Daniel He was born and raised in San Francisco, and now he’s raising his own family there. He works full-time as a biologist and has built a successful YouTube channel that chronicles his wild adventures out fishing and cooking his catch. Between being a new dad, spending the majority of his day at work on his feet and commuting to and from the office, Daniel puts in a lot of miles. He’s also super particular about the gear he uses: “For me, comfort is everything,” he said.
To test the new HOKA Transport GTX we followed Daniel, who goes by Philosophy D, all around the city — from Twin Peaks and Land’s End to the towering buildings downtown — and ended the day fishing at the beach. The Transport GTX was designed for just this purpose: to help you seamlessly move from place to place without thinking twice about what the weather’s doing. The shoes ended up checking all of Daniel’s boxes: they felt good on his feet all day, they looked great and the Gore-Tex kept his feet nice and dry.
Daniel He, Fisherman, Biologist and YouTuber
Gear Patrol StudiosDaniel is the child of immigrant parents and grew up in San Francisco’s Hunter’s Point neighborhood. In high school, he and a friend started fishing together at Ocean Beach. They picked up the basics from the friend’s dad, but mostly they taught themselves and learned by repetition. When Daniel saw a fisherman at the beach catch a huge fish — a striped bass — he was, by his own description, hooked. He marveled at the idea that a fish like that was swimming around his home waters. What else was out there?
HOKAHOKA Transport GTX
“From then on, we were like, ‘Okay, we have to try and catch one ourselves,’” he said. The pair would stand there casting until the sun went down. One day, he finally hooked one. Beyond the joy of learning more about fishing and living in close relation to the land, Daniel appreciates that spending time outdoors gets him away from the bustle of the city — and he likes catching a fish and taking it back to cook for friends and family. He was able to turn that passion into a successful career as a YouTuber, sharing his fishing adventures with a wide audience. His videos are long and almost feel like mini documentaries. One popular video, with one million views, is titled “Coastal Foraging ALL THIS to Make Delicious Cioppino (BIG Mussels, Crabs, Clams)!” and follows the entire process, from making the catch to enjoying a steaming bowl of stew.
Gear Patrol StudiosQ: How did you get into sharing videos about fishing?
Daniel He: Whatever fish we caught, we would cook it ourselves. But I think YouTube helped us be more creative in what we wanted to do with our food. My friend made a ‘catch and cook’ style video that blew up. It went viral. That motivated us to keep trying new things, and get creative with the recipes and the storytelling.
Q: What are some of your favorite fishing spots?
DH: My favorite spots are basically north of San Francisco to Mendocino. I’ve fished all along that coast. One of my favorite fish to catch from the shore is lingcod. They’re an interesting looking fish, they have teeth and they’re super aggressive. They’re a really cool fish — and if you’ve had fish tacos or anything like that — there’s a good chance it’s cod.
Gear Patrol StudiosWhatever fish we caught, we would cook it ourselves. But I think YouTube helped us be more creative in what we wanted to do with our food.
Gear Patrol StudiosQ: How often are you getting out fishing?
DH: I used to do it way more often. In grad school I would try to make it out once a week. But now I’m working full time, and am trying to use my PhD (Daniel has a PhD in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology and is working as a scientist trying to find a cure for heart failure. Plus, his first child is now six months old).
Gear Patrol Studios
Gear Patrol StudiosQ: Will you introduce fishing to your kiddo?
DH: Oh, 100% for sure. Yeah, I look forward to the day where we can do stuff together and go out and play basketball and fish. Hopefully he’ll enjoy that, we’ll see.
Gear Patrol StudiosQ: How important is gear to you when you’re going outside or going fishing?
DH: I’m very particular about the gear that I use, and it just depends on the type of fishing I’m doing. If you look at my videos, I’m usually carrying a huge backpack. I weighed it one time and it was like 50 pounds, including camera gear.
Gear Patrol StudiosQ: What did you think of the HOKA Transport GTX?
DH: I’d never owned a pair of HOKA’s and I really like them. They’re really comfortable. I ran and walked in them a lot, and after using them it’s definitely made me appreciate them. I’m thinking about using them as my everyday shoes now.
Gear Patrol StudiosQ: What did you like about them?
DH: For everyday shoes, comfort is number one for me. Number two is how they look — of course you want a shoe that looks good and fits your style. But the Gore-Tex thing was huge for me. I want a shoe that is more sturdy and waterproof, where you can wear it everyday and don’t have to worry about it if your feet will be soaked if it’s raining.
HOKA Transport GTX
Gear Patrol StudiosYour new go-to everyday commuting sneaker is so comfortable and good-looking you’ll reach for it every morning without thinking twice. It was designed to support the dynamic lives of urban dwellers on their way to and from work, but is equally suitable for whatever adventures you might encounter. The knockout features are the Gore-Tex membrane that keeps feet dry even in the wettest weather and the Vibram outsole that offers up the traction you need to move securely over any terrain.
Price: $175