Monday Musings (31) – MEC & Me
The Clairebarian loves her Kleversack so much that she’s declined going back to her smaller, lighter-weight, more colourful Cotopaxi for summer. She likes how it stays put. She loves being able to carry extra layers – soaking rain-wet, super sweaty, etc. – between the internal magnetic closure and external flap.
Actually, everyone I know who’s tried the Kleversack, who likes wearing a hip pack, has been universally stoked on the fit, storage, and external mounting points. Even though on first look it ‘hangs down’. It’s a great system. For those of us, Crash Test Kevin, myself, etc., who’d rather wear a pack, I’ve commented before and will continue to ask for an MEC Kleverpack that morphs the features of the Kleversack into a full-face-helmet-clearance-friendly backpack in the 10-14L volume.
And yes, this will segue to mentioning Mochilero pants, kids’ weatherproof jackets, our {my} PPP review policy, and drinking espresso rather than licking batteries. I swear it makes sense.
Anywho, my magnificent Mochilero pants, the past generation model with the hip pockets facing forward. Merino-blend shirts, the current generation*, for riding. Min-maxed Kids’ weatherproof jackets. I’ve spilled a lot of virtual ink writing about my favourite pieces of MEC-label gear.
And maybe this is covered under the blanket MEATengines review policy or disclaimer of Partisan, Partial, & Predisposed, but I always cringe {full lemon face} when I read review content where I know there’s an undisclosed relationship to a brand. Yes, even if I know the writer well and have zero doubts about the sanctity of their stuff-suggesting Smurfiness.
Yeah, so. Since we’ve been short on rambling comparables lately, I really want MEATengines reviews to read like a nice-enough homemade double espresso. Sometimes a bit too sour, sometimes weirdly sweet, never the same thing twice. Interesting. Maybe adding a bit of kick to the day or the moment. Even if you disagree with them so strongly that they set your bowels rumbling, they should be all-natural. I never want to give the reader that just-licked-a-battery sensation.
*{Particularly the latest All Day 87% Merino / 13% Nylon blend that almost (allllllmost… almost‽) feels like 100% Merino but has the durability of far less woolly blends.}
{Above photos: Steve&Meg @Hardtail.Life}
In the over ten years {crazy, right?} that I’ve been doing part-time and gig work around being papa to The Clairebarian, I’ve put in hours at the local MEC store a couple of times. The first time, I worked for a bit on cash and on the floor around NJP’s schedule when Claire was still wee.
Later, when I was writing for NSMB.com, I warehoused for a while on the former night stock crew. Stocking shelves and hanging up clothes until 1am, 2am, in the morning with Lord Furrow-Brow, Pickleman, Hector, Cop-Mike, Thi, and a pile of other awesome characters, lost to the limited data storage capacity in my brain.
And this is probably an over-obvious disclosure that I’m putting in a few shifts there again. This time, turning wrenches in the shop. A couple of folks have already recognized me and said hello, or later messaged, and that’s cool. Always happy to take a minute to throw tools at you, oops, I mean, put the tools down and come out from the back to have a quick chat about bicycles.
I appreciate all the support – kind words, and donations – but MEATengines is a personal passion project with a small collection of readers, which, thank you again, covers its basic costs through your support. Beyond that, I navigate the world of assembling, upgrading, and repairing bicycles, and eebs, for wages.
The issue with working for a large entity that also designs and markets its own products, some of which I’ve long recommended, and some of which I’m currently working on review projects for, is the risk of Gargamelling up the whole village. This is where you, hopefully, come in.
I’ll do my best to only serve single-origin espresso and fully disclose the process, and you, please, let me know if it’s ever tasting off so I can make the right adjustment to my disclosures to keep everything Smurfy.
{Drewitors note: I’m going to keep calling this ‘Monday Musings’ for a hot second, but if scheduling keeps them from consistently being ready on Monday, I’ll change that. I know it’s bad enough with SBTISAOAF rarely hitting on Friday.}
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