Joseph Gannon

Vintage Mountaineering Gear

1. REI Mountaineering Goose Down Parka 2. Fjallraven Kajka-85 Litre Backpack 3. Patagonia M’s Capilene® 2 Zip-Neck 4. Vintage JB Mountaineering Helmet 5. Vintage Patagonia Backcountry Bibs 6. Rocky Mountain Featherbed and BEAMS Tokyo 7. LOWA Mountaineering Boots 8. National Geographic Vintage-Style Mountaineering Sunglasses 9. ’70s Vintage Mother Karens Gaiters

I’ve long had the itch to climb Denali. It seems a more reasonable (sensible even) alternative to Everest. If I get to make the trek, you better believe I’m going with the best in synthetic fibers from contemporary outfitters. My nostalgic side, however, would want for a sprinkling of the vintage gear. Reading through the guide books provided by a few Denali outfitters, I made note of a couple of substitutions I would make trading new for vintage. I went straight to the source for all things vintage and cast off, eBay. In all honesty…part of me wants to climb just to legitimately rock a pair of vintage, Bolle’, mirrored lens, snow shielded, polarized, go to hell, mountaineering sunglasses and a gnarly beard. (see thumbs-below-for inspiration)

The look is inspired by The 1980 West Fork Expedition that skirted the great Alaskan peak. 80 Days of traversing, skiing, climbing, and hiking. Several superb guides offer great experiences into the Alaskan Wilderness, find one and get training (Denali’s climbing window is typically April -June depending on the outfitter).  After reading their account…I’m counting my pennies and starting to pull some gear from eBay. (ed. This Vintage Mountaineering gear holds it value, well.)

Check a selection of photos from the West Fork adventure to whet your appetite. See the link above to read the whole story. Worth the time.

Hobby Logger from Joshua Michnik on Vimeo.

From the inbox (reputable source)….mutual appreciation for all things chainsaw.

Vintage 1800's by Bicycle

Cards are seeing a huge resurgence…Bridge, Poker, Solitaire, Rummy, whatever your poison, might as well have a nice deck. I’m going with these Vintage 1800′s by Bicycle. $10.00+S/H.

Bonus: Made in the USA since 1895.

Mr. Frank Buckles is the last remaining WWI Veteran and a steadfast proponent and advocate for a much deserved WWI Memorial in Washington, DC. I must have had my head down on this, didn’t know a memorial for the men who fought the “War to End All Wars” was non-existant. That should probably change, quick. Write your Senator, post haste, on Mr. Buckles behalf. We owe that (in the least) to him and the other 5 million that served along side him.

Further reading on Mr. Buckles, the last WWI Veteran at 108, HERE.

I’m going to drop a note in the mail to Mr. Buckles….according to his site, you can do the same:

In his words:
If you desire to send a note or letter, I cherish everyone.
Please send them to my spokesman at the address below:

Attn: Frank Buckles
c/o David DeJonge
4282 Central Parkway #809
Hudsonville MI 49426

I met Sean Carasso in November of 2007. We were somewhere in South Africa and all having an early breakfast buffet before a long day of Shoe Giving on the South Africa shoe drop for TOMS. I had already heard all about him at this point. One of his dearest friends (Esther Havens) was my seat mate on the 18 hour flight from Atlanta. It was in Atlanta (sitting on the tarmac) that I first heard his name uttered. Esther, feverishly looking at her phone, was getting text updates from Sean- “see if you can stall”, and “I’m almost there…don’t let that flight leave without me.” In what proved to be typical Carasso fashion, Sean was running a bit behind for the flight. We all wanted in our hearts to fake a minor problem just to hold that jumbo jet up for 5 more minutes. Had I known Sean then like I know him now, I would have faked a coronary if it meant he made that flight. Worst case scenario would have been we both slept in Atlanta terminal C for the night.

Read the rest of this entry »

Handcrafted in the USA and unpack themselves, literally. (ed-I don’t profess to be any good at stop motion, first effort. ever.)

