Awesome Living

Whether you need to carry gear for work or play, the VaultPack is a great way to keep organized on the go. The two-part backpack has a soft outer shell and a waterproof inner bin which keeps gear in separate sections for quick access. Its exterior can be customized with modular pockets and loops for holding various small items.

The one indispensable tool in every pocket, backpack, or gear kit is a quality folding knife. Everyday Carry put together an excellent buying guide with 21 great pocket knives, from traditional wood-handled models to modern, carbon fiber designs. There’s a knife for everyone, with prices ranging from $10 to $310.

Give your creative ideas a fresh new canvas with Uglybooks notebooks. These unruled sketchbooks come in a variety of colors and portrait and landscape versions. The branding is printed on the shrink wrap and not on the notebooks, so you can doodle your own covers. Sold in 3-packs.

This unique lighter from Prometheus Design Werx is precision milled from a 6AL-4V titanium billet. Its deeply-textured body pattern is reminiscent of a grenade, and provides an excellent grip for opening and closing. Its screwtop lid connects with an O-ring seal to keep moisture out, and has a lanyard hole on top.

C3’s remote-controlled coolers keep drinks chilled and look awesome doing it. They come in several body styles, including SUV, truck, and even a Zamboni, in numerous color schemes with stock or custom graphics. Each has a foam-insulated, 24-can cooler, Bluetooth sound, LED headlights, and can tow an add-on trailer.

Celebrate special moments or simply class up the joint with splurge-worthy Bisquit & Dubouché VSOP Cognac (Very Superior Old Pale), an exceptional pour from France’s Cognac region. It’s pressed from the most prestigious eaux-de-vie of vines harvested from four main crus: Petite and Grande Champagne, Fin Bois, and Bons Bois.

A one-of-a-kind collection of vintage “Silver Bullet” trailers highlight the Airstream Heritage Center inside the company’s Jackson Center, Ohio HQ. The museum documents 90+ years of innovation with displays, archives, and awesome models including a 1938 Clipper, Wally Byam’s Gold Airstream, and a painted Argosy trailer.

Because of their size and weight, chainsaws typically require both hands for safe operation. Make It Extreme shows how it’s possible to engineer and construct a compact chainsaw small enough to be held with one hand, yet capable of sawing through thick branches and making very rough cuts of lumber.

Need a place to put your record player and records? El Paso’s 3ft Furniture makes these nifty wood stands that combine mid-century modern and farmhouse style. They sell a variety of models, each providing countertop space for a turntable and storage underneath for records, a speaker, and other items. This model is our favorite.

Big Joe’s oversize bean bag chair measures 58″ x 71″ x 39, offering a casual spot for one to two people to sit and relax. It’s filled with a special shredded foam and wrapped in a luxurious plush cover for the ultimate in comfort. Available in grey, black, or navy blue fabrics.

Keep your drinks within reach with one of these outdoor metal holders from Newch Creative Welds. The YardStick comes in 1-drink, 2-drink, and 4-drink variants, each with a 3-foot-tall stake for the beach or grass, along with a built-in bottle opener. They also make versions with a metal stand for use on patios or decks.

As one of the most notable designs of the 20th century, the Eames LCW (Lounge Chair Wood) is an icon of mid-century modern furniture. Brandmade.TV looks back at the history of the chair, and goes inside the factory where Herman Miller continues to make these chairs by stacking, bending, and sanding plywood veneers.

This large duffel bag has a 40-liter capacity and features a large main compartment, a mesh pocket for separating delicates, and dual zippered storage pockets on the outside. Built-in backpack straps make it easy to carry when hiking. It comes in three vibrant color combinations as well as solid black for a more understated look.

Sick of searching for wrenches and other hand tools in your drawers? Toolbox Widget is a modular system that keeps tools organized. Its magnetic holders give every tool its own place, and a bright orange stripe indicates when a tool is missing from its spot. Available in wrench, screwdriver, plier, and socket versions.

Can’t get your kids to comb their hair? This might help. Fred’s Bonehead comb and brush combo folds up to look like a dinosaur’s skull. Open its jaws and let it chomp down on hair to remove tangles, so your kiddo doesn’t look like an unkempt caveman anymore. Made from durable but flexible ABS plastic.

Like BOTE’s inflatable Hangout chair, but don’t have a swimming pool? The Aero Chair works great on solid ground. It weighs just 7 lb and folds up small for easy carrying. Inflated, it offers a comfortable, low-profile seat, with a side storage pouch and an optional cup holder. It comes in two sizes as well as a 2-person couch version.

Nintendo fans, check out these fun Question Mark Block lamps from Rock City Creative. Each is laser cut from birch plywood and will look great in any geeky setting. They come in 4″ and 8″ sizes with either classic gold or color-changing LEDs. We don’t recommend punching it to see if coins or power-ups come out.

This sling bag is made from water-resistant nylon and provides quick access to your everyday gear. It has multiple zippered pockets for holding keys, tools, chargers, phones, and more. A hidden backside pocket protects passports, cash, and cards, Wear it across your front or back or hang it over your shoulder.

Gear Aid’s versatile drop-point knife is ideal for outdoor adventures. It has a titanium-coated 3″ steel blade with straight and serrated edges, plus a glass breaker and bottle opener at its rear. Its full tang construction means long life, and it comes with a quick-release sheath that can be mounted to webbing or a belt.

This compact flashlight measures less than 4″ long but outputs up to 1200 lumens in turbo mode. Sleek styling sets it apart from other tactical flashlights, and its jagged front edge can be used to break glass in an emergency. It comes in red or green anodized aluminum as well as a natural finish titanium model for $20 more.

The idea of a beer and cigarette soap sounds pretty awful on paper. But rest assured, the fragrances in Soap Distillery’s manly soap bar are surprisingly pleasing, swirling together scents of tobacco, lavender, and hops, into a moisturizing and cleansing mix of coconut, olive, and sunflower oils, lager beer, and black clay.

Urban Survival Gear makes these limited-edition mechanical pencils. They feature a smooth titanium body with a striped texture on the finger grip. A Schmidt DSM 2006 pencil mechanism holds leads firmly in place and comes in 5mm and 7mm lead sizes. The pencil is available in both 5.36″ long and 4.76″ long mini versions.

This special edition of Orbitkey’s key organizer was created in collaboration with accessory-maker Nomad. It features a high-quality Horween leather strap and can hold up to seven keys in a neat stack to keep them from jingling around. A blacked-out D-ring offers a spot to hang a car key fob or other accessories.

NEBO’s pocket tool combines three useful functions in one. In addition to working as a 2200mAh emergency power bank, it has a tri-mode 400 lumen flashlight, and a 3″ utility blade. It’s made from anodized aluminum, is water- and impact-resistant, and is USB rechargeable.

Cristiana Felgueiras of Get Hands Dirty shows off an awesome piece of furniture she designed for efficiency in a tiny apartment she’s building out. The desk has a floating design and a built-in electronic piano that slides out from underneath its work surface. She also built a matching rolling cabinet with a secret drawer.

The elegantly simple and compact Soma Brew Bottle lets you make pour-over or cold brew coffee and then take it to go. It consists of a 12 oz. double-walled glass bottle, a stainless steel filter, and a cap made from recycled plastic.