On the Topic of Notebooks

I've always been amused by people, who paid a lot of money for Moleskine notebooks. Not because they're necessarily terrible, but in their marketing campaign, I remember that they gave the impression that a lot of famous artists and writers used their notebooks. But if you looked a bit closer, it was all quotes from the artists and writers saying that they couldn't live without their notebooks - not their Moleskine notebooks. I hardly think, they would pay the costs of a Moleskine.

That being said I'm one of the pretentious guys, that carries a notebook around to take notes, write down grocery lists and draw naughty drawings of naked women. I mostly use Field Notes and Rite in the Rain. And both of them has performed very well, and while I like the fact that you can write in the rain with the RITR notebook, I'm just so infatuated with the Futura font, that I prefer the Field Notes.

Lately I've been looking for alternatives - not because I actually need any, but because I was wondering if there were any made in Denmark (I didn't come across any, but I did find a Danish link) or at least in Europe. And of course you're always hoping for something perfect. As in just that really, really perfect thing (It never happens)

But I did come across a really nice notebook, which is made in France by a company called Calepino. And it was quite refreshing seeing that they had a site in English, which is something the French always seem to miss, and they also look very nice.

If you're still reading and remember that I mentioned a Danish link: The creator of Calepino, Fabrice Richard, mentioned in an interview for the shop La Belle Échoppe that he lived in Copenhagen for a while and that he was greatly inspired by the Danish design philosophy when he started the company. La Belle Échoppe is an amazing store by the way with a perfect concept that I've been meaning to write about for a long time (My notes are terribly messy and mostly unreadable)
Fabrice also mentions that he is doing custom orders, which could be totally amazing and something I would like to look into at some point. I think a slightly larger notebook would be perfect - especially if you like to draw and design stuff. You just need more space sometimes.

The other great option I found was the company Word. They make notebooks in the US. They have a great system for keeping your notes in order, which is great and they offer their notebooks with a camo cover, which is gorgeous.

The use of the Swedish M/90 camouflage is without a doubt my favourite.

If I come across other great options, I'll make sure to share them.

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.

Winter Must Have: Försvarets Hudsalva

Neighbouring countries always seem to have some sort of friendly competition and sometimes even jokes about the stereotypes from the neighbouring country. This is of course also the case with Denmark and Sweden. I won't be going into details with any of the jokes. I will only say, that I'm generally very fond of all of our neighbours. And especially Sweden. 

The Swedish military has even fostered a lot of cool things. Like the camo pattern, M90 and if you ever come across any vintage gear from the Swedish military like their storage boxes and jackets, you'll realize, that they were doing something right.

However I would probably say, that the one thing I like the most, is their lip balm, called Försvarets Hudsalva. This product was ordered by the Swedish military some time in the 1950's and since it has been a massive hit. The original purpose was to avoid chafing wounds, and probably also to put on the skin to avoid frostbite. But today it is mostly considered a lip balm because because of its slight vanilla scent and flavour. But you can use it everywhere needed (apparently also for frying food), which makes it sort of the male equivalent of the "Eight Hour Cream" by Elizabeth Arden. And the packaging isn't too bad either - very masculine and it reminds me of the small container, that films for analog cameras would come in. By the way it's still made in Sweden, in case you care about that.

If I had a shop, I would definitely be selling this. I think it might be sort of a hidden gem, unless you live in Sweden, but I still hope, that this will get a larger, easier distribution.

These photographs were taken by my friend and photographer, Niels Hjorth. Hopefully Niels will help raise the standard of the pictures used on ATD over the coming months, as we are discussing a lot of different projects. Hopefully they will all materialize in the new year.

On the Topic of Camouflage - Camopedia.org

I know, that you see a bit too much camo around these days, but I still love it. When I was a kid I used to collect militaria and I have spent hours and hours in surplus stores and militaria shops. So much that I think the later part of my childhood was spent there entirely. Mom and dad would even leave me there on my own and I would entertain the owners with talk about the crazy bajonet I found on a trip to Holland, the old riffle that my uncle gave me, the complete collection of Danish insignias and the World War I helmet I found at a flea market. Yep, I was a strange kid, now that I think of it.
This thing ended when I sold of my entire collection to buy a pair of new jeans.

Lately I have been doing a lot of research on camouflage because I want to make some small accessories using camouflage, which is why I have been paying Camopedia a daily visit - or actually a couple of daily visits.

My research led me to purchase 10 yards of this fabric - also known as Tiger camo, that I found through an American source. This camo was used by the US in the Vietnam war - and of course used a lot of other places.

I would like to add other camo types to my assortment, and I would also like to add other fabric types like Cordura and rip-stop for instance.

- I will of course let you in on, how the collection continues to increase...

Here are some, that I like - and some of them I'm even actively looking for, so if you have a roll of fabric lying around, let me know.

I like this in a way, but it was mainly included because it is Danish

Topo Designs Klettersack

I don't wear a backpack at the moment, though I think I have a vintage Fjällräven "Kånken" stuffed away somewhere. I'm not eager to get one either, as my experience tells me, that it will be getting very little use. That being said I find myself wanting one of these Klettersacks from Topo Designs. The fact that they are getting good reviews from a lot of reliable sources doesn't make them any less desirable.

Topo Designs seem to have just the right ideals and ideas in order. They started out making everything themselves (Topo wa founded by three friends), but now they make everything in a LEED certified workshop in order to be able to meet the orders from Japan. 

They use proper materials such as 1000 denier cordura nylon, leather and mil-spec hardware. I for one love mil-spec, so that is one massive plus in Topo's favour. In addition to this the bags are also very affordable, and their daypacks are even cheaper. Of course if you live in outside of the US, you have to take custom fees into consideration, but it still makes for a good, affordable alternative.

I look forward to seeing where Topo Designs are going. They are definitely a brand to follow.  I have read somewhere that they will be producing apparel at some point... Interesting.