Today in Gear: 5 Products You Need to Know

It’s Friday, May 13th… Did you know that the “Friday the 13th” superstition allegedly originated in Norse mythology? Story goes that 12 gods were dining in Valhalla when that sun of a gun trickster Loki showed up uninvited and convinced a god named Höor to shoot and kill another god, Balder, with an arrow? Well, you do now. We aren’t suggesting every uninvited guest is a manipulative homicidal maniac, but we are saying that the movie Wedding Crashers could’ve been way, way different.

Anyway, today we’re talking affordable soft coolers, the Google Watch, a CD player that costs as much as a good used car and much more. Lucky you.
Today in Gear is our daily roundup of all the latest product announcements, drops and news. Send your most pressing product questions to [email protected].

Win this fully custom, $140K Bronco Wildtrak and support gearhead combat veterans.

Omaze

Omaze is giving away this monstrously modded four-door Bronco Wildtrak off-road beast. According to Omaze, “no donation or payment is necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes.” But if you do choose to donate, $10 will get you 100 entries, $50 will get you 1,000 entries and $100 will get you 2,000 entries. Donations benefit The Warrior Built Foundation, which provides combat veterans and service members “with vocational and recreational therapy through experiences working with mechanics and vehicle modification.” On top of the base Bronco Wildtrak, the DeBerti mods include an ADV hood and fenders; 4WP front and rear bumpers, and drivetrain armor and suspension upgrades; Gibson exhaust; HP Tuners tune; and far more. That all equates to a $140K monster – and if you reside in the US and win, Omaze will cover the taxes and delivery fees. There’s no reason to wait – just act before the 11:59 p.m. PT, July 8, 2022, deadline.

A premium soft-side cooler for $100 less than the competition.

RovR

The new TravelR 30 soft cooler by RovR ($250) is designed to keep a couple of lunches, some beverages and a little ice-cold for a day or two. Its waterproof nylon construction and one inch of closed-cell, high-density foam do insulation duty while and an antimicrobial lining, waterproof and leak-proof zippers, TPU base with welded seams and a removable shoulder strap make it an extremely versatile day trip companion. It’s a hundred bucks cheaper than other premium soft-sided coolers on the market too, but most interesting to us is that the TravelR 30 is made to fit the RovR Keepr ($150) snugly inside. KeepR is an open-top bucket-style cooler, AKA the perfect addition to your day trip food and bev situation.

“Hey, Google, go after Apple’s market share.”

Google

It’s been a long time coming. Google has officially launched the Pixel Watch, an announcement that supplemented the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro news at the tech giant’s Google I/O Developer Conference this week. Obviously, the watch is geared toward current or soon-to-be Android customers, as it slots very neatly into the current Google device lineup and plays directly with other Google apps. Health and fitness tracking, standard on smartwatches like the Apple Watch, is courtesy of FitBit. It’s slim and circular, with domed glass covering its digital face, but beyond those basics, details are scarce – including pricing.

Yes, this is McIntosh’s latest uber-premium, hi-fi component: a CD player.

McIntosh

Slotted between the Bellbottom Blues era and the iPod’s heyday (RIP) was a period of time defined by iridescent, laser-engraved discs no wider than a dollar bill. Yes, the compact disc, or CD, was the audio medium du jour, whether purchased in cellophane-wrapped jewel cases and treasured on display shelves or harvested in bulk and destined to be burned through with whatever Geriatric Millennials were into in the mid-Nineties. The CD is not so common these days, but that doesn’t stop luxury hi-fi purveyor McIntish from launching its latest device: the $12,000 MCD12000 2-Channel SACD/CD Player (roughly 1,000x the cost of a CD). It’s Roon tested and features seven digital inputs, loads of other premium hardware and, of course, that classic McIntosh glow.

Forget DMs – this summer is all about sliding into these… slides.

Courtesy

These slides – the result of a collab between NEEDLES and Suicoke – are a far, far cry from that pair of Adidas stripers you wore in the dorm showers (and still have for some reason). The dark brown/black colorway features a masculine butterfly print, a PVC upper and a Vibram sole. The two brands are known for superior workmanship, and this is one mega-style cop you may not want to sleep on.

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