Bags

Three great reasons — one classic, one affordable, and one uber-customizable — to not settle for the doppelgänger shades everyone else is wearing.

The loosest fitting of male undershorts, boxers allow free range of movement for you legs and other parts, and enough soft protection that wearing them is like getting away with loungewear 24/7.

Your normal couch-bound weekend attire won’t cut it during a weekend at the track; tarmac-amplified heat and humidity plus the occasional run-in with a troupe of Umbrella Girls nixes that plan.

In honor of National Bike to Work Day, 2015, we bring the best road wares for the bike commuter.

F-Stop is a relative newcomer to the camera bag scene, and its St. Louis headquarters is incongruous with its focus on packs for mountain sports photography.

Can a piece of luggage have a successor? Tumi, the venerable brand practically synonymous with domestic airports, believes it can with the release of the Alpha 2.

Packing for a tropical getaway usually only involves deciding what color swim trunks to pack. But when your plans include jungle hiking, cave exploration and scuba diving, things get a little more complicated.

We know you love leather bags, and so do we. But there are times, say, when you’re toting your photography gear, that you need a more all-weather, utilitarian alternative.

Immorality? Regulation?

In the good old days of train travel a gentleman would have a cavalcade of steamer trunks in tow, housing all manner of wardrobe, knick knacks, accoutrement and what-have-yous. These days, a guy’s lucky if his rolling carry-on isn’t checked at the gate.

Not far behind the invention of the wheel, in terms of ingenuity, is the wheeled duffel. The problem is, most wheeled duffels are either good at wheeling or good at holding gear, but seldom both; that’s not to mention most have a hybrid appearance that neither looks stylish on the concourse nor rugged in the outback.

If you’re a stylish gent, you’re acutely aware of each seasonal shift. Spring affords chances to wear lighter, refreshed colors; summer is time for light material and sunglasses; autumn means breaking out a chunky cardigan.

Retro gear is retro for a reason: modern outdoor gear design performs better than its forebears in almost all respects. But we still have a soft spot for the leather, wool, canvas alpine designs of the 1950s and ‘60s — you know, before things got all sleek and neon.

Dali said intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings. Clearly, you’ve got both in spades — all that’s lacking is better preparation.

Travel pros. You’ve seen them.

When traversing with photography equipment, you need a camera bag that can travel the same way you do: with a minimalist’s panache.

On my first night with the GORUCK GR2 ($395) we slept together in a bus station — and we’ve been going steady since.

Finally the brightness of summer is on its way. Now, for the harsh reality: you’ve had plenty of time during the last five months of gray to forget where you left your last set of sunglasses.

I have terrible luck checking luggage, and the list of destinations where I’ve arrived with only the clothes on my back spans the globe: Iceland, Sri Lanka, Portugal, Germany. The problem is, most carry-on bags are unwieldy, anonymous “roll-aboards” or lumpy backpacks that are better suited for campus or the trail.

The Davek Elite Umbrella is one you’ll be proud to carry, and unlike the Big-Top-schemed giant golf umbrella you got for free last year, it’ll stand up to most serious winds. Plus, it carries with it an unconditional lifetime guarantee.