Coldsmoke Chronicles

Story by Julia Crawford. Photos by Shayd Johnson.

The van was cool but it was the owners, Neomi and Suzan, who we were totally captivated by. Two rad, adventurous, warm, approachable Dutch women on a journey with no end date and no final destination. Kind of like any other van-lifer, except there’s is one of the most unique and meticulously customized vans we’ve ever seen: A converted 1985 Mercedes German Army ambulance, standard issue green with European license plates.

It was impossible to miss. Driving past, we nearly struck oncoming traffic as we hung our heads out the window to take a better look. Some might say it was a chance passing but Shayd seems to have a radar for spotting the most beautiful adventure mobiles, and connecting with their rad (and often eccentric) owners.

We pulled over a block later and hopped out. Luckily, Neomi and Suzan are the kind of people who, if you knock a few times, might invite you in for a vegan Caesar (the Canuck name for a Bloody Marry) and a tour.

Originally from Holland, they shipped their Van to Halifax and have, so far, driven coast-to-coast in Canada. Shayd wanted to grab a few shots of Neomi, Suzan, and their cute dog, Puck, so we invited them to Spanish Banks. In Vancouver, Spanish Banks is the spot for van lifers. Located on the outskirts of the city, the park features a row of large parking lots that overlook the beach. The free parking and good views attract itinerant adventurers passing through the city. Over the past year we’ve met some fantastic characters who called these lots homes.

Neomi and Suzan met a few years ago. At the time Suzan was married, owned a house, and lived a life of routine and comfort. But in a dark nightclub in Amsterdam, a few Bloody Marrys deep, Neomi locked eyes with Suzan and it was – quite literally – love at first sight. Pretty soon after they got married and gave up their lives to pursue their dream of nomadic travel.

They purchased the ambulance off the European version of Craigslist and made some of the nicest conversions we’ve ever seen—we’re talking vintage wood stove, custom mosaic wood work, copper sink, observation deck on the roof.

To keep the adventure going they work while on the road. Suzan is a psychologist and Skypes with her clients while abroad. Neomi is a former police officer turned vegan chef. In every location they travel to she plans to do a vegan take on a classic, local dish. Which is how we ended up sipping on vegan Caesars topped with a plant-based sliders. Her project is called the “Green Native” (also the name of their van).

 They’re headed south to Argentina next. If you’re lucky, you might just catch them slinging vegan versions of South American cuisine, or most likely, being the envy of all other van lifers who cross paths with them.

     Deep in the jungle of Ubud, I was sipping cannabis tea with a local Indonesian painter at 3AM in an abandoned artist residency. Listening to the thick buzz of insects I had never seen before, and a river rushing by fifty feet below, I realized I had escaped the haze of westernized tourism saturating Bali, and had stumbled into the kind of rich, out of the ordinary, and timeless experience that makes travelling so special.

     Four days earlier I had arrived alone at 2:00 AM after traveling for thirty hours. Five of my friends had already been in Bali for over a week and had arranged a driver who was holding a sign with my name on it.  His name was Mario and he had a huge smile and seemed oddly happy to be at the airport picking up a complete stranger in the middle of the night. He sped along the quiet Balinese roads and I felt lucky that I had arrived at such a weird hour. He muttered something in broken English about how bad the traffic had been earlier. That, and a comment about the number of stray dogs running around, were among the few things he said to me during the one and a half hour drive to the Villa my friends were staying at in Bingin Beach, on the northern end of the Bukit Peninsula. 

My friends greeted me with a large Bintang beer and a strange tasting local cigarette, laced in clove. It was gross and I vowed not to have another the rest of the trip, though I ended up smoking ten more before I left. Anyway, I had arrived.

My time in Bali was so full of rich experiences that I could write in great detail about every moment, every wave, every new friend, and every Bintang, but I’ll spare you, by listing the ten memories that first come to mind. They’re not all “good” in a traditional sense, and not in chronological order

1. Wave Number 71 (debatable). My last wave of the trip was in "Balian," a river break an hour and a half northwest of Canngu known for its heavy amount of Bullsharks and its extremely long left breaking waves. I was leaving that night after spending the last two days solo in Balian, at a surf villa on the beach. It had rained both days prior so I was used to paddling out in stormy grey skies thinking about the Bullsharks lurking beneath- the locals warned me not to go out during the rain! That morning though, the sun blasted through and it was beautiful. I caught 4 or 5 huge waves (way out of my league) and the last one was the most special. I paddled in with a huge smile and zero thoughts about the Bullsharks.

2. Wave Number 1 - Steep and fast, I paddled for this wave after being in the water for less than forty-five seconds. I got up but was immediately cut off by a young Australian surfer who proceeded to snake me around ten more times. I got eaten up by the wave and thrown into the crashing white water. It still felt pretty damn good though, even for the four seconds it lasted.

