The barefoot running revolution is headed off-road and companies are scrambling for a foothold. The New Balance Minimus Trail or MT10 ($105) is just as the name suggests: minimal. As in only a 4mm drop from heel to toe; a traditional running shoe by comparison is about three times that. The Vibram designed outsole means you’re getting a durable and lightweight base to run on.

We found the shoe to be amazingly stable given how little material was actually on our feet. A real plus on uneven terrain. To keep the shoe secured, New Balance uses an elastic band that runs across the forefoot. That took some getting used to, but we hardly noticed it after a few minutes. As for the rest of the shoe, it can be best described as a webbing or matrix with a mesh cover. Visually cool and great for wet, sloppy conditions as water simply drains out as you run. Plus they can be used sockless. Doesn’t get a whole lot more natural than that.

Traction was never an issue and we ran several miles off-road and off the beaten path. One item to note, the Minimus Trail does not come with a rock plate (to maintain the barefoot flexibility) so avoiding trails with jagged, rocky sections is recommended. Otherwise we hardly noticed the debris underfoot, even with the minimal sole. If you’ve been training in natural style sneakers this will be an easy transition, otherwise you’ll want to ease into it.

Buy Now: $105

Philadelphia-based La Colombe Torrefaction has already captured the hearts of the coffee community and it looks like the charitable clique is next. Their new Lyon coffee ($13) is the result of an alliance with Mr. Amsterdam Vallon himself. 100% of all Lyon sale’s profits will go to the Leonardo DiCaprio foundation, which supports a variety of green projects, like land and ocean preservation, clean water, endangered species protection, disaster relief, and renewable energy.

According to the press release, Lyon is “velvety, nectar like and sweet…a masterpiece of taste achieved by blending directly sourced and sustainably grown coffees from the mountains of Haiti, Peru, Ethiopia, and Brazil.” That’s a mouthful of platitudes for sure, but given our previous experience with their Haiti Blue Forest blend we’re confident it’ll at least be “damn good” while doing good. If you’re wondering where the name came from, — it’s not a homage to Leo’s recurring chin fur — but rather, the name of the semi-wild sustainably grown heirloom coffee from the mountains of Haiti. There’s a video about it after the break.

Buy Now: $13 (12 oz Bag)

Jeep’s are legendary for their ability to go anywhere, but what do you do when you get there?. The At Action Camper ($53,500) is designed for extended expeditions into the bush, and features 6’3? of interior headroom, a king-size bed, three-burner stove, sink, 40 liter top-loading refrigerator, integrated dining table, chemical toilet, plenty of storage space, and back access through the cab. Just in case you were curious about hygiene, the AT says the faucet may be pulled out to extend as a shower or bidet combination (oh so Euro).

This also isn’t the type of camper you can just quickly swap on and off, since the original hardtop, tailgate, rear seats, seatbelts, and the rear roll cage are all removed. AT does offer a cut-off roll cage conversion which allows it to be reinstalled though using just six bolts for an extra fee. One benefit of all that surgery is that the entire camper only adds 440 LBs to the vehicles weight, helping with fuel economy.

Our standards for bushwhacking are now officially revised.

Buy Now: $53,500 (not including Jeep)

If push came to shove, we’ve probably sell a kidney or two for one of ICON’s glorious vehicles. So when our friend Michael Williams at A Continuous Lean was kind enough to point out this excellent video on the brand’s latest pet project, dubbed The Derelicts, put together by the folks at eGarage, we had to share. The dilapidated exterior of these beauties may not appeal to all, but you have to admire the spirit behind it all. Now excuse us while we live vicariously for the next 6:32.

Need more patina goodness? Check out our series on the topic here.

While we prefer the warmer, sockless months, the colder ones are just a fact of life. And as such, the right socks are critical. You want to look good, maybe show some ankle flair, and most importantly keep your feet dry. Wicking moisture away from your feet actually keeps them warm in the winter, or cool when socks are called for in the summer. We’ve been wearing Dahlgren Socks ($19) on our feet the last few months and happy to report they’ve done an excellent job keeping the swampiness at bay.

The key is a combination of merino wool (of which we’re already a fan) and alpaca. Though alpaca hasn’t been a material that’s occupied much of our attention to in the sock world, we’ve come to learn that the impressive fiber is not only 3x times as strong as wool but can provide 10x the insulation as well. Mating the two fibers, Dahlgren has developed Dri-Side Technology, which utilizes multiple zones to provide extra cushioning, moisture absorption, and moisture wicking. It’s pretty much rocket engineering for your feet. With dry feet and no noticeable shrinkage after multiple washes, we’re converts.

Buy Now: $19

Can a key rack inspire lust? It might if it comes from the Joshua Tree, CA shop of J.L. Lawson & Co. Applying three generations of machining knowhow, father and son duo Floyd Lawson and son Anthony have created an impressive collection of small steel goods and accessories. Their latest creation, The Rack ($58), might prove to be the best application of their trade. Hand-machined from cold-rolled steel, the monolithic bauble is pretty simple — it holds keys, opens bottles, and magnetizes to your fridge or other metal surfaces — but with looks like this, that’s perfectly fine with us. Limited to 99 pieces.

More photos and a making-of film are right after the jump.

Buy Now: $58

A dog’s paws can withstand all kinds of extreme conditions, but that doesn’t mean traipsing around in the snow, hot sand, or grimy asphalt for long periods of time is good for them. One solution is to pick up some fido footwear like the Bark’n Boots Polar Trex. If you and your hound aren’t thrilled about the idea of feet wrangling on a regular basis, though, Musher’s Secret All-Season Paw Protection ($15) is the way to go.

The dense barrier wax was originally developed in Canada for sled dogs and is made from a blend of 100% natural food-grade products that form a breathable bond with fido’s foot. Once applied, the coating slowly absorbs into the paws and completely “walks off” in about a week. In harsher snow conditions, it’s prudent to re-apply every two to three days. Best of all, Musher’s won’t leave stains on your carpets or flooring, and won’t harm your pooch should they choose to lick it — as they’re prone to do. Slathering some on regularly should earn you points with your vet and canine, but Skijoring is still just out of the question.

Buy Now: $15

Adding this component to your home audio system can unveil new layers of realism to sounds and vastly improve your listening experience, even if you already own most expensive gear out there. How and why the DEQX HDP-Express ($1,950) works is a bit complicated, so we’ll spare you the lengthy audio lesson and stick with the basics.

