Wrap up time
If you've stuffed all your summer clothing into a box for next year, you might have done so with a smile or a frown. We did it very happily, TBH, as we're all fans of the chillier seasons. Case in point: we've lined up a bunch of awesome gear that you should consider buying to take you into the autumn. Read on...
On top
Dakine Arsenal 3L Jacket
The Arsenal is waterproof, breathable and features fully taped seams. There's a hood, adjustable cuffs, and pockets for your stuff. Speaking of stuffing, the whole jacket can be folded and packed down into one of the pockets, and zipped up for safe keeping. It's so versatile and compact that it's become a regular addition in our bags, no matter what the day seems to offer. This thing should keep you happy all the way until next autumn and beyond.
£160
Visit www.dakine.com
Hey Dude Tollek Sweatshirt
Back in summer we checked out some Hey Dude shoes and were impressed. The company make casual, good-looking kit designed with lovers of comfort in mind. The Tollek sweatshirt is a baggy, comfortable pullover in 100% jersey cotton, that slips on easily over whatever else you've got on.
Hand dyed (so careful on the first wash), the jumper features a messy-style logo on front, and sewed label on the side. The overall aesthetic is 'sweater I've loved for ten years', so it's nice to be able to have that with a brand new garment. In use it's warm, light, seems like it won't stretch out of shape, and comfy AF. Check it out.
£45
Visit www.heydudeshoes.co.uk
Underneath
Centre Front Cord Shirt
A new clothing company on us, Centre Front aim to produce clothing "that look great, are made with quality fabrics and don't cost a small fortune." Fair play to 'em. Along with a pair of jeans we'll cover later, they also sent us their Cord Shirt in Rust, a 100% corduroy cotton shirt. Designed with a loose, casual fit, the Cord Shirt is thick to touch, but comfortable on.
We love versatile shirts like this. This is the type of garment you can tuck in and wear with a tie to work, or leave unbuttoned over a t-shirt for drinks down by the river. Centre Front have clearly designed it to last, as the shirt seems tough, well stitched, and easy to wash. Relatively new on the apparel scene, be sure to check Centre Front out.
£49
Visit centre-front.com
Weird Fish World Carp Artist T-Shirt
As the world was enjoying the Rugby World Cup, Weird Fish were getting their funny on, creating aquatic puns. The result is another for their artist t-shirt range, featuring the very best in fish-related visual jokes. The World Carp t-shirt is made in super-soft cotton (Weird Fish tees are amazingly comfortable) with the art printed small on front and large on back.
We're big fans of pretty much everything Weird Fish do, and we totally enjoy that they never seem to take themselves seriously. The World Carp Artist T-Shirt is a great addition to the line, and also makes for a good gift for sports fans. And fish fans. Either way, this is a go-to t-shirt for slipping on as a base layer this autumn, and is guaranteed to keep you comfy, warm, and smiling. Rare combo, that.
£20
Visit www.weirdfish.co.uk
How Ridiculous T-Shirts
Enjoy watching Australians drop things from a high tower? Then you'll love the YouTube sensation How Ridiculous. Although the videos themselves are about dramatic "science" experiments, like throwing bowling balls from the top of a damn, or dropping LEGO onto a trampoline, the channel's range of merchandise is impressive.
As we're fans of comfortable tees, we checked out the How Ridiculous merch store and found a whole bunch or awesome shirts in a mix of colours and designs. If you love the channel, you'll get all the references (Forty four club!), but if you're not you'll still appreciate the range, quality and price. A YouTube channel merch store might not be you first port of call for autumn clobber, but with constant deals and reductions, as well as the super-soft cotton the tees are made from, it should.
T-Shirts all around £12.99
Visit www.iwantoneofthose.com
JJ Suspenders
New company, and totally new product on us. We've never even considered wearing braces to keep up our pants before, but thanks to JJ Suspenders we will do now. With a huge choice of colours, styles, and materials, there's a lot on offer here, and could change they way you think about your trousers. Belts get stuffed.
They sent us a set of their leather Oxblood suspenders, which come in a burlap bag for storage. Storage is what you'll need, as the braces ship with a wealth of accessories, allowing you to switch from clips to button fastenings, and also a small sewing kit to make alterations. They adjust with tradition buckles, fit heights from 5'6 to 6'4, and really do other a refreshing change to keep you looking good during the autumn.
