One half of MAWOI has been on the road, driving and camping his way, from Colorado to Sayulita and back for the past few weeks. He’s been keeping me abreast of all developments. Cop bribe? Check. Thunder stomach? Check. Weeks of hammock time on the beach? Check. The majority of the time recently has been spent trying to conjure up a reason to come home.
Come hell or high water, I’m going to make sure we get our tipi setup this summer. We’ve had one in the family for as long as I’ve been around and it’s become sort of a trademark by now. For a while I had one in the back yard of a house I owned (bought it with the house, good ole Wyoming) and it was a great all year retreat with a fire and a few blankets. Initially the setup is obviously more of a chore than a normal tent camping situation, but once in place it’s much more like a mobile house than a tent. The absolute best part though is the campfire in the center, beat that North Face.
Pole Setup:
We’re lucky enough to have a piece of land that has an ample supply of lodgepole pine, we thin a few and peel them for the poles.
Bow saw – for the initial tree falling (how cool is that fish logo).
Fanno Folding Pruning Saw – quickly removes all the pole branches.
Flexcut Draw Knife – for de-barking and smoothing the poles.
Rope – ties the poles down through the center so opting for something aside from nasty yellow nylon is aesthetically preferred.
Tipi Cover/Liner
Lots of options out there, obviously the fancier, the more cash. We currently have a simple canvas Sioux style.
Tentworks
Manataka
Reliable Tent
Floor:
Obviously the simplest method is no flooring but we’ve had everything from fresh cut pine bows to flagstone (more of a permanent installation) to blankets and tarps.
Canvas tarps – good for a first layer of ground cover and obviously more aesthetically appealing than their blue plastic brethren. Additionally, more resistant to wayward sparks coming from the center fire.
Pendleton Brave Star and Grand Teton Blankets – be nice to go high end on these, sparks be damned.
Accessories:
Howda Seat – Nice wood/canvas alternative to the nylon camp chairs.
Heavy Duty Tent Stakes – gotta opt for something strong here, homemade wood versions are always an option too.
Coleman Kerosene Lantern – stick to the classic.
Smudge Kit – clean off all those bad vibes.
The fashion industry’s newfound love for all things Hawaiian shirts got me thinking about the master of that genre, Magnum. I also found this site that is basically the Magnum style bible. Sure, there were some definite styling faux pas in the series but overall the character had great classic looks. Rugbys, 501s, Outdoorsman specs, and of course a heavy infusion of military pieces. Go ahead and embrace your Ferrari driving inner private eye.
Shirt – Westward beach shirt
Shirt – L.L.Bean cotton poplin field shirt
Belt – Military web belt
Buckle – Navy surface warfare
Bracelet – POW MIA memorial bracelet
Wallet – Scuba diver flag wallet
Shades – Ray Ban Cats 5000 (he wore everything from Outdoorsman to Vuarnet to Julbo)
Jeans – 501 shrink to fit light blue
Hat – Da Nang
Shoes – Sperry 75th anniversary (the white is probably more apt)
Watch – Seiko men’s diver (more accurate would be a Rolex, but same general styling)
With any luck the weather will take a turn for the better and we’ll be able to hit the streams soon enough. The bro-in-law is getting geared up (opted for the Scott over the Winston, atta boy) so I thought I’d take stock of my kit for possible upgrades.
Hat – Filson (good warm/cool option and a good way to avoid the dreaded brimmed stocking)
Shades – Craft Outdoorsman Polarized
Gloves – Filson (I’ve given up on fingerless, full wool I think works best, even when wet, just take ‘em off to tie)
Jacket – Arc’teryx Gamma MX Hoodie
Shirt – MacIntyre Range
Bandana – Cheap. (I lose way too many to have some sort of fancy pants hanky)
Pack – Patagonia
Reel – Elkhorn Classic
Waders – Simms G3 Guide Pant
Strike Indicators – Thingamabobber (go ahead and just ditch all your others, these are the best ever made. Ever.)
Wading Boots – Russell
Rod – Scott A3
Wader Bag – Simms Taco bag
Might as well not fight it and just layer up till spring.
Maybe it’s the Olympic spirit that has motivated me but we’ve managed to get out a few times this winter to hit up the fantastic trails just north of us for a few skate sessions. This time of year usually lends itself to good snow so hopefully there will be a few more trips (as well as some backcountry action).
Shades: Old school Brikos
Hat: Swix
Shirt: Cloudveil Run Don’t Walk 1-2 Zip (this thing is amazing, btw)
Pack: Arc’Teryx Cierzo 18
Jacket: Arc’Teryx Alpha SL Jacket
Gloves: Reusch
Pants: Patagonia Simple Guide Pants
Skis: Fischer RCS Carbonlite Skating Hole
Poles: Leki Sport Carbon Trigger
Boots: Fischer Carbonlite Skating
We bat the fashion ball back and forth with quite a few folks but the the boys at DoubleButter have to be the most vociferous about their stance. More than anyone we know, they stand by their uniform and are pretty relentless implementing it every day. They sent us some pics (damn fine pics) of the standard issue DB shop uniform and as you can see, most of it has been ridden hard and put away wet more days than not. Even though its only a 2 man operation, they are so serious about sartorial shop rules they even have a 3rd kit for emergency backup (in case the welder gets a bit wily). Oh and when they aren’t hassling us about our clothes, they make some fabulous furniture, pics below.
Details per Dexter (click for larger view):
Specs:
IC Berlin
Primer grey Hurley work specs
Dita Tycoon
Tees:
Gretsch Tee
MCD Tee
Amoeba Music Tee and EMS jersey with thumb slots underneath. 10,000 washes.
Outerwear:
Never dead Polo jacket
Down vest motherfucker
Dunderdon jacket, dirty as hell
Denim:
Jean Shop leggings
Levis STF w/ Billy Kirk belt
Levi 501 redlines with passport and Carhartt belt fashioned wiley
Footwear:
Red Wing 877s
Nike’s take on gladiator footwear, ACG Blazer
RedWings 595 – resoled
Accessories:
Malco Tapper
Sweet Georgia Brown. I like the smell of my hair treatment; the pleasing odor is half the point.
Altieri’s timepiece
Herringbone napkin/neckerchief
Mike Altieri’s belt buckle (gramps)
American roofing satchel
Smart start for the pickup – drunk fucking Tillmans
Ask and you shall receive (well it wasn’t really me but I can be thankful anyway). Chris, make sure you put my name on one of these dandies.
Pretty revolutionary show for its day and the styling of Bruce Weitz character on Hill Street Blues set the stage for the plain clothes hardcore TV cop image.
Sweatshirt – Warehouse
Hat – USN black wool watch cap
Canvas Gloves – White Ox elastic band chopped off of course
Belt – 1 3/4” to hold that holster, nice hangin on to the 70’s vibe
Jeans – Vintage Lee
Shirt – Crew madras
Boots – GI Jungle
Holster – TT Gun Leather
Stogies – Marsh Wheeling
Pond Hockey: Style Recap
Highlights of the pond hockey stylings a few weeks back at the FCPHL tourney. Our team was officially crushed, score-wise and fashion-wise. Stiff competition. We’ll need to make a better effort all around next year. All photos via FCPHL.