The Grey NATO – 350 – Things We'd Prefer Not To Live Without
Published on Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:00:00 -0400
Synopsis
In this episode of The Grey NATO, hosts James Stacey and Jason Heaton discuss their essential items across various categories. They respond to a listener question about "items they can't live without" by breaking down their picks in several categories: watches, food and drink, automotive, gear, clothing, travel, work, and a flex category for anything else. Both hosts share their preferences for titanium dive watches, with James highlighting the Hasler Instruments strap changing tool as his essential watch accessory. For food, they agree coffee is essential, discussing their preferred machines. Their automotive picks include tool rolls and trunk organizers. In gear, Jason chooses AirPods Pro while James selects his Patagonia Black Hole backpack. The hosts also cover travel essentials, clothing preferences (Levi's 501s for Jason and Blundstone boots for James), work necessities, and finish with personal items that bring them joy, including vintage clocks for Jason and pocket knives for James.
Links
Transcript
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| James Stacey | Hello and welcome to another episode of The Grey NATO. It's a loose discussion of travel, adventure, diving, driving gear, and most certainly watches. This is episode 350, and it's proudly brought to you by the always-growing TGN supporter crew. We thank you all so much for your continued support, and if you'd like to support the show, please visit thegreynato.com for more details. My name is James Stacey, and I'm joined, as ever, by my friend and co-host, Jason Heaton. Jason, how are we doing? Oh, a little groggy. It's kind of a... |
| Jason Heaton | Kind of a misty, cold fall day. It feels very October-like today here. So I don't know. The weather is affecting me a little bit. But yeah, all in all, doing fine. You're a day away from big travels. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, there's a bunch of travel on the schedule. It's going to be a very busy sort of October, November with a lot of events kind of kicking around in various parts. of the world, you know, Geneva, and certainly I'm in London later this week for a small event with watches of Switzerland that should be fun. And yeah, just kind of zipping around. It's going to be busy times, but we've got some great guests on the docket for the next little while. And then, oh, the other thing I have to, you know, eat a little bit of crow or apologize is this was the episode where I had said we were going to be announcing this next sort of cool product thing that we have on the horizon. Yeah. I got a little too excited on that one, jumped the gun. It's looking like it'll be next week that we can actually announce it, but I did want to make it clear for anybody who feels like they might miss out, there's no limit to this item, and it'll be based in pre-order, so we'll make as many are ordered, and the pre-order will be plenty long. So if you were hoping to be able to have maximum amount of time, the fact that we have to push this a week won't change how much time you have to consider. the product. We did see the live photos today, and I'm super excited. So we are very close. And pay attention to the Slack if you're on that side of the equation, as that's probably where it will launch first. And then hopefully we can share the full news on next week's show. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, super exciting. And I think, you know, A lot of people have been guessing and some getting it right, some not. The only thing we can say is it's not a watch. It's not a watch. It's not a watch. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| Jason Heaton | But we're excited about it. I actually got the prototype here and it's looking pretty good. And then, you know, it's just now we're into kind of the weeds of the logistics of getting it up for sale and that sort of stuff with our partner. So very exciting. Yeah. Can't wait to get that out there. Well, look, how was your last week? Yeah, pretty quiet. Just, you know, just doing kind of autumnal stuff. The weather's been, it's been kind of a proper fall here for the first time in a few years, or at least I've been around for it, which, which feels good. I've got my trip to California in a few weeks to do that diving with, with Oceana again, but. Until then, I'm just kind of enjoying the fall colors seem to be particularly vibrant this year and the weather's been good other than today. But over the weekend, I changed the oil in a Toyota Prius and talk about a different experience than doing it in a Defender where I can like almost stand up underneath the vehicle without using a jack. The Prius was so low to the ground. It was just a challenge to get it up off the ground. And then the underside of the engine is just covered with all sorts of kind of cladding, you know, I don't know, for aerodynamics or whatever. And so that all had to get removed in a very tight squeeze scenario. But yeah, it went fine. But other than that, not much going on here. Just getting by. |
| Unknown | Nice. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, well, that's great. Yeah, I had a fun weekend. You know, I think we've mentioned on the show before, maybe not. But what we normally do with my daughters around their birthdays, and I guess my son, as he gets a bit older is, you know, instead of just going the route of like ever stacking gifts, the never ending sort of. We'll do another gift or it gets a little bit more each year, that sort of thing. We definitely do some gifts, but we started a few years ago to do this thing called Yes Day, which is just the girls get to pick what they do for a day. Oh, yeah. And that's like every meal is up to them, any outings, any fun events, any cool things to do, whether you want to go for a hike or you want to go down and see something or that sort of thing. So it was my one daughter's birthday pretty close to this weekend. And we... you know, went out for cheese steaks and then went down to the aquarium and swung by the jelly cat store and then went out for, I mean, she's in a real steak mode. We went out for a steak that evening and then, and that sort of thing. So yeah, it was a, it was a good weekend. It was nice to just kind of kick back. I, uh, I, you know, tried not to be on the laptop too much. Um, it was a little too busy to be able to follow all the F1 with the sprint weekends. You get a lot more going on, but it looked like Austin was. Maybe not a super exciting race, but it's definitely leading to an exciting sort of element in the season. And I'm loving being able to have all these different perspectives on this thanks to the Slack. So a shout out to the F1 channel in there. But yeah, that's about all I've got aside from, you know, not being able to announce necessarily the new product and a lot of travel on the schedule. Got some really good stuff to look forward to this week in and around the UK. But yeah, you want to jump into some risk check? |
| Jason Heaton | yeah sure um speaking of the uk i have a british watch on or from a british company it's uh my elliott brown holton gmt automatic um nice yeah i haven't worn it in a while and i put it on uh you remember gas gas bones yeah of course you know we did an episode last week about the kind of our early days of of watch enthusiasm yeah shadow carl and and old carl carl evans of uh gas gas bones fame i don't think he's still doing straps these days unfortunately but he's still around he's still on instagram i follow him and um he was a fun guy um i remember doing a story about him for i believe it was gear patrol way back then and and he was making straps for uh braymont in the early days until i think they got too big for him and they had to find an alternative supplier but long story short i have um i have one of his early straps that he made for braymont and it's the sand colored velcro style like he was kind of doing this before a lot of other people i guess it was sort of like the Bell and Ross style back in the old days. I think they called it. And it looks really good. It looks really good on this watch because it's this sand kind of khaki with some black leather accents. And it goes really well with the tan lume on the Elliott Brown. And it's a comfortable fit and looks really good on the watch. So that's what I've got. |
