Fun fact: I’ve never really hiked in Big Sur until this holiday break. I got the chance to tackle Julia Pfeiffer Burns and Cone Peak! Not all in one day though.
I stopped by Sports Basement with a 20% off coupon a few days ago with the sole intention of picking up my Western Mountaineering sleeping bag and some Christmas presents. But then I walked by the display of Arc’teryx things. Then curiosity got the better of me and I tried on the Arc’teryx Delta LT Jacket. And it all went downhill from there.
Pyramid Peak via Rocky Canyon… oh boy. This one is a tough one with approximately 4,083′ of elevation gain. I huffed and puffed my way up and down this Pyramid Peak. The altitude, elevation change, and a wicked hangover were not my friends.
I picked up one of the last Triple Aught Design Ares Half-Zips left in existence at the Dogpatch Warehouse Sale last weekend. For 2014, they are taking the Ares and combining it with the Merino Half-Zip and making it 10 times better.
The Ares is a 270-weight half-zip made out of 100% merino wool making it a great midlayer for winter or an outer layer on a cool spring or summer day. It comes with two shoulder zip pockets, and thumb holes.
I haven’t had it for very long, but I’m pretty in love with it already. Took it for a lovely jaunt in the San Jose hills (Almaden Quicksilver County Park, to be exact) on a brisk fall day and it kept me toasty. This doesn’t fare too well with wind, but toss on a shell and you are golden. It’s also a great layer for climbing. It fits well under a harness and keeps you warm while you’re on the wall and making moves.
Pictured above is the Ares in a men’s XS. On me, it’s fairly roomier fit but it still gets the job done. I suspect the boyfriend might be stealing this from my closet in the future (for once).
This is no longer on the Triple Aught Design website, but you might be able to find it on eBay.
Bay Area folks are in for a little treat this holiday season! Retailer Huckberry is renting a house to display all of its highly curated manly wares for guests to play with and purchase. Everything in the house is available, from the furniture, to the clothing, to the 1965 Porsche 365 C. The Porsche will set you back approximately $70,000 though.
Guests walk around dim-sum style writing down which items they want and how many they’d like, and voila! The items are procured from the back and into your hands. Featured brands are Poler, Taylor Stitch, Aether, Triple Aught Design, Tellason and more.
My favorite items are the Columbiaknit confetti beanie ($22), Triple Aught Design merino wool scarf ($60) and GORUCK GR1 ($295).
If you haven’t gotten the chance to check any of these brands out, it’s worth venturing out to the Mission to check out. The Huckberry Holiday Home is located at 3180 17th St, between Van Ness and Shotwell, next door to Mission Bowling Club and Shell. Their doors are open from 11am to 5pm until Monday, December 16.
