Squarehood

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Squarehood is the kind of outfit that thrives in the shadowy underbelly of the niche market—supplying square hoods and obscure camera accessories to the select few who truly give a damn. It’s not mainstream, nor does it try to be. But if you’re hunting for the perfect hood for your 28mm Ultron, or some arcane gadget to pimp out your point-and-shoot, these maniacs are the ones to call.

Naturally, I threw in my order—expecting the usual sterile efficiency—and FedEx, true to its chaotic nature, promptly lost the damn package. A fine display of corporate entropy. But Squarehood? They didn’t flinch. On Christmas Day, no less, they swooped in like a gang of caffeinated elves, hellbent on righting the wrongs of modern logistics.

This is customer service with guts. These are the people you want in your corner when the chips are down and the lens hoods are lost. I’m sold—hook, line, and sinker—for life.

Details here.

Plotter

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Plotter is a Japanese company that does what Japanese companies do best: build things like a goddamned brick shithouse. Their bread and butter is binders—sleek, modular little contraptions that range from journals to organizers. The one that’s got my attention is the “Mini 5,” their smallest offering. Think of it as a wallet on steroids, with just enough organizer functionality to make you feel like you’ve got your life together.

I’d pull the trigger on one, but here’s the rub: I know myself. Systems like this last about two weeks before my discipline crumbles into dust. Then I’m stuck lugging around a binder I don’t need, full of plans I’ll never follow. Still, it’s tempting. Damn tempting.

Details here.

The Icebreaker

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A $1,600 keyboard made almost entirely out of 6061 aluminum—industrial art at its finest. Cool as hell, no doubt, but what a dicey gamble if the thing turns out to be a wrist-destroying torture device. At that price, you’re betting on a masterpiece, not a mistake.

And here’s the kicker: with the cost of aluminum and the sheer amount of machining that went into this beast, I can’t imagine they’ve left much room for profit. It’s like they’re building keyboards for the gods and praying mere mortals will foot the bill. Risky business, indeed.

Details here.

Hightide Store DTLA

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I’ve always had a thing for paper, writing tools, and stationary—a borderline obsession, really. Always have. Especially if it’s made in Japan. The Japanese understand writing on a level that’s almost spiritual. They don’t just use the tools; they cherish them. The craftsmanship, the design, the subtle precision—it’s all there, humming with intent.

Now, let me be clear: I’ve got no ties to these people. They’re not sponsors, not some corporate overlords pulling strings. I’m just a customer with an unhealthy addiction. My go-to source for Japanese-made tools, notebooks, and other beautifully odd creations is Hightide. These folks get it. They nail the details, every damn time.

If you’re wired like I am, give them a look. Details here.

IDS AirTag Strap

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IDS is one of those slick operations that zeros in on the Leica crowd—hungry for prestige and not shy about squeezing every last dime from it. A market ripe for plunder, built on mystique and margins thicker than a Texas steak. But, against all odds, IDS might actually be one of the rare vultures that delivers something worthwhile.

Their latest strap? It’s not just a piece of leather and marketing fluff. It’s a genuinely clever design that conceals an AirTag, slipping a bit of 21st-century paranoia management into old-school aesthetics. A subtle stroke of genius for anyone who’s ever sweated over the whereabouts of their Leica in the chaos of the real world.

Details here.

Global Travel Bag

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The family needed another roller bag—or maybe two—and I pulled the trigger on this one with all the finesse of a drunken gambler. No research, no analysis, just gut instinct. The colors and materials caught my eye, and that was enough. Turns out, it’s a surprisingly solid piece of gear. At 44 liters, it’s got enough capacity to haul the essentials while still sliding under the carry-on radar without much fuss.

The internal organization? Overkill. Too many compartments, too much structure for a minimalist like me. But once it’s packed, all that nonsense disappears, leaving a bag that just works. At $200, it’s a steal—damned hard to beat for something I bought on a whim. Sometimes, dumb luck pays off.

Details here.

The Cunningham Coat

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Somewhere along the line, the world got it twisted, and suddenly the humble chore coat—a workhorse by design—turned into a damn puffed-up fortress of fabric. These days, it seems like every so-called “chore coat” on the market is a padded monstrosity, fit for Arctic expeditions but useless for the gritty, sweaty business of real work. This thing wasn’t born to be some quilted fortress against the cold; it was meant to keep you steady, mobile, and just warm enough when the air’s crisp but you’ve got work to do.

A true chore coat is as straightforward as a hammer and just as essential. It’s got pockets for your tools, sleeves that guard your arms from all the scrapes and scratches of honest labor, and it’s light enough to breathe. Perfect for fall. Spring too. And it’s not so bulky that you feel like you’re moving through molasses.

If you want the real deal, one coat still stands: Imperfects. Ran by a surfboard shaper—someone who knows a thing or two about utility over flash. This guy gets it. His coat is stripped-down, purpose-built, no frills, and no B.S. It’s the kind of coat that’ll move with you, not against you.

Details here.

Huckberry Beanie

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I’m a fussy bastard when it comes to beanies. Call it a sickness, call it a quest, but if a hat can’t keep your head from freezing, it’s just a fashion accessory for some Instagram-driven husk of a man who doesn’t know the raw bliss of a warm skull in a winter wind. But then, you give me one of those thick, itchy wads of wool, and I’d rather stick my head in a blender. Somewhere out there, I kept telling myself, there’s a beanie that doesn’t make you sweat like a linebacker and still fights off the godforsaken chill.

Enter the Huckberry beanie. The thing’s a revelation in simplicity. First off, it nails the elusive middle ground in thickness, which is practically an art form. Huckberry skipped the full-wool route and leaned into synthetics, with just a splash of wool—14% to be precise. But damned if it doesn’t stay warm without turning my head into a swamp. Just enough heft to keep the cold at bay but none of that suffocating wool weight that makes you want to tear the thing off and fling it across the room.

Size-wise, it’s a miracle in minimalism. One small fold, and it’s down over the ears, doing its job like a quiet hero. Roll it up a little higher, and it perches right where it should. No flopping around like a sad sock, no creeping up the head like it’s trying to escape. This thing fits.

And here’s the kicker: thirty bucks. For the price of a cheap lunch, you get a beanie that actually works. It’s a rare find, a gem in the oversaturated wasteland of overpriced “outdoor gear” nonsense.

More details here.