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Food & Drink

Buffalo Trace Antique Collection: Award-Winning Aged Whiskey

Bourbon lover? You may want to keep an eye out for the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, a series of 5 bottles of different ages, proofs and flavors. Buffalo Trace hails from the heart of Bourbon Country, has over 200 years of whiskey history, and their original Bourbon keeps snatching up awards all over the country, winning a Double Gold Medal at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition this year, as well as the 2017 Gold Medal at World Whisky Masters.

By Austin Leavitt

Articles

The Best Tactical Pen of 2017: Be Prepared in All Circumstances

One of the greatest advantages you have in any fight or self-defense situation is the element of surprise. Wear a gun on your hip and you are instantly recognized as dangerous. Wear it concealed, and nobody knows you are dangerous but you. Anything can be a weapon or a tool. Even if you don't have a weapon, your body can become one. Of course, we surely can't forget the value of a high-powered, tactical flashlight as a self-defense tool. This is what law enforcement teaches in their "Run, Hide, Fight" campaign. If someone is attacking you, use what's in your environment. But what if something you use on a regular basis was designed to be both a weapon and a tool? That's where tactical pens come in. But what makes for the best tactical pen for any occasion? We sat down to make a list. And then we went and chose the one we think is the best. Scroll onward to find out.

By Fast Eddie

Gear

Biolite Campstove 2: A Smokeless Stove That Charges Your Devices

Biolite makes some cool, innovative lights and camping equipment, and their original Campstove was an innovative way to convert your campfire into useful energy, charging your smartphone as the wood burns. The Biolite Campstove 2, however, is even better.

By Austin Leavitt

Food & Drink

Philips Advance Air Fryer: Fry Your Own Food, Without All The Mess

If you're like most of us, you love fried food. Or at least french fries. But there's no getting around the fact that traditional, deep-fried foods are unhealthy, and also extremely hard, messy and sometimes even dangerous to make at home. Enter the Philips Advance Air Fryer.

By Austin Leavitt

Gear

Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket: Did We Really Need A Smart Jacket?

The Smart Revolution will stop at nothing, we suppose, and we've now seen our first Smart Jacket - the Levi's Commuter Trucker Jacket, a collaboration between Google and Levi's to bring technology to a totally classic piece of outerwear.

By Austin Leavitt

Home List

Hikes You Must Try Before You Die: The Presidential Traverse

Sometimes choosing a good hike can be tough. Each mountain range, National Forest or region in the US has more than enough to last a lifetime, and it can be tempting to start checking them off in a futile effort to conquer them all. But far and away, there are some trips that are just classics of American backpacking  - like the White Mountains' Presidential Traverse.

By Austin Leavitt

Gear

Amazon Echo Spot: Alexa Meets Alarm Clock

Amazon just keeps on releasing new Echo's, and the newest member of the family - the Echo Spot - will be out just in time for Christmas. The Echo Spot seems to be building off the Echo Show, the latest model and first to include a screen. But in this case, they've actually decided to shrink the Echo, but still give it a screen. The result is a device that looks just like a bedside alarm clock, and functions like one too

By Austin Leavitt

Gear

North Face Ventrix Jacket: This Year’s New Mid-Layer

Lightweight, breathable mid-layers may seem like a dime a dozen in the outdoor apparel world, but that doesn't stop us from getting excited whenever one of our favorite brands releases a new one; there are constant innovations in ventilation and insulation tech, and it seems like somebody is always coming out with something lighter, warmer and more breathable. North Face's contribution for this coming winter is the North Face Ventrix.

By Austin Leavitt

Gear

Patagonia Worn Wear is Their Shop For Used Gear

Not everybody has the funds to buy brand new gear. And to be honest, sometimes it's just not worth it; buying used gear can be much more economical, and you some solid deals, and it's better to reuse gear than just toss it, right? Patagonia, one of our favorite outdoors brands, gets this, and they've launched a new used gear store to help out: Patagonia Worn Wear.

By Austin Leavitt

Gear

FrontRow Wearable Camera: Share Your World With the World in Real Time

You're at a restaurant and want to share your food. You are shopping in your local big box store and you want to live stream your experience to your Facebook friends. You are walking the dog and feel your Twitter followers really want to walk with you. These are all the times you probably DON'T want to use the new FrontRow Wearable Camera! The "selfie world" is overkill. However, you are trekking along on your daring hike and we want to see it! FrontRow has reinvented the camera by allowing you to seamlessly connect and share your media adventures live to Facebook Live, Twitter Live, YouTube Live, Periscope, or other ways to share content. The time-lapse feature is really cool. With the hands-free operation, you may forget it is hanging around your neck or clipped on your person or ride.

By Fast Eddie

Home List

Volkswagen EGolf: Everybody’s Favorite Hot Hatch Goes Electric

It's not that we have anything against gas engines, by any means, but if there's any way to make an affordable, practical electric vehicle that drives just as well (and enjoyably) as its gas counterpart, our eyes are open. Volkswagen is listening, thankfully, and the 2017 version of their EGolf is starting to fulfill those criteria.

