Host Nick Caruso talks with Gear Patrol Founder and CEO Eric Yang, and Deputy Editor Jack Seemer to explore the impact Covid-19 has had on what we buy, how we buy it, and the ways in which that new normal will live with us well into the future. The three also discuss some of the breakout headlines from the week, and share the items they’re obsessing over right now.
Gear Patrol CEO and Founder Eric Yang talks about essentialism: "the purposeful decision to have less, and better," and how that idea quickly took over our purchasing habits over the past year of pandemic life. Deputy Editor Jack Seemer reveals his new golf "hobby," and, apparently, Eric has put together 36+ LEGO sets since last March.
As mentioned in this episode;
A Year of Pandemic Living
Headlines
Kind Of Obsessed
Nick:
Hey, everybody. I'm Nick Caruso for Gear Patrol. Thanks for joining me for our inaugural podcast episode. It is super exciting to be riding the airwaves with you. We're all really pumped that you're taking the time to hang out with us. Every week I'll be here having conversations with a rotating roster of guests to talk about products and product culture.
This episode is going live one year to the day since a global pandemic was declared. So even though it's our first, it's also somewhat of a special edition. I sat down virtually with Gear Patrol CEO and founder, Eric Yang, and our deputy editor, Jack Seemer, to reflect on how product culture has changed over the last 12 months, and to talk about what those changes mean for the future of Gear. And it's good news, so let's get started.
Jack:
Depends who you want to ask. It's completely... Truly, just go for it.
Eric:
I plan to throw to Jack on many of these questions.
Nick:
Oh, yeah. Right. It's not like a parliamentary procedure or anything. You can feel free to just ask away.
Eric:
Can't filibuster. [crosstalk 00:01:20].
Nick:
We're doing away with the filibuster in this podcast.
Eric:
All right.
Nick:
So a motion to begin?
Jack:
Ye.
Nick:
Let's officially kick it off then.
Jack:
Let's do it.
Nick:
Okay. Hello everyone out there. I'm Nick Caruso and I am joined today by a couple of A-listers on the Gear Patrol roster. Very lucky to say hello first, to Gear Patrol, founder and CEO, Eric Yang. Eric, good morning.
Eric:
Good morning everybody.
Nick:
And to my, let me see... I guess my right in our little [Brady 00:01:58] bunch video chat situation is Gear Patrol deputy editor, Jack Seemer. Jack, hello.
Jack:
Hey, morning.
Nick:
Guys, thanks for being here. I've known you both for years and it's a huge treat that you're both on at the same time, a meeting of the GP mind. Eric, I think of you kind of as the genie in Aladdin, you have this phenomenal cosmic power of product knowledge, rivaled, maybe only by Henry, our very own Henry Phillips.
Eric:
I think Henry knows way more than I do. And at this point, I probably maybe know more about dad gear and baby gear, but I think you all have long surpassed my... I don't know, my database.
Nick:
I don't know. I feel like I'd put money on you in a jeopardy.
Eric:
Oh, that's actually a great idea.
Nick:
But you're also... I consider you a media and business guru. You are leading a pretty massive movement in media with all of us. And then Jack, you're formerly a writer and editor at GP, and now you're shepherding the entire editorial content strategy. You've got this great media content brain. You are insightful and always strategic and come to some unexpected questions that everybody needs to hear and sometimes doesn't want to.
Jack:
Yeah. I mean, I still consider myself an editor though. Try to be at least.
Nick:
See? That's the incisive Jack that we need to correct me. And I want to jump in. So we're here and there's this pandemic going on. Most people listening will probably be aware of that. The novel coronavirus COVID-19, this crisis that's raging globally and nationally for over a year. But 12 months ago, it happens almost exactly to the day, like so many other businesses, Gear Patrol had to make some really tough decisions. Among them, the choice to go fully remote. We changed everything about how we function, necessarily. It was a good, right choice. We just kind of walked out of the office and never went back. Eric, I know you've been back to the office. Jack, have you popped in at all?
