Overland Journal – August 01, 2019

OVERLAND JOURNAL FALL 2019

19

FIELD TESTED CHRIS CORDES

WhenI purchasedmyfirstaircompressor,speedwasallthat

mattered.Thefasterit was,thelesstimeI hadto spendonthesideof

theroad.Afterit failedtwicein thefieldthough,myprioritiestooka

hardleft.I wantedsimplicityandreliabilityin anyconditionsalong

withfiercedurability—theKalashnikovofcompressors.Thorough

researchandcountlessrecommendationspointedtowardtheEx-

tremeAireMagnum,andlastsummerI madetheorder.

TheMagnumis ExtremeOutback’sflagshipcompressor,a 12-volt

beastdesignedforreliabilityandspeed.It usesa replaceableairfilter

insteadofflatwafers,stainlesssteelhardwaretopreventcorrosion,

anda specialcoatingaroundthecylinderwhichdissipatesheat.Most

importantly,thecompressorrunsonsealedbearingsthatpreventthe

breakdownorcontaminationofgreaseduetowateranddust.This

meansyoucanreliablyuseit underneatha vehicleforyears,and

mountit sidewaysorupsidedownwithoutissue.

Thisrobustnessdidn’tcomeat thecostof speedthough.The1.5

horsepowercontinuousduty-cyclemotorcanpumpout6 cubicfeet

perminute,or 2.6cubicfeetperminuteat 100psiwhichis onlya hair

slowerthanARB’sdualcompressor.Inmyexperience,thatequated

to animperceptibledifferencein air-uptime,a factI amgrateful for

wheninflatingeighttiresbetween my truck and trailer.

$590 | EXTREMEOUTBACK.COM

Extreme Outback

ExtremeAire Magnum

Compressor

Reliable anddurable without

sacrificing speed.

Whenit comestoboots,therearefewnamesthatgarneras
muchnostalgiaasRedWinghereintheUnitedStates.They’ve
been outfitting our country’s workforce with quality footwear
since1905,buthaveexpandedtheirlinetobefashionforwardas
well,withheritageoptionsliketheIronRanger.
Justlikethe bootsmadeover 100 years ago,the Rangeris
madefromoil-tannedleather,whichis water,stain,andperspira-
tionresistant.It’sextremelydurableandformsa naturalpatina
overtimethat’sstylishandattractive.Theleatheris triple-stitched
forlongevity,withdoublelayersinthetoecapandheelpocket,
andlacesthattiethroughmetaleyeletsandhooks.Thesolesvary
basedonthemodelchosenandareavailablewithsmoothbottoms
fortheofficeorVibramlugsforhikingthroughthewoods.
Thesebootsarenotgoingtobeyourfirstchoiceforhikingthe
AppalachianTrailthough.Theydon’tbreatheaswellasmodern
hikingbootsandlackthesupportneededonextendedjourneys,
butthey’reidealeverydayshoes.Theirclassicstyleletsthempass
atmostrestaurantsandbars,whiletheirdurabilityandcomfort
enableyoutowearthemoutinthebackcountryoroncamping
trips.That’swhytheyhavebecometheonepairofshoesI always
bringtoworkeventsandmedialaunchessince I know that what-
everis instore,they’llbeupfor the task.

$320 | REDWINGHERITAGE.COM

Casual,classicfootwearto

carry you throughout your day.

Red Wing Iron Ranger