Word of Mouth - The Crust & Fades Contest

[jkbrwn]

13 minutes ago, willi said:

Is your mystery ranch pack made in USA? I took a look at their line a little while ago and got the impression they were not the same business they were ~15 years ago when I was in the market for expedition packs. I really don't know though.

Na, not many of them. Before I got into ultralight backpacking, I had one and it was very much MiVietnam. Was still a great pack though if you wanted something bomber. Their firefighting packs still may be though. 

[aho]

1 hour ago, jkbrwn said:

Na, not many of them. Before I got into ultralight backpacking, I had one and it was very much MiVietnam. Was still a great pack though if you wanted something bomber. Their firefighting packs still may be though. 

With the purchase by YETI, Mystery Ranch is said to be phased out by EOY unfortunately, though the government contracted stuff will continue on under the same name

Edited February 7 by aho

[willi]

thanks for the info... that's a bummer to hear though. Dana must really be hanging them up this time.

[MJF9]

I bought the backpack (2 day assault model) because it meets the brief for the simple urban activity I need it for, rather than where it was made which I paid no attention to.  Where something is made is not a 100% guarantee of quality.  It's doing the job, is robust and so far so good.    

@aho I saw afterwards MR was being phased out... that was probably useful as it was discounted - assume they're clearing stock.     

[willi]

Country of origin matters in the case of Mystery Ranch because of the legacy of the brand dating back to Dana Design in the 1980s. If  Freewheelers started mass manufacturing in Vietnam, it might technically still be a good pair of jeans, but it wouldn't mean the same thing to consumers in the know. Not a critique of consumers who just want to buy a backpack, I don't judge anyone who buys their jeans at Kohls either. But it's a loss for people who care about this stuff.

[julian-wolf]

During + after 

feat. Union Special, Motor Psyclone, Hollows, Russell

[julian-wolf]

A friend of mine had pulled up a whole lot of irises, so I got my hands on some and spent this afternoon weeding / turning / planting / mulching

The bulbs were in big root clumps of 10–20 per, so the first step was shaking them all apart

Turned the old soil—really nice and easy after a week of heavy rain—then fortified with some new topsoil. Probably pulled 100+ linear feet of old bamboo roots in the process

Then in with the bulbs, plus some forget-me-not seeds, and a layer of mulch for safe keeping. The awful saturated false red is all my neighborhood shop has, and I can never be bothered to go farther afield for something better. After a few weeks in the sun, it does end up bleaching to a nice facsimile of honest redwood

 

feat. Union Special, Two Ears Brand, Great Lakes, Hollows, Russell

[julian-wolf]

Wash day today!

I’ve never made a habit of taking pre-wash photos of jeans, partly because I’ve always cared more about the long term than about the day-to-day and wash-to-wash changes, but mostly because I think that having any folds creases / bags makes it a whole lot harder to get consistent lighting, and as a result the photos tend to look artificially contrasty. Anyway, I think I might try to be consistent about it for these jeans. I don’t expect to wear my ‘51 601xx or my Foreman Pants much in the next year and a half, so I’ll try to always include those as a color / saturation reference.

That said: 3 weeks’ daily wear, before washing:

 

…and after:

 

Really pleased with how they’re coming along, even if still skeptical about how fast they’re losing color. Good puckering and roping, and a really great crinkle to the fabric that got brought out by the trip through the machine—it reminds me a lot of some old White Oak denims in that regard, although of coarse it’s early to say much. Noticed some cute evidence of a little loom chatter on the back of the right leg, above the knee, that’s lightened up a little extra. Disappointed by how much the patch had already faded—wasn’t the fancy foil stamp supposed to help with that?—but overall feeling plenty good about the prospect of another 17 months and change in these.

[srudy]

Out for a walk near my house in Northern CA, big Douglas fir trees, views and water-especially with all the rain we’ve had!

