Kickstarter

April 5, 2016

Improving a Classic

While the world can’t seem to get enough gadgets–smartwatches, fitness trackers, posture regulators–there’s a lot to be said for basic stuff done right. And few items are as basic as cast iron skillets. They distribute heat perfectly. A well seasoned one gives near stick free performance without you daily dose of vitamin T (Teflon). But cast iron skillets are heavy and some have rough cooking surfaces that make them less stick resistant and harder to clean. A Kickstarter project called the Field Skillet setting about addressing some of these issues in pursuit of crafting the ultimate cast iron skillet.

The Field Skillet is a svelte (for cast iron) 4.5 lbs–lighter than a 13” Macbook Pro. The makers say it’s the minimum weight they could make it while retaining the heat distribution properties that make cast iron so loved as a cooking tool. Part of the weight savings is attributable to the fact that it’s been polished and machined to have a smooth surface, which improves cooking performance and makes cleaning a breeze. They say the pans will come pre-seasoned and pass the fried egg test.

The 10.5” outer diameter and 9” cook surface is designed to be big enough for most purposes, but not so big as to crowd out other burners. The skillet is made in the US out of 75-90% recycled iron and carries a lifetime warranty (not sure what could go wrong with a cast iron skillet, but can’t hurt we suppose).

We could go on about its features, but at its heart, the Field Skillet is a simple tool designed and made as well as it possibly can be. It’s a formula that seems to work very well on Kickstarter. Field Company, they firm behind the project, set out with a $30K goal to start up production. As of this writing, they’ve raised $1.4M. You can still order one of their skillets for a $90 pledge. Delivery is projected for next January. Visit their campaign page for more info.

February 16, 2016February 16, 2016

Thoreau’s Walden, Made Readable

One of the–if not the–seminal texts of simple living is Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. It’s the tale of a man who moves alone to the woods, lives in a small cabin to find his truth. It’s also a treatise on simple living, connecting with the earth and oneself, of removing oneself from modern society’s misbegotten systems and ideals…or so we’ve heard. If you’re like us, you’re familiar with the many Thoreauvian axioms (“Most men live lives of quiet desperation [not the actual quote],” “My greatest skill in life has been to want but little” and so on), but, when pressed, must confess that you haven’t actually read the book. Take this passage from the first line of second paragraph of the book:

I should not obtrude my affairs so much on the notice of my readers if very particular inquiries had not been made by my townsmen concerning my mode of life, which some would call impertinent, though they do not appear to me at all impertinent, but, considering the circumstances, very natural and pertinent.

It goes on like this for 400 or so pages. It’s not a critique of Thoreau’s writing ability. The book was written almost 170 years ago. This was how people wrote and spoke back then. But its arcane prose–not to mention its sometimes offensive references–is damn near indecipherable to the modern reader. Good for soundbites, but not necessarily for sustained reading.

A new Kickstarter project seeks to translate Walden for the modern reader. Launched by designer Matt Steel along with writer and editor Billy Merrell and illustrator Brooks Salzwedel, The New Walden is a new take on Thoreau’s timeless wisdom.

In an essay on the site Medium, Steel explains his initial motivation:

The first time I tried to read Walden, I flunked out about halfway through the first chapter. Initially attracted by the concept of Thoreau’s experiment, I found myself quickly entangled in a dense thicket of language. I had expected to hear about the cabin he built in the first chapter; instead, I encountered an essay on economics and societal vice, with many twists and turns.

Eventually, he made it through the book and it rocked his world. He explains:

In Walden’s first chapter, Thoreau delivered the most eloquent and scathing criticism of consumerism that I’ve ever read. He saw that many of his fellow men and women were spending their best moments straining after far more than they needed; chasing after possessions and comforts that would never satisfy their deepest longings. He discovered that when we reject greed, simplify our lives, and pursue living in the present, a quiet revolution takes place inside the spirit and ripples outward into the lives of others.

The book’s impact inspired him to create a modern version, one that had updated language and was beautifully designed and illustrated.

Steel is quick to point out that he is not changing the content of Walden, just the form. “This version will be neither abridged nor dumbed down,” he writes. “It will still read and feel like Thoreau; still set in the 1840s. I am not replacing telegraphs with emails, nor wagons with SUVs…Walden is dense, layered, and complex….So when I talk about removing literary obstacles from Walden, I’m only referring to structures, syntax, and words that have fallen out of use since 1854.”

The beautiful hardbound book will not only rework the text, but will be carefully assembled, designed and illustrated, in an attempt to make it appealing to readers of today and 100 years from now.