| James Stacey | That's nice, yeah. I was just digging through my straps. This time of year, I just find that I go, oh, well, maybe try this, try that. You know, you're always trying to see what might suit the Nomos. I've got it on that hilarious bracelet, which has been great so far. But I'm always looking at straps. And yeah, I came across, I had Carl, I guess right around the time that I bought my 43 Solo, the white one. Yeah. I want to say like December 2012, unless my 2012, 2013, something like that. Hmm. Right around that time, he was offering a variety of straps, and you could kind of customize them in various ways, but they were all based in sort of black and darker tones. And you know me, I don't wear much black to begin with, don't do a lot of black straps. So I wrote him, I said, hey, any chance you could do like the green one with brown leather? |
| Unknown | Mm-hmm. |
| James Stacey | And he was like, yeah, I can. You just got to kind of get in line. And not that long later, he sent me one. And I've had it for years. And it really does suit a chunky 22 millimeter lug width, like a big watch with a nice size lug width really well. And it's still super comfortable. And the quality of everything that he does is just so high. They last so long. I wore it a ton back when I had the... had the solo on wrist all the time for, you know, it was a, it was a highly worn watch for a couple of years for me. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. And this, this sort of, um, I mean, I think, you know, the, the historical precedent for this style of strap was probably the one that the, like the Velcro one that the, the astronauts wore with their speed masters back in the sixties. But Um, and Carl was doing kind of a version of that for a while, but you know, we're seeing a lot more of straps like this these days. I mean, you know, Tudor provides a strap similar to this with the, uh, with the Pelagos FXD and, uh, you know, watches of espionage sells kind of a version with the, the, the hook and loop style with, um, kind of fits under the bottom of the watch, et cetera. So, um, yeah, Carl was, Carl was an early kind of early offer of this style of strap and yeah, I'm enjoying it, especially on this watch. Looks great. What do you have on? |
| James Stacey | Yeah, I don't know why I picked this today, but I've been looking down at it and I absolutely adore it. It's the Timex OG 8-lap, the Abu Garcia Limited Edition. So those ones made by Timex Japan that I've raved about for so long, all the different colorways. There were two that really, well, three that really stuck out for me. It was the gray on gray that you've got that I gave you, which is a great one. And then the standard OG, I think, is basically perfect. And then the Abu Garcia is extra cool because it has a case that's luminous. So the whole case is luminous. The color is really cool. I really like the way the color looks in daylight. And then every now and then you catch some of it in a darker space and it's just like a delight. The one thing I did notice, I put this on my Instagram and then I realized someone's going to ask. I did swap the display in this one. So every now and then I'll be on Timex Japan's website and I'll just buy another version if it's in stock. And so I bought another of the spare, like I bought a spare of the OG, the standard, which has a positive style LCD display where it's black letters over white text. Whereas the Abu Garcia uses a negative display. And I understand why negative displays are cool. That's where the text and numbers are white and the background is dark. And then when you activate the lume, just the text and numbers lights up. And I do understand why that's cool. And I understand the appeal of that. That's what's on my Group C from Autodromo. But my vast preference is really towards standard or positive style displays. And these are just a module. So I just took the back off of the one and swapped them. And it, you know, maybe a little sacrilege, maybe not Timex's favorite thing that I'm changing them. But I really like this combo of the of the standard sort of style display in the Abu Garcia. So I've been wearing that. And yeah, that's what I've got on. These are just a lot of fun for, you know, under 125 bucks. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, they're great. I actually wear mine quite a bit. I actually keep it, you know, unlike my other watches that stay in a box or, you know, kind of special places, so to speak, that my Ironman just sort of sits in my tray with my keys and whatever. And what if I'm out, you know, going out to, I don't know, do some yard work or work on the Land Rover or some days like. you know, I wear a garment a lot when I run, but like sometimes when I don't want all of that data or, you know, don't just don't care, I'll like put the Ironman on and just feels like I'm running, you know, circa 1995 or something. It's just, it's, it's, uh, it's, it's kind of fun and it just disappears. It's such a slim, lightweight watch and it's, uh, yeah, it's a lot of fun. |
| James Stacey | That's great. Yeah, it's a good one. I enjoy them. If you can snag any of the colorways that appeal to you, I think you'll be happy with it. I'm not sure there's a lot more sort of fun, distinctive, especially if you're, if you, like me, it was your first watch was essentially one of the original versions of this one, the really early Indiglo Ironmans. So there's definitely like a nostalgia there that I also really like. But there's there's nothing quite like throwing this on as like a sleeping watch as well. And if you know, I'm trying to do the whole dark room thing and the rest of it. And so you could just hit this. And I actually last night I did notice with this, you know, modern standard display. It's probably too bright. Oh, like you almost have to like squint before you press the button. Oh, yeah. Yeah. You know, put the safety goggles on. the squint goggles and let it fly. But yeah, it's a good time. I like these watches a lot. So I'm hoping that we see many, many, many, many more versions of these watches. And I think it would be great because we've seen some from like Beams did a metal one. I don't remember if it was a three-way collab or if it was just Beams. And I'll put what I can find in the show notes. We don't have to ramble on about it. But there are some really cool ones. And I would love to see more in the future. I think it's such a neat platform for... sort of like the the moon swatch vibe of just like cool colors cool inspiration do a nasa one do a like you know i think there's a lot of a lot of kind of options out there which could be pretty cool cool well we have uh kind of a fun main topic today um which we can jump into here we 350 yeah episode 350 crazy um yeah just i've taken it for granted but yeah that's a big number |
| Jason Heaton | We were kind of noodling on a topic and decided to dig into some of the questions that people submitted through our Slack crew and a kind of roster of questions that we've been picking through all year. And to look for one question that might merit kind of some longer discussion and maybe make an entire main topic out of. And that's what we've done here. We got a question from somebody named Gibbons on Slack who said, what are your 10 items you can't live without? And then he says, OK, OK, nine, because obviously a watch is one. Well, we thought we'd expand a bit on this and make it our main topic, but we're actually kind of narrowing it also because we're not going to do nine or ten items, but we decided to kind of split things out into a number of kind of main categories in both of our lives and just pick some things that maybe can't live without as a bit of an overstatement, but essentials or favorite things. We'll call it that. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, I mean, some of the great sort of like general interest sites will do these things of like the five things you use every day, the 10 things you actually pick up and carry with you, all that sort of stuff. So it's like in that vibe, I think, is the idea. But it's a great question from Gibbons. And when we were looking through some of these, we're like, you know, in the past, you know, what have we done? Four or five of the of the Slack crew and A's this year. We've got probably a couple more coming. You do get the vibe that some of these are like show topics more than they are like a five minute thing to answer. And so we thought this was kind of a fun question and we settled it down on categories, some of which I think will have specific products, but more it's like what fits into that category for us. So it's food, automotive, watches, gear, clothing, travel, work, and then a flex. So obviously, like sort of the flex is like a random or one that fits for us. But it largely aligns with the idea of like the superlatives for TGN and then expanded a little bit. So, Jason, where do you want to start? You want to start with food or you want to start with watches or what are you feeling? Let's start with watches. Let's plow through that one right away. |
