What makes something the "best?" It's a question I've wrestled with since joining Gear Patrol a decade ago, and it's one thousands of readers ask us every year.
And yet, our job at Gear Patrol isn't to tell you which products are the best. It's to help you discover which ones are right. For you. At the end of the day, the only recommendations that matter are those driven by subjective experience, passion and taste — three attributes that informed the stories, and products, collected here.
Issue Twenty-One gets underway with a look at an unexpected yet refreshing trend: transparent gadgets, which first rose to popularity in the '90s and have recaptured consumers' interests — including our own. They're not the only products making a comeback. The Guide covers vintage workout gear, a 75-year-old lounge chair, timeless watch designs and premade cocktails. Don't worry, this isn't the stuff you drank in college.
Elsewhere, we sit down with prominent designers shaping the product world, including Kaila Cumings, a self-taught knifemaker collaborating with the biggest brands in the business, and Caroline Andrew, who belongs to a new wave of tailors reinvigorating London's Savile Row.
Speaking of people, our first feature pays tribute to an unsung hero of waxed canvas outerwear. America's sole independent reproofer of Barbour and Filson jackets, Alain Gauthier, reflects on two decades of business as he prepares to pass down his trade. We also travel across the country to speak with the distillers putting American single malt on the map — and store shelves. Behind the scenes, the US government will soon rule on whether or not the category deserves an official designation like bourbon.
We close out Issue Twenty-One with a guide to our favorite fitness apparel, footwear and accessories. If you need a little motivation to stay fit throughout the holidays, start here.
I'm sure you will find the right product.
— Jack Seemer, Executive Editor
