I have been told by some in the fly fishing blogger community that talking about gear is not exactly a "cool" thing to do. Well, being that I don't really give a shit about what IS and what is NOT cool, I thought I'd talk about gear, as being un-cool sort of motivates me.

After all, lettering in junior varsity golf at Shorecrest high certainly didn't help my awesome factor. It seemed that playing Saxophone in the high school marching band and being addicted to fly fishing didn't exactly make me a hit with the ladies either. I did find one lady however that thought I was cool, so I married her. How many chances would an un-cool guy get after all?

In fact, I like gear. When you spend a lot of time outside, it's what you wear and use that can make your precious time doing what you love either a pain in the ass, or pure bliss. Ask a fly fishing, mountain, or whitewater guide who spends 300 plus days a year outdoors how they feel about the equipment they use. You're likely to find out they carry a special little place in their heart for the gear they love.

Being that I call Patagonia products home every day of my life, I felt a little bad about my ealier rip on their socks so I thought I would share my feelings about a product that makes me all comfy, warm inside, and definitely un-cool (I told you I wasn't cool).

I am absolutely in love with Patagonia products. Not just the fishing gear. The shirts, shorts, pants, fleece, insulation, and Capilene boxers as well. You name it, I own some of it. Repping for their fishing accounts definitely helped increase my stockpile of their goods, but my first encounter with their gear was when my Dad bought me a long sleeve Capilene shirt to wear skiing. I was 10 years old or so. It's safe to say that I know the stuff fairly well. In fact, I'm just now planning to make a video about my love affair with the Nano Puff Pullover.

It really pains me to make my first post about their gear a negative one but as I sit here trying to keep my second toe from slipping through the hole in the bottom of my sock, I cannot resist. I do so out of love. For god sakes, fix the socks!

I'm not talking about ALL of their socks. The Ultra Heavyweight Mountaineering socks are f'ing bomber, and are the best all around fishing sock in the world. I'm talking about the midweight, lightweight, and ultra lightweight hiking crew socks. They are absolutely terrible! 

The socks pictured are not that old, and I have pairs of (this really hurts) Smartwool socks that look brand new after many years. These Gucci socks fall apart and get thin very, very quickly. I hate to even put new ones in the washer/dryer for fear that every washing is going to disintegrate them even more.

They fit incredibly well, they stay put, wick moisture and keep feet really comfy. They are in fact perfect, other than the fact that they suck!