The campaign started today. A $15 pledge will get you a PDF version and $38 will get you a signed and numbered early bird copy. Visit the campaign page for more information.

January 29, 2016

Free Your Life of Useless Baggage

We have written a few times here about luggage. If you travel even somewhat frequently, it’s nice to have a solid travel bag, but the standard issue rolling bags most travelers prefer are bulky as hell when stored. They are big, empty volumes that take up considerable storage space in their downtime, which, even if you travel a lot, can be the vast majority of their lives. A new Kickstarter project called Néit is creating a pretty simple, solid rolling travel bag that collapses when not in use, freeing up tons of storage space in homes large and small.

The bag comes in two sizes: cabin and checked sizes; the former shrinks 50% from its fully formed shape when collapsed and the latter 70%. There are other collapsible rolling bags out there, but few have Neit’s rigidity. The bags’ distinctive polycarbonate hard shells are designed to mimic the look and structural properties of an armadillo shell. An aircraft aluminum frame also ensures your stuff is safe from the unloving hands of baggage handlers.

The checked version weighs a reasonable 10 lbs and has a cavernous 90 liters/5500 cubic inches cavity; the cabin version weighs 6.5 lbs and holds 38 liters/3200 cubic inches. The bags have four wheels, making them easier to maneuver, and their handles allow them to be hung on a hook or hanging rack for easy storage both on and off the road.

The bags are GPS enabled, working with an iOS or Android app to show where your bag is should it get lost. This is a funny feature in our opinion. Should the airline lose your bag, you can see where it is, but whether this feature helps your ability to retrieve the bag remains to be seen. The app also enables you “to store your boarding pass, book additional flights and hotels, check the status of your flight, map your route from airport to hotel and find out location specific tips on things-to-do at your destination” according to Néit.

You can still get an early bird specials on the cabin and checked bags for $212 and $269, respectively. Shipment is expected to be at the end of 2016. Visit Néit’s Kickstarter page to order or for more info.

November 12, 2015

A Scooter for Big Kids (aka Adults)

My three year old son loves his scooter as it allows him to test his daring in relative safety. I love it too. He’s able to keep pace with me as I walk down the street, and because it’s relatively small, it’s no big deal to stash it when we go in a store or something. But when I see adults using scooters, I must admit I’m prone to unfair judgment. Don’t they know scooters are for kids? But why do I think that? They allow adults to fly down the street far faster than walking, and they’re no more dangerous than bikes. Most fold up smaller than the smallest folding bike, so they’re great for stashing under a desk or something. And unlike bikes, they make no wardrobe demands–you could easily wear a suit without fear of chafing on a saddle or ripping on a chain. The new Swifty Scooter is a nice example of a high quality, compacting scooter fit for adult consumption.

Unlike the popular Razer scooters, Swifty has large 16” wheels with proper tubed tires, giving it both stability at speed and shock absorption for safety and comfort. It has a solid aluminum frame and weighs a manageable 18 lbs for easy toting. The wheels, handlebars, stem and hand brake are solid, mid-grade bike parts, making it both durable and serviceable (there’s a rear foot brake). The scooter is easily adjustable for different height riders and opens and closes in seconds.

Swifty Scooter is currently doing a Kickstarter campaign and a $695 pledge will get you an early bird special, which is around the price of a comparable quality bike, but this is not necessarily the best way of thinking about it. Rather, is an alternative form of transit, ideal for people who want to cover relatively short distances quickly with minimal equipment. And yes, those people can be adults.

September 8, 2015September 8, 2015

A Better Black Sock (More Interesting than it Sounds)

I can sometimes be a bit of a fanboy when it comes to Kickstarter. I’ve featured countless great projects here because I love the idea of products proving that they deserve to exist before they are manufactured, not after. As such, I get quite a few email solicitations from Kickstarter project managers asking me to write about their campaigns. But not every project is an Unbelievable Testing Laboratory shoe or GOBAG. Many of these folks are presenting products that invent solutions to problems that don’t exist, e.g. the artisanally crafted, leather six-pack holder (no joke). I’ve become pretty accustomed to ignoring most of these emails, which is exactly what I was going to do when a representative of “Oh My Sock” campaign contacted me. They are trying to fund a breathable, odor-resistant black sock. Big deal.