| Jason Heaton | Why don't you go first? |
| James Stacey | Yeah, I mean, I went general with this. I didn't pick a watch specifically, but I would say these days, if we're talking about the watch that I would, we'll say can't live without is too much. So we'll say would prefer not to live without, would prefer to have with me. It really has come down to a titanium dive watch. Yeah. It is the mode that seems to suit the most wear, the most common use. etc. for me. And, you know, these days I'm kind of popping between the CWN1 and the Pelagos 39. Both are really handy. Both are easy to wear. Both are nice and light. You don't have to take either of them off to, you know, go to sleep. Both are great on a variety of straps. Obviously, with the P39, you can go bracelet. But the one thing I wanted to make clear is it's, you know, the CWN one was like $1,200. The Pelagos 39 pushes, you know, $5,000 or in that zone. I would say that like my Scurfa that I had did exactly the same thing. It was very accurate. It was easy to wear. It was light. You could put it on different straps. I prefer the sort of thinness of the Pelagos or the 12-hour bezel of the CWN1 and that sort of thing. But really, I'm not saying that you have to spend a bunch of money to get a good titanium sport watch these days. If you don't know them, check out Skirfa. We can link Paul Skirfield's chat with us in the show notes. But yeah, I think that's the core of my watch enthusiasm these days is sort of like... titanium dive titanium sport watches the longines that i have the le we do with hodinkee i wear it so much it's covered in scratches it's great i really like it but that's that's kind of for me has become like the the watch format that i would prefer not to live without |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. Yeah. I would concur. I mean, actually I, that wasn't my choice for mine, but, um, cause I went a different direction, but I, um, that if I had to pick a watch or a kind of a watch, you know, style that would be at a titanium dive watch. And that's, that's what I tend to wear mostly as well. But I guess for the watch category, I was kind of thinking of more like an item in the category of watches that sort of supports watches for me. And given the fact that I am begrudgingly a collector, I will admit that, or enthusiast, I have several watches. And so to kind of support... that part of my life, there's an item that I tend to use a lot in a given week, and that is the Hassler Instruments bolt action strap changing tool. |
| James Stacey | Good way of thinking about this. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I kind of did that for most of these categories where it's sort of something that supports each of these categories. And given the amount that I... kind of change straps and i just think that as we all know and i don't need to you know preaching to the choir here but as we all know like changing straps is a way to kind of refresh a watch and it's a fun way to kind of uh i always you know i've heard this term before and i like to use it playing with barbies you know you're sort of swapping straps around on your watches oh yeah um and that's that's what i use it's sitting right on my desk and uh with my you ever decreasing eyesight. I'm now, I have a pair of reading glasses and sometimes a 5X loop sort of sitting on my desk. And then right there is the Hassler Instruments strap changing tool. And I just, I use it all the time. I mean, I just pull it out, snap it open, swap straps around, and that's kind of my mode. And so I would say that's kind of my kind of watch category essential is just having one of those around or having that one sitting on my desk ready to use regularly. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, that's a really good way of thinking about it. That's the only tool I use. When we did our first ever wind up, Sarah was with me in Chicago. That's when we were running a booth and that sort of thing. T-shirts. And Tom from Hasler had a booth. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | And he actually had some for sale. And I remember walking over, looking at it on my own and going like, wow, that's really nice. But I don't really know if I could get... Sarah's buy-in on that. Because once you transfer it to Canadian, it was just a lot of money. And we were spending money to be down there. We were at a different point in my life financially, that sort of thing. And I was just a little bit more careful. I really respected what Tom had built. I held it in my hand. I said, wow, even the steel one looks good. And for me, I dreamt of being this like, every single time I change a strap, this is the one I would use. Which sounds like folly. A couple hours later, Sarah comes by and she goes, have you seen that Hasler tool? I said, yeah. She goes, I bought one. So she bought one, and it has lived on... I have it in a little 3D-printed pen holder on the IKEA SCADA system right next to my desk. It's inches away, and I just absolutely adore it. That's a really good pick. Good call. |
| Unknown | Yeah, yeah. |
| James Stacey | And if I extend into your mode, so not just picking a watch or a category of watches, the one that... The watch thing I use as often as something like the Hasler tool, which is absolutely like the cry once, buy once. This one will outlast you. You'll be passing on a couple of good watches and a tool for them when you bequeath your watch collection. These things are just so nice. But the other one that hits me is much more inexpensive. It's those simple zippered EVA cases. Oh, sure. For, you know, we would remember them like the Nike or the Oakley Vaults and that sort of thing. And now you can buy them like you can buy 10 in a bag. Yeah. And I have them. And now if I give somebody watch, if I sell a watch, sometimes it goes in that if I don't have a box. They're like disposable, but still very, very useful. So I highly recommend those. Back in the day, we were getting them from Vario.sg. I have a bunch of those. They were one of the first ones to really offer them after it seemed like oakley wasn't going to and then other brands started to offer ones that were like 50 and you're like you're buying them from the same factory yeah these guys had a reasonable price i'll include that in the show notes but yeah that's a good good call out that it didn't have to be a watch i should maybe we'll have to see if we're thinking similarly on other categories or maybe we'll have options of adding in other picks as we go yeah |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. Okay. Watches are out of the way. Let's dip back into food and drink. Okay. Curious what you picked here. |
