ and looks super cool, which can’t be said for many sun shirts. $100

BEST P OCKET SU NSC REEN

Manda Sun Paste

Proving that sunscreens don’t need nasty chemicals to work, this organic, reef-safe paste uses thanaka, coconut oil, beeswax and shea butter to moisturize and protect skin from the sun and elements. $28

B EST U P G RADE TRAIL S H O E

The North Face Vectiv Exploris Futurelight Incorporating technical attributes — like a rocker midsole and carbon plate — from high-octane road models, these kicks up the ante when it comes to performance off the beaten path. $159

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BEST FIELD WATC H

Hamilton Khaki Field Mechanical Watch Drawing on Hamilton’s history making watches for American soldiers, the Khaki Field’s utilitarian design includes luminescent numerals and a sturdy NATO strap. It’s an incredible value for a Swiss mechanical watch. $495

BEST U P G RAD E CO O L E R

Yeti Tundra Haul

Yeti is the biggest name in coolers for a reason. The Haul holds its temperature longer than competitors and is built to last basically forever. It’s a considerable investment — but worth every penny. $400

BEST TENT

Big Agnes Tigerwall UL3 Solution Dyed Tent This tent is easily the best option for most people. Made from a planet-friendly fabric, it sets up quickly with a single pole, weighs less than three pounds and accommodates up to three sleepers. $480

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Ciele × Article One GTGlass Known for its beloved running hats, Ciele teamed up with Article One Eyewear to infuse its attention to detail and superior construction into a pair of hypoallergenic running sunnies that fit well and hang tough. $275

B EST WO R KOUT SHIRT

Ten Thousand Versatile Shirt

BEST GY M BAG

Aer Gym Duffle 3 Aer’s do-it-all duffel bag offers 24 liters of ventilated, antimicrobial storage and bombproof Cordura nylon construction, combining rugged performance and urban style into one sleek bag. $224

Meticulously engineered to be the perfect workout shirt, the Versatile is anti-chafing, sweat-wicking, quick-drying and available in basically any color you want. It’s also natty enough to wear when not working out. $54

B EST SUPPL E M E NT

Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Powder This Whole 30–approved powerhouse powder provides not only 18 grams of protein and 20 grams of bioavailable collagen per serving, but also plenty of skin-boosting hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. $35

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BEST KETTLEBELL

Kettlebell Kings Adjustable Kettlebell As the name would suggest, Kettlebell Kings offers the ideal kettlebell for beginner and intermediate training, courtesy of a durable build and easy-toadjust slide-and-pull system. $170

BEST CYC L I N G B I B

The Arrivals x MAAP Alt_Road Bib A proprietary 3D thermo-molded chamois for comfort, abrasion-resistant leg panels for durability and integrated cargo pockets for storage make this bib the ideal option for those long summer rides. $335

B EST UP G RADE WO R KOUT SHO RT

BEST WI R E L ESS E AR B U DS FOR RU N N I N G

Jaybird Vista 2

The Vista 2s fit snug, offer active noisecancellation and boast eight hours of playback. And with an IP68 rating, they’re more sweat-resistant than pretty much every other wireless earbud out there. $149

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Lululemon Pace Breaker Short You’ll train and run in these shorts for the sweat-wicking, four-way stretch material, integrated zipper pocket and quick-drying mesh liner … but you’ll wear them every day for the lightweight comfort. $68

B EST CUSHIO NE D RUNNING SHO E

Hoka Bondi X

Do you tend to run on roads, pavement and hard trails?

You want well-cushioned shoes that are comfortable and stylish — and no pair better fits that description than Hoka’s Bondi X. $200

BEST U P G RA DE FOA M ROL L ER

TriggerPoint Grid Vibe Plus The Vibe Plus isn’t your average foam roller. It offers a textured surface and vibrates at four different speeds to work deep into your tissues and alleviate muscle soreness fast. $100

BEST GRAVEL B IKE

Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon At just over 21 pounds, the Diverge Comp Carbon is fast, forgiving (thanks to beefy Pathfinder Pro tires and Future Shock 2.0 suspension built into the headset), and just damn fun. $4,200

B EST R ECOV E RY BOOTS

Therabody RecoveryAir Jetboots These easy-to-use compression boots refresh your legs after a long run, ride or gym session while you chill out watching Netflix. Actually, they’re completely wireless, so you can put them to work wherever you want. $899

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BEST A FFORDA BLE BACKPAC K

JanSport Right Pack

This is the JanSport backpack you know and love, but upgraded. The Right Pack features a padded laptop sleeve, a water bottle side pocket and legit old-school style. $60

B EST BO DY W IPES

B EST SUNG L ASS CASE

Bravo Sierra Antibacterial Body Wipes

Ettinger Spectrum Glasses Case

Long rides in the car without stopping are known to incubate BO. Bravo Sierra’s body wipes can stand in for a shower in a pinch — whether you’re ultra-stinky or just sticky from a few laps in the pool.

