Silver Piston + Hobo Shane

A few months ago, I asked my buddy HoboShane Hunter to carve an R2-D2 likeness onto an old Mercury dime. Shane then shipped the coin to Steve from Silver Piston who turned it into this epic ring. Needless to say, Kyra was stoked when I surprised her with this one-of-a-kind ring. So, if you're unfamiliar with either of these fellows, I suggest you take a look at what they do. Their collaborations are quite incredible. And if you're in the PNW this weekend, be sure to stop by The One Motorcycle Show and check out Steve's stuff!

Danner's 2015 Stumptown Collection

Our friends and Danner just unveiled their 2015 Stumptown Collection, an assortment of shoes and boots inspired by the Pacific Northwest and the companies roots in Portland, OR. Having worn a pair of Danner Lights during our latest motorcycle adventures in Mexico, I am more than convinced they make the best boots, period. Whether I was sliding - on my ass - across the highway two hours south of Ensenada, hiking over sand dunes near San Quintin, or descending into a dried up river bed to watch Trophy Trucks blast their way out down the Baja peninsula, my Danner Lights survived all the shit I threw at them, and then some. Their new collection includes some handsome looking moccasins, chukka boots and a lightweight iteration of their classic template, the Mountain Light. Oh, and our friends James and Jordan from West America are responsible for their latest lookbook!

Baja Bound

Before we leave for Baja at the end of October, Kyra and I have a lot of logistics, equipment and other shit to sort out. A month in Mexico aboard small dual-sports is no easy feat, and so in an effort to organize our accessories I put together a different sort of duds - one absent of surfing stuff. I'm sure some of you would love to give me shit since I haven't been surfing this summer, but all this Baja business is taking up a lot of my time and energy, and to be honest, it's been rather nice not worrying about waves. Because dirt bikes are always awesome, and they certainly won't skunk you on a Sunday. It's a different addiction, no doubt - petrol replacing peelers - but it's been beneficial, not spending my weekends searching for surf, allowing other activities to occupy a similar space. So with that said, take a look at some of the stuff we'll be taking with us on our #WESTx1000 adventure.

El Co.

I have a rather unhealthy obsession with late-seventies and early-eighties El Caminos. Piles of shit as far as most people are concerned. Almost always underpowered (and ugly?), this iteration of Chevrolet's truck-car-combo featured an abundance of silly chrome strips, cheap plastic pieces and uncomfortable cloth interiors. And yet, I love them. There's this fantasy that plays in my mind at night, when I can't sleep and craigslist is all to accessible... I'm driving downtown, the dark city streets lit by lanterns and the ambient glow of all-night eateries. In the bed of my all-black 1979 El Camino is some type of two-stroke dirt bike, just begging to be kicked over, to make everyone mad. Smokey burnouts and wild fuck-off wheelies in the midst of the Great American Gold Rush. Internet nerds peering over the top of their MacBook Pros from the controlled quiet of their coffee shops, feeling both envious and unsettled at the same time. "Who is this crazy bastard, clearly disobeying the laws of our subdued city?!" A fantasy, yes, but one within reach. I've already got a cookie jar full of coins, ready to pay the impending infractions.

Almond Women

Our friends at Almond Surfboards & Designs have just unveiled a new line of women's apparel. Inspired by "the spirit of the sea," Almond's new apparel includes an assortment of woven shirts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, pants and skirts. Every piece is made in California with an emphasis on year-round wear-ability and a focus on natural fabrications and colors. Click here to see their collection.

Nikon AW1

I've been in the market for a mirrorless interchangable lens camera for quite some time now. Something smaller than my DSLR, and yet equally as powerful - relatively speaking. Smitten with Fujifilm's X-E1 and Sony's NEX series, I hesitated only because of my unspoken commitment to Canon. I own lots of lenses, so switching to another camera company meant what I already own would become somewhat obsolete. So why am I blogging about Nikon's new AW1? Well, those familiar with Nikon may recall the Nikonos, a 35mm underwater camera that dominated the market from the 1960s onward. Looking to reclaim their prominent position in the underwater camera category, Nikon has released what some would call a modern iteration of their classic Calypso camera. Essentially a ruggedized and waterproof version of Nikon's popular 1 series camera, the AW1 is shockproof from up to 6.6ft, waterproof down to 49ft, and can be equipped with two different watertight lenses, an 11-27mm and fixed 10mm. Click here for additional information.

v.Bowls

Ryan Lovelace is a "freelance surf-craft builder" making some of the strangest sticks I've ever seen. Based out of a bus he's converted into a bohemian abode, Ryan builds all of his boards from beginning to end. Some might seem odd if you're unfamiliar, others will appear obvious if you're interested. Ryan builds v.Bowls, Flex Spoons, finless asymmetrical shapes, displacement hulls and all sorts of single fins. A craftsman, yes, but Ryan is also experimenting and evolving his shapes - nothing stays the same.