$79
Visit www.jjsuspenders.com
Lower down
Centre Front Slim Fit Jeans
Moving swiftly to your general trouser area, we return to
another garment from Centre Front. These Slim Fit Jeans in Rinse Wash are a
hardy pair of autumnal pants, designed to keep you snug and warm against the approaching
winter, and also looking damn fine.
Made with 100% cotton and boasting the manliest of manly flies - buttons - the jeans are comfortable on with a soft and flexible feel. Fully machine washable, they’ve been designed with a traditional look and pocket layout, and the hems seem like they’ll survive even the roughest day of… walking around and sitting in coffee shops. Whatever you do in them, a decent pair of jeans are a must-have thing as the weather turns, so check out the other styles Centre Front are flogging… very fairly, if we might add.
£59
Visit centre-front.com
Centre Front are also very kindly offering all Test Pit
readers 15% off on anything on their site. Use discount code TESTPIT at check out.
Bless ‘em.
Haix Black Eagle Athletic 2.0
Now onto footwear; something extremely important at this time of year. Fallen leaves, after all, can be very sharp. First up is a rugged pair from Haix, makers of outdoor and adventure boots, the Black Eagle Athletic. Like all of Haix’s boots, these are designed to keep your feet safe and dry in all weathers, but unlike most of the range, the ‘low-style’ that we choose, look great in urban environments, too.
A waterproof GOR-TEX membrane will keep your little tootsies dry and warm on the wettest of days, while the slip-resistant sole will keep you upright. Available in a high, ankle-height boot, or the lower, trainer-like version we opted for, the Haix Black Eagle Athletic 2.0 are seriously tough and seem to be here for a long time to stay. They are also very comfortable, and we applaud Haix’s building of a soft and squishy inner sole. These are great.
£91.90
Visit www.haix.co.uk
Mahabis Slippers
Yes, slippers… but slippers reinvented! To be honest, none of us are keen slipper wearers (despite having The Test Pit branded ones made) it takes a lot for a pair of indoor shoes to snag our attention. Which is just what Mahabis did. Think comfortable, luxurious tops, with tough soles that can be worn outdoors. That means you can wear your slippers out and not look like a crazy old lady.
We were sent a pair of the Mahabis Classic with a black sole and ‘larvik light grey’ upper. You can customise the colours yourself on the website, resulting in a unique pair on slip-ons. And they do just slip right on, utilising a stretchy heel section to stop them from slobbing off. Handy if you wearing them in the local shop buying emergency toilet roll. They are, however, also very comfortable for around the house, boasting a soft wool inner lining and a flexible foam footbed. These aren’t your grandma’s old slippers.
£79
Visit mahabis.com
On your back
Targus Sol-Lite 14” Laptop Backpack
Regular readers will know that we’re huge backpack fans here at The Test Pit, so we jump at any opportunity to try out a couple new models. Autumn is definitely the time to snag a new bag, be it for school, college, uni, or just to update your commuting carry-all. Targus were kind enough to fire over one of their latest, the hardy and versatile Sol-Lite, good for stowing your laptop up to 14” in size.
With a 20 litre capacity the Sol-Lite makes for a perfect day pack or over-nighter. Multiple internal and external pockets, very well padded shoulder straps, and front-side carry handle makes this a great all-rounder. Weather resistant, and featuring a very comfy mesh back panel, this is a superb choice for keeping all your precious things safe.
£59.99
Visit uk.targus.com
Dakine URBN Mission Backpack
‘Back’ with Dakine (tee hee), here’s an alternative bag if the above effort from Targus is a tad too small. The URBN Mission backpack features a slightly larger capacity of 23 litres, and a few more external carrying options in the forms of adjustable straps. Good for carrying a 15” laptop, this too features an array of internal pockets, ideal for all that stuff you need to take with you.
The URBN Mission from Dakine feels lighter and less substantial than the Targus bag, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. For commuting and day trips out this is perfect, and we found that the material was always weather proof and tough. On that note, Dakine offer an impressive range of colours and materials here, meaning the pinkish ‘woodrose’ colour we went for almost looks like an entirely different bag than the ‘R2R Olive’ version. If you have specific tastes, check this out.
£65-£90