The Material Review

Issue 101: A Patagonia Chalet, Office Fashion Rules, School Uniforms, AirPods Everywhere, The Weirdest Seiko, Spotlight On: Wms&Co. and Q&A w/ Brett McKay.

Stories worth reading. Stop indexing the internet.

How Patagonia Saved a Famous Explorer's Chalet For Their New Argentina Shop

[Field Mag]

The 39 definitive rules of office fashion

“Sweatpants? No. But elastic waistbands? Absolutely.” [WaPo]

How People Decided It’s OK to Wear AirPods Anywhere, Anytime

“Earbuds have so infiltrated daily life that even doctors can’t get your full attention; AirPod in the drive-through bag” [WSJ]

School Uniforms

“They're not just for Catholics” [Articles of Interest]

The Weirdest Seiko Watch Ever Made

“It was featured in James Bond's Octopussy.” [D’Marge]

A shortlist of things we’ve got our eye on.

Factor's Preemo Box Tee

Crown Northampton Adnitt Gat Shoe

Battenwear Packable Tote

Found Feather 5 Panel Baseball Cap

dru Pocket Popover

WMS & Co.

Penco Flip-style Alarm Clock

(Available Here)

Stainless Task Roller

Little Cloud Tray

Self-Inking Custom Rubber Stamp

Cast Iron Tape Dispenser

Brett McKay is a longtime friend and the founder of The Art of Manliness, where he’s spent more than a decade building a trusted resource for thoughtful, practical guidance on living with intention and purpose. We caught up to talk about where manhood stands in 2025, the backpacking gear he swears by, and what makes some things worth owning.

Where do we stand with manliness in 2025?

When I started The Art of Manliness back in 2008, I feel like there was still this general sense that manhood was something worth aiming for. Guys were asking, “What kind of man should I be?” and “How do I get there?”

Now, the question feels more like: “Does it even matter if I become a man?”

So that baseline assumption that manhood is something good and worth pursuing seems like it’s just not there anymore. It’s mostly ignored, dismissed, or written off as being toxic. I think it’s left a void.

And in its place you’ve got a lot of noise. Mostly online. Mostly garbage. Everyone trying to sell some version of masculinity that’s either all cartoonish bluster or apologetic self-flagellation. Both are dumb.

I do think I’ve been noticing a shift in the zeitgeist lately, though. I see it with a lot of younger guys. They know the Patrick Bateman sigma grind content is dumb. My 14-year-old son is always making cracks about that stuff. But they’re also not keen on the “men are awful” stuff you see. They’re looking for something affirmative about what it means to be a good, solid dude.

I think manhood still matters. And my own take on it hasn’t changed much. When I started AoM, my idea of manliness was the one espoused in antiquity up through the 19th century: being capable and virtuous. That’s still the vision I subscribe to.

How is Dying Breed different from AoM and other things you have done in the past? It feels like a deep dive in the best of ways, but how do you see it?

AoM has been a generalist publication from the get-go and still is. I've always seen it as a general men's interest and lifestyle publication like Esquire, GQ or Men's Health. So you'll find articles that appeal to a general men's interest audience: mostly educational content on how to improve different aspects of your life — style, fitness, fatherhood, career, etc.

Every now and then, Kate (my wife and business partner) and I would also write some deeper, more reflective articles on broader cultural or philosophical topics. But they were always related to some aspect of masculinity. And they didn’t do that well in terms of pageviews and email opens and shares. Most people come to AoM for articles on how to sharpen your pocket knife and how to wear chukka boots, and that's fine.

Dying Breed and AoM share DNA in that they both are trying to revive values that may be underappreciated or underdiscussed today. But DB gives us the opportunity to write more of those deeper, reflective articles, which we really enjoy, for the segment of our audience who’s into them, and to dig into topics we’ve long been interested in, but wouldn’t fit on AoM because they’re not directly related to manliness. Dying Breed is for both men and women.

We also publish Kate's Sunday Firesides — short, weekly devotional-esque pieces — on Dying Breed. That series started on AoM several years ago and has a devoted audience. I think they're really great and are better suited for Dying Breed.

In short, Dying Breed gives us a chance to write about philosophical and cultural topics in a way that has more ROI and where we don’t have to tailor things to being especially relevant to men.

Are there any particular gear rabbit holes you are actively exploring or see on the horizon?

Our family likes to backpack, and whenever we start prepping for a trip, I'll typically go down a rabbit hole of finding the best backpacking gear. I enjoy it. It makes each backpacking trip an experiment.

For example, a few years ago, we tried lightweight backpacking cots. Sounded good in theory, but in practice didn't provide enough ROI to warrant sticking with. The Big Agnes air mattress remains my go-to sleeping pad.

