I spend way too much time finding the right stuff.

Doing the research, talking to people, trying things out. Odd Miles is where that goes, so you don't have to do it twice.

Made properly

Built for a reason, designed by someone who thought about it, and tough enough to last. If I wouldn't still be using it in five years it doesn't get the stamp.

One kit, both lives

Same bag at the cafe on Tuesday and in the back of the truck on Saturday. I don't want weekend gear and weekday gear. I want one set that does both.

The detour is the trip

The wrong turn, the extra hour, the cafe you weren't looking for. That's usually the good part. I'm not trying to make the trip faster.

Done by hand

Notes go in a notebook. Art gets drawn, printed or cut. Tags get numbered with a pen. If it couldn't have been made in a garage with a camera, a notebook and a screen-printing kit, it's too clean.

Who's writing this

Jake. I run a creative agency by day and I've always been the guy people text before they buy something. Which bag, which roaster, which road. I like rugged, well-made stuff with a bit of personality, and I'm happy to spend the hours finding it. The dispatches are me. The drops are drawn by artists and their names go on the piece. Nothing on the Mix is there because someone paid for it.

How the drops work

A few times a year I'll make one thing, or a small set, in a limited number, numbered by hand. Each one has an artist attached and something extra in the box that isn't the product. When it sells out it stays on the site so you can see what you missed. The email list hears a day before anyone else.