Gear Shots #17

howies Skomer Jean/Merino Base Layer, Dakine Windblocker Hoodie and Bontrager Big Earl Tires
Look what the postie brought...
Words and images Cam McRae

howies Jeans
I'd heard of howies before but when a reader sent me an email telling me I had to check them out I did some research.  Some poking around their Web site convinced me this was a company I wanted to get cozy with. 

howies (which boasts that they are the 3rd largest clothing company in Cardigan Bay, West Wales) does things a little differently. They think carefully about the impact they have on the globe and they ask you to do the same.  Ever heard of a clothing company discussing the evils of over-consumption?  That's howies.  The waistband of the jeans pictures at right is adorned with this message; wood doesn't grow on trees.  I've never thought of it that way before.

howies believes you should put your own experience into your jeans.  They aren't 'pre-worn' or aged in any way.  That's up to you.

The most comfortable new jeans I've ever slipped on

Dakine Windblocker Hoodie

Everybody likes a hoodie.  Warmth and street cred are a good combo but when the weather turns foul cotton doesn't do the trick.  The Windblocker changes all that.  It's made of a cotton/poly fleece blend that's married to a bonded mesh windblocker membrane.  When the north wind howls you'll still be smiling.  The pockets have zippers for security and the DK79 graphics are killer.

Dakine Windblocker Hoodie
US$56
CDN$80
Dakine.com

howies Merino Wool base layer

It depends on which source you trust.  Some sources say that Merino wool is that which comes from the second or third shearing of a given sheep.  These folks say that after three haircuts a sheep starts to grow coarser wool.  The first shearing is called lambswool.  Then there are actual Merino sheep.  Isn't any wool sheared from a Merino sheep Merino wool?  Is wool from the second or third shearing of a Merino animal then called Merino Merino? 

Regardless, it's the shiznit. howies Merino fibres are only 18.5 microns thick.  A human hair is around 80 which gives you an idea how soft this action is.

Bontrager Big Earl 2.6 Tires
I'm fussy about tires. I want them to be grippy, flat resistant and able to run at the low pressures many of us on the Shore prefer. Some tires start to feel dead once the psi drops below 20. Yes - many of us ride that low in the winter months. When the wood gets so wet that you can see a green reflection staring back at you you need every advantage you can get.

These are nice tires. Awesome grip - even in the nastiest conditions - and the dual compound casing makes them more durable than your average sticky tire. You can run them at 18 psi and they still feel lively thanks to Stability Control Casing. They meet all my criteria and best of all - they are cheap like borscht.