Accurate sound playback involves properly reproducing the amplitude, time, and phase of audio material. Good speakers do a decent job of correctly reproducing the amplitude, but they all fail at preserving the time and phase to some degree. Timing issues are introduced by speakers because more than one driver is involved in reproducing the individual frequencies in a particular sound. Similarly, phase errors are introduced because all of a speaker’s drivers fail to move perfectly in and out in step with each other, and with the speaker’s input signal. Both of these error types are compounded when multiple speakers are involved. The DEQX HDP-Express corrects for both of these issues and adjusts for acoustic anomalies in the room, creating an immersive experience unobtainable by the system on its own.

Setup involves connecting the component either between an analog preamp and power amp, or directly to a digital source. Next, users must measure the room and speaker distances with a microphone, which DEQX’s software then uses to optimize the audio system. Subsequently, if you don’t have this equipment installed by the pros, you’ll have to purchase either a standard ($279) or reference ($935) calibration kit to make it all work.

Given its price tag, this obviously isn’t something you’d purchase for your generic home-theater-in-a-box, but for those who’ve spent anywhere from 10k and beyond on their system, the secret sauce that DEQX HDP-Express can bring to the table is worth considering.

Buy Now: $1,950

Imperial Barber Products is a new grooming brand, inspired by the founding team’s collective 26 years of experience in the LA and NYC barbershop scene. The made in the U.S.A. line started off with the classic pomade, which the brand boasts is the strongest water-based pomade in the country, and should be good for those sporting the Don Draper look on a regular basis. Things have subsequently expanded to include a quartet of other goods such as a gel pomade, fiber grease, pre-shave oil, and aftershave. While we’ve yet to test anything from the line out for ourselves, we’ll admit that the “made by barbers” approach is definitely appealing in a world dominated by salons. Whether Imperial’s wares will wind up replacing the Soul Glo on our dresser is yet to be seen. Special thanks to our friend at Acquire for bringing this to our attention.

Buy Now: $12+

Travel enough and you come to appreciate the advantages of hard-shell luggage. Their no-nonsense design, impact-resistance and durability go hand-in-hand with the frequent traveler routine. The problem is, hard-shell cases often weigh more than their soft-shelled counterparts. Tumi aims to change all that with their new line of Tegra-Lite ($595-$795) luggage.

Made from an armor-like material called Tegris developed by Milliken for military use — always a good place to start — the polypropylene thermoplastic composite material is 15x stronger than other composites while weighing remarkably less. With exclusive rights to the material for travel, Tumi has fabricated a line of two and four-wheeled carry-ons boasting heavyweight strength in a featherweight body. Your luggage may never need to stand up to the hot end of a Beretta, or disgruntled baggage handler, but it’s nice knowing it can.

More photos after the jump.

Buy Now: $595-$795

With an honest, throwback design the Olympus OM-D E-M5 ($999, body) builds off of the 40 year-long lineage of OM SLR film cameras. Modernized in Micro Four Thirds format, the 16.1 megapixel shooter comes paired with a built-in electric viewfinder (before you groan, take note of its 1.44 million dot resolution and 120 fps refresh rate), 5-axis Image Stabilization, and the world’s fastest auto-focusing system. The result is a camera that bridges the gap between Olympus’ popular PEN series and the venerable E-System DSLR lineup. We’re especially excited about the combination of image stabilizer, which works for both still photography and HD move capture (1080i at 60fps), tilting OLED touch screen, and the lightweight, weatherproof, ruggedized body. Combined with full-compatibility with the ever-expanding line of Micro Four Thirds lenses, the OM-D E-M5 should make for another superb choice for photographers seeking out a DSLR alternative.

Buy Now: $999, body only

We’ve blabbered more than Scatman Crothers about how to manually brew better coffee, but if you still can’t wean yourself from the convenience of the K-cup, foodie and tech writer Matt Buchanan points out that the Keurig My K-Cup Reusable Coffee Filter ($19) offers some reasonable middle ground. This exclusive filter for the K-Cup system allows users to create K-cups with their own gourmet ground coffee, as often as needed. Sure, it’s a bit more work than just pulling another canister out of the box, but the rewards for shoveling your own grounds are many. First and foremost, you’ll simply drink better tasting coffee. It’s also much cheaper in the long run, since the price for a pound of K-cup coffee can work out to be $50, and better for the environment. Combine it with that mini doughnut machine you couldn’t resist buying, and you’ll be a regular ol’ Krispy Kreme in no time.

Editor’s Note: This filter only works with Keurig B40 Elite, B50 Ultra, and the B60 Special Edition brewers. So check your office model numbers before buying.

Buy Now: $19

Now that today’s latest DSLRs are waging a war on two fronts for both still photography and video domination, having a test film made using your gear is a must for any camera company conducting a high profile launch. Earlier we showed you Canon’s Mobius film for the introduction of their new EOS C300 video hoss. So to even things out, we decided to share Joy Ride by Sandro, shot only using Nikon’s new D800. The footage sure looks tasty, despite coming across as a bit of a motorcycle homage to Drive and the unnecessarily graphic childbirth scene. We’ll leave you to compare how it fairs vs. the kit that’s four times more expensive.

Etsy maker “punkassjim” came across a photo of an antique electrical handbook and got inspired. The bold title and fun aside notes seemed to describe the iPad 2 perfectly. So, he decided to recreate the look into a set of custom iPad 2 smart covers.

All of his wares are made by hand from leather sourced at a local factory store, making each one unique, with its own slight imperfections and character. Black, green, brown, chocolate, and blue color options are currently available, complete with a micro fiber lining, an auto-aligning magnetic hinge and embedded cover magnets to enable the same auto wake and sleep functionalities found on the official version. Since they don’t have foldable ridges, these covers won’t pull double duty as stands though. We love the juxtaposition of old meets new, and hope “punkassjim” decides to create others designs (or custom options) in the future.

Buy Now: $89

We approach track time like a fluffy white cat to Fancy Feast. That is, we lick our chops… which is exactly what happened in sunny Las Vegas on Superbowl weekend in the all-new 2013 Lexus GS and LFA supercar. With a bevy of Lexus staff and race car driver extraordinaire, Scott Pruett, we availed ourselves to no fewer than ten pristine versions of the completely redesigned GS for a full-Monty outing via aggressive track and autocross runs at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Topped with a triple-digit speed run in the unbridled and ironically civilized $375,000 LFA, we donned a wrap-around grin that didn’t end even after the cars went back to their stables.

