These did not come with me from Brooklyn. I actually picked them up our second day in the Catskills at the local hardware store while I was purchasing other supplies to start our renovation project. This particular pair is made by Milwaukee tools. I have no allegiance to the brand, but I will say that these gloves have been excellent. I use them multiple times per day. The first weekend with them, the leather dye turned my hands orange for a minute. But other than that I have no complaints. Over the past month and change, they have kept my hands from getting torn to shreds while doing everything from stacking firewood, to shoveling snow. I plan to buy a second pair when these wear out.

No toolbox is complete without a multimeter. I use this thing constantly around the house, as well as when tinkering on the motorcycle, drones, etc.. Not only has it saved me from many an unwanted shock, it has saved me guess work in a myriad of situations. This particular model is pretty old school, as evidenced by the analog readout. I got it in my Christmas stocking one year, in college. The rest of my siblings also received one that year. I think that my dad must have seen deal on them at Radio Shack (RIP) or something. Possibly the most valuable stocking-stuffer, ever. Thanks, dad!

The fact that I now share a patio table with my wife as our “desk” (I knew one day I would get that partner desk, hehe), and being that she has a very strong phone voice, these earbuds from Master and Dynamic have proved invaluable over the past few weeks.

I’m one of those people who cannot wear Apple earbuds. My ear canal is too big, or the wrong shape (or something). The right ear always falls out. I hear good things about the airpod pros, with the silicone buds. But I’m not sure how soon I’ll be switching over to those, because I am very happy with these M&Ds. They sounds great and are also great looking, in my opinion. Also, everyone has airpods. I like to consider these the anti-airpods. Without going into a rant about why I’m generally anti-Apple/Mac, let’s just say that stylistically, I’ll take tortoise shell over most of the alternatives.

This camping table by Burton was the piece of gear that I never knew I needed. It was the prize in a giveaway that Britt won a few years ago. The table breaks down into a case that is about the size of 3 soup cans stacked end to end. We use it all of the time at home, and it has been an essential item for our current indoor camping experience.

Our first weekend in the Catskills we had a cord of wood delivered by dump truck. It was a giant pile of mostly dry hickory and cherry wood logs. Great firewood, but no kindling sized pieces. I needed a way to split some smaller pieces but did not want to invest in a full sized axe (yet). I also wanted something a little more substantive than a regular hatchet. Estwing solved my conundrum with their Camper’s Axe.

I grew up using Estwing’s brick hammers, and have a lot of confidence in their tools. This piece is no exception. The long handle gives me the ability to swing it like a regular axe. But I can also choke up on the handle a bit and use it with a hammer for finishing off a stubborn split. It has been a great addition to the tool chest.