Category Archives: review

Things I Love: Patagonia

I have long admired Patagonia as a company. The film above perfectly encapsulates many of the reasons why. Even though I only own a few of their products, I appreciate their commitment to quality, long lasting products, and their understanding of their impact on the environment. In fact, they heavily promote the idea, through the Common Threads Partnership, that their products are best purchased used in good condition — since they are made to last a long time.

vest

I was able to acquire a vintage (1980’s era?) Patagonia down vest in very good condition at a clothing exchange that was part of an re-use fair we attended earlier this year. It has become my go-to outer layer this chilly fall season. I’ve become quite enamored with it and wear it almost daily. It’s well made, rather warm, and looks good tossed over a mid-weight fleece. Putting it on knowing it got years of good use by someone else before me and that I’m part of its working life makes it all the more special to me. I’m sure it will serve me well for many years to come.

I also recently purchased some Patagonia Nomader Pants for travel and, while I have only worn them a couple of times, they appear to hold similar promise (though they appear to be currently unavailable).

All of this is to say that Patagonia, and the products they make, are well worth your consideration. But, if it suits you, check for used items first. Conveniently, they make it easy for you.

Things I Love: Pendleton Wool Shirts

My Pendleton Shirts

The Season Of Stuff draws near. Far be it from me to discourage you from participating. After all, I will both give and receive plenty of stuff just like everyone else. It’s just that, if you are going to be giving stuff anyway, why not give something that will last a lifetime, always be in style, and be easily passed on for years more use?

That’s why I love the three Pendleton wool shirts I own. They are dependable, sturdy, and warm. Of these, two are vintage and were purchased used — yet they look brand new. That is because these things were built to last. Here in Minnesota, where the value of a time-tested wool shirt in winter is not lost, you can find them easily and inexpensively in just about any thrift or vintage store — still as stylish and often in as good of shape as the day they were new. In fact, I recommend buying them used as it is better for the planet and this is a rare case where the quality is so consistent that the difference between use and new is negligible. But, even brand new, it is an investment well made. They make a great gift that anyone could, if properly maintained and treasured, provide a lifetime of purpose.

In fact, everything Pendleton makes is outstanding. I have a sweater from them as well and it fits all of the criteria mentioned above.

The Middle Path

I gave a brief review of Path when it first arrived on the scene back in 2010. At the time I just started to use it and was pleasantly surprised by it’s approach. They not only seemed generally interested in a well designed social experience but also a well restricted one. They positioned themselves around the idea that this was a digital journal of sorts that was shared with only your closest family and friends. And, to further reinforce this idea, they actually limited the number of people one could count as a “friend” on the network to 150. This number was not arbitrarily made up. It was based on Dunbar’s Number, the suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships proposed by British anthropologist Robin Dunbar.

Now, Path has had it’s growing pains. They made a stupid choice at one point to access and upload people’s contacts to their service. Unfortunately, this caused many users to write them off completely (and even for Apple to make some changes to an apps ability to do such a thing in the first place). The CEO apologized for it but for some it was either not enough or came off to them as not sincere. But, as one who stuck with the service, I really believe they have been actively working to change this perception. The iPhone and iPad apps (the only way to use the service, mind you) are some of the most beautifully designed and thought through ones I use. The company puts it’s values and story front and center on it’s website. In short, they have worked very hard to win back and deserve the trust of those that use it.

I still use Path pretty actively. I post something there at least once a day. Given it’s purpose and what I use it for, I’m pretty picky about who I connect with there. I really have to consider you a friend or someone I’m at least comfortable sharing more personal details with than I would otherwise share on the more open social networks. I share plenty of pics of my little girl, my day-to-day activities, my runs (it connects with Nike+), my current location, and the occasional selfie. It is the primary way I interact with some other social networks including Foursquare.

Here is how Path fits in for me. I keep the stuff I just want for my eyes only in Day One, the stuff I wish to share with a wide and indiscriminate audience I do on App.net or Twitter. Path sits in the middle of this sharing graph. It is for the stuff I wish to share but only with a selected few. I like to think of it as the “friendship” chair of Thoreau’s home.

The thing is though that I fear for Path’s health and future. Today, they had to lay off 20% of the staff. And though they recently rolled out a premium subscription model, I still am not sure if there are enough people using it and willing to pay for that to sustain them. I hope it sticks around.

But, most importantly, I would like to see and interact more of my friends there. I like it and I think most of them will too. So, if you are so inclined, I think you should give it a shot. And, feel free to look me up and reach out to me if you do.