Dark Socks With Shorts - Tad Gear Stealth Jacket - SPOT - Rivers West Cascade Mountain Jacket
I was at the gym this morning, sorry, the club, and I noticed something odd about some of the guys. When did dark socks with athletic shorts become cool for men? I do not pretend to be the final arbiter of cool, although, Tiffany Lendrum and I were voted Best Dressed in high school. That figures, thirty one games as the starting center on the varsity football team and I get "Best Dressed", pretty macho, huh? Lanuti is still miffed about it so it must have been worth something. Anyway, the way I remember it, only dorks and little old retired men living in Florida wore dark socks with shorts. What gives? Did I miss a text message?
I got a package yesterday from the boys at Triple Aught Design aka TAD Gear and it was their new Stealth Jacket. At first I thought it was something else because the package was so light but upon opening it I found it was the jacket Dan and I had talked about. I will do a full review after I have used it in the field but my first impression is, wow! The Shark Skin Soft Shell fabric is unique. It is sort of like Schoeller cloth, which is good because I am a big fan of Schoeller cloth, but different. It stretches, is soft and is lined with Coolmax. The fit and finish of this jacket is beautiful. I like it already, a lot. Remember that I mentioned the Predator Hardshell Jacket from TAD Gear in my 9/19/07 article titled "Superman's Cape". That jacket is among the best, if not the very best shell on the market. Well, the Stealth Jacket shares the same attention to detail and well thought out features as the Predator but it is built for a different purpose.
I discovered TAD Gear on the Military Morons website and I am glad I did. I now own three of their products and am anxiously looking forward to what they will come out with next. Maybe they will be the ones to finally crack the code and make what has proven so elusive for even the big boys, the perfect shell jacket.
I think I will wear it to the Outdoor Retailer show, it has a pretty high cool factor. I am betting that it won't just be the chicks who dig it. Stay tuned for more info on this piece but if you want one you better call TAD Gear quickly. They are a small outfit and they only do limited runs so when they are out, you may have to wait a while.
Note: These are precisely the kinds of products that my readers should be supporting because they are examples of best-in-class gear and they are made by people that are still passionate about what they do.
I am meeting with the SPOT Satellite Messenger people at the OR show to check out their new product. This is an interesting item, because if it lives up to the advertising claims, it fills a critical niche between my Globalstar GSP1700 sat phone and my ACR Res-Q-Fix PLB but at a lower cost than both. I am supposed to be getting a demo unit so I will let you know what I think of it. REI is selling them now and I noticed that they are also on the TAD site as a new item. I saw that the guy from Survivorman is endorsing them. Big whoop. Oh, I like the show and respect the fact that he does his thing solo, legitimately, but he is getting paid to say good things about this product. We don't. So, who you gonna believe, a paid celebrity or real live Hardcore Outdoorsmen? To quote Captain KR, who still owes me $200 from Packers v. Cardinals from two years ago, "come on people, get in the game"! Oh, yes I did! Airing out the dirty laundry on the world wide web. He's welching on our bet, KR style!
My bro wanted me to tell everyone that he also has one of the big, black Marmot Polarguard jackets that I mentioned in the previous article on insulation layers. He reminded that he holds this jacket in such high regard that he has patched it so many times with duct tape it looks like some kind of new camo pattern. Regardless, this jacket is no longer available from Marmot, typical, so we need to find a replacement. There. Happy now Cody?
I received the Cascade Mountain Jacket from Rivers West a couple of weeks ago. I like it so far but have not had a change to really put it through it's paces yet. This jacket is their most basic model. It is made of the L.A.W. (lightweight All Weather) fabric, has pit zips and no hood. I am hoping that it is as good as their other jackets at cutting wind and rain but lighter, more easily ventilated and a little more versatile.
Lastly, since it is a new year, we are going to be sprucing up the articles with pics from the Olympus Stylus 790SW and video from my new Panasonic SDR-H18 so keep an eye out for that. Boots and backpacks are big upcoming subjects and I will be introducing a few of my own, home grown products that have been very useful to me over the years and aren't available anywhere else. I also have some good storys to share with you that epitomize Hardcore Outdoor.
This has been an interesting experience and I must admit that I like it. What started out as a search for one inclusive site to refer people to for great gear has turned into something bigger. And according to some people, it has the potential to grow into something else entirely. Yea, well, whatever. What is most satisfying for me is that despite the vastness of the internet universe, there are people from all over that gravitate towards and coalesce around the idea of playing and working out on the ragged edge where the only safety net is their wits, their will and their gear. Regardless of how they get there or why, their success and more importantly their survival is not guaranteed. It's that risky proposition that draws us in and keeps us. Doing things that most won't or can't do and cheating death in the process is pretty cool. It is intoxicating. It is invigorating. Makes us feel alive. I call it the Hardcore Outdoor community and I am very pleased to link up with those that know what I am talking about and share my passions.
