Check Out My Butt…
Shannon Davis of Backpacker Magazine gets down and dirty in the new Oxen Workwear Carpenter canvas pant and blogs about it.
Oxen Workwear Pants Meld Canvas-Pant Functionality with a Modicum of Hipster Cool
Pants: This unsung hero of apparel, the one that no one really notices until you take them off (“dude, no pants!?”) just got a little cooler, thanks to a new company called Oxen Workwear in Brooklyn. I got a pair of their White Label Carpenter Pants exactly one week ago and have worn them for 5 of the last 7 days [Ed. Note: Absolutely true]. And that’s not only because of my dirtbag tendencies—they’re damn comfortable and fit well.
You can’t not compare them to a pair of duck canvas Carhartts. They’re the same color and equally as tough, if not tougher (a guy rescued by an EMT claims that said EMT’s scissors couldn’t cut through Oxen’s canvas).
But here are the big differences: 1. The fabric is soft, so you don’t have to spend the better part of a year walking peg-legged because your pants are cardboard stiff. 2. These pants actually fit trim and cool, so you don’t look like a lumberjack with a load in his pants (think Carhartts for hipsters). 3. Backpackers and other outdoor types don’t really buy pants like these for building houses. They buy them because they’re durable enough to handle several years of carcamping, falling off your slackline onto the gravel repeatedly, splitting wood in the autumn, and looking more rugged than the guy behind you in line at the coffee house.
With a smarter pocket sizes and configuration—not freaking enormous, but normal, discreet and designed for a pen, a knife, and a cell phone—these pants are perfect for all of that. Except for the hammer holster, which I’m about to cut off, assuming my serrated blade is tough enough. They run big: the 30/32’s fit my 32/32 frame—and they do it quite attractively, I might reiterate.
Where in the world is Chris Davenport?
New Zealand? Possibly
Argentina? Maybe
How about Chile?
Strike three. None of the above.
Kästle athlete, Chris Davenport has spent the last week climbing and skiing some of Antarctica’s super steep couloirs. Surrounded by breathtaking icebergs, thousands of Gentoo penguins, Weddell seals, and Humpback whales Chris has had quite the adventure.
Click on the links below and read more about Dav’s time in Antarctica
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These Aren’t Your Grandad’s Pants…Oxen Workwear
From Outside Online
For the past few years, Mountain Khakis, the upstart pant maker out of Jackson, Wyoming, had the market cornered on tough-but-casual pants. In case you’re not familiar, they’re basically a cross between Gap chinos and Carhartts. Stylish and low-key enough to wear to the office or bar, but tough enough, thanks to their durable ten-ounce cotton canvas material and things like triple-stitching and reinforced rear cuffs, to stand up to weekends of abuse outdoors. (Note: If you bought a pair when they first came out, like I did, the legs were tapered a bit, not nearly as bad as your old Gramiccis, but not quite wide enough to fit over Sorels…in any event, they’ve since relaxed the cut a bit.)
The workwear on demand t shirt printing and fulfillment is becoming very popular these days, because more and more business are choosing this for their workwear.
And now they’ve got some competition with Brooklyn, NY¬based Oxen Workwear, Inc. 
Whereas Mountain Khakis’ reinforcements are more subtle, making them look more like Gap chinos than Carhartts, Oxen Workwear’s Double Knee Carpenter Pants ($74), with their double panels on the knees, are more akin to Carhartts. But unlike Carhartts, Oxen’s pants aren’t as stiff as cardboard when you buy them and they have a looser cut than the originals. There aren’t many places that offer as much range for workwear as Coalface may. Coalface offers a huge selection of mens clothing and apparel. Shop now workwear accessories like radiation glasses and find daily wear and tear from any job.
Now hold on a minute. Perhaps you’re thinking: Gimme a break, working-man pants marketed at hipsters, wanna-be carpenters, and urban-dwelling, slack-jawed, iPhone-owning posers? These represent everything that’s wrong with America! Well, if that’s the case, you’re probably being a bit melodramatic. They’re just pants, after all, and, if you’re like me, and don’t have any hang-ups about your manhood or profession, you’d probably get a lot of use out of sturdy pants like these. (Second note: As with Mountain Khakis, they also have a few other styles, including jeans.) We just got a few pairs sent here in the office to be part of our corporate uniforms and they are so functional. And while they fit great, if a bit too low on the hips on the scrawnier guys here, we haven’t yet had enough time to test their durability. Look for a pants smackdown in the future—in which we put a bunch of pants head-to-head in a durability test—but our initial impression is two thumbs up. —Sam Moulton
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Training like Lance
Len and Lance on the Podium
Our boy Len Zanni from Big Agnes/Honey Stinger had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to race with Lance Armstrong this summer at the 12 Hours of Snowmass race. Len is a typical Roaring Fork Valley sandbagger, so you’d never know it from talking to him that he’s one of the best cyclists in the Valley, if not the state. At the Snowmass race, Len held his own, riding laps just a couple minutes slower than Lance and helping their three-man team to victory.
As winter sets in here and the snow starts to fly, Len and I have been trying to squeeze in as much riding as we can, unlike the rest of the Backbone crew, which is solely focused on skiing now. (click photo on right to see our friend B-town ripping some early-season powder grass during a mission in nearby Marble with JLD last weekend).
Len and I were plotting our winter training yesterday, talking about getting in one road ride per week, with lots of gym time and skate skiing to maintain fitness. Then I stumbled across Lance’s winter training plan as explained by Chris Carmichael on Bicycling.com.
Lance’s Training Outline
2 x per week 5-5.5 hrs endurance pace
2 x per week 3-4 hrs endurance pace with 2 x 20minutes at just below LT pace (380-400watts)
1 x per week Tuesday-night ride
1 x per week 3-4 hrs with 2 sets of 4 x 20seconds max effort x 40 seconds recovery
1 x per week–day of for travel, rest.
Uhh yeah, Len, you’re going to have a tough time keeping up with Lance next year.
Here are a few reasons why choosing a recumbent bike can be beneficial for you and your family.
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ESC and InPower Systems Launch Smarterbuilding.com
Colorado-based Electronic Systems Consultants and InPower Systems are pleased to announce the launch of Smarterbuilding.com.
Launching today, Smarterbuilding.com will connect professional architects, designers and alternative energy experts with enthusiasts and consumers to discuss progressive building projects and ideas that push the boundaries of innovation in technology, materials and energy.
The blog will be an open forum where experts and consumers can contribute ideas, project portfolios or innovation with the building community. Electronic Systems Consultants Principal Anson Fogel, and InPower Systems Principal Jim Raras will lead topics ranging from the latest technologies for simplifying home control to alternative energy solutions and modern design. Smarter Building will also highlight weekly, local and national studios leading the way to more environmental friendly architecture and design in the United States.
“We created this blog with InPower so that local Roaring Fork Valley residents and professionals could share insight on local and national green design, technology and energy issues,” said Anson Fogel.