Jack:
Yeah. A couple of times. Checked the mail and all that fun stuff.
Nick:
For sure. Eric, you're kind of taking care of the plants among other things, aren't you?
Eric:
I'm not doing a great job of it though. The bird of paradise is not looking like it's in paradise anymore. And yeah, I've been there quite a few times.
Nick:
Quite a time capsule. And so before we really dive into how product culture has changed and how it will change, I want to acknowledge that we are... "We," meaning Gear Patrol folks, are among the very fortunate. We're privileged to have not only jobs that can be done remotely, but frankly, that we're still able to work. So many lives, livelihoods, have been damaged or lost in the last year. And I'm sure a ton of our listeners have been deeply, directly affected by everything that's going on. And we feel for you. And we know we're lucky to be here to talk about this stuff.
So in the context of product culture and media, let's have this discussion about how the last year went and how it's going to affect the future. So let's jump right in. So this purposely vague question. Vague, vague question. How have products and product culture changed as a result of the pandemic? Is there a defining characteristic to home in on, some sort of through line through everything? Eric, maybe I want to throw to you first with just kind of your general thoughts and kind of take it from there.
Eric:
Thanks Nick. Nice introduction by the way.
Nick:
Thank you.
Eric:
I think that if I were to sort of summarize it, I think everything's sort of boiled down to essentialism. So people really... And not essentialism in the Plato kind of way. I'm just talking about the purposeful decision to have less and better. And I think that has become not just... And I'm not talking about supplies or the daily essentials that you need every day. I'm talking about when you are going to buy something, we sort of got this large social experiment about how... What do we actually need? Right? What do we actually need at the end of the day? And you realize just how much stuff you surround yourself with that really isn't relevant. So I think that this idea of essentialism and the specific decision to have less has become the way that we think about the things that we own and the way that we use them.
I think there was a large macro trend going that way, but the pandemic just catapulted us five years into the future on that. So if you were ever on the fence about things you wanted or didn't want, you were clarified through this pandemic that, "I definitely don't need that," or, "I definitely do need that." That's my stomach grumbling, sorry. And... Remember? The Chobani story earlier.
Nick:
What you need is breakfast, I think.
Eric:
What I need is breakfast. So that just, I think, has become the theme of products in terms of how the pandemic's affected it.
Nick:
Yeah. For sure. Jack, why don't you just go for it and then we'll sort of go back and forth.
Jack:
Yeah, sure. I mean, I think Eric brings up a good point about what is essential. I think that's a question that a lot of people have asked themselves. I don't know. My journey with products in the past year hasn't been that clean. I haven't really found myself going down, but I've found myself buying a lot and buying kind of impulsively as I'm trying to solve problems around the house or just sort of change my lifestyle. Well, I agree with Eric. I think that the question of what is essential has come up for a lot of people. I kind of think that the definitions of "essential," have changed and for myself and for other people, it's not always less, right? A lot of times it's more. And I think we'll probably talked about hobbies and new activities that people have picked up. But I think people have justified a lot of expenses and purchases, probably, as calling them essential, if even just for the mental health to get through the pandemic.
Nick:
Yeah. The idea of essentialism is really strong. And I think, to your point Jack, it can be a very personal thing. Something that really struck me super early on was suddenly I'm in my apartment all the time. And as much as this is my home and I love it and I've made it my home, I'm not supposed to be here this much. And I just see all the things that are missing or that need updating or that I don't like. That's how essentialism has worked for me.
Eric:
Yeah. And I think there's a big part of that depending on where you are in your journey of being your home life. For me, there's just so much stuff accumulated from having kids. So I'm in the accelerate on my purge phase, versus, "Oh, I need more bookshelves." I don't need more bookshelves. I need less bags. I need less shoes. I need to make way for more toys or Legos or whatever. So yeah, I think that really depends.