But then I thought again. As I’ve written about here before, I’m a fan of wearing a uniform. And while I’ve written about the more visible constituents of my personal uniform such as Outlier Tailored Performance pants and shorts, I have not written about things like socks. The fact is that even though I have a “sock uniform” my choice of socks isn’t that considered. I wear Champion brand sports socks in the spring, summer and fall (I have wool socks for the winter). I bought about three six packs of them from Target a while ago. I bought them because they’re no-show, which I like, and they come in XXL (I’m a 14), which helps keeps them from getting too stretched. Most importantly, they’re black. Unless your socks are an integral part of your color ensemble, I don’t understand buying anything other than black socks (or underwear, frankly)–white and other colored socks look old and dirty after a few wears, whereas black stays fairly fresh looking. But these socks aren’t especially soft and comfortable and despite the fact they are my size, they wear out very quickly.

Anyway, the “Oh My Sock” sock does what I believe the best Kickstarter campaigns tend to do: it’s a simple, useful, well made and designed alternative to existing market offerings. In this case, socks. Rather than making their socks out of cotton, they’re making them out of Bamboo, which is soft as silk and will keep your feet 14% dryer than cotton and thus more odor resistant. They claim they are more durable than cotton and that most testers have had theirs for six months without any blowouts. They come in three sizes so they don’t bunch up for small feet or get too stretched out for big ones. And they’re the right color for avoiding staining and for perfectly matching up pairs post-laundry. The campaign socks are normal height, but a project representative told me they will offer other heights after the initial campaign is funded (also other colors, but I don’t think they should).

Speaking of funding, after one day of campaigning the project has met $5400 of its $7500 goal, so it looks like other folks are into the idea of a better designed sock. A pledge of $39 will get you seven pair, which is on par with a pair of middle-of-the-road dress socks. Delivery is expected for December. See their campaign page for more info.

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015

Product Review: Unbelievable Testing Laboratory Ninja Kick

Emptiophobia is the fear of shopping (well, it’s the disorder I invented based on a few minutes on Latin translation sites). It’s a condition, I fear, I suffer from. After keeping this blog for a few years, I have become so shopping averse, so worried I am getting something I don’t need or worried the thing I am thinking of getting is the wrong thing, that any non-food purchases are made months, even years, after my actual need presents itself. One of those needs has been shoes. For a long time now I have been walking around on busted shoes. I was waiting to replace them with the perfect do-almost-everything shoe–a shoe, it was starting to seem, did not, nor ever would, exist.

Before I get to the review, let me bore you a little with my shoe history, because it’s relevant. Several years ago, I got into minimalist shoes and running. As many do, I started out with Vibram Five Fingers KSOs. I eventually ditched them because they provided too little protection (read: fractured metatarsal), they fell apart on me fairly quickly, they smelled awful after a couple wears and I became a little tired of explaining my shoes to strangers. Overall though, I liked having my feet free of too much support and structure, so I traded the KSOs for Merrell Trail Gloves, a more conventional looking minimalist shoe that allowed me to wear normal socks, thus avoiding the stink issue. They had bomber construction and more rubber on the soles than the KSOs, providing more foot protection and durability–a good thing for an active 185 lb guy like me. The only issue I had were the looks. When I bought my first pair of Trail Gloves, I wasn’t too crazy about the looks–too many stripes and logos. Somehow, many minimalist shoe manufacturers think their buyers want tons of design and big logos emblazoned on their uppers. At least in my case, they are mistaken. As Merrell released the Trail Gloves 2 and 3, the looks and colors became even more elaborate making them inappropriate for anything other than kicking around or the gym.

In thinking of stylish replacements, I considered Vivobarefoot, but they run wide and voluminous. When you have long, narrow, low volume feet like I do, wide, high volume shoes tend to look like gunboats attached to your legs, so those were out.

Prior to all this minimalist shoe stuff, I wore Converse All Stars. I actually love their snug fit and they have zero drop from heel to toe, somewhat mimicking minimalist shoes. I also think they look great, even wearing them with formal attire on occasion. Following the Merrell’s, I started wearing an old pair of All Stars I had sitting around (actually, they were made by a company Ethletics, an ethically made All Star knockoff that Converse has since put out of business). But then I was reminded of why I stopped wearing them. Their heels wear out in weeks. Their uppers tear after a few months. They are pretty heavy. They absorb the slightest bit of moisture. And since becoming a father of two, tying their laces has become increasingly inconvenient.

So there I was, wearing my holes-in-the-soles Converse knockoffs, looking for a minimally structured, lightweight, simply-styled, low-volume, durable, ideally slipon shoe. I had been looking for the best part of a year with no luck.

