Some time around 2003, I read a post by a guy who had built an incredibly small RC helicopter.  He said that although he wasn’t planning to sell them directly, he had a deal with a company to do so. That turned out to be the original Pocoo Z – my first RC helicopter.

Since then, I’ve dabbled in RC flying, but never really moved up from toys. The DJI Phantom 3 however, gives me a good reason to do just that.  With an iPhone-quality camera, great flight characteristics, and a live HD preview, I’m not sure I could ask for much more in a ready-to-fly aerial camera platform.  $999-1259.

Sometimes you need binoculars, sometimes you need a thermal scope.  And sometimes you need both, combined with a laser rangefinder, and GPS, capable of designating targets up to three miles away.

I’ve always had a soft spot for sci-fi binoculars, and these Vectronix LRTVs pretty much deliver on that promise. Too bad they cost $84,000 a pair - that’s a lot of latinum.

I’m not a fan of phone cases.  They’re a necessary evil to protect my unnecessarily fragile investment, but most go a little too far.  The Radius case, looks just about perfect.  It covers what needs to be covered, and absolutely nothing else.  $70

Being a photographer in the Pacific Northwest has its challenges.  Like water falling out of the sky on a regular basis.  While a nice shell usually gets the job done if I’m just keeping myself dry, being able to extend that protection to the various gear hanging off of me would be nice.  The Poncho Villa from Hazard 4 is a modern take on the classic vinyl poncho design of yore, updated with soft shell material and the kind of features you’d expect to find on a piece of high-end outdoor gear.  Not a bad way to keep yourself and everything in your immediate vicinity out of the drizzle.  $130 from their reseller of choice.

Microsoft appears to have finally gotten around to replacing their cumbersomely named and designed Microsoft Ergonomic Natural Keyboard 4000 with something that looks like it was designed this century.  The Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop is available either bundled with the world’s ugliest mouse for $129, or as a “for business” model without the mouse for $60-80.

19.765532°N, -156.020113°W

A stock camera strap that proudly proclaims your camera brand is kind of the equivalent of leaving your autofocus beep turned on.  Don’t do it.

The DSPTCH is a wonderfully minimalist camera strap.  The only thing I might add is tiny Raptor Buckle somewhere.

Sure you’ve got your QuickClot and your AH1, but where are you going to keep them - in a fragile, water-permeable cloth pouch? Sure, if you want to die in the woods.  Survival kits should be protected by something lightweight, waterproof, and ideally as close to indestructible as possible.

For example, the LIFECAP from Exotac.  A carbon fiber and milled aluminum piece of functional art that’s designed to keep essential gear attached to you and safe from the elements at large.  Sadly, its limited production run has come to an end, but the company says a similar product is in the works.  I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

Formerly available directly from Exotac for $135.

As far as I know, the first widely available 21:9 screen was Philips’ Cinema 21:9.  Unfortunately it was quietly put to death this summer due to “lack of demand.”  Presumably lack of demand for a $7500 TV, not lack of demand for the aspect ratio.

Because this aspect ratio is sexy.  The LG EA93 has a 2560x1080 IPS panel and is available now in everywhere that isn’t the US, though they can be found on eBay in the $900 range.

Now if they could just make one that’s curved.

The Nest is by no means new at this point, but they just released the second version of their smart thermostat.  It’s as gorgeous as the first one, but with improved hardware and software.  It’s also, in what I can only interpret as a nod to its iPod roots, 20% thinner.

This is one of those things that has essentially no competition in the market, despite what Honeywell would have you believe.  It’s multiple generations ahead of anything else you could put on your wall.  Of course, this does raise an important issue – should you upgrade your thermostats every time one comes out that’s 20% thinner?

Since I started carrying my first MP3 player in 1998, I’ve generally had a pair of headphones either on my person or nearby.  So it’s an area I keep an eye on.

The Sennheiser Momentum is one of the better looking headsets I’ve seen.  Filled with what audiophile websites have assured me are at least halfway decent internals, and wrapped in a combination of stainless steel and leather; it looks like some kind of retro-futuristic steampunk starfighter pilot’s headset.  Allegedly available mid-September, though they don’t seem to have shipped yet. Estimated retail of around $300-350.

When I’m hauling my photo gear somewhere sketchy, I carry a Pelican 1510.  Pelican cases are more or less everything-proof.  Mine also doubles as an uncomfortable seat and dangerous stepstool.  The only downside is lugging the thing around.  Sure it rolls, but quite often if I need a case that rugged, I’m not on a flat surface.  The RucPac, designed by UK photographer Laurens Parsons, solves this problem in a simple and cool way - by adding backpack straps.  RucPac straps fit a surprisingly wide range of Pelican cases, and can be rolled up to store inside.  Available direct from Laurens for £69.99 ($110.00).

I really love backpacks.  And every once in a great awhile I come across one that’s unabashedly designed for pure utility.  This is such a beast.  

The J51M is built around the classic ALICE pack frame, which probably doesn’t help much with weight, but makes it ungodly sturdy.  It unfolds to allow expansion either by adding pouches to the PALS straps, or by just strapping stuff inside.  Like gas cans or chainsaws.

This seems like it would be useful if one were, say, building a survival structure (carrying supplies) or even for rescue work (packing out someone else’s gear).  The only downside? It’s about twice the base weight of my camping pack.

Available for $299 directly from Eberlestock.

I love this thing. It fills a niche between multi-use chopping blades like machetes and survival knifes, and dedicated wood splitting tools like hatchets.  Hatchets and axes can be a pain to store and carry.  Besides, it totally passes the “looks badass” test.

News about the Kick Axe first broke in 2009, and has been making the rounds again lately. Unfortunately, it was never released, and according to Gerber, never will be.  When I went looking for more information, links to the Gerber site turned up dead, and there was no news at all after 2009.  So I emailed the company, who said-

The Kick Axe was announced for release in 2009 and due to a number of concerns was not released.  Production of this product has been cancelled indefinitely.

I have a Gerber Sport Axe that’s been amazing, and held up to all kinds of abuse.  I can’t imagine a folding axe taking the kind of punishment.  Not for the announced $90 price anyway.  The hinges would have to stand up to incredible amounts of stress.

On a forum, someone said-

I made sure to ask Gerber about this one at SHOT this year.  Apparently it was killed by the lawyers.

That makes sense.  There are lots of ways to hurt yourself on a broken folding axe.

It doesn’t seem like an impossible project though.  Maybe we’ll see it again if they ever get the kinks worked out.  I’d certainly buy one.

Sometimes my strategy for researching gear is “I’ll know it when I see it.”  I’m occasionally fooled by flashy presentation over substantive quality, but usually I can tell at a glance if a product is worth consideration.

Recently I decided I needed a machete.  You know, for blazing trails and fending off bears.  Of the various blade types available, I felt the kukri would serve my needs the best.  The Cold Steel version is the most popular of those, on account of its good performance/price ratio.

But following the “I’ll know it when I see it rule,” well,  Cold Steel’s wasn’t it.

Eventually I made my way to the website of an Italian company I’d never heard of before - Extrema Ratio, high-end makers of all things bladed and tactical.  They make a a tactical machete simply called the Kukri KH.  I could go into specs, but does it really matter? This is clearly the most badass machete on earth. Further research turned up a few other tactical machetes, but nothing of this class.

$350-500 if you can find one in stock (and most retailers are in Europe).  I think I’m in love.