By Austin Leavitt

Gear

Lego Desert Eagle: A Functional Handgun That is Insane

Really, is there a more timeless toy on the market than Legos? These babies aren't just for the small tykes in the house. If you've ever been to a BrickUniverse event, you will quickly realize there are grown "kids" spending hours upon hours creating projects that will literally take your breath away. Just take a Lego weapon engineer and combine Legos and what do you get? The Lego Desert Eagle.

By Fast Eddie

Home List

Deck Out Your Office in Grovemade Wood

When it comes to interior decorating, nothing is quite as versatile as wood; it's classic and trusty, yet can also be modern and refined, and there's almost no room in which it doesn't work. That's why we're such fans of Grovemade and their wooden desktops and stands:

By Austin Leavitt

Home List

Polaroid OneStep 2 i-Type: The Throwback Instant Camera You Need

Sure, smartphones and selfies are cool. But instant cameras and film are even cooler. Unfortunately, ever since cells phone became ubiquitous, we haven't seen a lot of either around; there's always been a few, but Polaroid, the one everyone cares about - has been absent. Polaroid has just announced what they call the Onestep 2 i-Type, a relaunch of and throwback to the instant cameras of old.

By Austin Leavitt

Gear

Sherlock Anti-Theft Bike Tracker: GPS Providing Bikers Peace of Mind

The fear is real. You invest $3,000+ in a bike and trusting it to a bike chain and tree is a bit unnerving. If a thief wants to steal your bike, he will find a way. However, now you will be able to track and locate your investment and hopefully find the criminal also. The Sherlock Anti-Theft Bike Tracker is a GPS enabled device that is hidden in the bike frame. Using your phone app, you can always know where your bike is located.

By Fast Eddie

Home List

How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety…and Other Needed Conversations

Dangers of the world are assaulting cats of today! If cat owners don't have these critical conversations with their cats, their cats' standard nine lives will be expended way before their time. Do you know a cat owner? Are you a cat owner? Do you need a gag gift for a cat owner? This is just the book you need. How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety addresses all the topics which are taking siege on cats of today. In a Q&A format the book guides you in discussing these hot topics with your feline: gun safety, evolution, abstinence, online safety, drugs, puberty, post apocalyptic survival, and satanism.

By Fast Eddie

Home List

The Renovo Glenmorangie Original is Made From Whiskey Casks

By now, we've seen bikes built out of just about anything; steel, carbon fiber, aircraft-grade aluminum, and even wood - that's not anything revolutionary. But there's never been a bike made out of whiskey casks before. Renovo, based out of Portland, has been pioneering the world of modern wooden bicycles, and they've just come up with the Renovo Glenmorangie Original, a gorgeous road bike made from Glenmorangie whiskey casks.

By Austin Leavitt

Home List

The 2019 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Cranks out 550 HP

In a world that is (increasingly) full of luxury SUV's, few compare to the Cayenne Turbo. Don't get us wrong, BMW and Land Rover know how to compete, and it seems like their are constantly packing more and more horsepower into their beautiful machines. But when it comes to pure stately luxury and elegance combined with power, the Cayenne Turbo is a whole 'nother level.

By Austin Leavitt

Gear

The Cinera Headset Wants You To Get Rid of Your TV

As much fun as widescreen TV's and home theaters are, they just don't compare to seeing a film in the theater; the big screen and sound just make for a much more immersive experience that you just can't get at home. Unless, of course, you get Cinera.

By Austin Leavitt

Food & Drink

Johnnie Walker: The Director’s Cut – A Blade Runner Special Edition

When Blade Runner was first released in 1982, it showed us a glimpse of what whiskey might look in the future: Johnnie Walker in a specially shaped bottle. And while their bottles won't look exactly like that in 2019, Johnnie Walker has gone ahead and given us an idea for future whiskies, teaming master blender Jim Beveridge filmmaker Denis Villeneuve to bring us Black Label: The Director's Cut. 

By Austin Leavitt

EDC

This Cardamon Wallet Should Be Your Next Wallet

We’ve seen quite a few minimalist wallets here at Gear for Life. But we’ve rarely, if ever, seen anything as simple and minimal as the Cardamon Wallet 1. Designed by a former Arc’teryx designer, the Cardamon took three years to create and perfect; they wasted no effort and ignored no detail in getting it right.

By Austin Leavitt

Gear

The Zippelin Bag is Made of Recycled Truck Tarps and Inner Tubes

This might be the coolest travel bag we've ever seen. Developed by the folks over at Freitag (out of Germany), the Zippelin bag is actually an inflatable duffel bag made out of old used truck tarps, old inner tubes off of bikes, and seat belts.

By Austin Leavitt

EDC

Cairn: The Outdoor Inspired Subscription Box Worth Subscribing Too

There are lot of great subscription boxes out there, but not all of them are worth signing up for. For adventure lovers, however, Cairn might totally be worth it.

By Austin Leavitt

Home List

8 Best Cold Weather Sleeping Bags

Cold weather camping requires some gear with special qualities; mainly, warmth. And apart from your clothing, no piece of equipment is as important for winter camping as a good cold weather sleeping bag. A proper sleeping bag will not only let you sleep comfortably in chilly weather, but actually help you remain safe when the temperatures drop below freezing.

By Austin Leavitt