And obviously the home stuff has been fascinating because I think people... And we saw this obviously through our data too, people are buying so much for the home. And the idea of essentialism, in the way that I'm referring to it here is just scrutinizing what is it you have, or don't have, more? I think that people care about the fidelity of that product. So is this thing going to do what I need it to do and how quickly can it do it for me? And that may simply be something, can I find a lot of joy out of this thing? And I don't think that's... I'm not trying to speak like a Marie Kondo. I'm just saying, is this thing going to actually help me? And that's certainly changed the way that I was looking at things to buy or replacing. And so, yeah, it's more about if I point this thing somewhere, is it going to do what it's supposed to do?
Nick:
Right. Jack, you mentioned hobbies earlier. Have either of you revived or found new hobbies?
Jack:
I have. I feel like everybody kind of has taken on several hobbies and then...
Nick:
Swiftly abandoned them?
Jack:
Yeah, exactly. Right? I spent the first few months of the pandemic in Florida with my parents. This was kind of the time when there wasn't a lot of information about what was safe, what could you go do? And something that never closed were all the golf courses in the area. So I found myself throughout the pandemic-
Nick:
It's a dangerous road to go down.
Jack:
Yeah. It's like a lifetime rabbit hole.
Nick:
Well, it's also the ultimate socially distance sport.
Jack:
Exactly. Right? Yeah. And you want to talk about gear? I mean, golf is pretty nerdy.
Nick:
Eric, what about you?
Eric:
My answer is going to be Legos. I could blame it on my kids, but I'm not. I have built probably 36 sets maybe-
Nick:
What?
Eric:
... during the pandemic. So a lot of Legos and it sounds super nerdy and I wish I had a couple other cool things, but I wish I could be working on a car. I don't have the facilities to do that. Oh, Jack, I started playing more poker.
Jack:
Oh yeah?
Nick:
Oh, really?
Jack:
Online, I'm assuming, right?
Eric:
Online. Yeah. But it's because I watch no TV now. I don't know what happened, but when the pandemic happened, my TV consumption went to zero.
Nick:
That is bucking a trend, I think.
Eric:
Yeah.
Jack:
[crosstalk 00:12:03] my hobbies too.
Eric:
Yeah.
Nick:
Yeah. That's impressive.
Eric:
Oh, I wouldn't say it's impressive. I don't know if not watching TV is impressive so much as it has become what I don't do.
Nick:
So going to kind of tie a few of the threads together.
Eric:
Sure.
Nick:
And talk specific products, masks. It's a remarkable development in just the product world, because it's this hugely accelerated development, birth and evolution of an entire product category.
Eric:
I don't know if there's an equivalent to masks, but I will say that it was amazing to see how many people pivoted to creating masks or creating products that were mask adjacent.
Nick:
I think they're probably going to stick around. That's the other fascinating part of this is that I don't think masks are going to go anywhere. Well, do you guys think they're going to stick around or... Jack? What do you think?
Jack:
Well, like I said, I've spent some time elsewhere in the country and I could see them being very common as a seasonal... Accessory isn't the right word, but... Tool when flu season kind of rolls around. As far as an everyday accessory that people are wearing year round, I don't really see it.
Nick:
Yeah. Sorry. I certainly didn't mean to insinuate this would be the new style accessory, but no, I think in terms of when people are sick... Although how great was having a mask on in the winter?
Jack:
I agree. I mean, even just running outside during the winter, the mask saved my skin basically.
Eric:
Jack, did you run with a mask or did you run with a gaiter?
Jack:
I found myself wearing a gaiter a lot. Hanes makes these stretch to fit masks that are unstructured and they... So I have those exclusively for running and I would put those on. And then I had this Patagonia, almost a balaclava that would go on top of that and kind of keep it in place. So that's my winter running solution.
Nick:
That's your get-up.