3. Watching a monkey unzip my friends bag, grab his pack of cigarettes, and run away before he even flinched. And then a few moments later, the monkey jumped on my friend’s head and tryed to bite him through his hat. The monkeys in Bali are psychopaths. They don't fuck around. And neither should you.

4. Nusa Lembongan- An incredible tiny island off the coast of Bali that we took a ferry to and stayed at for three days. I've never been so relaxed in my entire life.

5. Losing my board a quarter mile out at a strong rip off the coast of Nusa. Panic ensued and I proceed to swim back to the coast for thirty-five minutes, thinking I might as well just give up and die. I was the only surfer in the water. My friends were watching me from the small cliff I had paddled out from. Finally, I happened to find my board, which may or may not have saved my life. It was a struggle.

6. Riding a scooter through "the monkey forest" at 11 PM, down a narrow sidewalk with trees rushing by on either side. I was being led by Nana, a Brazilian sweetheart that I dated a few years ago that I happened to run into a day earlier in Ubud. She had been living in Ubud for the past few months and was showing me a "shortcut.”

7. Drinking cup after cup of cannabis tea in the middle of the night with a local Indonesian painter, my old love Nana, and a slew of other characters who were also living at this strange artist residency in Ubud. It felt like a dream and I don't think I can even start to properly describe what exactly led me there or how exactly it felt. It was timeless.

8. Playing Trivia with 4 Hungarian women we met in Nusa Lembongan until the wee hours of the night.

9.The food. Two words: Nasi Goreng.

10. I got like twenty-one massages. The Balinese really know how to give a massage. 

Anyways, go to Bali. It’s fun. It seems pretty touristy at first, but don't get too caught up on that. It’s touristy for a reason. And it was easier than I thought to find your way off the beaten-path, even while there for only ten days. The biggest takeaway is the people. You truly feel completely and utterly welcome in their land, and they will go completely out of their way to help you out with any problems you throw their way. You feel like nothing is impossible there. You rarely hear "no," and you rarely see anything but smiles. It’s heavenly.

- Scott

Featured in 

Antique seaplanes, hidden hot springs, hand-built cabins, and empty surf breaks deep in British Columbi

Our friend Jake Zylstra invited us up to the vineyards of Solminer Wines in Los Olivos, where he introduced us to the natural wine movement fermenting along the central coast of California. To return the favor we kitted Jake out with key styles from our SS18 collection and traded a little R&D: wine tasking and gear testing.  

 (Khamsin Chore Coat and Terrain Pants)

After spending a couple foggy mornings, splendid days, and mellow evenings with Jake and Solminer Wine owner, David DeLanda, we saw first hand how natural and organic farming practices yield much more than trendy bragging rights. 

David explained how, "If you control what your sheep and donkeys eat, you control what they produce, and what they produce turns into your fertilizer, your fertilizer then shapes the soil, which is one of the key aspects in how wine taste varies.” 

(Superfine Merino T in Sand,  Terrain Pant- Charcoal)

Jake hand sprays homemade fertilizer from his antique looking copper tank. He explained that the copper was an essential detail. “If we were to use plastic, wood, or even some other metals, over time the the fertilizer solution could be contaminated by some of the particles.” Witnessing how every detail of the wine production was obsessively considered and optimized, and after tasting the results, it was no mystery how Solminer has developed a stellar reputation after only six years of operation. 

At the end of the day, over a glass of the famous Solminer Syrah, we asked Jake about his thoughts on the Coldsmoke gear he'd been working in. He described it as “functional, without looking functional.” Exactly what we wanted to hear. 

Visit Solminer Wine at Solminer.com

From the Editors of Outdoor Aesthetics

I’ve been watching the talented people from Coldsmoke since Outdoor Aesthetics began. In recent years, the still relatively young Urban Outdoor movement has seen the birth of lots of new brands, but just as many that have been unable to keep up. Only a few have been able to satisfy the increasing demand for clothing that is both functional and fashionable, and to consistently perform at the necessary high level. Coldsmoke continues to be one of these exceptional few that have not only successfully established themselves in the market, but continue to improve.

This young Californian brand has, over the last few years, slowly but steadily advanced their products. Clean, minimalist cuts; classic, timeless design. That’s just the first impression. Upon looking closer, the individual designs will surprise you with their use of advanced materials and Coldsmoke’s passion for detail.

Here I want to introduce you to two of our favourites from the current collection.

THE WOOL KUNNAK SHIRT

The Wool Kunnak Shirt Jacket is the revamped version of the Kunnak Shirt Jacket which we tested two years ago.