That's all I got for you today folks. Take care.
I got a package yesterday from the boys at Triple Aught Design aka TAD Gear and it was their new Stealth Jacket. At first I thought it was something else because the package was so light but upon opening it I found it was the jacket Dan and I had talked about. I will do a full review after I have used it in the field but my first impression is, wow! The Shark Skin Soft Shell fabric is unique. It is sort of like Schoeller cloth, which is good because I am a big fan of Schoeller cloth, but different. It stretches, is soft and is lined with Coolmax. The fit and finish of this jacket is beautiful. I like it already, a lot. Remember that I mentioned the Predator Hardshell Jacket from TAD Gear in my 9/19/07 article titled "Superman's Cape". That jacket is among the best, if not the very best shell on the market. Well, the Stealth Jacket shares the same attention to detail and well thought out features as the Predator but it is built for a different purpose.
I discovered TAD Gear on the Military Morons website and I am glad I did. I now own three of their products and am anxiously looking forward to what they will come out with next. Maybe they will be the ones to finally crack the code and make what has proven so elusive for even the big boys, the perfect shell jacket.
I think I will wear it to the Outdoor Retailer show, it has a pretty high cool factor. I am betting that it won't just be the chicks who dig it. Stay tuned for more info on this piece but if you want one you better call TAD Gear quickly. They are a small outfit and they only do limited runs so when they are out, you may have to wait a while.
Note: These are precisely the kinds of products that my readers should be supporting because they are examples of best-in-class gear and they are made by people that are still passionate about what they do.
I am meeting with the SPOT Satellite Messenger people at the OR show to check out their new product. This is an interesting item, because if it lives up to the advertising claims, it fills a critical niche between my Globalstar GSP1700 sat phone and my ACR Res-Q-Fix PLB but at a lower cost than both. I am supposed to be getting a demo unit so I will let you know what I think of it. REI is selling them now and I noticed that they are also on the TAD site as a new item. I saw that the guy from Survivorman is endorsing them. Big whoop. Oh, I like the show and respect the fact that he does his thing solo, legitimately, but he is getting paid to say good things about this product. We don't. So, who you gonna believe, a paid celebrity or real live Hardcore Outdoorsmen? To quote Captain KR, who still owes me $200 from Packers v. Cardinals from two years ago, "come on people, get in the game"! Oh, yes I did! Airing out the dirty laundry on the world wide web. He's welching on our bet, KR style!
My bro wanted me to tell everyone that he also has one of the big, black Marmot Polarguard jackets that I mentioned in the previous article on insulation layers. He reminded that he holds this jacket in such high regard that he has patched it so many times with duct tape it looks like some kind of new camo pattern. Regardless, this jacket is no longer available from Marmot, typical, so we need to find a replacement. There. Happy now Cody?
I received the Cascade Mountain Jacket from Rivers West a couple of weeks ago. I like it so far but have not had a change to really put it through it's paces yet. This jacket is their most basic model. It is made of the L.A.W. (lightweight All Weather) fabric, has pit zips and no hood. I am hoping that it is as good as their other jackets at cutting wind and rain but lighter, more easily ventilated and a little more versatile.
Lastly, since it is a new year, we are going to be sprucing up the articles with pics from the Olympus Stylus 790SW and video from my new Panasonic SDR-H18 so keep an eye out for that. Boots and backpacks are big upcoming subjects and I will be introducing a few of my own, home grown products that have been very useful to me over the years and aren't available anywhere else. I also have some good storys to share with you that epitomize Hardcore Outdoor.
This has been an interesting experience and I must admit that I like it. What started out as a search for one inclusive site to refer people to for great gear has turned into something bigger. And according to some people, it has the potential to grow into something else entirely. Yea, well, whatever. What is most satisfying for me is that despite the vastness of the internet universe, there are people from all over that gravitate towards and coalesce around the idea of playing and working out on the ragged edge where the only safety net is their wits, their will and their gear. Regardless of how they get there or why, their success and more importantly their survival is not guaranteed. It's that risky proposition that draws us in and keeps us. Doing things that most won't or can't do and cheating death in the process is pretty cool. It is intoxicating. It is invigorating. Makes us feel alive. I call it the Hardcore Outdoor community and I am very pleased to link up with those that know what I am talking about and share my passions.
That's all I got for you today folks. Take care.
Thanks.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.
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