Full details and imagery after the jump.

Photos by Eric Yang

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Take note of the prominent aesthetic changes on the GS, centered around the spindle grille, looking like the chromed abdomen of a very large black widow spider. It’s done up a bit more subtly here than the LF-Gh concept we saw debut in New York. Get used to this new grille shape, as you’ll see this design language pervade the brand. The styling of the GS is clearly more sinewy (for a luxury sedan) but still very Lexus-like. From the hood creases, the more aggressive airdam and the leaner taillights, it all lends to a less anemic and more focused look.

The interior also gets all new duds that do not betray the name. Better, more sporty seats, streamlined dash and high-end trim materials look and feel fantastic. The gadget hungry do not get ignored in the process, with the optional Lexus Enform system, essentially an app suite that mates with your smartphone and gives you in-car access to your mobile applications like Yelp, Facebook and OpenTable, most via voice-recognition. Enform will also provide you with live navigation with full by-the-minute updates, collision notification and enhanced roadside assistance services.

But beyond just tech and looks, the GS can now add the bragging rights of a driver’s sedan. For such a large car, it drives like a smaller one the harder you push it. Navigating a challenging autocross course with tight turns and switchbacks is typically more the work of nimble sports cars and coupes. Well, the GS proved to steer pretty true, turn in where you point it and brake well with minimal fade time after time. We were thoroughly impressed with the results of some serious engineering work by Lexus. Making a fairly cushy luxury sedan handle well is like making a bacon cheeseburger that’s light and refreshing. The GS 350 makes good use of a 306 hp V6 with 277 pound feet of torque, mated to a 6-speed automatic with manumatic paddle shifters. We’d like to see a traditional stick shift available on the F Sport, but we’re guessing the bean counters gave an unequivocal no to that idea. Nevertheless, the GS in all versions will hit 60 in under six seconds.

From the base version, through the F Sport and Hybrid iterations, we tore up the course on at least 30 autocross and track runs between two of our crack drivers. Some cones were harmed but not killed on the more spirited laps but more due to driver overeagerness than anything lacking in the machine. We confess that our skepticism about the GS was obliterated when it threw down more than just robust power but progressive and smooth acceleration, good steering feel, proper gear changes and solid body control. We think Lexus is headed in a very good direction, indeed.

But beyond just tech and looks, the GS can now add the bragging rights of a driver’s sedan.

We then swallowed a concoction of equal parts fear and giddy excitement as we hopped in the passenger seat of the LFA supercar with Scott Pruett (this time, sans snow) who exhibited all the restraint of a Biggest Loser contestant at Old Country Buffet when taking us for a spin. Mr. Pruett holds the distinction of being the 2011 Grand-Am Champion, having raced in multiple series from the aforementioned to CART, NASCAR and IMSA and it showed. We were tossed around like rag dolls as Scott took the refined hyperbeast up to an eye-watering 128 mph, on a sweeping turn no less. Relaxed and ever-composed, both car and driver worked in awesome synchronicity. All we can say is, we want one… the car, that is.

We departed the track pleased, educated on the religion of the new Lexus movement and excited about another serious step for automotive advancement and driver engagement. Not too bad for the biggest weekend in football.

Photo Essay

Slideshow

Consider Reading: Snow Day: Lapping the Lexus LFA in Snow

How a Landline Can Get You Out of Jail
The Verge

Survival Training for When a Pilot’s World Turns Upside Down
NYTimes

Now is the Time to Quit Facebook
ReadWriteWeb

A Closer Look at the Patek Philippe 5270 Pereptual Calendar
Hodinkee

The Amazing Spiderman Trailer
Acquire

A Man’s Home
Valet

The Internet Makes You Stupid, but This App Might Make You Smarter
VentureBeat

An Introduction to OLED Displays
DPReview

When we think of fine watches, our minds automatically shift to thoughts of the quaint villages and alpine vistas of Switzerland, or, increasingly, to Germany’s Glashütte region, where brands like A. Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original hail. But what of merry old England? Given that some of the most renowned figures in horology have hailed from Old Blighty (ever heard of John Harrison or George Daniels?), perhaps its high time that we started shifting our thoughts across the Channel once more. Companies like Graham and Bremont have already taken the lead in this regard, but now we can add one more name to that list: Schofield.

Continues after the jump.

The brainchild of British lighthouse enthusiast, Giles Ellis, Schofield’s model line is currently limited to the Signalman GMT PR, which can be had in either polished or matte DLC-treated stainless steel. Under the hood is a high-grade Swiss Soprod 9335 movement with a power reserve complication at 12 o’clock and a 24-hr GMT register at 6 o’clock, the latter being operated by a recessed push-piece that has been ingeniously integrated into the lower right-hand lug. The whole shebang is meticulously assembled in Germany, after which the finished pieces are sent to Ellis in the UK for a final inspection.

Overall, the design of the Signalman can be described as elegantly masculine, with none of the chest-thumping that some brands devolve to when trying to express their inherent toughness; and tough these watches are with their 500 meter water-resistant, anti-magnetic cases and thick, domed sapphire crystals replete with inner anti-reflective coating. Of particular note is how the lighthouse-themed logo has been seamlessly combined with the power reserve indicator. It’s details like this that separate the wheat from chaff. Another plus is the size, which is generous at 44mm, but not clownishly oversized. Similarly, the 14mm thickness is “just right” for a watch of this nature.

The Signalman GMT PR is limited to a series of 300 pieces, while the Signalman DLC GMT PR is limited to just 100 pieces. With their clean lines, robust specifications and limited production, these watches are just the ticket for jet-setting Anglophiles who like to make a statement beyond simply being on time.

Buy Now: $4,580-$5,175

Guess what? Your memory card just got a whole lot smaller thanks to the new Nikon D800 ($2,999). There’s no hiding the fact that the long awaited full-frame FX-format shooter is a direct assault on the Canon 5D Mk II, which has captured the attention (and dollars) of HD-SLR shooters. Built around a Super Bowl sized 36.3 megapixel full-frame sensor, the D800 has been adorned with many of the features first announced on the colossal Nikon D4; that means you’ll find the same ultra-quick Expeed 3 processor, 91k-pixel RGB metering sensor, 3.2″ 921k-dot LCD, and a 51-point auto focus system. Rounding out the highlights are compatibility with both FX and DX Nikkor lenses, a healthy 100-6400 (expandable to 50-25600) ISO range, built-in HDR, dual SD/Compact Flash card slots and a USB 3.0 firehose to get those massive images off the camera.