Jack:
Yeah. Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Nick:
There are some brands and some products that were just perfectly poised for the moment. Can you think of any, or maybe you just know from trends, from our readers, or products that were just ready?
Jack:
Yeah. I was thinking about this. I think the thing that probably adjusted most easily to the pandemic were just the digital services and subscriptions that... People are bored and you don't have to go to the store to get them.
Nick:
What about you, Eric? Do you have any examples off the top of your head that...?
Eric:
I mean, there's a lot of obvious ones. I don't think you could have timed a situation better for Peloton than the pandemic. There's obviously the software, there's Zoom. I think that people underestimated the amount that people were going to buy new computers. Companies like Apple and Dell were really well situated to take advantage of the situation where people were like, "Okay, I got to get a computer for home now," or, "I need a monitor," or, "Now I want to have an iPad. I keep my iPad separate from work." I'm trying to think something novel here.
Nick:
Sweatpants.
Eric:
Well, of course all the... Everybody pivoting into what people wanted at home. Saturday-wear, for lack of a better word.
Nick:
So Eric, I also want to pick your brain about from your POV as a leader and someone super neck deep in the culture, has there been an element that really defines how Gear Patrol's world has changed over the last year? How we approach work or how you sort of kept our chins up and moving forward?
Eric:
Well, I think that I don't deserve much credit for that. I think the credit goes to the team and I'm not just saying that because of what I do. But I think that when Ben published a letter, sort of at the beginning of the pandemic, we set sort of a new mandate for content. And the journey that the team has been on is that in sort of a period of uncertainty, I think that what we were trying to sort of naturally find was the ability to tell people how to buy things better. How could they buy it and how could they buy it cheaper, became a big overarching current that I think the team really took off on. It became sort of the lens that I think our team and Jack's team and Ben's team took a look at the work that they were doing and saying, "Hey, we need to step up here and how do we step up through our lens?" Society changed overnight. And we had to think about... It might've taken us many more years to get there. And we basically got there in 30 to 60 days.
And so now what's happened is we got there and the team is... There's more light in the room. They're more bright-eyed about what they're doing. So we're trying to figure that out. But I think that also, this is maybe an over overreach on it, but I think they're also trying to find some of the poetry in it too. So how do we lift people's lives? How do we talk about products in a way that actually helps people? And so that's where that's gone. And I know that's not answering your question about what are we doing as a media company, but I think since content is what we do, I think that's how I would describe where we are in the journey.
Nick:
Yeah, certainly. And that comes back obviously to your point about essentialism. Jack, what's been the biggest shift for you, overall? Or the biggest challenge in covering this space?
Jack:
Yeah. Well, I think Eric brought up a good point about the service journalism aspect of Gear Patrol, as long as I've been here. I think in 2020, it took on a sense of urgency, right? Because people were trying to solve all of these problems that became priorities for them. And they had to solve them really quickly. I think that like fired up the team quite a bit, right? Because you're working on this buying guide and you know it's going to have an impact on people that read it and you can really help people.
Nick:
And now a quick ad break.
A big part of this conversation is looking forward. How will product culture have changed again by the end of this year? After knowing what we know, how things have gone, how are we better prepared? What can we expect?
Jack:
Yeah. I mean, I would hope that with the vaccine, 2021 is a little bit less traumatic. By now, people have just a firmer grasp of what it is that we're dealing with and how to deal with it responsibly. I would like to see travel come back a bit. This idea of the micro adventure has been really appealing to me. Small, local adventures that you can maybe do in a day, or kind of an overnight.
Nick:
Eric, what are you thinking?
Eric:
Oh, well, what's the latest data? As of... Almost 20% of the country... Or it's 18% or 19% of the country has received a shot.
Nick:
For a shot, yeah.
Eric:
Right. I think that this big social experiment we went through from working from home, it forces us to rethink how it is that we work with an office, having more confidence around experimentation, rethinking things that were just maybe done because they're always just done that way. The rethinking of what's possible gives me great hope.
