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Many people don’t know this, but dunes don’t actually sit still. The big Saharan ones literally creep several feet a year, and occasionally bury roads and even small villages from time to time. And that slow shape-shifting is the spirit this loadout channels. The palette runs sun-baked bronze, beige, and warm charcoal, with brushed steel standing in for heat shimmer. We’re also suckers for gear that patinas, and everything here will definitely look more beautiful as it ages.
Article Overview
Leatherman ARC Talos
Tim Leatherman spent eight years shopping his “Mr. Crunch” prototype around before the first Pocket Survival Tool sold in 1983, and the Portland company he built has been refining the idea ever since. And the ARC is where that refinement currently tops out. It’s the first multi-tool built around a MagnaCut blade, and its magnetic FREE architecture lets all 20 implements open one-handed from the outside and lock in place. The Talos edition wraps the 420 stainless frame in a 4.25-inch bronze Cerakote package.
Pioneer Co-Pilot Travel Wallet
Pioneer built its entire reputation making the argument that woven technical fabric outperforms leather (especially when it comes to wallets), and the Co-Pilot is their expedition-ready offering. The brand’s travel organizer is a flat, zip-open kit in 3XD ripstop nylon with a heat-welded lining, YKK AquaGuard zippers, and RFID shielding behind inward-facing card slots. It can haul up to six passports, full-length tickets, cash, and a phone in an 8.25 x 4.75-inch footprint.
Tactile Turn Aluminum Apollo Flashlight
Tactile Turn is best known for their bolt-action pens, but the Dallas machine shop’s flashlight is no slouch either. It’s a slim cylinder turned from hardened 7075 aluminum and dressed in bronze Cerakote. The Apollo runs a Nichia 519a LED through three modes topping out at 520 lumens, all behind a sapphire lens, in a body that measures 3.6 inches and weighs 1.1 ounces before the battery. And that finish is pure golden-hour dune.
Tudor Ranger 36mm
Tudor has been building expedition watches since the 1950s, when its Oyster Prince models accompanied the British North Greenland Expedition. And the Ranger name carries that lineage today. This 36mm reference pairs a fully brushed steel case with a matte beige dial Tudor calls “Dune white,” a nod to the brand’s timekeeping duties at the Dakar Rally. Inside is the Manufacture Calibre MT5400, a COSC-certified automatic with roughly 70 hours of reserve, and the case is waterproof to 100 meters. It’s also one of our favorite releases of the last year.