Monday Muse|If It's Good Enough for Pletty....

Opened the mail this morning to find the time has come to re-up my Gray’s Sporting Journal. Done deal. Great gift idea for any outdoorsman on your list. Looking for an easy and appropriate gift for anyone? Case closed.

Further Reading (On subject):
The Trad:Friday Belts: The Famous Grouse and Not So Famous Quail
10engines: fire/flood/pheasant insurance-or do you eat road kill (ed-I know I’ve been on 10e a lot lately…noted)
The Paupered Chef:Turducken: Live Poultry to Culinary Grotesque to Epic Stock

I recently bought one of Mr. Fox’s (as he describes them), “…decent cold weather, foam-lined, chambray hats cut and sewn in the USA with the old 10e rope logo. Instant old man apparel…” How can you go wrong with that?  Great guy, great blog (possibly the blog that got you to start reading these kinds of posts), and most certainly, one of my daily reads.  James is like a lightning rod for great finds, domestic to sartorial.  Even though “the hats in the mail”, I know exactly what I’ll partner with it once it arrives.  Perfect hat for the Saturday morning jaunt to the local dive diner for a scrapple and egg on white toast and a horrible cup of coffee (you make it yourself around here if you want it to taste good).  At 25 bucks, you can’t go wrong with this little number…I’ll be wearing mine like this:

10engines Inspired Head to Toe

Shirt: Hamilton 1883, Boots: White’s Semi Dress, Denim: Imogene+Willie, Vest: Carhartt, Knife: Benchmade, Belt: Patagonia Tech-Web, Glove: Filson Fingerless, Field Notes/Pen

This post originally ran over on Sartorially Inclined. Lawrence, is knocking it down with consistent content and a boat load of support from the little community that is the style blog world (someone please name whatever it is we are doing). It was an honor to be in the company of some of the guys that inspired me jump into this game (again, whatever it is), none-the-least of whom include: The Trad, 10engines, and ATG (among others). Great company, the lot. Thanks for the venue L.A.S. (cue Lebowski references)

As Seen On Sartorially Inclined’s The Bean Boot Project:

Head to Toe: Bean Boot Project

1.) Chesapeake Bay Retriever
2.) Billy Reid Conservation Hat
3.) 1982 Mercedes 300TD Wagon
4.) Vintage Bean Boots
5.) F.M. Allen Navy Sporting Dogs Bow Tie
6.) Polo Ralph Lauren Fine Slim Custom-Fit Stripes Oxford
7.) Barbour Tweed Windowpane Jacket
8.) Beretta Silver Pigeon
9.) Orvis All-Leather Field Pant
10.) Filson Original Hunting Vest

“I don’t profess to be a died-in the-wool hunter, though I do hunt semi-regularly. Consequently, I don’t count myself in the category of style blogger-plenty of people who actually know what they’re talking about are doing good things in that genre. I exist (and focus my blog) somewhere in between. I have things that I like (some more than others) and I tend to gravitate, taste-wise, towards things that have a tie to the sporting life. Whether it’s a pair of buckskin gloves or a bow tie with hunting dogs, I like to have at least one component of my ensemble reveal the faintest hint of my affinity for the outdoors.

Taking a card from Giovanni Agnelli’s deck, I tend to enjoy the juxtaposition of things formal and sporting. Even before I knew that he pioneered this look, the pairing of opposites was my “go to” when an event’s guidelines of formality were not clearly defined. The iconic Bean Boots are a great way to bring even the most formal attire down a notch. Paired with a suit and a rakish attitude, Bean Boots can speak volumes of your personality. As Agnelli remarked of his propensity for combining the seemingly incongruent, “…people will look twice, but that’s the point of fashion.” I tried to capture this feeling in my Bean Boot/Agnelli inspired head to toe. It exists as, I feel, country and city. Here and there. Equally at home for cocktails and quail hunts.”