Editor’s Note: It’s pretty clear that our staff is passionate about gear, and as we strive to bring you the best of the best, we also want to take the time to share our own personal favorites. These are the goods we personally own: our essentials. Over the next few months, we’ll bring you each of our writers’ 10 personal favorites. By the look of things, the selection will run a wide gamut, from heirloom pieces to the most practical of gear that can be easily procured — a gear fingerprint, of sorts. Last but not least, each will share one “holy grail” item that still remains the stuff of dreams, out of reach, but hopefully only temporarily so.
Our second Staff Favorites highlights Mr. Bradley Hasemeyer. If you’ve been reading Gear Patrol for any amount of time, you undoubtedly recognize Bradley as the host of our Behind the Wheel videos. A talented man both in front of and behind the lens, Bradley spends a considerable amount of his time on the road — with an imperious command of his SkyMiles account — traveling from West Coast to Provence Coast in search of unique mechanized stories. When not in the throes of an assignment, Bradley also serves as the host of AOL’s popular web show Translogic. Between shoots and the odd Super Bowl commercial, Bradley can often be found embellishing his wardrobe with new finds, poring over cast-iron skillet recipes, in search of good coffee, tending his urban garden, or enjoying his latest exciting foray into domestic life: preparing to be a father.
Mercury Elite AL-Pro 500GB
I love how light and portable this hard drive is, and I use it for all my current projects when editing because it has a 7200rpm speed. Sure, a solid state drive would be better, but it’s a great value.
Ray-Ban Foldable Wayfarer Polarized
These polarized Wayfarers mean I don’t squint as much when in LA traffic — which is a lot. Also, the slightly larger size keeps the sun from sneaking into my eyes from the top and sides.