A couple years ago, I wrote about a Kickstarter project called Unbelievable Testing Laboratory. They were trying to bring to market a high tech, Tyvek uppered, super light shoe. I liked their techiness and light weight, but wasn’t hot on their styling and they weren’t offered in a 14. I hadn’t really thought about them since then. But a couple weeks ago, I got a Facebook ad for their new Ninja Kick shoe (go cookies!). It appeared to be everything I was after. They weighed 130 grams per size 11 shoe (less than ½ pound per pair), they had a minimal, no drop sole, they were simply styled, they were available in slipon and in size 14. Hell, they were even machine washable! I immediately emailed them to get a free pair to demo.

They never responded, so in a testament to how promising I thought they were, I bought them. Full retail price!

I have been wearing them now for a week and I gotta say I really like them. In my experience, buying shoes online is a dodgy proposition, so I guess I lucked out. The size 14 was true to size and because they run on the narrow side and fairly low volume, so they fit great and don’t make my feet look any more sasquatchy than they already are. They are light as hell. Their outsoles are minimal but not so minimal that you feel every dirt particle underfoot like the KSOs; the soles are also substantial enough to use with bike pedals. And the outsole’s EVA rubber hasn’t shown any appreciable wear despite near constant use. They claim their insole is anti-microbial and anti-odor so I went sockless for a few days in very hot weather and amazingly they didn’t stink up (I went back to socks to be on the safe side). In contrast to Converse’s canvas, the suede-like microfiber outsole is water repellent and seems very durable. And probably more important than it should be, their minimal design is matched by a minimal look (take note Merrell and New Balance). I would feel totally fine matching them with slacks.

I’m not sure if I can cite any demerits. I’ve been reluctant to work out in them as I did with all the other shoes. While laces can be annoying, they are good at gluing foot to shoe and I’m not sure if I trust the Ninja’s foot-shoe connection. The Ninja actually comes in five different styles and I could theoretically get the lace-up Franklin style for workouts. I’m actually hankering for the Chukka’s for dressier ocassions (though 14s are not available yet).

At $64 for the Kick, the price is reasonable and less than all the aforementioned shoes, less the Converse. Moreover, UTL claims the Ninja line, all of which are constructed of only eight components, uses 60% less material than conventional shoes, so there’s that.

While it might be a little premature to say, given their combination of fit, weight, durability and style, I think the UTL Ninjas will become a permanent fixture in my uniform. Go to UTL’s site for more info.

June 18, 2015June 18, 2015

Is This the Perfect Travel Bag?

It’s pretty rare that I get all lusty about a piece of stuff. It is, after all, just stuff. But I find myself pretty enamored with the GOBAG, a new Kickstarter-funded product which is one of the coolest pieces of luggage I’ve ever seen.

The GOBAG, at least to my mind, kinda has it all:

The bag’s dimensions are designed to fit into a plane’s overhead bin.
The exterior is made of out of two pieces of super tough TPU coated ballistic nylon that are zippered together. The minimal construction means few seams to bust, and the fabric is both tough and water resistant, perfect for unforeseen deluges at a bus stop in Thailand or something.
There is a handle as well as two removable backpack straps for easy porting.
The bag’s wraparound seam that allows you to access every part of the bag.
The sides of the bag have compression straps, so you can cinch the bag as flat as possible.
Included is a separate “Max Pack Bag”, a welded TPU coated nylon bag with an integrated vacuum check valve to compress all your soft goods. Just throw your gear into the bag, seal it and compress it. You can compress the bag by either using a vacuum cleaner or compressing it by hand.
There’s an easy-access detachable clear bag for your sub three ounce toiletries that velcros to the underside of one of the outside flaps.
An easy access padded laptop harness that fits 11-15” laptops will keep you trucking through airport security.
Its black exterior is not only badass looking, but it hides the inevitable years of grime that accumulate on luggage.

One thing it doesn’t have is wheels, which for some will be a dealbreaker. For others, like me who prefer to carry their stuff, it will suit just fine. The other thing it lacks is a way of carrying hanging garments, making it a little less than ideal for folks who frequently travel with suits and dresses that don’t do well in tight quarters.

Currently, the GOBAG has raised $298,574 of their $70,392 Kickstarter campaign goal. In other words, it’s hugely popular. All of the early bird specials are spoken for, but you can still pick up a bag for $206. Delivery is expected for October. Go to their campaign page for more info and to get one for yourself.