It is the perfect top for that in-between time of year when it’s too cold to be warm and not yet cold enough to be cold. The Kunnak is a hybrid between a shirt and a jacket, with the versatility of both. You can wear it open when it’s warmer or zipped and buttoned up tight when it gets cold.

The 2017 version of the Kunnak sees a subtle reworking of the cut and the material while retaining all the positives that made its predecessor such a special item of clothing.

The main material consists of a naturally water-resistant light-weave Italian wool Melton lined with Japanese nylon. The Schoeller waterproof back panel and elbow patches for durability and protection from the elements also work wonderfully together. As with its predecessor, a stretch-rib shawl collar can be flipped up for extra comfort and protection from the elements. Also very useful are the zippered hand-warmer pockets with silicon-dipped zipper-pulls, a side-zip chest pocket and, on the inside, a media pocket.

At first glance, the Kunnak looks like a nice shirt, but then reveals itself to be one of the most versatile items of clothing that I know of, and the original has already earned a permanent hanger in my wardrobe.

All the materials used are of the highest quality and perfectly finished. You can really tell that Coldsmoke are proud to produce such exceptional pieces in California.

The biggest problem with getting outside in the City of Angels? Being spoiled for choice. We’re distilling that process by getting the goods straight from the experts with a recurring series called Gear Trails.

By the Editors of Insidehook

This time around, we’re tapping creative director Liam McAuliffe of Coldsmoke — makers of super stylish technical jackets — for his favorite winter activity near Los Angeles.

In brief: you’re going desert hiking and then skinny-dipping at a hidden waterfall.

And we’ve got all the gear to warm you up afterward.

InsideHook: What is your favorite winter outdoor activity in CA?

Liam McAuliffe: My favorite winter outdoor activity in California, especially down here in SoCal, is getting out and exploring the desert wilderness areas that are too hot to fully enjoy during the rest of the year.

IH: Why do you like the desert? 

LM: The desert is vast, desolate, quiet and hostile to most forms of life for much of the year. But during the winter, especially after the rains, the desert comes alive for a precious few weeks. Delicate wildflowers pushing up between the Joshua Trees and cacti paint the sandy basins with psychedelic, vibrant colors. A creek that’s usually dry but for a few stagnant rock pools, transforms into a rushing stream cascading into a double-tier waterfall feeding crystal clear swimming holes. Giant, otherworldly rock piles rising hundreds of feet from the desert floor provide endless climbing and scrambling routes. And winter is the time of year when a soak in a desert hot spring beneath a star-littered sky is most rewarding.

IH: Got a favorite desert? 

LM: Joshua Tree is the most accessible and dramatically beautiful destination to escape to. However, with the spread of Instagram-fueled outdoor culture, it’s become increasingly difficult to find a campsite, let alone a bit of the solitude the desert is famous for. That said, for someone new to the desert, I’d recommend getting your feet (very metaphorically) wet at J-Tree before pushing deeper into the 50,000 square miles that comprise the Mojave. I just got back from my first trip to the Kelso Dunes. It felt like a sci-fi planet, with dunes hundreds of feet high surrounded by dark granite mountains. You can hike to the top of the dunes and sand-board down. We encountered some kids with homemade, Mad Max-style sand sleds pulling 45 MPH runs. My favorite desert hike is in the Sespe Wilderness up around Ojai. There’s a challenging hike up to Matilija Falls that requires multiple river crossings and scrambling up a slot canyon to that double-tier waterfall. Well worth it, but not for the faint of heart.

IH: What do you say to folks who think it seems like a lot of sand?

LM: All of these locations have their own unique features and character, which is what I appreciate most about the desert. For the casual observer, these places can feel harsh, uninviting and monotonous. But the more time you spend exploring the desert, the more sensitive you become to subtle phenomena like the changing light, rock patterns and the movement of a coyote on a distant rise.

IH: What Coldsmoke items do carry with you?
LM: The desert is extreme even in winter. In the high desert (up above 2,000 feet), pleasant 70 degree days drop below freezing at night. These temperature swings make it the perfect environment to develop and test for versatility, a key feature in all of our gear. During this recent trip to Kelso I hiked in my Alpha-lite bomber, then threw on the Winbloc joggers and my Wool Moto jacket at night when the temps plummeted.

We actually developed the Fidlock shorts on a hike up Sespe. We wanted shorts built of material burly enough to withstand rock abrasions, branches and prickly desert plants while scrambling, but that we could still wear swimming.

I never go into the desert without a hat. In the winter I wear our waxed Japanese Military cloth hat — it’s a bit warmer than your average hat and super durable. The desert beats everything up. I also just climbed the dunes in our new, as yet to be released, 3xdry pants that wick moisture so sweat never gets a chance to get cold — definitely a staple from here on out.