| James Stacey | Yeah. I mean, I haven't seen your picks, but I'm almost certain this is where we're going to overlap because both of us, I think, like food quite a bit, but there's really only one category where it becomes a priority. Yeah. And that's coffee. Yep. I could give up a lot of stuff. I really don't love water. It's fine. I prefer my water to be coffee-flavored or beer-flavored, that sort of thing. And as much as I might enjoy whiskey, a beer, a Diet Coke, that sort of thing, that's all secondary. There's something about the ritual of coffee as well. So for me, the food thing that I would prefer not to live without would be coffee. It's one of the few things in my life I don't have to feel bad about how much I drink. There seems to be an overwhelming amount of information that I can't really hurt myself by having another coffee. And I'm almost certainly addicted, so we can move on from that. I used to have more of a limit or care about it. Now I just drink as much as I'd want in a given day. And I have a very simple, inexpensive espresso machine that I bought kind of to learn if I would like espresso or if it would suit my day to day. And it just never breaks. And I love the coffee it makes. Jason, you've had coffee from it. I'm not sure you would call it a classic espresso, but it is a perfectly solid. very strong shot of coffee, which I like a lot. Someday it will break and I will invest in the real machine. But right now I'm not going to replace something that's going. It's a DeLonghi Dedica 300 series that's been bulletproof. But yeah, for me, it'd be espresso at home is my favorite. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I think we're totally in alignment here. And I also picked, well, I picked a machine that... You have a proper machine though. Well, yeah. And I, you know... you know, not to rewind the tape too far back, but you know, when I was in college, I had this job working for this guy who was, it was early days of kind of coffee cafe culture here in the twin cities. And his, he, I worked at a cafe that he ran and then kind of, I helped him out when we were doing a espresso machine installations at, at different coffee shops around town. It was kind of a, kind of a fun, weird gig. That was kind of where I learned about espresso machines. And at the time, there was a small independent brand called Francis Francis that has since been swallowed up by Illy, I-L-L-Y, the Italian coffee company. And Francis Francis made a series of espresso machines, really well-made. you know, good brass boiler, all metal construction, um, espresso machines. I think they made an X one and X three and X five. I had the X five or I still have the X five and I bought it in, I believe it was 1995. So this thing's 30 years old. Um, super simple. Like it's, uh, it's what you'd call it. It's, it's a totally manual machine, um, in that you. You know, you turn it on and the boiler temperature comes up and there's a pilot light that goes out when it's up to temperature. You press a button to start drawing the water through and then you have to press the button to stop it. So there's nothing automatic about it. Then there's a steam wand as well that works really well. And it just makes really good coffee. And there have been years when I've had it stored away and I haven't used it for a long time. And then I'll pull it out and it fires right up and it works great and it makes great espresso. And I remember back when I was writing for Gear Patrol, we did something kind of similar to this episode now that I think about it. It was like... Um, our favorite things I think was the kind of the article that different writers would do. And this, this made that list back in, you know, whatever it was 2009 or whatever. And it's still, it's still on my list. And I would say as far as kind of supporting food and drink this category, um, like you, I think coffee is an absolute essential. And every morning I'm doing something with this, uh, X five espresso machine. So that's, that's my pick. |
| James Stacey | Yeah. Every now and then I go down the rabbit hole on the machine and then I go, ah, you got to wait for this one to kick the bucket. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. I think you've got a good machine. I mean, I've, and it's just dead simple to use. I just, I loved when I was at your house and you know, we had, we had some late nights and I was, I was feeling it in the next morning and it was like, yeah, just nice to stumble into the kitchen and tamp down my coffee and press a button and get a perfect coffee every time. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, look, I know it's one of those things that everybody's going to have their own opinion, and all of those opinions will be valuable because your opinion is shaped for what you want in terms of a cup of coffee. I still believe that being in Grindr is more important than pushing water through the coffee. I'm sure it's all important, but it just has to be done to a certain level. And and, you know, I just I've had I've seen what you can get for, say, a thousand dollars from the Bravilles and that sort of thing. And I just I haven't been convinced that it's going to make better coffee than what I'm making right now. So I'll ride this machine into the ground. This is closer to the Timex Ironman of espresso machines. So fair enough. But yeah, that's that's the one I would agree with for sure. Uh, do you want to jump to, let's go with, um, automotive? Sure. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. Um, I can take this one first. Uh, again, it's a supporting role type of product, um, as opposed to a vehicle itself. And, uh, this might be a bit of a, bit of a weird one, bit of a wild card, but, um, years ago, I remember when I. When I first got the old Land Rover, the Series 3, probably a decade ago now, I just recognized the need to carry tools with me regularly in case there was a breakdown, which, you know, knock on whatever this desk is made out of. It hasn't happened really yet. I've only been stranded once in it. And in order to do that, I didn't want to carry a big toolbox or piece together some sort of Tupperware full of tools. So I invested in a really nice Cordura tool roll from a company called Atlas 46. And they make a couple different sizes. I put a link in the show notes. Um, it's just a simple Cordura tool roll with about six pouches that zip open and then it rolls up and clips shut. And there's kind of a tactical looking Velcro, you know, hook and loop patch that you can, if you want to put a patch on, which I haven't done about mine and kind of that coyote tan color. Um, and I just, I should do a better job of kind of organizing each pouch and maybe even labeling it. So I don't have to open every single zipper to look for the, you know, open end wrench or something every time. But, It's come in really handy and I take it everywhere and it's super compact. And the thing is that both Land Rovers, both the Defender and the Series 3, they have, I probably shouldn't announce this too publicly, but I'm going to do it anyway. Under the seat, there's a kind of a hidden box in these Land Rovers, which is a feature I've always loved about them. And I keep a number of kind of tools and, you know, duct tape and bungee cords and a tow rope and that sort of thing under the seat. And that's where I keep the tool roll. And if I'm taking a road trip or something, the tool roll goes in there along with a few other essentials, a couple fluids or whatever, and off I go. So, yeah, that's what I picked. It's the Atlas 46 Cordura tool roll. |
| James Stacey | Nice. Yeah, good. I mean, weirdly, mine isn't that different. Mine's a trunk box. Oh, yeah. I've been through several generations. I built my own that I really like in the Jeep until it's summer and we're loading it up for the cottage. Yeah. And, you know, this long kind of thin pine box that I made that has a clip in for a snow scraper. |
| Unknown | Mm hmm. |
| James Stacey | doesn't fit anymore so in the summer I'll use a different box so you can definitely make your own and that way you're able especially if you're using like something more like a SUV box type vehicle where you could measure I'm not a woodworker so if I can do it you can too but you know, just measure the gap between the two wheel wells and you can make a box that kind of slides right in there. Just keep sanding. If it's not good, just keep sanding. It'll be okay. Just keep sanding. Yeah. Right. And, uh, and that way, yeah, if you want to clip stuff to the outside, you can obviously use all those little hooks and hangers for garages to attach stuff on. And then I would just use. You know, there's there's two little clip points on the back seats from of the Jeep that I think are for like car seats when they start to face forward. Oh, yeah. And I would just use a bungee cord around that. So it didn't slide around in the back. Yeah. Yeah. And then otherwise and what I've come to really use much more often is this box from a company called decked. It's a big heavy black, a big tan polycarbonate plastic of some sort, but like really tough plastic. Sort of in the vein of a Pelican, if you think of it. But it has a top handle that folds out. And if the top handle's down, then it becomes kind of part of the grip for the latch that opens it. And it holds just the right amount of stuff. And it's very easy to put it on its side, put it on its back, kind of do the Jenga thing when you're packing. Yeah. So the one I'm using is called Halfback 32 from DECT. And I really, really like it. I've been using it for a while now. Full disclosure, I was sent this box by a listener who works with DECT. Alexander, if you're listening, thank you again for sending the box. I enjoy a bunch of the quality of their gear. Sort of if you cross a toolbox with a Pelican, you'd get something from DECT. They make a bunch of installable shelving systems for pickup truck beds. It's a very high-tech sort of stuff. These are more simple, but I love its big handle. I love that I can get, you know, air compressor, code reader, emergency first aid kit, all that kind of stuff in there and still have a bit of room. And that way I'm only putting a couple things under various seats, whether that's like spare blankets. and a roadside kid and that sort of thing. And then that way, if you need to help somebody else on the road, or if you need to move it to another vehicle, maybe you've got more than one vehicle you might be operating out of. You just pick up the handle, throw it in the other vehicle and keep moving. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, yeah, that's great. |