March 11, 2015March 11, 2015

New Company Offers Custom, On-Demand Furniture

One of the more difficult aspects of furnishing a small house or apartment is finding properly proportioned furniture. A good deal of what’s out there is designed for girthsome American homes: big tables, deep desks, huge hutches and so on. For example, when my wife and I were furnishing our home, it was tough to find a very shallow, medium-width desk designed for a laptop and nothing else. We ended up ordering a custom desk, but the end-product was both expensive and because it was a handmade one-off, it ended up being not quite what we wanted/expected. A new Kickstarter project called PARSONAL by design studio Arrister is trying to sidestep the expenses and perils of one-off furniture manufacturing by creating on-demand, custom furniture.

It’s probably more apt to call PARSONAL “semi-custom” as you choose from one of their basic designs, which at this point includes tables, desks, shelves and various stands. But from the basic design you can use PARSONAL’s web-based “Configurator” software and customize the size of the piece, shelf configuration (when applicable) and the finish of the tops and trim.

PARSONAL’s pieces are attractive in a nondescript, lots-of-right-angles sorta way (this is actually a compliment). Make Magazine says of PARSONAL’s aesthetic, “The simplicity of the design makes it ideal for their first offering as it simplifies both the software and fabrication considerations.” The designs would fit in easily to a variety of modern interiors. All the furniture is made of solid wood sourced near Arrister’s Tennessee homebase, so this is actually stuff you might consider holding on to. And prices are decent. Their big ticket item is a dining table that comes with a $650 pledge–pretty reasonable considering you can tweak to your specifications.

The company told us that they plan to expand their catalog into more complex furniture in the future and once production is ramped up, they expect turnaround to be about three weeks from ordering to the furniture’s flatpack delivery. Check out their Kickstarter campaign page for more info.

March 6, 2015July 16, 2015

One Shirt, 24 Different Looks

Forgive our recent obsession with clothes, but the topic seems to keep coming up. Whether it’s adding new clothes that do more or getting rid of existing clothes that don’t pay the proverbial rent for their closet space, there’s no shortage of ways in which we can refine and edit this space-hogging category of stuff. A new project/company called MORF is taking on the former category, making one shirt that can be worn 24 different ways. The shirt seems perfect for those looking to both maintain a minimal wardrobe while having a semblance of variation in their look (not that there’s anything wrong with uniformity).

The MORF shirt uses a patent-pending, double-fabric construction that allows it to take on many different forms…well, 24, to be exact. The shirt is mostly cotton and will be available in three different colors (get all three and have 72 shirts!). There are plans to make a dress and a men’s MORF shirt, both expected to be available in October.

Like pretty much every product we write about on this site, MORF is launching on Kickstarter to raise money to ramp up production (with $10K of $25K goal raised and 54 days left, MORF is looking like a slam dunk). A $49 pledge will get you a Blue MORF and will ship in May.

February 20, 2015September 26, 2016

Do-It-All, Technical Clothing, Now for Women!

It’s not a big secret that women buy and spend more on clothing than men–$708 versus $420 annually according to Bureau of Economic Analysis (and I’ll bet those numbers are conservative). But in the realm of technical, fashion-forward, do-it-all clothing, it’s mostly a man’s world. Even though awesome clothing manufacturers like Outlier Tailored Performance do have several women’s garments, their focus seems mostly on the male market. This niche clothing market seems to be treated like “gear” as much as it is “fashion.” A new venture called Pivotte Studio is trying to change all of this, making simply-designed, technical, multi-function clothing specifically for women.

Of their line’s motivation, Pivotte’s website says, “Stylish clothing can’t handle life on-the-go. Fashionable women’s clothing is too delicate, restrictive, and high-maintenance. On the other hand, activewear is not work-appropriate.” Accordingly, they are making stylish, durable, low-maintenance pants, tanks, jackets, dresses and a cardigan. The designs are classic, well-tailored and come in neutral colors, making them appropriate for a wide variety of casual and formal occasions. All garments are made in NYC and constructed of high quality materials like merino wool and the stain-and-water-resistant, non-wrinkling, four-way-stretch Schoeller Prestige Fabric–making them both durable and low-maintenance. These are garments worthy of a uniform.

Right now Pivotte is raising money on Kickstarter. With 18 days left, they have raised over $21K of their $30K goal. Various levels of contributions will get you different garments: $65 for a tank, $190 for pants and so forth. Like Outlier, these prices are not cheap, but considering their quality and versatility, and their ability to replace several less versatile/stylish items, the math might not be as bad as is seems.