Nick:
Just being flexible essentially, having flexible ideas and plans is a big one. To what degree do you feel like that concept of essentialism is going to stick around and inform the after times or the future?
Eric:
I think that people have short-term memories and they're going to get out of their house and go back home and be like, "Whoa, I accumulated a lot of stuff." Or, "Maybe I reacted to this too harshly." I think essentialism is going to outlive the pandemic, purposefully deciding to have less. And I'm not talking about living with austerity. I'm just talking about thinking more carefully. The pandemic made people realize what works and what doesn't work. So they'll continue to be more sophisticated consumers. With incomes and the disparity that America has, I think that people will continue to be smarter about how they shop and they'll be looking for that information. Yeah, that's how I would say essentialism continues.
Nick:
Yeah. Certainly as consumers, we're poised to sort of take on the next micro adventure, I guess. Right, Jack?
Jack:
Yeah.
Eric:
I love the micro adventures thing too. I'm all about that. The weekend is the new vacation.
Nick:
Yes. I actually do have one last question. What have you missed doing and using?
Eric:
I miss taking Uber's with impunity, because now it's like... In the two times I've taken an Uber in the last 12 months, I've really thought hard and carefully about this. "All right. I'm purposely going to go 30 blocks and risk my life." And so I miss flying too, like what Jack said. I miss flying big time.
Jack:
I do you miss shoes. Just my wardrobe in general has been reduced to a go-to pair of pants and three or four shirts that I just rotate through.
Eric:
Yeah. Every day is Saturday.
Jack:
I find myself just picking out a pair of boots that I haven't worn in a while for the explicit purposes of going to the grocery store. Right? I'm like, oh, put these on and go through that ritual for groceries.
Eric:
It's not business casual, it's grocery formal.
Jack:
Exactly. Right?
Nick:
Yeah. Perfect.
Eric:
You know what's a pro tip? During the town halls and this is for the team that's going to listen to this, I put on a pair of good shoes. So that when I'm talking to you all one way for one hour, which is not awkward at all, I feel like I'm doing it with a little bit of dignity by putting on a good pair of shoes.
Nick:
It has that energy.
Eric:
Yeah.
Nick:
Okay. So let's change things up a little bit. We want to talk about some headlines I've come across and I want to hear your opinions on. So the first one was just surfaced yesterday. Breitling's new subscription model called Breitlingselect. The basics are you choose three watches to wear over a three month or a 12 month period, and you can eventually buy them. They're all fully refurbished watches. They're not brand new, but they're direct from Breitling. So Eric, this is designed for you to respond to. But what do you think about this kind of model coming to luxury watch companies specifically?
Eric:
I mean, I think fractional ownership is a macro trend that's not going to stop. Will I personally ever partake? No. Fractional ownership is really interesting. I think that you can take an Airbnb model and apply it to anything. But it's just not something I'm personally interested in, but I think it's a really great idea.
Nick:
Eric, do you ever give your watch to a friend to borrow for an extended period of time?
Eric:
All the time. It's so funny you asked that because there's somebody who's borrowing one of my watches right now that has not given... Had borrowed it before the pandemic. [crosstalk 00:23:10]. So that actually... That's a great reminder. I should ask. Figure out where that is.
Nick:
Okay. Next headline, celebrity weed business. Jack. I'm going to come after you with this one, because we've got...
Jack:
Why me?
Nick:
A lot of reasons. One is that I think you were editing the home and food and drink section when we kind of started covering...
Jack:
Yeah. It's still a small category for us, but one I think that's just blowing up as legislation changes and the stigma around pot just kind of goes away.
Nick:
Yeah. For sure. Well, that's what this is. So I'm talking specifically about Seth Rogan's company. I want to know what your take on this is Jack, because it's more than just a weed company. It's not just selling dank bud. It's also coming off as he's focusing on the accessories, the home goods. So what's your take on that approach?
