Dapper Scout – A lifestyle web magazine for men

The editors at DS often get asked for a good watch recommendation at a reasonable price.  Though we feel this market continues to be underserved, there are a handful of watch brands that manage to deliver both quality and design without becoming the one outlier of a credit card charge on your billing statement.  We’ve always been fans of Timex with their history of producing durable and dependable watches, and with the launch of the TX line in particular, they’ve further enhanced the styling and engineering behind their timepieces without unreasonably elevating their price point.  And with the two Timex watches below, you could probably buy one with the cash in your pocket, while the other would be on par with the cost of your bar tab from a couple weekend’s worth of shenanigans.

Item A.

Timex Camper (available at Timex for $35): with a nylon strap, luminescent hands/markers and water resistance up to 30 meters, the Timex Camper is direct, rugged, takes a licking, and keeps on…you get the picture.

Item B.

TX 730 Series Classic Fly-Back Chronograph (available at Timex for $550): on somewhat of the opposite end of the design spectrum, the TX 730 Series features multifunctional movement with a compass, tachymeter, date and four-hour fly-back chronograph functionality, housed in a slick aviation-inspired case (and the fact that it’s blacked out certainly doesn’t hurt either). 

Adventure, Gear, Outdoors, Watches

The hat trick.  The trifecta.  The trinity.  There’s always been something sublime and utterly complete about things that come in threes.  With the Suunto Elementum (price TBA), you’re able to choose from three separate watch lines that equip you to handle the elements while exploring: Aqua (for diving), Terra (for outdoor expedition) and Ventus (for sailing).  All three share a ruggedly modern aesthetic and a bevy of features specifically designed to ensure your safety and survival, whether measuring dive depth, reading barometric pressure and trend, or providing 3D compass directions.  In addition, every Elementum is made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel and has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal glass with anti-reflective coating, while being water resistant from 100m to 200m, depending on the model.  You can also choose from steel, leather, and rubber straps in various colors, allowing you to personalize your Elementum to fit your sense of style while roughing it in the great outdoors.

Adventure, Gear, Outdoors, Watches

It’s hard to imagine that computers were once unwieldy, glorified typewriters that solely resided on top of desks.  They’ve since exponentially increased in power and functionality while diminishing in weight and size, enough to rest comfortably on our laps and now, even our wrists.  And when you’re trekking to the outer reaches of civilization, you can feel confident with the world’s smallest and lightest outdoor GPS wristop computer, the Suunto X10 (available at Buy.com for $403) securely attached to your wrist.  Equipped with an altimeter, compass, barometer, and powerful GPS, the Suunto X10 monitors altitude and barometric pressure, records speed and distance, and navigates up to 500 waypoints, guaranteeing you’ll reach your destination with precision and reliability from anywhere within the world.  And Suunto Track Exporter software even lets you upload completed journeys to Google Earth, where you can recreate, view and share your travels with friends and family using real satellite imagery.

Adventure, Gear, Outdoors, Watches

As a native Californian, Danny Hess has been surfing and building boards since he was a teenager.  And so it’s no surprise that Hess Surfboards was born out of his passion for surfing, coupled with a background in carpentry and green design.  Hess Surfboards focuses on uncompromised quality and performance while incorporating recyclable and sustainable materials in an effort to reduce their environmental impact.  Examples of this include the use of reclaimed and sustainably harvested woods such as Amapola, Poplar, and cork, as well as eco-conscious resources such as EPS foam (a recyclable surfboard foam) and epoxy (which emits low Volatile Organic Compounds).  And by using approximately half the fiberglass of conventional surfboards, combined with proprietary construction techniques, Hess Surfboards are stronger based on their high tensile strength to weight ratio and last longer due to their ability to avoid fatigue and deterioration like most traditional foam-based boards.  Aesthetically, there’s a unifying theme running through all of Hess Surfboards—an organic beauty suggestive of repurposed driftwood whose only place of natural existence is back out at sea.  While we love the natural simplicity of the handplanes, among the myriad boards, we’re especially fond of the Singer—a collaborative design with Thomas Campbell.  [Thanks Patrick!]

Adventure, Gear, Leisure, Outdoors, Surfing

When you take a class to learn something new, you generally want to use the knowledge or skills you’ve just acquired to reinforce what you’ve been taught.  That said, one class where you hope you’ll never have to use your newfound knowledge is the Executive Protection & Anti-Kidnapping Course at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving (four days for $5,925), where you’ll learn how to identify, avert and evade potential on-road conflicts whether criminal or even terrorist in nature.  With General Motors as the official vehicle supplier of the Bob Bondurant School, you’ll spend over 80% of the course behind the wheel of a Chevy Tahoe and Cadillac CTS, receiving hands-on training in mastering maximum vehicle control and counter-terrorist driving skills such as forward and reverse 180s, evading and ramming, cornering and braking techniques, and takeouts/PIT maneuvers, among a myriad of other skills that your high school driving course never taught you.