| James Stacey | The quality is really nice. It's a little on the expensive side, but again, it feels like it's worth it. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. All right. Well, that's great. Where should we move now? How about let's go with gear. Gear is a really all-encompassing category. So, you know, I don't know where we're going to go with this, but I had one and let's see what you kind of interpreted in that area. |
| James Stacey | Yeah. So for me, gear is like something I pick up and use every single day that maybe isn't specifically for travel or specifically for work. As much as anybody listening would know, you could pick a bunch of different things, James. It could be my Kindle. It could be all that sort of stuff, like stuff I use really frequently. But there's really only one answer. I'm using them right now. It's AirPods Pro. Oh, yeah. I think it's the finest piece of technology made since we moved. like from the iPhone or from the iPod to the iPhone. And I'm not saying Apple-wise. I just mean like the ability to have small earbuds that last a long time, that have noise canceling, that allow me to bounce really quickly in the ecosystem that I prefer, which is Apple. I've owned the Sony ones. They were lovely as well. And I think that technology, like I think everybody's kind of in a race to make it as good as possible, the best battery life, the best price, all that kind of thing. So you don't have to be with Apple if you have an Apple phone and a computer and a tablet and that's what your family uses and you want to share audio on airplanes and you want to use. There's no tech like this for me. It's so convenient. I've been really, really trying to stop myself from buying the brand new generation, which is more battery life and better noise canceling. because the ones I have now, the Pro 2s, the previous gen, are great. And I use them all the time. I sleep with one in. The definition of gear for me would be a pair of these AirPods. Whether or not Apple suits you is up to you. There's great options from other brands as well. But it's hard to explain how much better and how much more useful these are than my AirPods. maxes or my wired airpods or and you know my iems like just having these small easy they'll last a flight to the uk later this week so i don't have to bring a bigger pair of headphones i can share an episode or two of slow horses with sarah without any stress uh with the audio like it's just a great product that works really well sounds good enough and uh and and just has the features and the noise canceling i just adore |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, that's a good pick. I concur. I didn't have that as my choice, but when I think about how often I use AirPods, two dog walks a day, I'm wearing them right now to record this, although I'm using the good microphone, but they're in my ears a lot, and I use them on flight. Sometimes I'll just use them in noise cancel mode if I'm in a loud place and I'm not even listening to anything. |
| Unknown | Oh, yeah. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I mean, they really are a great product. And I actually have kind of the second generation of the Pro and then the first generation. And then I've got like an old set of AirPods that I keep next to the bed in case I get up in the middle of the night and I can't get back to sleep. I'll just pop them in. I just have like three different pairs around the house that, as you know, is one the battery wears out and you pick up another one and charge the first. Been there. Yeah, they're great. Do the same. Yeah. Yeah. Good, good, good choice. All right. So what, what did you pick for gear? Yeah. I, um, I took a bit more of a traditional approach to gear and it's just something that, that I've used for years that I rely on, especially, um, whether it's a day hike or, um, you know, a trip where I just need to carry on or a backpack. Um, and it's my Patagonia black hole. I believe I'd looked on the website and they've, they've updated the black hole backpacks. Um, they've got like a 32 liter and then a 25 liter. And I, I know I've got the smaller one. I don't remember if it was 25 at the time I bought it. But anyway, it's a black, water-resistant day pack, the Patagonia Black Hole. And it's just so unassuming. And it's just something that I guess when it comes down to a lot of these products, and we used to do a series called Perfect Product that we haven't done in a while. And I think this sort of fits that category loosely. It's a product that I don't think about and I don't have to think about. And I think that's the best thing I can say about it. Uh, and with most of these things, whether it's the strap changing tool or a tool roll, um, or a backpack, it's just, it kind of just disappears. And it's always waiting for me in my closet when, uh, I hop on a flight and I have, you know, my rolling, you know, to me, uh, carry on a suitcase. And then I need like a day pack, and I usually grab the Patagonia Black Hole because it's got the right number of pockets. It's got a sleeve for a laptop. It has an outside zipper pocket for slimmer stuff. It's got two good-sized water bottle pouches on the outside and then a big inside pocket, and it's comfortable. And I've just used it a ton, and it's maybe not quote-unquote sexy, but it just functions, and it works really well for me, and I've had it for... a very long time. And I know we've talked about this several times on TGN in the past, and that's my pick for gear. |
| James Stacey | All right, cool. Yeah, good pick. When I see a black hole, I think of you. As insane a sentence as that is. When I see a Patagonia black hole bag, I think of you. Yeah, it's a great product, and they've expanded that line substantially since you got that one years and years ago. Because I remember we were talking about it back when we did the sort of perfect products. Obviously, we've brought up stuff like... the nano puff products from, from Patagonia. And I think this kind of falls in line with those. Yeah. So yeah, I like it. That's a good pick. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | Well, you spoke a bit about travel there. Why don't you, why don't you add in your, your travel pick? |
| Jason Heaton | Sure. Yeah. Travel pick is something that it's also a piece of luggage and it's actually my, it's a Pelican air rolling hard case that I use for hauling around my underwater camera equipment. And I believe it's the 1535 is the number that Pelican assigns this particular one. I have an older version of a Pelican rolling carry-on hard case. And then when they came out with the Pelican Air, it was kind of touted as this lighter weight version. And I honestly can't tell the difference. I don't think it's much lighter. But it's just so sturdy and it rolls really well. Everything about it feels good. Like there's nothing... kind of janky about the the wheels they don't come loose the handle's really solid like if i'm kind of you know waiting to board a flight um and there's not much seating i can like just sit it up on its on its the tall way and like sit on it as like a stool it holds stuff it um really well like i've just configured the the inside with kind of the padded inserts to hold my underwater camera equipment And it's just such an essential for me. It actually fits in an overhead compartment. It doesn't look like it would, but it does. And I get a lot of looks when I tow it around the airport because mine is bright orange and it's covered with a lot of stickers. People wonder what's inside. But yeah, it's truly an essential. And again, I don't think this is yet another category or another product, I guess, that... um isn't flashy it isn't you know something that i would say everybody needs to go out and buy but for me it is something at least at this stage of my life when i'm doing still doing some dive travel where i require photo equipment it's just it's definitely an essential something i can't live without so i think it fits the fits the theme here |