When backpacking in the West, you have to think about protecting your food from bears. I've tried bear bags and bear jars. Bear jars are convenient because you don't have to rig up a bear bag line, but they take up way too much space in your backpack and are heavy. So bear bag it is.

One lightweight item that provides a big ROI in terms of comfort is the Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Inflatable pillow. Smaller and lighter than a deck of cards, but makes sleeping much more comfortable. Such an upgrade from rolling up clothes and using them as a pillow.

My next experiment is testing out lightweight camp shoes — the shoes you wear around camp instead of your hiking boots to give your dogs a break. I've been using my Tevas, but they're pretty heavy. There are some interesting ultralightweight camp shoes that I've got my eye on. One is from Zpacks. They look kinda goofy but only weigh 1.9 ounces. The other is called Skinners from Italy. They look like socks but have a polymer sole that allows you to walk on twigs and rocks without hurting your feet.

What's one thing every man should have in their car or pack (that's not the everyday things we imagine)?

Sticking to the backpacking theme, a solid powerbank can come in real handy when you’re out on the trails. I use the downloadable maps on the AllTrails app to navigate on backpacking trips. The problem is that if you’re out for more than a day, your phone’s battery will die, and there’s nowhere you can charge it in the middle of a national forest. I added the SABANI Portable Charger 35000mAh Power Bank to my backpacking kit a few years ago, and it’s come in clutch. You can charge your iPhone up to five times with this power bank.

What's a memorable recent purchase you've made?

I bought a Yoder Wood Pellet Smoker last year. They're made in Kansas and built like tanks. It's been an absolute game changer for the McKay household food line-up. I use it multiple times a week.

I use it for my own lunchtime meal prep. On Sunday, I'll smoke a pork sirloin or some chicken breasts or some cheap cuts of steak. I'll also roast russet potatoes or sweet potatoes along with the meat. When they're done, I throw them in the fridge and just dole out a portion each day for lunch.

For our family, smoked whole chicken and tri-tip have gotten added to the regular dinner rotation. You can also grill with the Yoder, so we have burgers pretty frequently.

And, of course, I've smoked full-packer briskets for BBQ parties with family and friends. Always a hit. I've really enjoyed fine-tuning the smoking process for the brisket.

Didn't think I'd be your stereotypical middle-aged suburban dad who's obsessed with smokin' the meats, but here we are.

What's your approach to consumerism? Do you ever think about your own behavior and tactics when buying things?

When I was in high school, I went through my obligatory punk rock/Rage Against the Machine phase and picked up some of the lifestyle politics that went with those scenes back in the late 90s — particularly the anti-consumerist one. I read No Logo and Culture Jam. I bought my clothes from thrift stores. Tried to shop local when I could. My friends and I did our own “culture jam” stunts where we printed up spoofs of the "Who Wore Khakis" Gap ads, which said "Hitler wore khakis" and placed them in the different Gap stores around town. I think we did that mostly for the thrill of being edgy in a conservative Oklahoma town.

For better and worse, I lost some of my anti-consumerism idealism and zeal as I got older. I mellowed out and saw wisdom in a more moderate stance.

Some residue of my culture jam days continues to shape my approach to how I buy things. I’m still frugal. I don’t like shopping. I don’t like “stuff.” I don’t buy a lot of clothes or shoes.

At the same time, I’m fine with spending a good amount of money on things that I think will last and really enhance my life. Something that’s had a really high ROI for me is gym equipment. I keep unhesitatingly investing in and adding to my garage gym. I bought a sauna. I love it. The smoker’s had a ton of ROI. Backpacking equipment, as mentioned. I’ve bought a couple of nice tailored suits which I enjoy wearing to church on Sunday, and I’ve got my eye on another.

I’ve even changed my opinion on cars. I thought getting a “cool” car was a waste of money, as the high that purchasing one would generate would quickly wear off. But after getting a 40th anniversary 4Runner and a 1996 Buick Roadmaster wagon, I’ve found that the enjoyment of having a car you really dig is actually surprisingly long-lasting; I continue to get a kick out of driving these cars. Granted, they’re not super high-end vehicles, but if that was your taste, I can see how buying your personal dream vehicle could provide enduring pleasure.

In my youth, I felt like I didn’t want my identity to be tied up in stuff and that material things could only provide superficial satisfactions. As a middle-aged man, I’ve come to think that there are some material things that can actually enhance your identity and provide a source of pleasure that, while it may not be on par with the deeper elements of life, is still genuine. My favorite philosopher, Aristotle, thought that material things were a component of the good life, and, when they’re judiciously and thoughtfully acquired, I agree.