But where this new Nikon truly excels is a host of new video features. 1080p video capture (60 or 24 fps) or 720p (60 or 30 fps) is an expected specification, but we’re jazzed about live external monitoring with the D800′s ability to shovel out totally uncompressed HDMI, wireless stop/start, a built-in headphone jack for audio monitoring along with a new audio metering system, and some clever new compression for better video quality.

If you’re an eagle-eye, you may have read that Nikon also released the D800e alongside the D800. Long story short, the D800e will get you unfettered access to every single last pixel of that whopping 36.3 megapixel sensor for about $300 more (no anti-aliasing). If you live and breath RAW (think: fashion photography), then consider this your cannon of choice.

More photos after the jump.

Buy Now: $2,999 (Available March)

We’ve seen the light. Solar power is not only awesome for outdoor, gadget powering duties, but it seems like every month we’re encountering a better, more innovative solution like the Joos Orange ($149). The Joos not only offers up durable, waterproof design that can withstand a bullet, but it does so without the special ops look — not that we don’t love the mil-spec aesthetic.

The Joos Orange also has a critical ace up its sleeve, which makes it better than many of the other solar bakers out there. It’s insanely fast. How fast? Try 350% faster than similarily priced solar chargers. By capturing up to 20x more energy, the Joos Orange can yield two hours of talk time with just an hour of sun. When fully charged, the replaceable 5,400mAh battery pack can charge an iPhone two and a half times. It also works with pretty much any USB-powered device, and you can even track its stats through a computer based app. Need even more glorious power quickly? An optional reflector kit can improve the already fast-charging Joos by up-to 40%. Forget the batteries, we want this in our lifeboat.

More photos after the jump.

Buy Now: $149

Le Creuset’s wares have always been a staple of upscale kitchens, but we’ve never particularly liked their boisturious color options. This exclusive gunmetal gray version ($300) of their classic 7.25-quart round french oven done in collaboration with one of our favorite Southern publications, Garden & Gun, however, provides a tasteful upgrade to the deep black of raw cast iron, without going full-blown Martha Stewart. Like all Creuset’s ovens, it also boasts the lightest weight per quart of any premium cast-iron cookware available. Add one to your kitchen arsenal, and the presentation rating on your beef bourguignon is bound to improve, especially with french judges.

Buy Now: $300

With smooth bokeh and a versatile zooming range, both Nikon and Canon full-frame shooters (e.g. Nikon D700 and Canon 5D Mk II) have continually relied on their respective 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses. The only problem? Canon’s option lands in around $1,300, while Nikon’s is nearly 2-grand, making the glass alone cost nearly as much as a base full-frame body.

Tamron’s newly announced SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD should prove to be an interesting option for full-frame shooters, just like their ludicrously wide-ranged 18-270 f/3.6-5.6 (which we keep in our kit). That’s not just because it will inevitably be significantly cheaper than Canon or Nikon’s offerings — though it certainly doesn’t hurt. Instead, the real attraction is that it’s the first to offer built-in image stabilization, which Tamron calls “vibration compensation”. Exact details on costs and availability haven’t been shared, but it’s a good bet that this highly versatile, low-light f2.8 lens packed with an ultrasonic motor, 17-element design, and plenty of high-end glass will keep the price low just like its weight.

Learn More: Here

Headphones are the new status symbol in a world where everyone owns the exact same phone. So it’s not surprising that Parrot, maker of a wide range of random accessories for mobile devices including a remote controlled helicopter drone and the Asteroid car audio receiver, decided to enter the fray. Like the $1,500 Zikmu iPod speakers launched a few years back, their newly announced Zik headphones were designed by the guru of all things modern, Philippe Starck. While they aren’t the first set of cans to make use of Bluetooth connectivity to eliminate wires, a unique button-less design should help them stand out in the first class cabin, partially because of their sleek black exterior, but more likely because of the strange ear cup fondling their wearers will surely engage in.

Specifically, swiping up or down along the back of the right ear cup adjusts volume. Skipping tracks likewise works by swiping back and forth to the left or right. The audio will even auto pause each time it detects a user taking off the headset. Most phones will still have to “pair” with the headphones to work, but newer handsets equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) such as the Galaxy Nexus can automatically sync by just tapping one of the ear cups to the phone. Noise cancellation technology rounds it all out, muting consistent background distractions both inside and outside the headset, so you can listen to Toni Braxton or take calls from grandma in auditory peace. Of course, there’s an app as well, which provides a wide-array of soundstage controls for discriminating listeners who can’t help but tweak settings. Ready to spring? Pricing and release dates are still under lock and key, so you’ll have to monitor the link below for news.

Learn More: Here

The “ultimate workshop” is one of those rooms that frequently crop up in a man’s dream home ramblings, right between mentions of the Holodeck and a putting green. Even for those who’ve never lifted a tool in their life, the allure of escaping to an oasis of tinkering, away from the rest of the house (and its other inhabitants) is undeniable. Since most don’t inherit Doc Brown-type fortunes, TechShop is a growing startup that provides creators with unlimited access to 15,000+ square feet of shared workshop space, stocked with $750,000 of advanced machines, tools, worktables, sophisticated 2D and 3D design software, and other professional equipment — all for as low as $99 a month. Just in case you’re a little rusty on using things like the large rotary punch, TechShop offers training on every tool on the floor, as well as more advanced classes on honing those skills you haven’t touched since metal shop. So-called “Dream Coaches” can also provide direct advice on your individual project, and there’s a good chance other members might lend a hand or wrench too.

For those nurturing small businesses, TechShop offers free Wifi, a retail store for purchasing supplies, conference rooms, coffee, computer workstations, and even access to private workshops and storage for an extra fee, just in case you were worried about leaving your October Sky and This Old House DVDs at home. As of now, TechShop has locations in Menlo Park, San Francisco, San Jose, Detroit, and Raleigh, with new shops in Portland, OR, Brooklyn, and LA coming soon. Have fun, and try not to blow anything up.

Learn More: Here

If vistas are currency, then Montana more than lives up to its title as the “Treasure State”. Case in point: A Week in Montana by Preston Kanak and his shooting partners F9 photo and Eric Hines. The film was shot across various Montana locales using the Canon 5D Mark II, a repertory of glass (Canon 14mm 2.8, Canon 50mm 1.2, Canon 70-200mm 2.8, Canon 24-105mm), and the go-to time lapse weapon du jour: the Kessler Crane Cineslider — we’re itching to get our hands on one of these. The result is a film that’s not only gorgeous, especially in its wide-aspect format, but also inspired us on what to do next after we go fishing.