Jack:
I think it's smart. He's not the only one in this space to kind of try to lifestyle up. A lot of brands that have emerged in the past few years have taken on this sort of luxury. I would call it a luxury bend, I think, in an effort to kind of address that segment. It makes sense. I mean, I think his message... Just looking at the products and the pottery. It's okay to like this stuff, right? It's okay to partake and have this as a part of your lifestyle. You don't need to hide it away when it's not in use. It can sit out and you don't have to be embarrassed about it.
Nick:
Okay, cool. So those are just a couple headlines, but I want to get into this last sort of bit. This is a podcast version of a series we do, we publish on Gear Patrol called Kind of Obsessed. And the name says it all. Individual products our guests are currently obsessing over whether they've just purchased it or have owned it for a while or are leaving it in their virtual shopping cart for months on end, like I tend to do. Jack, tell me.
Jack:
Yeah. So I've been helping Steve and Tanner on our outdoors and fitness desk with an update of our best running shoe story, our guide. One of the shoes I'm testing is from New Balance. It's a update of what I and a lot of people on the internet that have opinions thought was one of the shoes of the year, a few years ago in 2019. It's called the FuelCell Rebel. So there's an update coming out in April. And I was lucky to get a pair early for testing. And I love them. The shoe has become my go-to for pretty much every kind of run and not a lot of shoes can do everything, right? You either have a shoe that can go really fast or you have a shoe that can go really long. This one I have been turning to recently in the past few weeks for pretty much everything, which has made testing for the guide really difficult, because I don't want to run in anything else. But, yeah. So I love that shoe. I can't wait to write about it. It's called FuelCell Rebel version two.
Nick:
Very nice. Eric, I wanted to hear from you too if you've got something in mind.
Eric:
I'm obsessed with late model BMW 330i M Sports Wagons. BMW stopped making them in 2019. They're not bringing the Wagon back to the US. I'm in the mode where I need to find a second car for everyday life. So as Tyler said in the story, I'm looking for a dad Nirvana car. And so a pre-owned BMW 330i M Sport Wagon, hopefully with the M Track package that has the adaptive suspension and the Brembo brakes is in the cards. But they're impossible to find. And I'm almost certain that they've now started appreciating at a rapid clip, because if you see them pop up online, they're usually gone in 10, 15 minutes, if not a few days. This particular one is gone pretty quickly. So yeah, I'm looking for one of those, hopefully low mileage. Or maybe one day, one of those V60 Polestars that you wrote about. The supercharged, turbocharged electric wagon. But yeah, I want a long roof. So that's what I'm obsessed with.
Nick:
Yeah, man, there's nothing like a Wagon. That's a trope, but my God, it's just such a good choice. That would be so exciting.
Eric:
If you guys find one, let me know.
Nick:
Yeah, you got it. That'll make it into the rotation on my fantasy car shopping routine for sure. Guys, this has been super insightful and fun. We covered a lot of ground. We've seen the rise of essentialism and we've got some hope for the future about how we've learned and adapted over the last year of this crisis and shift. And it's always a pleasure to talk to you both. And it's great to have some of our Gear Patrol celebrities on the show for the first pod.
Eric:
I know we were so excited we got Jack.
Nick:
I know. Big get.
Eric:
Big get.
Nick:
So thanks so much for your time and hopefully we'll be chatting with you soon.
Jack:
Yeah. Thanks, Nick.
Eric:
Thanks, Nick.
Nick:
And that is a wrap on this first and special episode of the Gear Patrol podcast. I'm super glad you're here and I'm really, really excited to hang out every week. Make sure you're subscribed on whatever podcast platform you're using. So you don't miss an episode and while you're at it, if you enjoyed today's episode, we'd appreciate you telling a friend who might enjoy the pod. And we'd be grateful if you took the time to rate the podcast too so that more folks can be part of the conversation. I'm Nick Caruso. For now, I hope you're well. Thanks again for listening. And until next time, take care.