Today in Gear: Start the Week with These Updates

When thinking of Mountain Dew, we understand that literal mountaineering isn’t necessarily the first thing that pops in your mind. But what if we told you the classic green soft drink is giving fans a chance to run and oversee a mountain of their very own? Sending out a call to all outdoor fanatics, Mountain Dew is giving its fans a chance to greet guests, supervise and live on the 8,600 acres of trails and wilderness on Tennessee’s Doe Mountain for one week, starting in spring 2022. Titled “Outpost Ranger”, the sweepstakes will turn one fan into a de facto park ranger, including a Brand-new Polaris Ranger XP 1000 Premium (to explore in, naturally) along with $5,000 in cash, an all-expenses-paid trip to the new MTN DEW Outpost (where you’ll be stationed) and an upgraded RV to live in while you’re on the job. Oh and before we forget, you won’t just look like some random person tearing up the trails if you’re the lucky winner: The winning ranger will receive a custom MTN DEW Ranger uniform to, as the brand puts it, “feel in charge.” Outdoor getaways aside, we’re talking a few things at the top of the week. From Booker’s final whiskey release of the year to a Polartec straight out of 1982, this is Today in Gear.

Western Rise’s Evolution Pant Is a serious upgrade to average jeans.

Western Rise

As the name sounds, this pant is designed to be better than a stiff pair of denim or work trousers in virtually every way, evolving on everything from pockets to stain resistance. Crafted from a lightweight, two-way stretch Supplex® nylon twill fabric, the Evolution Pant is water-resistant, abrasion-resistant and supremely flexible — all while retaining the hand feel of traditional cotton textile.

MEC’s Polartec pullover is straight out of 1982.

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Inspired by the original Polartec fleece that launched back in the early 1980s, this iteration is updated with a more advanced version of the original fleece — Polartec Thermal Pro. With a high warmth-to-weight ratio, the ’82 Polar Fleece Pullover is outfitted with raglan sleeves, a half-zip closure and elastic cuffs and waist for flexibility in a variety of scenarios — whether that’s on the sidewalk or trail.

Booker’s new bottle reminds us: There’s “Noe Strangers” this time of year.

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Booker’s final release of the year celebrates sixth-generation Beam master distiller, Booker Noe, who was known for his gregarious personality. Using bourbon selected personally by Booker’s son Fred, this wine has a vanilla-spice note on the nose rounded out by a long warming finish with slight sweetness.

We Knife Co. pulls out one final blade before the end of the year (at least, we think so).

We Knife Co.

We wrote at the end of last week that We Knife Co. had moved on to 2022, previewing two new blades for the year. Needless to say, We Knife Co. had one final trick up its sleeve: the bowie-bladed Snick. While the Snick comes in a variety of straightforward treatments (utilizing CPM-20CV steel), it’s hard not to be distracted by an iteration featuring eye-catching Damasteel.

DSPTCH dreams up on new Dyneema dyeing process with Idle Worship.

DSPTCH

DSPTCH took its bags to the next level with help from San Francisco’s Idle Worship — a brand that focuses on unique dyeing techniques. For the partnership, Idle Worship engineered a new way to dye the technical fabric Dyneema, resulting in a slate of new colors for a collection of DSPTCH RND bags. Using a high-heat, quick-cool hand-dye treatment, Idle Worship’s expertise has created two uniquely hazy colorways for the bags — pistachio or ocean fog.

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