With enough bite to make a Yeti white with jealousy, Atlas Snowshoe has outdone themselves with the Aspect ($269). Built around an all-new traction system called ReactiV-Trac, the Aspect’ offers up tons of grip thanks to an angry saw-toothed perimeter. Something you’ll want when the powder gets especially naughty. A platform of offset webbing creates a springy platform, which not only absorbs foot impacts but also allows natural movement of the feet, and an elliptical nose makes for easy articulation. In a nod to the modern evolution of snowshoe users (think: adrenaline junkies), a low-profile design and PackFlat binding that easily accommodates bulky snowboard and mountaineering boots, makes for easy, light packing. Slogging through backcountry may not be the most dignified way to kill an afternoon, but when you’re looking to get out of the deep stuff — stat — it’s nice knowing that you can out-maneuver the odd drift or abominable.

Buy Now: $269

Plenty of goggle brands have introduced interchangeable lens systems over the last several years. The ability to swap lenses tailored for specific conditions has been a boon for powder hounds seeking an edge, but the changing process is still too tedious to do on the mountain. Rimless iterations made things slightly faster, but users still need to take them off to make changes, and can easily mess up the alignment if they aren’t careful.

Anon’s Magna-Tech system debuting on the newly announced M1 goggles utilizes six magnetic connection points to provide up to 20 lbs of retention force. This allows users to swap in six various tint styles with just a quick pull, all while keeping the goggles on. Unfortunately, your dreams of being the fastest lens draw in the West this season will have to be tabled, since Anon says the M1′s are scheduled to hit shelves next fall. Until then, you can check out the video of the system in action after the break.

The Pelle Leather Journal ($30) is another worthy addition to your analog record keeping repertoire. Inspired by the hard to find and broadly loved Midori Traveler’s Notebook, it features a sturdy leather cover with elastic retainer band and the ability to hold up to three different notebooks in one cover. The covers are made in the USA from American leather, a win-win in our book, err… mind. The notebooks themselves provide 28 lb paper, also made in the USA, that’s perfect for the fountain pens we often write with and can be had in either lined or plain paper. While we probably won’t pen the next great American novel in it, we’re definitely willing to try. Perhaps it’s time for a trip.

Buy Now: $30

Photos by Jon Gaffney

Think you know a thing or two about malted barley mash, pot-distilled in Scotland? Well, the Proof Whiskey Tasting Game is the perfect social arena for strutting your palette skills against other Single Malt connoisseurs (or newbies). Accessing the free game simply involves pointing a web browser to the Proof Web App. While it’s been optimized for use on the iPad, since it’s built off of modern HTML 5 standards, it also works on other tablets and internet connected devices.

Setup involves inputting player names and the particular whiskies you’ve got on hand. Each spirit is then discretely poured into serving glasses — which are matched with printable tasting mats that will later be used to identify exactly what’s what. Next, players are asked to try and rate each spirit. The app includes an interactive flavor wheel to help aid players with their ratings and taste analysis, that breaks down the description process into 8 categories including rich, complex, smooth, smokey, hair on your chest, fruity, winey, and finish. Users can adjust the area on each wheel to create a visual flavor representation of each spirit. Once all players have had their shot at guessing and describing each drink, the taster with the most correct picks wins.

Ron Burgundy better bring his A game.

Editor’s Note: The design firm Zeus Jones who created Proof originally offered free promotional tasting kits shown above. Those are now sadly long gone so Proof is strictly a BYOW affair.

Learn More: Here

Looking to go beyond iMovie on your iPad? Consider Avid Studio for iPad. Yup, the software behind some of Hollywood’s biggest films has now been condensed and touch-optimized for the tablet experience, and it costs just $5. Capture media through the iPad Camera Connection Kit or access stored media, and arrange everything quickly in a convenient, intuitive Storyboard mode. A precision frame-by-frame Timeline editor and a slew of studio-quality transitions, 3D animations and effects are also built right in to help turn your home movies into familial blockbusters. The app can also share directly with YouTube and Facebook (amongst others), and when you’re ready to go pro, export directly to Avid Studio (PC only). It may not be a $50,000 workstation, but for just five bucks, this is one mighty powerful app.

Buy Now: $5

Don’t let the bright colors — a signature Pentax touch — fool you. Behind the bold design by Marc Newson, the Pentax K-01 ($749+), pronounced “kay-zero-one”, has the intentions of a serious enthusiast’s camera. Within the machined aluminum frame, the K-01 houses a 16 megapixel APS-C with sensor-shift stabilization, compatibility with nearly all Pentax lenses including a new ultra-thin 40mm f2.8 XS pancake lens, 920k dot rear LCD, 6 fps burst-mode, ISO range of 100-25600, built-in pop-up flash, and full 1080p 30fps (60fps at 720p) video capture round out the K-01′s features.

More photos after the jump.

Learn More: Here

Now that the holidays are long over and Apple products are filling pockets and bags by the tree-full, it’s time to worry about protecting them. We particularly like the Rickshaw Bagworks Performance Tweed laptop sleeve ($50). As always, Rickshaw manufactures to-order and their products are customizable, but we are sold on the classic Performance Tweed. The idea began with a custom satchel designed for San Francisco’s annual “Tweed Run” (an organized excuse for people to bike in their favorite herringbone attire). Mark Dwight and his team fell in love with the look, but spotted problems with the wool’s durability.

In accordance with their three F’s – form, function and footprint – the San Francisco-based company spent over a year developing a unique modern-meets-traditional fabric. It has classic looks, but its functionality is a far cry from the Her Majesty’s woolen textiles that inspired it. Performance Tweed is 100% recycled, stain-resistant, woven in the USA, and is backed with a luxurious plush lining. We also like the Moleskine Folio ($50) in the same Performance Tweed, which bridges protection for a journal, pens, notebook, smartphone, business cards, cash, or whatever else you need on the go.

Buy Now: $50

Photos by Matthew Claudel

After 25 years as one of the world’s leading gin brands, Bombay Sapphire has finally introduced a new extension to the line, dubbed Bombay Sapphire East ($32) (42% ABV). Adding “East” to the name may seem a bit redundant given the Bombay branding, but the spirit has always been officially classified as a London Dry gin and produced in England. The “East” in this case instead refers directly to the new, Asia-inspired flavors added to the spirit, which include Thai lemongrass and Vietnamese black peppercorns. Unlike more common gin production methods where botanicals are steeped in a neutral spirit before distillation, these additional tweaks are vapor distilled via a botanical basket hung in the still just like the other 10 flavor profiles found in regular Sapphire, resulting in the dampened juniper profile the brand is known for.