Coldsmoke Introduces Shadow eVent Anorak: Waterproof, breathable, perfectly minimal, and made in America for adventuring in the city and out

BY The Field Editors

Is it just us or do seasons these days seem to just go on endlessly, then abruptly end overnight? Frequent, sizable temperature swings are commonplace, and weather in general is getting wetter by the day. So, since keeping our (gear) closet seasonally appropriate is all but impossible, we’re increasingly gravitating towards apparel and outwear designed to work across seasons, like the new Shadow eVent Anorak from Los Angeles-based technical apparel brand Coldsmoke.

Made Stateside of waterproof eVent 3L shadow ripstop nylon—a bio-mimicking material composed of millions of tiny pores that allow excess heat and moisture to vent directly to the jacket’s exterior—with a moisture wicking Polartec silkweight mesh liner, the minimalist pullover is engineered to keep you dry, inside and out.

The tech specs are great, sure, but we wouldn’t be here writing about this sucker if it weren’t aesthetically superior too. The simple silhouette is enhanced with a side-zip for ease of entry, origami-inspired three-snap adjustable cuffs, hand warmer pockets, and a sizable kangaroo pocket for added storage. Ergonomically placed seams allow for full mobility too.

While we haven’t held the Shadow eVent Anorak in hand personally, we are familiar with other technical offerings from Coldsmoke, so consider the sleek pullover vouched for.

See more from The Field

For our local customers over the years who braved the one way streets and alleys of Venice Beach, sprinted up our stairs to try on gear while keeping an eye out for rabid meter maids, and tossed an exchange or two over our gate, this one’s for you: “Coldsmoke Supply” is open for business!

At our new flagship store you can try on our full line of limited-run technical garments, and experience a selection of unique and adventurous goods created by our favorite brands from the USA and around the world.

We chose all our goods on the criteria that they make you feel like you’ve made an unexpected discovery. And everything we offer—from our burliest outerwear to our scented candles—we use and love before we share them with you.

At Coldsmoke Supply you’ll find axes from Hults Bruk, handmade in the same Swedish forge since the 1600’s, eyewear from revered Japanese makers Native Sons,  Australian apothecary products from Grown Alchemist, classic candle-lanterns and survival gear crafted in Seattle by UCO since 1971, sustainably harvested incense from Incausa, masculine scented candles from P.F. Candle Co. and American-made Bags and accessories by Colfax Design Works, among many others.

We wanted to create a space that imparted the elevated yet masculine vibe of the Coldsmoke gear you know and love. And we wanted it to feel really comfortable, like walking into a living room you wish was your own. Coldsmoke designers and Venice locals, Liam and Ceara, took inspiration for the store from the quintessential California blending of refined indoor and elemental outdoor spaces, combining airy and rustic textures of bleached birch wood, and burnt cedar in the Japanese technique called shou sugi ban, and added earthy natural tones of strap leather furniture from local makers Milwood Design.

Coldsmoke Supply is set to host community events including panel discussions, art exhibits, and workshops in the coming months. Sign up for our newsletter to keep in touch and stay in the loop.

Located at 222 Main Street, Venice CA, 90291, Coldsmoke Supply is open Monday-Saturday 11-6, and Sunday 12-5.

Coldsmoke Introduces Shadow eVent Anorak: Waterproof, breathable, perfectly minimal, and made in America for adventuring in the city and out

Thank you all for coming out to warm the new Coldsmoke headquarters, “Coldsmoke Supply.” It was a blast! You’re all so freak’n beautiful!

Snaps by @helennishi

When Trevor Olsen and best buddy Brandon Baker told us about a trip they were planning into the Alaskan backcountry just as the seasons turned, we jumped at the chance to get our new Alpha-lite Pullover, Alpha-lite Bomber, eVent Shadow Anorak, and MA-1 jackets on their backs where they could be put to the test in a most unpredictable and demanding environment.

Gear in hand, Trevor and Brandon waisted no time, going straight from the airport to the trailhead of the Gold Mint Hut trail in Hatcher Pass where they hiked nine miles up-valley and sheltered through a night of snow in the pass’s iconic red hut. The next day they hoofed it nine miles further into a neighboring valley where wet boots were rewarded with breathtaking expanses.

From Hatcher Pass, they drove four hours north to Denali and hiked deep into the park, spending their last days camping at Wonder Lake, famous for its views of Mt. Denali, which rises 20,000 ft into the sky. Despite its size, and because of relentless cloud cover, Mt. Denali only shows itself to 20-30% of park visitors, and it kept itself hidden until Trevor and Brandon’s last morning in the park when they woke at sunrise to clear crisp clear skies and a glorious Mt. Denali, looming above them, blanketed in fresh snow.