| James Stacey | Yeah, that's great, man. Solid pick. And you have a good option for sure if you've got to move that kind of gear around to make sure that it doesn't get jostled too much, right? Yeah. What do you have for travel? Yeah, for travel, I mean, I think everybody could guess this. In the broad scope, it's like a bag that really fits what you carry. I mean, that's what you just picked to a certain extent. For me, it's been years and years. If you've listened to the show for a while, I was a real big Tenba DNA fan. I still have the modern one and use it if I'm really going with a lot of camera gear. So when we do Watches and Wonders, I usually have the Tenba. But one thing has kind of unseated it from the throne recently, and that comes following episode 295 with my buddy Gajan Balan on. and he has a relationship with the company Moment, and they make the Everything Travel Tote. I think back when we first talked about it, it was called the Everything Tote, but that appears to have been discontinued, and now it's the Everything Travel Tote, which I believe is the same. I've been using the same one, which was the Gen 2 of the Everything Tote. For a long time, I put Velcro all down one side of it, like stick-on Velcro for patches and other stuff. Otherwise, it's just a black bag. And I went to actually check because I needed to remember the name of it and check the price and that sort of thing. It's about $150. And now they're offered in a bunch of other colors. They've got a really nice blue, a green. So maybe I won't have the black one for too long. Who knows, right? But this bag has really become my go-to unless I really have a very limited kit. Like I went to New York the other week with just a laptop, so there'd be too much space. Or if I need a ton of camera gear, but you can fit a lot in this bag easily. And it's a big like tall handle tote, like double handle tote. So you don't have to do a shoulder strap necessarily. It's largely just a big open element with kind of circle pockets at either end for water bottles or camera lenses or that sort of thing. And then there's a Velcro in sort of adapter. That if you're not using, it just folds flat and barely takes up any space in there. And I use this bag for everything. I've been to Japan with this bag. I've been to the cottage with this bag. I use it all the time. And for a bag that I use this much, I would spend more money. So I don't really have a problem with what they're charging for it. It does look like the Everything Travel Tote might be a slightly different version. So your mileage may vary versus the one that I'm carrying around. But I really like this bag enough that, you know, I would love the opportunity to sort of help adjust the bag for to better suit travel. You know, it doesn't have a luggage pass through. So I added one with paracord and that sort of thing, which, you know, I'm fine to mod something like that. But yeah, this bag has just been brilliant. Like I use it all the time. I really like it. And and it fits really nicely. It doesn't look to any way, not to business, not to tactical at all. you know, cover it with a bunch of silly patches and keep moving. It's fun. Yeah. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. That's great. You know, I feel like we're kind of circling similar themes might be even in different categories here, but you know, with, with bags and tech and tools and coffee and that sort of thing. So let's move on to where we got clothing. We just have a couple of categories left here. Yeah. What's your, what's your pick for that? |
| James Stacey | Yeah, mine's nothing really amazing, but I don't think I've talked about my appreciation for this product specifically on TGA in the past. I think you might be thinking it's going to be a Patagonia Nano Puff or the EVA sandals from Birkenstock, which we really like. And those are all great picks. Those are picks that would qualify. But the one that's more novel, especially if you've been listening to the show, is over years I've had... Guston salvage denim jeans. I've had doer pants of all varieties. And these days I've really found my one pair of Levi's that I like. And and now I don't have to worry about like trying on jeans or picking. I just buy them based on the color they are and the availability. And so my clothing, if I had, you know, if I really pick something that I would prefer not to live without at this point in my life is Levi's 501s. I wear them basically all the time. I've got a few pairs. The pair I'm wearing right now, I can't take to London because I've worn them out. And, you know, we could have a wardrobe malfunction, which I don't need. In that scenario. And yeah, I love them. If you pick the color right, you can kind of dress them up. If you want them more like acid wash and easy, you can dress them down. I was on their website today and hey, if you want, you can buy 501s in like Japanese salvage. So there's like a pretty wide range. You just pick that. You kind of have to find your cut for Levi's. And I've just been rocking these for the last probably year and a half, two years maybe. And I've just been super happy with them. |
| Jason Heaton | Well, that's great. I mean, it's such a, it's such a classic. I mean, you know, if there'd been a podcast in the late seventies or something that would have been somebody else's pick as well. I mean, the 501s are just a well-known entity and you can't go wrong. That's great. Not something I expected you to pick. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, yeah, there you go. I think, you know, I think there's probably a lot of guys who are just about 40 or in the neighborhood and and remember 511s, the super skinny jeans that were big when I was, you know, in my early 20s. And you go like, I can't wear 511 today. That would look insane. so uh yeah we're going 501s and you know it's it's cliche but it is cliche for a reason they're they're great and i'm really happy with them and jeans can cost so much money and then be a pain to care for and to worry about and staining a car seat or somebody's couch or yeah and this you don't deal with any of that kind of stuff they just fit and and they work that's great |
| Jason Heaton | All right, how about you? Well, this probably won't come as much of a surprise to anybody, and I guess technically it's more footwear than clothing, but Blundstone boots. Again, I think we've probably talked about this on Perfect Product as well. Or at least on a gift guide. Yeah. You know, anybody that knows me knows I love Blundstones, and I actually have three pairs. I have kind of an original pair of, I think they were the 550s, just in brown that I keep by the back door, and they're looking really ratty. Um, cause I crawl around on the pavement when I'm working on the defender. Um, I, you know, walk the dog in them. I do, you know, gardening in them, whatever. And those are just kind of my, my beaters. And then my kind of regular go-tos are, I think they call them a five 85. They're kind of a step up. Um, but, but still pretty, pretty rugged. They've got the lug sole. I've got them in rustic Brown with this kind of mustard yellow, uh, outsole, which I kind of like. It's a little bit flashy, a little bit kind of nicer looking. And then a couple of years ago, I, I wanted a pair of, uh, You know, everybody that kind of knows Australian style, this style of kind of Chelsea boot, they say, oh, you shouldn't have gotten Blundstones. You should have gone with the RM Williams. And I always looked at the RM Williams and they look great, but they're super expensive. And most of their boots are very dressy, which didn't suit me. I mean, they had like, you know, not terribly rugged out soles. So they're like, I wouldn't wear them for working in the mud or hiking or anything like that. So that's why I've always picked Blundstone, but I did want a dressier pair and they do make kind of an elevated dressier boot with kind of a narrower toe and smooth soles. And I also have a pair of those that I wear for kind of dressiness because I just like the way these boots fit. They're just, they're so easy. I mean, I don't want to, you know, sound like the old man, but like not having to deal with laces, like just when you're in and out of the back door and you're coming in and it's raining and you don't want to have to, you know, undo your laces, you know, whatever. It's just like kick them off and they're ready to go again when I'm ready to go out. So. Yeah, Blundstones. They're just such a go-to. They're so versatile. You can wear them with, you know, jeans or shorts or totally dress clothes, whatever. So anyway, that's my pick. |