Adventure, Leisure, Sports Cars, Trucks

The Zero Motorcycles Zero MX (available at Zero Motorcycles starting at $8,250) gives you a whole new reason to go green this summer.  The Zero MX is a completely electric, dirt-riding, jump-taking, trick-landing motorcycle.  With a proprietary lithium ion power pack and custom suspension system, the Zero MX produces zero emissions and offers the most torque and acceleration in its class.  So pat yourself on the back for taking that first step toward environmental consciousness and brace yourself against the bike’s sculpted aircraft grade aluminum frame as you fly effortlessly through the air, leaving behind nothing but a trail of dirt and debris.

Street riding more your thing?  Check out:
The Mission One Electric Motorbike

Adventure, Gear, Going green, Motorcycle, Outdoors

With an impressive stable of super cars including Chevrolet Corvette Z06s, Ferrari 360 Spiders, Aston Martin DB9s, and Ford GTs available for your driving pleasure, Western Road Adventures at the Gateway Canyons Resort in Colorado is the ultimate road trip adventure.  The all-inclusive adventure packages are based on three-day itineraries starting at $3,000 or five-day itineraries starting at $5,000 (both for two people), all of which include ground transportation to and from the Gateway Canyons Resort, priority access to Resort amenities, concierge services, costs associated with driving the cars and all meals.  You’ll receive an orientation to each car prior to driving along outstandingly windy roads to locations such as Aspen, Telluride and Moab before returning to the Gateway Canyons Resort each day where you’ll have access to activities such as guided hiking, mountain biking, ATV rides as well as equestrian trail rides.  And whether you opt for the three or five-day itinerary, our favorite part of this entire adventure package is that each one ends with off-road driving along the Dolores River in the Land Rover Defender, one of the most badass off-roading SUVs ever.

Adventure, Automobiles, Leisure, Sports Cars, Travel, Trucks

Swedish designer-surfer Thomas Meyerhoffer has reinvented the longboard.  Drawing inspiration from nature (and we theorize old school wooden ice cream spoons), the Meyerhoffer Surfboard (available at Global Surf Industries for $645 – $895) has a shape that’s organic and fluid, allowing surfers to seamlessly integrate with the waves and ultimately experience better control at higher speeds.   Board sizes range from 7’6” – 9’6” and they’re all constructed in Meyerhoffer’s proprietary SLX and glassed over with white tinted epoxy resin as well as a beautiful finishing gloss.  The result is a surfboard that’s revolutionary in function and a revelation in design.

Adventure, Gear, Leisure, Outdoors, Surfing

If you’ve reached the point where a vacation with lazy days lounging on a beach with a fruity frozen drink in hand just doesn’t get you going anymore, then it’s time to trade in the flip flops and strap on some skis, among other things, and head to Anchorage, Alaska to check out the ultimate adventure vacation with the Kings & Corn Adventure Trip ($8,650).  With five days of non-stop corn snow heli-skiing, white water rafting, and some serious King salmon fishing, the Kings & Corn Adventure Trip will quickly remind you that an adventure vacation without the fear of death by avalanche or grizzly bear just isn’t one worth having at all.

Adventure, Outdoors, Travel

Have you ever wanted to own your own personal yacht and explore the outermost reaches of the world?  Though it may be wishful thinking for most people, Offshore Odysseys believes it should be a reality for anybody who’s as passionate as they are about exploring the few remaining untouched areas of the world.  Offshore Odysseys offers like-minded individuals the opportunity to yacht share on the basis of sharing both the expenses and hence, the benefits of such a unique arrangement.  While on board a Lagoon 570 Catamaran, you’ll go kitesurfing, surfing, paragliding, diving and spearfishing, all in some of the most remote regions of the planet.  Each season will have a mix of 10 day “Adventures” or 14 day “Epics”—each one unique and focused on serious exploration.  Approximately $300 per person, per day covers share costs and annual operating expenses.  Needless to say, this isn’t for the faint of heart, or light in wallet, but for those with an abundance of both, it’s a little slice of nirvana that can only be found on a yacht in the middle of nowhere.

Adventure, Leisure, Travel