While surfing in Costa Rica last week, an East Coast kat paddled past me aboard some strange kind of craft. And so I asked, "What sorta stick is that?" To which he replied, "It's a 7'8 v.Bowl made by this guy..." I interject. "Ryan Lovelace?!" Yes, says the surfer. "It's amazing, I can catch anything on it." Thus began my research into Ryan's v.Bowls, a surfboard that is "Templated with Wayne Lynch's Evolution Board in mind; using thin, modern rails with lots of hard edge in the tail." Featuring wide hips, a shallow vee and a slight hull near the nose, Ryan's v.Bowls are, as far as I can tell (and from what I've seen), the perfect midlength board for just about any occasion.

Rumpl

My friend Mr.Fox just shared a link to this rather cool Kickstarter campaign. The company is called Rumpl, and they've developed "a modern blanket inspired by active lifestyles," utilizing the same materials found in all those fancy puffy-coats people wear. Their blankets are designed to be used both indoors and out, and feature 20D rip-stop nylon with a DWR coating which makes them stain and odor resistant. Their blankets use synthetic down insulation, which will keep you warm while also allowing the blanket to be laundered. Available in four sizes (Throw, Twin, Queen and King) and two color combinations (blue with white piping or grey with orange piping), it looks like Rumpl has reached their fundraising goal and should be shipping soon. Follow the link for additional info.

Clara Ukulele

The Clara Ukulele is an innovative new instrument made from Ekoa, a combination of plant-based, environmentally friendly fabrics and bio-based resins that produces a responsiveness, stability and strength unlike anything else (or so they say). The Clara is built by Blackbird Guitars in San Francisco, CA, a company that has "spent the better part of a decade developing small, travel-friendly, carbon-fiber instruments with world class tone." The Clara is said to provide musicians with the experience of a vintage old-growth instrument in a lightweight, durable and sustainable package. Sounds good to me. Click here to learn more about (and listen to) Blackbird's Clara Ukulele.

The Vixen

Last Sunday, shortly after we'd stopped surfing and were eagerly awaiting an empty outdoor shower stall, a rather interesting automobile, er, make that motorhome, pulled in and parked across from where we were camped. It was long and low and looked uniquely European. I swore I'd seen one before - in a parking lot in Port Angeles - but after Karissa and Angel did some investigating, we discovered this was not an ordinary RV (and certainly not the one I'd seen). This was a vintage Vixen 21 TD!

Recycled Wetsuit Sleeves

Our friends at Warm Current, "a non-profit that works with underserved communities through kids surfing programs and charitable donations of recycled wetsuits and surfboards," are selling some iPad sleeves made from an assortment of recycled suits. A wonderful way to protect your information superhighway consumption screen, all of the proceeds from the sale of these sleeves will go toward creating more kids camps. $20 can do a lot. So click here and support a pretty awesome project.

Carapace Custom-Fit Wetsuits

Custom-fit wetsuits can be expensive. Just ask my old man. He had one made for me when I was three years old. It was bright red with black sleeves and had a Killer Whale (orca for all you politically correct assholes out there) across the chest. That was the only one, though. He bought my next few suits off the rack. They fit alright - a little long, or two wide on top. I've owned quite a few suits since that custom made Killer Whale one. Mostly size medium, which fits just fine, but they're sure as hell not custom cut. There's plenty of room for improvement. So when I stumbled across Carapace (pronounced "care-uh-pace"), a custom-fit wetsuit company based somewhere in Southern California, I was admittedly excited.

Carapace is planning to crowd fund their project courtesy of Kickstarter, providing those that pledge with an assortment of incentives, including t-shirts and sweatshirts, wetsuits and surfboards. Made from limestone based, Yamamoto neoprene, their suits feature pre-bent knees, form retaining wrist seals, an external key pocket and magnetic zipper stops. They are developing two different suits at this time, the EXO1 and EXO2, both of which will be available in 3/2mm and 4/3mm thicknesses. And the best part is that a $350 donation will score you a new custom-fit suit! Click here to learn more about the company.

Breckenridge Brewery Backpack

Breckenridge Brewery and Topo Designs have teamed up to create a limited edition backpack, made right here in America. The pack, which is based on Topo Designs' popular Daypack, has been widened to fit a full size six-pack and includes a roll-down cooler compartment, coated pack cloth interior and a custom bottle opener made by Machine Era Co.. The whole kit and caboodle will cost you a cool $140. A bargain for such a bad ass backpack. Follow the link for a few more photos.