Given the slight changes to the recipe, the result isn’t all that far off from the original, but the amped up citrus palette and spice kick are definitely noticeable, in someways putting the overall soft balance of the spirit a tad off kilter. This shift can be used to a skilled mixers advantage, however, to embolden complimentary flavors in classic gin-based cocktails like the Negroni or Gimlet.

We don’t see East usurping it’s older brother as the anchor of the bar any time soon, but it’s definitely worth keeping around for those special moments, when ordinary just won’t cut it. Let’s hope Bombay knows exactly what the Chinese character means on the bottle.

Buy Now: $32

23 posts in, we’re long overdue on giving our Project Kickstarter series an official kick off. Since publishing our first article on a Kickstarter project, back in the summer of 2010, we’ve watched in awe as the site quickly matured into a powerful platform, capable of transforming the dreams of passionate creators into legitimate products and viable businesses. The result has forever widened the road for ideas in search of a path to fruition and re-empowered the parties who should have never taken a back seat in the first place — innovators and consumers.

Helping creative projects receive the attention they deserve has always been a part of our mission, but taking the extra step to pitch in our own funds to back particularly awesome ideas has been the greatest reward of all. Now, as the series continues, even beyond Kickstarter to other incubators like Quirky and Ulele or philanthropic endeavors like Snoball, we’re looking forward to leading the charge for countless other inspiring projects to come by putting our money where our mouth is. We’ll always be on the lookout, but if you’ve got tips or ideas on new projects feel free to drop us a line at sayhello @ gearpatrol.com. We’d love to hear from you.

In the meantime, here’s a look back at the projects we’ve showcased so far:

1661 Poitín: Small Batch Traditional Irish Spirit

Learn More |

Twine

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Espro Press

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Cam Crate Weather Proof DSLR Case (pending)

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Hidden Radio & Bluetooth Speaker

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

The Bridge

Learn More | Kickstarter Project (not successfully funded)

Baltz Fine Writing Instruments

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Quinn Popcorn

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Pet Lounge Studios Bambu Pet Hammock

Learn More | Kickstarter Project (not successfully funded)

Air Guitar Move for iPhone

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Dot 360 Panoramic iPhone Lens

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Red Pop

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Backcountry Boiler

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Tigr Titanium Bike Lock

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Wanderlust Pinwide Cap for Micro 4/3

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

More/Real Stylus Cap

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

X Grip Case for iPad

Learn More | Kickstarter Project (not successfully funded)

Treece

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

TikTok+LunaTik

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Glif

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Grassroots Gulf Oil Spill Mapping Kit

Learn More | Kickstarter Project

Consider Reading: 20 Innovative Brands Focused on Game-Changing Products

Sunday, 12:24pm | A hundred miles. It doesn’t sound like that much. Maybe a long round-trip commute or a weekend ride up to the grandparents. But take that same distance, move it 3,800 miles, and my, how things can change.

If you’ve ever looked into great driving roads than you’ve undoubtedly heard that Europe is home to a lion’s share of them. Grandstands like the San Bernardino Pass, Stelvio Pass, and the Atlantic Road. Blame it on the Europeans painstaking attention to road construction. Blame it on the fringe benefits of Socialism. Either way, the result is a driver’s delight.

Home to a few of these incredible tours is Switzerland, a country who applies the same, renown precision approach to roads as they do watchmaking. Take some time to explore (or Google Earth) Switzerland and you’ll find swaths of asphalt and concrete winding their way through mixes of impossibly steep alpine terrain, agrestic villages and countoured farmland — each chicane, bank and straightaway hewn to inspire spirited driving. Just be sure to stick to speed limits though; Switzerland’s A-roads, highways for us Yanks, are strewn with enough speed cameras to make leadfooters feel like paparazzi targets.

If you’ve been following us (or Bentley) on Twitter you may already know that we recently spent time in the alpines of Switzerland for an agenda of high-altitude driving, skiing and general rabble rousing (more on that soon). Though our trip was a far cry from the perilous trade pilgrimages that marked Switzerland’s 19th century, we liked to imagine that the 150 inches of snowfall during our stay combined with white-knuckle driving made for our own chocolate-box adventure. And in particular, one soaring drive at the conclusion of our trip, which is where this story begins.

Photos by Eric Yang

Route: Gstaad to Geneva

View Larger Map

Depending on where you wake up, the distance from the southwestern ski village of Gstaad to Geneva, our ultimate destination and point of departure, is approximately 160 km, 100 miles in US customary.

Ignoring the trip itinerary’s previously suggested (and taken) route, we instead relied on the spritely navigation system, which after a few moments of seemingly mischevious calculation, offered up a path swelling with curves. Against the context of snow, 567 horsepower and a rapidly approaching flight departure time, it sounded like a perfect route.

…swaths of asphalt and concrete winding their way through mixes of impossibly steep alpine terrain, agrestic villages and countoured farmland — each chicane, bank and straightaway hewn to inspire spirited driving.

Turns out we were right. Over the course of our drive, our circuit would offer up plenty of opportunities to wind out our chariots of fire ice — never have we been more thankful for all-wheel drive — as we ascended through the snow capped mountains of Route 11, passing portions of the breathtaking Susten Pass and then winding our way down through valleys lush with burning fog and breathtaking views. Ultimately, we would wind up on the A11 highway powering through speed cameras (flashes there were a few) and shuffling inbound traffic in an attempt to make our flight time. We did.

And though my driving partner Josh Rubin and our companion driver, Jared Paul Stern both agreed we could have spent another week exploring our Swiss passage, there was something quite storybook about the backdrop of a two-Bentley caravan, an espresso-fueled pace of driving, and the click of cameras (our own this time) that made for what might be one of the most surreal photo essays we’ve managed to capture.

Photo Essay

Full Screen Slideshow

Consider Reading: Something Bentley This Way Comes: Driving the 2012 Bentley Continental GT

One of the drawbacks to being a modern, on-the-go guy is carrying around all that gear and gadgets. Streamlining your accessories into one portable pack is the JanSport Pleasanton ($250), a waxed cotton twill and leather bag with dedicated compartments for all your stuff. Stow your laptop in the 15-inch quick-access sleeve and your iPad or e-reader in the Pleasanton’s interior slip pocket. Three zippered stash pockets make easy storage for your keys, wallet, iPod or other, and the front cord management pocket keeps all your devices tangle-free.