| James Stacey | Yeah. And then did you see that? I mean, I can't tell you what it is because I don't actually know, but I did get the email. Did you see that they're doing a collab with Filson that launches in two days? oh no i did on the 23rd so i have a pair of 585s that are kind of shot i've been wearing them for years i bought them in 24 they're probably 10 years old yeah uh or eight years old somewhere around there uh i'm definitely interested in these filson ones but i haven't seen much more than like a close-up of the toe oh uh so these i'll put all included in the show notes i can't be helpful because it's not like i have an embargo and i know what's coming i don't know what's coming but i kind of want a pair I could sign up, but it launches on the 23rd. So by the time you're listening to this, it'll be launched. But we'll put it in the show notes. But yeah, they could be cool. Maybe a neat color. Who knows? Yeah, yeah. Wow. So I'll put that link in the show notes for anybody who's interested. Hopefully the homepage shows the boots by the time this episode comes out. Yeah, yeah. All right. So you want to do work and then flex? |
| Jason Heaton | yeah yeah i guess we have two categories left um work yeah so mine i'll go quick because it's super easy and really kind of dumb it's something i actually hate that i have to rely on so much in my life but it is absolutely it's probably the most important piece of equipment in my life and has been for you know a decade and that is my iphone the iphone 15 pro that i have Um, I'm not someone who gets excited about tech or upgrading tech or, you know, the capabilities of a phone, even though I appreciate it. I kind of say this begrudgingly, but I mean, I couldn't live without my iPhone. It's, it's just, it's so important. It's got everything. It's got, you know, payment and directions and music and audio books and email and, you know, camera, et cetera. I mean, I don't need to tell anybody about any of this stuff cause we all are in the same boat, but it's just so essential. I can, I can conduct business. I can, you know, my, my entire life is in my phone and I, I hate to, I hate admitting that, but, um, it is what it is. And, and it's a brilliant piece of, of equipment and technology. And it is absolutely an essential, um, for, for work, you know, uh, as a, as kind of a independent kind of freelancer. Um, it's, yeah, it's, that's it for me. So that's where I'm landing on that. |
| James Stacey | Nice. Yeah, that's a good pick. I really struggled with this one because the natural answer is the iPhone or the MacBook Pro. Like it's your phone or your computer. Right. There's no way I could work without a computer. I just couldn't at all. Like I've tried to be the like, this trip I'll just take the iPad like I can. I need the full computer for sure. So I wanted to stretch beyond that. And I would say maybe more in the spirit of the Hasler tool for watches. the thing that has meant the most to me, this also won't be a surprise, but it's perhaps more interesting maybe than seeing a computer. It's the combination of a standing desk and a walking treadmill. |
| Unknown | Oh, yeah. |
| James Stacey | Where I don't have to feel bad like starting my workday knowing it's going to be like a six to six thing. and think like i'm not going to be able to get my workout in or any sort of exercise any sort of movement but the ability to stand is nice even just for half an hour every now and then and then the ability to fold out the treadmill and put in an hour and get six kilometers down has just made a huge difference uh to my quality of life we'll say yeah So that's what I would add is as far as like from working from home, if we go beyond the computer, the phone, maybe the monitor, that sort of thing, the Zoom recorder for TGN, the stuff I literally couldn't do this stuff without. Something I would prefer not to live without would definitely be my standing desk, which is like a hack job of a big piece of butcher block and just some legs I bought from Ikea. And I just bolted it on and it's been fine. And then I have the walking pad P1. I would say whether you buy the P1 or something else, just go on Walking Pad's website and see what they have available because I think they've expanded since I bought this. I bought what was available around Christmas last year, and there's more options now depending on the weight you're talking about putting on the treadmill and some of the other features. That said, super happy with the P1. Very simple. But yeah, not the sexiest option. Neither is a phone, to be fair. But it's work, right? You're here to work. And this allows me to work in a way that feels much less destructive. |
| Jason Heaton | I remember when you got that and you started talking about how it had legitimately changed your life. Like you said, not in the sexiest way, but it made a significant improvement in your workday and your mental and physical well-being. It deserves to be on the list. And that's actually a good pick. Great. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, good stuff. Well, look, we've got the final one, which I asked for, which is a flex or, you know, an open ended one. One more thing that you would prefer not to live without, but maybe didn't fit the categories or was so good that it was maybe a runner up in the category, something like that. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | So if you like, feel free to go first. |
| Jason Heaton | yeah i mean i had a hard time deciding on this um these are total kind of i don't know it's called frivolous but luxury item or unessential but something i don't want to live without i guess that's the way i'm interpreting this category and for me i have i have these two clocks and i'm going to lump them into one category of one pick but i have this 1913 gilbert mantel clock that belonged to my grandparents that chimes on the hour and dings on the half hour and then i have a brass dialed Chelsea ships clock that I have hanging in my office that was made in 1944 for the merchant Marine. And I got that from James Lambden years ago. He actually gifted it to me when I was in New York and I brought it home in a backpack on the flight and that's hanging in my office. And then this mantle clock is on my mantle above the fireplace. And every Monday, I wind them both up. And these things bring me such a lot of pleasure just hearing them day in and day out and listening to the clock chime. And then the joy and the ritual of winding them every Monday and knowing that they run for eight days or longer sometimes when I'm out of town and I can't get back to wind them. They're just... As we all know, with watches, these clocks are not primarily used for timekeeping. It's just this sense of ritual and timelessness. And the sound is very comforting to me. And I love having them in the house. And yeah, they're complete bonuses. But I will say that I think we've talked about if the house was burning, what would you grab? I think at least the mantel clock is one that I'd probably try to tuck under my arm and dash out because it's just... it's a bit of a family heirloom, but it's also just such a functional, beautiful century old object that, that I don't want to live without. |
