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Get the Rugged Outdoorsman Look with this Spring-Friendly Gear

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With spring around the corner, it’s time to start assembling your warm weather-friendly look While there’s no wrong way to dress up during the said season, today we’re taking a look at the gear you’ll need to pull off one of our favorite looks: the rugged outdoorsman. 

The key here is to pull together items that are both stylish and practical — as natural for the city as they would be for a campsite or a long hike in the woods. These essentials will keep you warm, protect your skin, and have you looking great this spring.

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Woolrich Men’s Alaskan Washable Wool Shirt, $119

Woolrich Men's Alaskan Washable Wool Shirt outdoorsman
Image used with permission by copyright holder

To get you started, snag the Alaskan Washable Wool Shirt from Woolrich. This durable top was first created for gold prospectors more than 100 years ago and is guaranteed to last through any number of rough weather conditions. The wool is soft to the touch, totally machine-washable, and makes for a great layering piece when the temperature dips close to freezing.

Related: 
Bonobos is preparing you to look great for the holidays

Lems Shoes Leather Boulder Boot, $140

Lems Shoes LEATHER BOULDER BOOT in Russet
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Next, check out the flexible, packable, and hard-wearing Leather Boulder Boots from Lems. These shoes are built to mold to the shape of your foot and are constructed with a light, pliable outer sole. While the strong toe and sturdy leather make these boots perfect for rugged hikes on the trail, they’re also great for casual romps around the city.

Duluth Trading Co. Fire Hose Limber Jac, $69.50

Men's Fire Hose Flannel-Lined Limber Jac
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If your outdoor adventures take you far north, make sure to pack a tough coat like the Fire Hose Flannel-Lined Limber Jac from Duluth Trading Company. Made of 100-percent cotton canvas, this lightweight jacket is great for when you’re on the move, chopping firewood, or searching for the perfect campsite. Plus, the flannel interior is guaranteed to keep you toasty.

Bulletprufe Olive Green Kush Denim, $98

Bulletprufe Olive Green Kush Denim
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To round out your rugged look, go for high-performance denim. This slim-fit pair of Olive Green Kush Denim from Bulletprufe is extremely comfortable and outfitted with industrial strength durability, which means it will be able to handle whatever obstacles you might encounter. They’re ultra soft, abrasion resistant, and built with diagonal stretch panels for extra mobility.

Karesuando Stoerre Una Hunting Axe, $175

Karesuando Stoerre Una Hunting Axe
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No post on outdoor gear would be complete without a rough-and-tumble axe — seriously. If you need to get out there and gather firewood or blaze a new path, you need an investment-worthy chopper not unlike the Stoerre Unna Hunting Axe from Karesuando. It’s lightweight, easy to use, and perfect for novices and experts alike.

Barebones Forest Lantern, $40

Barebones Forest Lantern
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It’s a simple, underrated, and sometimes forgotten part of your outdoor everyday carry: a trusty, reliable lantern. Barebones makes some of the best around, and at a great price. The rechargeable battery is crucial, and the steel construction means it won’t overheat. After all, it’s the little things that count when exploring the outdoors.

This post was updated by Cody Gohl on September 15, 2017.

Beau Hayhoe
Beau Hayhoe
Former Contributor
Beau Hayhoe is a freelance men's style writer, consultant and PR pro based in Brooklyn. Beau's menswear and gear writing has…

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I stepped out into the 90+ degree heat for a training run, the world appearing in 4K-like clarity. As I pressed start on my watch and settled into an easy pace, I was also testing Oakley's latest performance eyewear: the Oakley Sphaera sunglasses.
They're a design that blends sport performance with sculptural forms. I evaluated the Sphaera for function and style through summer hill repeats, country drives, and casual settings. While I expected good things from an Oakley design, the Sphaera left me surprised in a few ways. 
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Before I tried the sunglasses, I spoke with Nick Garfias, VP of Design at Oakley, to learn more about the thinking behind the Sphaera. 
(Note: Interview edited for content and clarity)
The Manual: What was the goal when you started out? What were you trying to create?
Nick Garfias: Obviously, this is a sports frame, and I think in this case, this is an interesting one. We don't just attack a program and say we're going to make a frame for cycling, we're going to make a frame for running. 
A lot of what we do is lean into a program or one aspect of a sport, going back and forth between athletes and understanding what their needs are, and taking all that information and putting it into boxes that we find are priorities for this frame.
We asked everyday athletes, and a lot of them had a lot to do with...frames that gave them this feeling of being serious, but not over the top. So we've got a very strong DNA and very sculptural quality to it. But what they were asking for was something that gave them more confidence and not necessarily that aggressive kind of look that we traditionally have.
TM: Oh, a little more subtle.
NG: A little more subtle, yeah. And so when you look at Sphaera, it has a very simplistic continuity across the top. From one end of the stem through the brow to the other side is just one continuous look. The lens itself provides a lot of field of view.
So it's kind of maximizing the left and right field of view and then the lower field of view, which would be as you put the frame on, it's what you're looking through, right? 
And the objective for that is that you can put something on, and there's so much aperture or so much lens space that you can't read the edges of the lens. So it feels seamless, and it feels lightweight.
TM: What athletes, from what sports, did you use for the design?
NG: We looked at a lot of runners. We looked at a lot of cyclists. We didn't specifically hone in onto one sport. We even looked at soccer players. A lot of the function was about the aesthetic — and not the aesthetic just to look cool, but the aesthetic of giving that athlete confidence to wear something and feel that they were being taken seriously.
TM: What sets the Sphaera apart from designs from other brands? What makes this better? 
NG: We're an optics company, so our lenses are superior. This is a piece of eyewear made to protect you from debris, the sun, all kinds of things. But also, fit and retention are very important. And so, when you put these on, you'll notice it's very weightless. Because the distribution of the tension in it feels like distributed around your head evenly.
Oakley Sphaera specs:
Price: $297
Frame: Lightweight O-Matter
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Size: L (134mm)
According to Oakley, the Sphaera is designed for versatile performance across sports, with features like Prizm™ lens tech, helmet compatibility, front venting, and grippy Unobtainium® components.
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