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Staff Picks: What Gear Patrol Editors Are Asking for This Year

Trust us. We’re experts.

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By Will Sabel Courtney

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Every year, we writers, editors and other content creators here at Gear Patrol lay our hands on thousands of new products of all sizes, prices, shapes and colors. We test, experience and play with many of the hottest, most desired consumer items in the world, to see how they fit into our lives in order to tell you how well they might fit into yours. If it’s part of any of the categories you see at the top of this website, odds are good we’ve spent time with it.

Not surprisingly, this makes us rather hard to shop for.

So in order to both streamline the gift-giving process for our friends and loved ones and provide our loyal readers with a window into our minds this holiday season, we’ve pulled together a list of the items that we’re all hoping to find wrapped up and handed to us this year. If you’re shopping for a loyal Gear Patrol reader, odds are good you’ll find something they’ll like here, too.

“More than half a year into the pandemic, I still haven’t been able to find adjustable dumbbells in stock, and I don’t have space for a set of individual weights. I came across these resistance bands in one of our recent fitness guides and put them right at the top of my list.” —Jack Seemer

“Susanna Clarke’s last book, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, was a sort of Harry Potter meets Infinite Jest written by Charles Dickens mashup. It was long and strange and dense but wildly fun to read. Piranesi is Clarke’s first full-length novel since that book’s publishing more than 15 years ago, and its description (I’m trying to avoid reviews) reads like the exact opposite. It’s shorter (272 pages instead of 782) and, if the excerpts I’ve read are any indication, written in a more modern prose. I won’t lie and say the premise — which finds the main character inside an endlessly vast house with no way out — doesn’t stroke my pandemic-induced morbidity, either.” —Will Price

“These insulated, DWR-treated, cowhide leather gloves deliver incredible value everywhere from the barnyard to the ski resort. The cred you’ll score with the lifties at the bar is just a bonus.” —Steve Mazzucchi

“I’m not quite sure how, but I’ve never owned a proper set of Allen wrenches. I’ve run through a fair number of multi-tool style sets but can’t count the times that those lacked either the correct wrench size or proper leverage. It’s time to change that. This set tops my list not just because it’s colorful — tools can be cool too — but because it’s precision-made by a highly regarded German toolmaker.” —Tanner Bowden

“It’s been a long year, for reasons personal, political and epidemiological. I have most of my stay-at-home gear needs taken care of by now, so it’s time for some neat, single-malt Scotch (not that it ever isn’t). I love the peat and smoke of the Islay scotches, and Lagavulin 16 delivers a well-rounded, refined version of that.” —Tyler Duffy

“No adult should be eating off paper plates. Jono Pandolfi and his team make every piece of dinnerware by hand, and his collaboration with Parachute takes his most iconic line, the Coupe, and adds an ink-colored glaze. Eat your takeout on it and it’ll feel like a gourmet experience.” —Tyler Chin

“I have a pair of cheaply made pants in this same color that I love but they’re in complete tatters — something I know I’ll never need to worry about with any garment from Taylor Stitch. The brand’s Boss Duck is the toughest fabric it makes and is a blend of hemp, recycled polyester, organic cotton and spandex. Heavy on the workwear vibe and construction, these are pants I know I’ll have for all my remaining days.” —Ryan Brower

“This shirt is the perfect overshirt for layering in cooler weather. It’s loose cotton weave makes it incredible comfortable and breathable. If you don’t have one, get one. If you already have one, get another in a different pattern — they’re that good.” — John Zientek

“Buying used film cameras is a tricky proposition that requires both strategy and luck. That’s why I want someone else to by this lovely medium-format film camera for me so that all I have to worry about is taking the pictures.” —Eric Limer

“Upgrading my WFH situation is an ongoing project, but a top priority. A Herman Miller Aeron or Cosm chair is going to be part of that — but an adjustable standing desk is even more critical. It just makes so much sense. This one by Jarvis is stable and well-built with bamboo wood, and it moves up and down electronically — because, you know, I probably don’t want to stand constantly. My dream home-office will be built around something like this.” —Zen Love

“If you’re expecting to stay inside for most of the winter, you want to be as comfortable as you can be. I can’t imagine wanting anything less than these all-cashmere Italian-made sweatpants. This is when lounging turns into luxuriating.” —Gerald Ortiz

“My iPhone X is growing a little long in the tooth, and given the fact that my phone’s camera is one of the features I use the most, the new 12 Pro has me salivating. (I’m not a giant phone guy, though, so the Pro Max isn’t for me.) And while 5G might not be necessary now, I figure it’ll start to pay dividends over the three years I usually keep my phones. —Will Sabel Courtney

“It’s pretty. It sounds great. It’s got a new, sculpted neck heel and new pickups. And it comes in MIAMI BLUE.” —Oren Hartov