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Each week, our inbox runneth over with news of gear, apparel and tech releases from around the world. In this feature, we’ll parse through the best of it. Today: The North Face traverses boundaries with the first Himalayan Snow Suit for women, July announces ultra-lightweight carry-ons and Converse x Alexis Sablone delivers a skate shoe for everyone.
The North Face Women’s Himalayan Suit
The North Face’s Himalayan Suit — you know, the ones they use to literally summit Everest — is as legendary a piece of gear as they come, and after years of development with specific athletes, the thermally efficient behemoth one-piece has been redesigned specifically for female-identifying folk. Featuring strategically placed materials (including special 900-fill ProDown insulation) innovative tech and biomechanical sound zippers, it’s a marvel of engineering and a mountaineering suit to rule them all. Here’s to herstory in the making!
July Carry-On Light
Four wheels. 3.9 lbs. We don’t get that math either, but we’re more than stoked to believe July’s new claim as the lightest carry-on in the world. Tbh, we were already sold by the millennial-minimalist design and bevy of chic colors. Here’s hoping it holds up.
Reef x Faherty
Yes, Reef x Faherty’s Sugarcane footbed and high-quality leather make for an excellent collab. But that’s not what we’re really interested in. It’s something else. If you take a very close look at the Draftsman Sandals, (a little peak, if you will) you’ll see — yup, there it is — a little notch and metal jut. That notch isn’t just any dink. That, my friends, is a bottle opener. For opening bottles. With your sandals.
Blue Run Straight Emerald Single Barrel Rye
This Mother’s Day, get your mom a single barrel rye. Each of the ten barrels here from Blue Run are named for mothers in the lives of the whiskey brand’s founders. The whiskey itself was overseen by Jim Rutledge at Castle & Key, while Blue Run Whiskey Director Shaylyn Gammon selected the barrels. Note that these bottled at barrel proof, making Mother’s Day extra fun.
Status Audio Between Pro
These water-resistant, long-running (12 hrs per charge) wireless earbuds hail from one of our favorite affordable high-end yet audio brands, which is based in NYC. Each bud here features two balanced armature drivers and one dynamic driver.
1 Hour After
Listen up, fellas. It’s 2023, which means there’s zero excuse to but a sweaty, nasty mess, even if you’re a die-hard gym rat. In fact, for those evolved iron-pumping bros, there’s a new suite of personal hygiene products from 1 Hour After, specifically designed to be used…well, one hour after a sweaty mess of a gym sesh. Packed with ingredients like Zinc, Vitamin E and Amino Acids, the likes of their Adaptogen Shampoo and Refueling Body Lotion promise to help replenish and recover after even the toughest of workouts.
DMOS Delta Shovel
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Stop that scrolling, buddy. This isn’t just some regular shovel to swipe past. No, this collapsible, USA-made DMOS Delta Shovel is a man’s man shovel: so braulic, in fact, that it can handle up to 1,000 pounds of payload. You certainly can’t, but hey, who’s counting?
Converse CONS AS-1 Pro
Watch out, Vans — there’s a new skate shoe in town. Designed in partnership with multi-hyphenate Alexis Sablone, the CONS AS-1 Pro is the newest model from Converse, with ’90s charm up the wazoo and a proclivity for landing sick tre flips. The skate shoe dropped May 2nd and features vintage court-inspired upper, responsive herringbone tread pattern for grip, TPU pods for optimal ollie cushioning in high-abrasion areas — all calculated for a clean ride and total control.
Citizen CZ Smart PQ2 Watches
Citizen offered a first look at its second-generation CZ Smart PQ2 watches at CES in January, but they just started shipping this month. Available in three styles — Sport, Casual and Hybrid — what makes these affordable options ($350-$435) stand out in the marketplace is that they incorporate everyone’s favorite buzzword of the day: AI. The watches pair with an app called YouQ, which is powered by AI models built with IBM Watson Studio, as well as some NASA tech, and the software “helps you anticipate patterns of fatigue and alertness and offers highly personalized insights and suggested actions to help you improve alertness and promote the building of better habits, readying you to meet whatever the day may bring.” How smart do you want your smartwatch to be?
Breville Joule Turbo Sous Vide
Sous-viding used to be a trick reserved for Bourdanian restauranteurs and home cook freaks, but no longer. Breville’s Juole Turbo makes it easier than ever to bag and cook your cuts, with an easy-to-use autopilot and functional app. Try out it for yourself — just be prepared to say goodbye to your air fryer forever.
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