This case’s curved shape makes it easy to hold or slip into a pant pocket. The leather exterior keeps dirt and grime from getting to your lenses, and the soft suede interior cushions against bumps or drops.

$10

$135

B EST P O RTAB L E IPHO NE CHARG E R

B EST CAR ACCESSO RY

Thanks to its support for MagSafe fast charging, this handy travel gadget can quickly and wirelessly charge your new iPhone, your Apple Watch and your AirPods Pro all at the same time. It also folds up into a compact, travel-friendly design.

The Car Thing is the ultimate Spotify streaming device for your car. It has a big touchscreen that makes navigating playlists and podcasts super easy, plus a built-in voice assistant so you can control your music hands-free.

Spotify Car Thing

Mophie 3-in-1 Travel Charger

$90

$150

BEST P ORTA BL E JU MP STA RTER

The Zeus

With 20,000 mAh of power, the portable Zeus has enough juice to recharge everything, from the largest trucks to every single USB device in your backpack. $159

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B EST S M A LL DUF F EL BAG

Baboon Go Bag

This duffel is straight-up clever: it’s made to be carried just about any way you could want; it’s packed with pockets for easy organizing; and it’s got a durable, waterproof shell. $169

B EST HAND SANITIZ E R

D.S. & Durga Big Sur After Rain Hand sanitizer might as well be pleasant, right? Stay safe and healthy with this one — but also treat your hands and senses with moisturizer and scents of eucalyptus, magnolia and wet wood. $30

B EST V I NTAGE-LO O KIN G MOTO RCYCLE JAC KET

Belstaff Temple Jacket

The Temple Jacket’s combination of vintage style and lightweight nylon shell with mesh venting makes it the best option for keeping cool all summer long. $359

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B EST PACKING CU BE

Peak Design Packing Cube PD’s cube features a smart zipper system that adapts to how much you’re packing, shrinking and growing accordingly. Elegantly designed, it’s also easy to access and divide as necessary. $30

BEST P O RTAB LE GAMING P C

Valve Steam Deck

This first-of-its-kind portable console allows you to play games you’d typically only be able to access on a PC or a next-gen console anywhere you want — no wireless mouse or keyboard required. $400

BEST MOTORCYCLE HEL MET

AGV AX9

The AX9 helmet boasts incredibly lightweight carbon fiber construction, a versatile visor and an adjustable chin guard port for getting airflow where you need it. It also looks pretty badass. $550

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DETOUR

text by

Jack Seemer

WING ON WO & CO. HEAD TO ONE OF THE OLDEST SHOPS IN NYC FOR A COMPELLING MIX OF HOMEWARES, BOTH CLASSIC AND MODERN.

“PORCELAIN PAINTING, SPECIFICALLY IN THE PATTERNS THAT WE HOLD, IS A DYING ART. IN SOME WAYS, WHAT W.O.W. IS DOING IS PRESERVING THIS CULTURAL HISTORY, THIS CRAFT, AND THEN ALSO THINKING ABOUT HOW TO BRING NEW LIFE INTO IT.” — MEI LUM

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⁄

When Wing on Wo & Co. first opened its doors on Mott Street in lower Manhattan, the borough wasn’t yet a part of Greater New York. The shop, now run by fifth-generation owner Mei Lum, dates back to the 1890s and carries the unique distinction of being the oldest operating store in Manhattan’s Chinatown.

The house specialty is porcelain, with goods ranging from rare and vintage home- and tableware (planters, tea sets, plates) sourced from Hong Kong and Jingdezhen to playful chopstick rests that depict fruit and cats — what Lum calls a “reinterpretation” of the craft — made by young Asian American artists.

From here, Lum also runs The WOW Project, a women-, nonbinary-, queer- and trans-led community initiative that uses “art and activism to grow and protect the creative culture in Manhattan’s Chinatown” through a mix of artist residencies, youth programs and public art events.

courtesy of wing on wo & co.

Friday–Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

p h o t o s b y s i lv i e b o n n e , r i c k y r h o d e s , m i s c h e l l e m o y

26 Mott St., New York, NY 10013

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