The rugged make and stylish look are equally fit for urban commutes, weekend excursions or your Sherpa side business, and the padded back panel and ergonomic, padded straps ensure you’ll haul your gear in comfort.

Buy Now: $250

Drive confidently swerves around pigeonholes. Pink scripted credits, seemingly plucked from an 80s billboard, burn over opening shots of the LA skyline, right before plunging into a tense getaway that would make Michael Mann grin from ear to ear. The protagonist — whose proper name is never revealed throughout the entire flick — barely speaks and enjoys donning a disco-inspired scorpion jacket while brutally dispatching anyone (Sopranos-style) who stands in his way. Even the ruthlessly pragmatic mob boss, Bernie Rose, is masterfully played by famed comedian, Albert Brookes.

None of these elements make a lick of sense in a typical crime-thriller, but director Nicolas Winding Refn confidently pours it all into his own batch of über-cool concentrate, backed by an electrified pop soundtrack that any card-holding hipster has had on repeat since seeing it in theaters. It deserved more than just cult status supremacy in our books, but a royal snubbing by the Academy officially certified it’s fate. Here’s hoping that, like Tu Pac, Drive gains more fans in death than it ever had in life.

Buy Now: $20

China May Never Match America’s Creative Muscle
Fast Company

Falling Mad Men
Esquire

ACL Field Trip: Mr Porters Office
A Continuous Lean

Con Artist Starred in Sting That Cost Google Millions
WSJ

Standout Films at Sundance 2012
Cool Hunting

Day 31: Invest in Leather
Valet

A Visit with the Worst College Basketball Team in America
Grantland

The Longform Guide to Saturday Night Live
Slate

They say you can’t teach old dogs new tricks — but the same axiom apparently isn’t true for the wood burning camp stove — the oldest camping gear dog of all. Like any other timber burnin’ stove, the BioLite CampStove is great for cooking, since there’s no risk of fire-starting chemicals flavoring your grub. Lugging fuel isn’t an issue either, as long as pellets, sticks, pine cones, or other random flammable biomass are lying about. Unlike every other stove out there, however, the Biolite can convert heat energy from the fire into electric power for charging gadgets via USB. How much power is generated isn’t directly shared, but BioLite says charge rates are similar to a laptop USB port. The complete kit also weighs a feathery 2 lbs and can pack down to 8.25 x 5″ (which is roughly the size of a Nalgene), making it suitable even for ultralight backpacking.

All of this innovation will surprisingly come at a reasonable price point of $129 when it goes on sale later this spring. Eager buyers can reserve the first series off the factory floor today, though, via the link below. Who thinks your decision to buy that kumbaya app was dumb now?

Special thanks to the team over at The Gear Junkie for bringing this to our attention.

Buy Now: $129 (Available Spring)

In the 1960s, scuba diving’s popularity was booming, thanks almost entirely to one man: Jacques-Yves Cousteau. It was Cousteau who, along with Emile Gagnan invented the Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) known as the Aqua-Lung. It was also Cousteau, whose French-accented voiceovers and globetrotting adventures on his TV series fascinated households worldwide. And as if he wasn’t busy enough, Cousteau was also the president of the American diving equipment company, U.S. Divers Company, which was providing reliable, affordable underwater gear to amateur underwater explorers. So when U.S. Divers selected a DOXA dive watch to bear its logo, it was like a blessing from Neptune himself.

By 1967, DOXA was a tired brand whose glory days were seemingly behind it. But they saw in the bold sport of diving an opportunity to create a new kind of watch, one designed for the sport diver, not the mine-clearing, Black Ops, Special Forces frogmen who were wearing stark Rolexes and Omegas. So DOXA designer, Urs Eschele, started with a blank sheet of paper and a list of specifications from some of Cousteau’s minions. The result was a watch that didn’t look like anything else and could have only been the result of a purely purpose-designed mandate. U.S. Divers Co. was so pleased with the SUB 300 (the “T” didn’t come until later) that it bought the rights to be sole distributor of the watch in the United States and put its familiar “Aqua-Lung” logo right on the dial. The watch was a huge success and countless divers wore it as a sort of badge of honor. If you wore a DOXA SUB in the 1960s, you were a diver.

Continues after the jump.

Photos by Gishani for Gear Patrol

The DOXA SUB 300T was produced for many years in various forms but languished in the 1970s, thanks to the quartz watch revolution. But it received another celebrity endorsement, this time in the form of a fictional hero, Dirk Pitt. Pitt was the creation of former dive shop worker turned novelist, Clive Cussler who, as legend has it, was given a DOXA as a parting gift when he left his dive shop job to pursue writing full-time. He was so smitten with the watch that he made it standard equipment for his globetrotting, world-saving, hyper-masculine do-gooder. Thanks to the millions of Dirk Pitt novels sold over the decades, the DOXA SUB lived on, if only in fiction, until the watch was resurrected in the early 2000s.

The DOXA SUB is a clear example of the “form follows function” design philosophy and its aesthetics are polarizing – you either love the way it looks or you hate it. And while it is not as elegant or versatile as the prototypical dive watch, the Rolex Submariner, it remains perhaps the best-designed pure dive watch ever made, from bezel to bracelet. A bold statement indeed but one need only examine the DOXA SUB’s features as proof.

The DOXA SUB is a clear example of the “form follows function” design philosophy and its aesthetics are polarizing

The rotating elapsed-time bezel stands tall and clear of the case and is supremely easy to grip and turn, thanks to buzzsaw-like teeth. The heavy steel bezel has a small notch that allows for easy removal for cleaning and the 60-detent ratchet is firm and precise. Of course, the most distinguishing feature of the DOXA bezel is the outer ring of no-decompression depth limits that correspond to the times on the inner bezel ring. In the days before electronic dive computers, divers relied on remembering these depth limits in order to avoid having to decompress before returning to the surface. With the DOXA SUB, a diver set the bezel’s zero mark to line up with the minute hand upon descending and then referred to the no-deco limits markings, along with his depth gauge, to determine when it was time to safely ascend. The bezel markings were engraved into the steel, which made them more durable than the printed aluminum rings that were found on most other dive watches of the day.

