Triple Aught Design is a clothing company based out of San Francisco that was started by Patrick Ma in 1997 that I can honestly feel good about. Born out of a love for adventure, life, nature and a need for reliable gear, Ma's inspiration came from the outdoors, both urban and natural and marching through rough terrain with the United States Army.

There's no doubt that TAD, as it's referred to by its' loyal fans, is military inspired with their use of subdued greens, browns and greys, however they swear thant their gear is for use by everyone everywhere. Their mission statement is as follows: "To create legendary apparel and equipment by blending innovation, classic design and modern technology."

I can't say enough good things about this brand and the people that produce it. From their outstanding customer service, to their uber-loyal fanbase, who furiously follow their every post on Facebook, myself included, it's quite obvious that this company is doing something right.

TAD sponsors Team Rubicon- a group of veterans and first responders who travel to disaster areas as a strike team providing relief efforts immediately following disaster events so you know their heart is in the right place.

On Fridays when they typically release new products and restock the old faithful ones, collectors of these fine garments are hovering over their keyboards waiting to spend hundreds of dollars on fleeces, pants, technical jackets and other accessories.

Most of their garments are made in the USA, of cotton, nylon, and merino wool and are some of the highest quality articles of clothing that I have owned. If you are reluctant to buy a fleece for over $200, fear not, because you won't be sorry and you won't be cold either.

Find them here: www.TripleAughtDesign.com

All Photos are from Triple Aught Design

originally posted on www.Three8Six.com, 10/8/2008

Something for the Ladies! Green is the new black, recycled, or as the industry 
puts it, "repurposed" items, are way cool. Building something new out of something 
old... it's a novel idea. Here are some purses, called "Wristlets" made of recycled 
materials like: newspapers (covered in cellophane), plastic soda bottle wrappers, 
and candy wrappers. According to Ecoist.com the purses are strong, sturdy, and 
water resistant. They are 8 inches long by 3.5 inches wide and are certified 
fair trade, made in Mexico and Peru.

Find them here: www.ecoist.com

Everyone needs water, and water is pretty boring by itself, so why not buy a fashionable container for your water. Kleen Kanteen is the hippest in H20 containment.

You need to trash the Lexan bottle you have now, probably made in China, because it most likely contains something called Polycarbonate #7. This nasty chemical has been found to leach into your drink and create some less than desirable side-effects. According to www.Treehugger.com 'studies in the US have linked it to breast cancer, early puberty' and it is currently under the microscope for its effect of 'feminizing hormones' on guys. Yup, that's right, the plastic water bottles could give you breasts. Sure, men like breasts, but just not attached to thier own bodies....ok maybe some of you do, but that's a topic for another blog.

Anyways, the Kleen Kanteen is made of food-grade stainless steel that's completetly free of BPA and other toxins. Because stainless steel itself is safe, the inside of the bottle isn't coated with a plastic or epoxy lining, like inferior aluminium bottles. Be it coffee, wine, or your favorite sports beverage...when you're KK is empty that's it, no residue, no aftertaste remains. The best part...is the wide mouth. It's big enough to get a dish brush in there or large ice cubes.  The Kleen Kanteen comes in 5 oz. size up to 40 oz. so for baby food or a 7 and Seven, there will be no Poly #7 here.

You can find more info at www.KleenKanteen.com

 After watching the first season of AMC's The Walking Dead on Netflix, I was hooked. The zombie craze is upon us and you can see it in the proliferation of video games, TV Shows and movies. When Halloween rolled around this year, we hadn't put too much thought in going out that night  much less dressing up. But the inspiration had bitten us and my brain was infected with the idea of a zombie costume. I'm a fan of the costume that takes 5 minutes and doesn't require a lot of money. My wife was able to whip up this zombie costume in about 15 minutes using only materials purchased at Wallgreens. We found white face makeup, black face makeup, red food coloring and some cheap scar making stuff and Viola! My zombie costume was complete. The fake blood is made from corn syrup and red food coloring but it coagulates perfectly.

It's super easy, fun and takes very little time. I got lots of compliments on it.

Check out  Walking Dead...

It's an awesome show.