| James Stacey | Very cool. That's great. Yeah. Great picks. I think for, for your flex for sure. Yeah. Mine is a little bit different. This is, if you know me well, probably one you could have guessed or kind of wondered why it wasn't part of gear and it's a pocket knife. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | I'm much more of a pocket knife guy than you are, Jason. And, you know, I grew up a pocket knife kid. And, you know, sometimes I keep it to myself. It's not something for mixed company. There's lots of people who didn't grow up with this as a context. And it feels weird that somebody would carry a knife. And, you know, look, most of the time it's a Victorinox, like the one I got to make. at the headquarters in Switzerland. I love that one, and I carry it quite often. And then at times where I want a pocket clip or something where I might actually plan on do some cutting with it, I've got a Giant Mouse GMX, which is just titanium and an S90V blade, and it opens nicely with one hand. It's got a good pocket clip. I really like Giant Mouse. I've become a huge fan of theirs. going about this from the angle of like things I use every day as much as possible. When it came to the gear thing, it was really like, yeah, it's like I pick up my AirPods and I pick up a pocket knife. |
| Unknown | Yeah. |
| James Stacey | And that's what goes in my pocket when I leave the room to go out for a day. And yeah, as much as I like the GMX, it's been amazing. I did just order something custom. But I think I'll wait until it shows up to talk about it. But I should have it in about a month's time from an American manufacturer that we've talked about a ton before. Maybe not the one you're thinking about, but a knife I've wanted for some time. And then I realized there was a confluence of factors that led me to pull the trigger just yesterday, actually, to order the knife. Not something as expensive or really as high-end as the GMX, but a good daily to replace something that I had years ago. Yeah, pocket knife for me. I think there's a piece of the audience that goes, yeah, of course. And then the rest, maybe you're not in Canada or the States. Maybe you're somewhere where you're not really supposed to have a pocket knife or you can, but they can't lock and they're less useful. I find them to be quite useful to have. And I'm at the point now where my daughters expect me to have one in my pocket. So it has a proper tool kind of role in my life. It's not just a silly piece of EDC gear. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. Cool. Well, this was a really fun episode. I really enjoyed this topic. And thanks again to Gibbons for kind of getting us noodling on this stuff with that question. |
| James Stacey | Yeah, great idea. Much appreciated. Well, look, we're running the clock here a little bit over an hour, which is perfect. Do you want to jump into some final notes? Sure. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah, I can jump in quickly. I've been waiting for this podcast to drop for quite some time because I'm a big fan of Bill Nye, the actor, British actor. known as a bit of a style icon. He has this sort of sophistication to him. He's just sort of this wry character that people seem to love. And he launched a new podcast. It's called Ill-Advised with Bill Nye. And I believe there's only been one episode so far. Maybe there's a second one out now. But it's essentially a Q&A episode and they're only like half an hour long. And people just... um, ask him just random questions about anything. And, and he answers them just in his own inimitable way. Like he's, he's just, he's not claiming to be an expert in any of this stuff, but you know, like one woman asked like, um, how can she, how can she put lipstick on without a mirror? Um, you know, someone else asked like, how can you get out of a scenario where you don't know somebody's name and you're introduced to them or you meet them and, you know, publicly and you can't remember their name. How do you get out of that scenario? Like, just random stuff and he has this wittiness to him and this delivery um that is just fun and uh i believe he takes questions through uh an instagram profile um so if you want to submit a question and hopefully here at some point he'll he'll read it out and answer on a later episode but uh yeah it's just been a fun kind of alternative podcast just an easy you know my dog walks are about half an hour and it's fun to take them with bill nye so ill-advised |
| James Stacey | Yeah, I mean, it looks like the first episode was procrastination and the second one was titled You're Not a Weirdo. And 25 minutes, I think, is pretty digestible coming from guys that routinely crank out hour-plus long episodes. I never really mind it, especially when I'm trying to get into an episode or into a new pod where maybe they're not all super long. It's nice to have some variety, but I think 25, 26 minutes is pretty approachable. Good pick. Yeah, mine this week is a watch. Not a common thing for me to throw around a watch in a final notes, but our good buddy Brock, a.k.a. Deep Sea EDC, just announced, and it's not for sale yet, so you will be ahead of the curve here, but just announced a special collaboration with Jacques Bianchi. So this is a 150-piece watch. uh setup of their uh jb300 in a left hand titanium i think it looks really really good it's called the profonde p-r-o-f-o-n-d-e it's right on their home page you can check it out it goes on sale on the 30th uh And I saw some pictures hit of Brock wearing it. And I mean, Brock, a handsome guy doing his cool look with the watch. I really like it. It makes me happy. And the watch is 41.5 millimeters in grade five titanium. It's 13 millimeters thick. LHD setup. Runs a Soprod PO24 automatic. And it looks like they're selling them for $1,350. I think the watch looks amazing. You know, I think they did a good job kind of... massaging what was already a good looking watch in the, in the JB 300 model from, from, uh, Jacques Bianchi and yeah, goes on sale October 30th. Wanted to give Brock a shout out. We'll include a link in the show note to when Brock was on the show and, uh, just a good friend making a cool watch. Uh, I'm sure that there's some folks in the TGN Slack that are, you know, ready to get their order in, uh, in that sort of thing, but wanted to get the word out, uh, even beyond the Slack where the, the watches had some of something of an impact already. |
| Jason Heaton | Yeah. I love this watch. Um, it totally wasn't on my radar, nor was this brand, even though I'd heard of it. Um, I remembered the only one that I remember was the one that had kind of the outline of the diver on the dial, which was a little over the top for me. So I kind of just ignored them from then on, but this, this JB 300 kind of form factor is, is a really compelling watch shape in general of those real kind of short stubby lugs. And then, um, Yeah, a bit of an 80s silhouette. Yeah, a bit of a sawtooth bezel, kind of Doxa-style grip on the bezel, but then with kind of more standard elapsed time markings and just like a no-nonsense looking watch. And then to do it in an LHD titanium case is just a really smart move. And yeah, it's a great watch. It seems like a lot of watch for $1,350. And yeah, Brock's just a great guy, and it's fun to see the collaboration kind of came out of nowhere. He's done a lot with kind of some different... watch brands kind of over the past couple years you know he did a bit of a photo shoot with marathon and he's done some stuff with you know watches vespinage and with uh mark ii and whatever but it's really fun to see this and a very fitting collaboration for a navy diver like brock so congratulations |
| James Stacey | Yep. Yeah. So if you're interested in that, hit the show notes. You'll have a week to prep. I believe orders open on the 30th. I don't know how they're doing the orders. Maybe it's first come first serve. I'm not entirely sure. And then I think there's additional information on the Slack. So take a peek at that if you're in there as well. That should be great. But congrats to Brock on that one. Great looking watch and a good guy. Hope to cross paths with you soon, man. |
| Jason Heaton | All right. Well, that's a fun episode packed with some interesting stuff and some cool final notes. And you're off to the UK tomorrow. So have a great trip. And for those listening, thank you so much. If you want to subscribe to the show notes, get into the comments for each episode or consider supporting the show directly. Maybe even grab a new TGN signed NATO. Please visit thegraynato.com. Music throughout a siesta by Jazzar via the free music archive. |
| James Stacey | And we leave you with this quote from Mark Twain, who said, Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities. |