Troy O’Shea hat

jacques Marie mage glasses

3sixteen x crescent down works down jacket

Word of mouth 411S contest denim

duke mantee belt

on running shoes 

Edited February 15 by srudy

[Alec Leamas]

[ATWM]

^ you got a separate care routine for your hems? 😃 

[Alec Leamas]

4 minutes ago, ATWM said:

^ you got a separate care routine for your hems? 😃 

Haha! I've come dangerously close to being that obsessed! Don't tempt me! #ropeislife

[julian-wolf]

No extra care needed: the natural roping on these is crazy

[UkeNo]

Working on my Winter Sun fades in Paphos, Cyprus this week. 
Not sure I’m doing it right? 

 

Edited February 11 by UkeNo
Winter - it’s Winter Sun.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

On 2/10/2025 at 1:45 AM, julian-wolf said:

Disappointed by how much the patch had already faded—wasn’t the fancy foil stamp supposed to help with that?—but overall feeling plenty good about the prospect of another 17 months and change in these.

Honestly, I voted for the standard patch/print with the contest design. But I expetced this fancy method to last longer as well.

And damn, I haven't noticed he was using different buttons for the small buttons. Gonna check my pair now  

[MJF9]

@Alec Leamas wow to that roping... where can it possibly go from here?

@UkeNo yup, think you've got that winter sun just about spot on!

[Alec Leamas]

43 minutes ago, MJF9 said:

@Alec Leamas wow to that roping... where can it possibly go from here?

I know, given the rate of fading, and the roping seen here - I can't imagine how they're going to look in 6 months, let alone 18!

[julian-wolf]

feat. Union Special, Tender Co. x2, Sun Surf / Union Supply, Attractions / Wearmasters

[aho]

2 hours ago, Alec Leamas said:

I know, given the rate of fading, and the roping seen here - I can't imagine how they're going to look in 6 months, let alone 18!

Kind of happy about this to be honest...Will be nice to see some absolutely shredded out and faded jeans after 18 months for a true long wear look! And also gives us time to wear other jeans if temptation calls 😆

[beautiful_FrEaK]

A bit more "formal"

[MJF9]

5150s WAYWT style... it's still cold here so the FW N1 is an almost permanent fixture... my boy just snapped this with a new Panasonic point and shoot... not sure what's going on with the lighting on this setting... but shway shway we'll work it out eventually... 

[UkeNo]

Yelling at the sea. Sure, it’s a different sea to most days, but traditions have to be upheld nonetheless 😉

 

[ATWM]

Layers season here, for sure.

Inis Meain/Kapital/Ooe Yofukuten/WMJ 611’s, Red Wing

Slow start for me, been laid up with all the winter viruses lately!

[Alec Leamas]

12 hours ago, ATWM said:

Slow start for me, been laid up with all the winter viruses lately!

Mutual commiserations buddy - we had a great run prior to Christmas but we've been absolutely slammed since. Pattern usually goes: one of our girls gets ill, then the other, then my wife and then me. Been following that macabre routine for a good 6 weeks now.

[ATWM]

1 hour ago, Alec Leamas said:

Mutual commiserations buddy - we had a great run prior to Christmas but we've been absolutely slammed since. Pattern usually goes: one of our girls gets ill, then the other, then my wife and then me. Been following that macabre routine for a good 6 weeks now.

Sounds unfortunately familiar. My wife usually escapes it because her immune system is almost bulletproof. This last round tho, influenza A followed 2 or days later by influenza B - had all three of us laid out for the same time - so that was a first - third round of viruses since the new year - madness!! Preschool is hardcore. 

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Little walk to the near by "biotope"

[julian-wolf]

Rare interior shot: Doing taxes, feat. Motor Psyclone, Birkenstocks, 411S

[julian-wolf]

feat. Tender Co. x2, Power Wear, Russell

feat. very excited heeler 

[Jared_Lee]

Plugging along through a very cold New York winter. Not the lighting to show any denim progress, though there also really isn't much to report as these are off-hours only. But overall loving the fit and feel. It never feels like a chore to reach for these in the morning getting dressed and they've styled well into everything I've tried with them.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

Cutting the branches after pruning the apple trees in our garden. Also not much to see 😅