Brooks Brothers Extra Slim Fit - Made in USA

If you're looking for a no frills oxford cotton button down (OCBD) shirt with a great fit at a bargain price, look no further than Brooks Brothers. They basically invented the button down shirt, so it makes sense buying your shirt from them, they know what they're doing (despite all of the commotion of trad/preppy blogs about the fused collars). Especially after they've begun offering some of the classic colourways in trimmer options. You shouldn't be discouraged by the use of  "extra slim fit", as they aren't that slim, honestly. But compared to the trad or regular options, which some purists probably prefer, I'm sure, it will indeed feel extra slim fit. To me they're just a comfortably tailored shirt with sufficient room to work in. And it's great that they're offering sizes based on the length of your arms and the circumference of your neck, and not S, M, L, XL, as we're mostly used to en Europe nowadays.

The product is great, don't get me wrong. But it could of course be better, but keep in mind it's an off the rack garment. You don't get mother of pearl buttons and some of the other great details that you often see on some OCBD's from other brands, and you're quite limited in terms of colours, prints and patterns, however you get the essential colours. But the price is just insane. 3 for $225. And that price has actually gone up, they used to be cheaper. For me this is the go-to shirt without comparison. There are better products out there definitely, however the price and the iconic status of the Brooks Brothers brand is just the deciding factor, but mostly the price. I sometimes think about, how many shirts they could be selling, if they decided to go into their archives and used some fabrics of the past. I mean, I would love an BB OCBD in Chambray or winter weight flannel. They offer these options, but they aren't made in the USA, which is a deciding factor for me. I want them to be made in the US and I want that great single needle tailoring, that only they can make. Again, other companies can of course make shirts using single needle tailoring, however I think that the way Brooks Brothers does it, is so typical and great.

I've only been dealing with the made in the USA options. I don't know anything about the imported shirts.

Fit: Great. Could be better.
Details: Great. Could be better.

Colourways: Sufficient. Room for improvement.
Historical correctness: Who cares? 

Fabric: Fine. Room for improvement.

Distribution: Please bring them to Europe.

Price: Perfect.

Topo Designs - Daypack

My quest for a backpack came to an temporary end some weeks ago, when I finally purchased the daypack from Topo Designs. I have long been wanting to buy a backpack because a tote gets hard to carry, if you stuff it, and messenger bags can cause some fatigue, if you don't switch shoulders every now and then. The reason for me choosing Topo is quite simple; they're affordable (or rather cheap, actually), they're sturdy and they look good. But they aren't super good, which is why my search is only temporarily over because I will get another and better backpack, once I have the money and come across the perfect backpack. However I have to say, that you would have a hard time of finding a better product at the price. So this is true value for money.

I field tested the bag, when I went back home for six days, which I'll tell you more about a little later. Here is how it looks, when it is stuffed to maximum capacity.

It's much bigger, than it appears. It has a volume of 22.4 L.

The leather quality could be a bit better, but still it's a very nice detail.

Though I'm usually not too fond of YKK zippers, these are great. They run smoothly and easily.

The camo pattern is quite en mode right now. But I love it despite all the hype.

The hardware is all metal and the webbing seems sturdy. In a perfect world it would have been cotton webbing, however many companies used the same type of webbing in the heyday of hiking back in the 60s and 70s.

What you can't see from these pictures, is that the inside is very thoughtfully put together. It has a space for your laptop and some good pockets, which makes it easy to arrange all of your stuff.

For around $100 plus shipping you can get a well-made (in the US) bag that will last a long time. I think, that's great and Topo deserve every bit of praise.

And it so happens to be, that they just released a short video featuring the very sympathetic owners.