Northwest Axe Company

My good friend Andy Gregory recently opened the digital doors to the Northwest Axe Company, a project he's been working on for the last few years. Originally from Chicago, Andy grew up camping and scouting in the Midwest. His desire to be outdoors took him to Durango, Colorado, before making a home for himself here in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to his interest in axes, Andy is also an avid motorcyclist, climber of rocks and author of Man's Gotta Do - a blog about, well, things a man's gotta do. When not refurbishing wood splitting whatnotery, Andy works as a substitute teacher for the Seattle Public School District. His tools are not new, they're refurbished. Born again if you will. Found in the back of a barn, or in your great uncle's garage. But after collecting, cleaning and sharpening all sorts of items (hammers, axes and hatchets), Andy attaches a custom leather sheath and then sells them on his site. And while he plans to produce new tools in the very near future, take a look at what he has to offer at the moment. I'm sure you'll find something sharp.

Below the Boat

According to their website, Below the Boat is the result of an unabashed love for an often under-appreciated world that lies just beneath the surface. Made in Bellingham, WA by Robbie and Kara Johnson, these bathymetric charts (the underwater equivalent of a topographic map) are laser-cut into sheets of Baltic Birch, hand-colored and then glued together to give them depth. Each chart is then wrapped in a custom wood frame and protected by a sheet of Plexiglas. They're current inventory includes both the Salish Sea and the Puget Sound, as well as a number of other aquatic areas in and around the Pacific Northwest. I've already added one to my #wishlist.

Nine Eight Noserider

After borrowing a Bing BN Lightweight last month - and surfing a somewhat secret spot down south - I came to the conclusion that I would like one in my life. A 9'8 noserider with a custom color scheme. The board, which Matt Calvani describes as "an overall lighter, more versatile traditional log with all the noseriding functionality minus the weight," comes with a single bass stringer, lighter glassing and a full size fin box. An excellent addition as far as I'm concerned.

So, in order to acquire said surfboard, I've decided to sell a few sticks. A friend already bought my Becker, and, thanks to the salty scum at Stoke Harvester, I should be able to sell the Blue Banana before too long. But what do I want my new log to look like? Howsabout a bright red body with big black-and-white jail stripes?! You can see the shitty sketch I sent to Margaret this morning. I'm pretty sure it'll be prettier in person. And since we're planning to pick it up sometime this spring, I should be able to surf it in So-Cal. Stay tuned!

Pretty Pig

I've been playin' with the idea of picking up another Pig. Classic, not Feral. I know, I should probably surf something else - maybe a Mini Simmons or an Original Noserider - but there's something about the swine. Maybe it's them wide hips or that goddamn D-fin. I've talked about it before, Pig Fuckin' and whatnot. Anyhow, in looking for inspiration I stumbled upon this pretty lookin' Pig. Something straight outta the sixties. With a one-inch redwood stringer, tail block and a glass-bead wood fin. I do desire.

Bean Boots

I left my umbrella at the office. Must have slipped my mind. Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning it was raining. To avoid being both cold and wet, I put on my man pants, some warm socks, two t-shirts, a sweater and my Tellason Coverall. But between our apartment on Alki and my office in the Industrial District, I was soaked. Obviously an umbrella would have kept me dry. But not my boots - a real nice pair of Red Wing's that were wet all the way through to my socks. Suppose I need some new shoes. Something other than Servus boots. Something that'll work on the rain soaked streets of Seattle.

Enter L.L. Bean. Made in Maine since I don't know when, Bean Boots are everything I could ask for. Rubber bottomed, not too tall and insulated if you want. Perfect for a pretentious asshole like myself who doesn't wanna look like an unemployed fish flinger. And they're affordable. $169 for the GORE-TEX flavor. Not bad for boots still made in the states. So the next time I forget my umbrella at the office, at least I know my socks won't be wet when I get to work. Just one more thing on my #wishlist.

Pinwheel

I'm pretty sure I want a pintail. Something smaller. Not as long as the rest of my logs. And maybe a bit more responsive. Something that'll be fast along the face. For the Fall, when the waves finally wake up. After a couple of internet queries I came up with this - the Pinwheel. It's an Almond that was only available overseas, but has since been brought stateside.

It's narrower than the rest of their current collection and comes standard with either a single fin box or a glassed on Pin Fin. Featuring down-rails in the rear and a pointy pintail, this Almond is "a favorite for lighter-weight surfers and those looking to get a little more responsiveness out of their turns." Well, I'm definitely a lightweight and could use a board that moves about a little better. And I really like the way it looks. So I suppose I should add this to my #wishlist.

Redington Topo Outfit

I've been interested in fly fishing for quite some time now. Not as a source of sustenance, as I am allergic to all kinds of freshwater fish, but as an activity. A skill that, a lot like surfing, I could acquire, develop and do for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, things like this require equipment. And equipment requires coin. But thanks to an article I found on Outside Online, I know what I'll need to catch a couple of fish.

It's called an outfit. A rod and reel, a few dry flies and 100 yards of fishing line. All of the essentials. And while there are all sorts of outfits out there, the one featured in the article I found online is made by a company called Redington, whose headquarters just so happen to be here in the Pacific Northwest.