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POPSCarhartt Canvas Cargo Pants This is the type of pants I'll be taking with me to India. They are nice and cool. Although not as heavy as the usual Carhartt "duck" they are still pretty tough, and they feel light and breezy in the summer. The cargo pockets are also nice. They are big enough to fit something useful. A lot of cargo pants have a five or six pockets that are essentially decorative, and all too oddly placed or strangely sized to actually be used. These pockets are simple, and in just the right place.
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POPSRed Wing 9-Inch Logger Boots Red Wings are my usual standby so that I don't wear out my treasured La Sportivas too quickly. (Since I only have these two pairs of shoes, if I'm not wearing one, I'm wearing the other.) For my latest pair of Red Wings I decided to go for something longer. I wanted to be able to tuck in my pants in the underbrush, to keep out sand, insects, leeches (also an insect?) etc. These are pretty good. The smooth brown color also means that, if I pull the pants down over the top they look like any other pair of Doc Martains, so I even can get away with wearing them with brown slacks. As always, I love being able to get narrow sizes from Red Wing. Since these will mostly be trekking boots, I decided not to get ones with a steel toe, although it is available. I got tired of stubbing my toe on my own shoe while walking around town. Excellent, and also, not too hot, even though they are tall and waterproof.
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POPSFilson Double Logger Tin Cloth Jacket This is my latest jacket. It's a stand in for my leather jacket since Marszal and I are headed to India, where leather can be a complication. I've been wearing it around Beijing for the last few days, and despite being just a shell, it's pretty warm. The waxed "tin cloth" is kinda oily (inside and out) at first, but that wears off after a bit. It's bulky - room for layers. I can wear it over my satchel, which isn't waterproof, and I get full coverage. I've also got the detachable hood, which has great neck coverage and buttons onto the collar, or folds up small enough to carry.
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POPSDorfman Pacific Scala Classico Fedora It's tough to beat Dorfman Pacific for quality, and it's certainly hard to find anything cooler than a crushable felt hat! 3 inch brim means it has great coverage to keep the sun-burning to a minimum, and sheds water clear of your collar. It's also crushable! Great style, even though its a kinda funky shade of sage. The material, crushable waterproof wool felt, is beautiful. Totally downpour resistant, except for where they stitched in the cotton lining, but it's not to big of a problem. Best of all, did I mention it's crushable? That means I can stow it in my bag whenever I want, or even stuff it in my pocket. (For instance, at the airport, so that the TSA doesn't search me on account of my "head covering") Probably the best hat I've ever owned.
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POPSBrunton Eclipse 8099 Pro Compass This is a great compass for inland navigation. The level is really handy for improving accuracy when you are holding it in your hand, and the clinometer is a life saver, literally, when it comes to calculating avalanche risk, as well as how tough the climb ahead is going to be! Also, they have the cheat sheet useful if you don't like solving trig problems in your head.
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POPSZhumell 7x50 Marine Binoculars with Range Finder & Compas Being able to get general bearings and a range estimate make these binoculars an indispensables navigational tool. Fortunately they are also rock solid, and although marine binoculars by design, they are perfect in the mountains. Great for both field and sea.
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POPSBoy Scout Pocket Knife Even though I'm godless persona non grata with the BSA these days, they still let me carry the knife. It's an absolute classic, and totally impossible to replace. Mine has a lanyard ring. Sturdy blade cuts well enough, but at a fairly shallow angle, so it doesn't need to be sharpened all the time. Carbon not stainless, so you need to keep it clean, but low carbon, so it's not a prima donna. Truth be told, it has seen the most use opening beer bottles all around the world. Although also handy because it has an actual can opener! This comes in really handy for opening cans of condensed milk for good coffee and tea, south Asian style. Never leave home without it.
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POPSAustralian Oilskin Hat I bought mine 6 years ago. I used it in monsoon jungles in southern China, the mountains of Sichuan, Thailand in rainy season, the Sol-Khumbu in Nepal, and the Gobi desert. Now it is semi-retired, but still in fine shape. Sadly, Marszal bought one a year later and the quality was totaly gone, also a slightly different style, so something changed with the manufacturer. His turned into a soppy pile of goo after one trip to Burma. Disappointing. Great hat but not consistent. The original had a great broad brim that saved my neck from burning in the desert!
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POPSB-3 Shearling Bomber Jacket This is the coat I wore in Manchuria last year. From the same company that makes them for the US government since before WWII. Union made in America. And they've got tall sizes, so it fits my arms without the body being a tent!
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POPSLa Sportiva Mountaineering Boot The Makalu is my all time favorite all-purpose boot ever. My first pair lasted me six years while most boots don't last me 6 months. Perfect All-Mountain expedition boot.
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POPSDuluth Backpack No frame but this pack feels great if you stuff something like a sleeping back or a sweater against the back, really soft and comfortable. A little awkward when not full. Absolutely huge. Only one complaint: not made in "tall" sizes, so the waist belt is around my rib cage, designed for someone much wider and shorter than me. :P Fortunately, it's removeable. The tup line is great once you get used to it, but hard to use with my hat.
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POPSFilson Wool Jacket A classic Seattle company. Filson are the people who outfitted for the Klondike Gold Rush, and their flagship store still pretty much looks like it. This is curently my favorite coat for when its above freezing. It's got plenty of room for layering. Comes in tall sizes. Large in the shoulders but not in the gut. Nice long arms. One of the only coat to satisfy my craving for more pockets! My favorite is the cruiser pocket in the back, which i use to carry maps and magazines, but which the guy who sold it to me assured me would fit "four mallards." (!)
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POPSBuck Field Knife This one is currently at the top of my wish list. Yes, another knife. No, I don't have enough already. It's a guy thing. Believe me, there is some special and vital need that this one will fill that all the others don't. I just have to use it for a bit to find out what need that is. :P
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POPSRedwing Work Boot Good for casual walking, although casual walking for me includes desert, tundra, and non-technical rock climbing. I wear these out at the speed of about one pair per year, which is better than most boots. Mildew quickly in the rain. Worth paying the extra to get the Vibram Sole. Don't like their no-slip sole. I actually find it quite slippery, and way too flexible. Beautiful, hardy leather. Union made in America. Fortunately comes in narrow sizes, which makes a big difference for arch support, especially for tall guys like me.
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