The DOXA SUB’s dial was also innovative. While the original SUB had an orange dial, a color that was thought to be the most visible at depth, black, yellow and silver dials quickly followed. In reality, the color orange turns to a dull gray below about 20 feet of water and it is the black-dialed Sharkhunter variation that provides the best contrast in deeper water. The dial also features huge markings with wide swaths of luminescent paint (tritium, hence the “T” in the watch’s full name), which glowed brightly for better visibility in murky visibility.

Like the dial, the DOXA SUB’s hands were designed for maximum readability. To this end, the minute hand, which is of primary importance to a diver, is a massive arrow with a wide stripe of tritium paint. Conversely, the hour hand looks almost vestigial, a tiny stalk that all but disappears from view underwater. The sweep seconds hand has an oversized, lumed rectangle that, when marching around the dial, leaves no doubt that the watch is wound and running.

The case is massive and heavy, even by modern standards, as wide as it is long, a full 44mm and close to 15mm thick. The 1967 DOXA SUB 300T was more substantial than most of the thinner, more elegantly sculpted dive watches of its day and feels surprisingly modern even 45 years later. Despite its heft, the symmetrical gently curving tonneau (barrel) shape makes it a comfortable watch to wear for almost any size wrist. The original DOXA SUBs were sold with a steel “beads of rice” bracelet and had a spring-loaded clasp that expanded to accommodate a wetsuit-clad wrist. Nothing was arbitrary on the DOXA SUB. If it didn’t serve the purpose of a timing a dive, it didn’t make it onto the watch.

There are still many of the original 1960s DOXA SUBs around today, a testament to the durability of the watches, especially since most of them were bought to be used as they were intended. The evidence of countless hours spent under the crushing pressure of seawater and dozens of knocks on tanks and boat ladders can be seen in the scratches and dings on the bezel and case. The half-life of tritium is about twelve and a half years and the dial markers and hands of this old warrior have faded to a lovely café au lait. The reliable Swiss automatic movement within continues to count out the minutes, as if faithfully waiting for another dive to time. But this old bottom timer has earned its retirement, where it will spend its remaining years topside, reminding its owner of adventures past and the glory days of diving.

Photo Credits | Gishani for Gear Patrol, Illustrations by GP

Consider Reading: Volume 1: Super Compressor Dive Watch

No matter what the law dictates in your particular state, not wearing a helmet while riding is one of the dumbest things you can do. That doesn’t mean lugging around a bulky dome guard is any fun for commuters. The Overade aims to make riding slightly more convenient and just as safe. Designed in France at Agence 360 by Patrick Jouffret in collaboration with engineer Philippe Arrouart, the first prototype was developed for the folding helmet back in 2010. Now the concept is finally scheduled to go into production later this year. Details around its exact specs are slim, but the helmet will offer the same level of protection as the non-transforming variety and fold small enough to fit into backpack or purse. Optimus Prime is officially jealous.

Learn More: Here

In the pantheon of male bonding experiences, few adventures have the provenance of a weekend fishing trip. This short film by the Swedish fishing site Frontsidefly, made during a trip to övre vindelälven in their native land, perfectly captures the magic of these outings, leaving all of us here at GP HQ itching for Fly fishing season to hurry up and get here. Seeing guys wearing Wayfarers and trucker hats while casting the line admittedly made us wince a little, but maybe we’ve just watched A River Runs Through It one too many times.

Got a Michael Bay-like appetite for capturing destruction, without the matching slush fund to pay for it? Well, $50 can land you a neat bit of photographic trickery, known as Smoke Drops. Imported from Italy by the fine folks at Photojojo, combining a few drops of bottle A with bottle B creates 5 to 10 minutes of instant smoke. Use more than a few drops, and you’ll see more smoke. Practically speaking, there are probably better things to drop half a Benjamin on, but using Smoke Drops will definitely work out better than that Marlboro / kerosene plan you concocted for your Backdraft themed family portrait.

Buy Now: $50

Always advocates for more beer, we’re happy to welcome Newcastle Founders’ Ale to the U.S. market. The new brew – which pays homage to Newcastle’s five founding breweries – is part of Newcastle’s Limited Edition series, which also includes Summer Ale, Werewolf and Winter IPA.

Newcastle Founders’ Ale ($9) is a full-bodied, easy-drinking beer with lots of roasty malts and notes of dry hops. It’s balanced with sweet caramel and fruit, and it finishes clean. That’s a good combination for making us want another round. Founders’ Ale is only available nationwide from February through April, so don’t delay. Get yourself a six pack. Or maybe a case. Better yet, make it two.

Buy Now: $9, Local Shops

Flash back to 1984. Prince still went by Prince and was ruling the music charts. Ralph put the macho in Macchio by laying the hurt on Cobra Kai. A former hollywood actor was just reaching the middle of his tenure in the oval office. And Koss introduced what would become one of the most iconic sets of headphones on the market — the Porta Pro.

Now, even after decades of technological advances, the $50 semi-open cans are still widely regarded as one of the best values in the audio world, thanks to their extraordinary sound quality, “Comfort Zone” earpad pressure adjustment, and portable folding design. While we’re all for the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality, the newly announced Porta Pro KTC (or Koss Touch Control) updates the original with an iDevice-certified inline remote / mic combination, making them just as perfect for the iPhone as they were for the Walkman. It’s still unclear how much this Botox treatment will affect the price, but we really don’t expect their value proposition to change. Koss has shared that the set will go on sale sometime this spring, so you’ve still got a little time to get your genius playlist based on Jump in order (just in case you foolishly don’t have it teed up already).

Learn More: Here

It’s not often you see a car this rare and iconic go up on the auction block, especially considering its Japanese origin. The first of its kind, this 1967 Shelby/Toyota 2000GT was brought to life by none other than Mr. Carroll Shelby, himself, for the 1968 C-Production SCCA racing circuit. This was also significant, as it marked the first time a Japanese car was entered into a U.S. racing event. And though it didn’t possess the same horsepower as its main competitor, the Porsche 911, it was driven to several podium finishes in 1968 (more on the Toyota 2000GT). It was restored in the early 1990′s by Maine Line Exotics and has had its fair share of vintage track time at NHIS, Monterey, Morroso and The Goodwood Festival of Speed. It’s driven at the rear wheels by a 230 horsepower Shelby engine and a 5-speed manual transmission. Combined with its full restoration, a solid racing history, the Shelby name and the 1st racing iteration, the car should command nearly $2 million. Now that’s a roundhouse kick to the back of the head.

Learn More: Here