This past weekend, I went on a family camping trip to of all places, Napa Valley. Bothe-Napa State Park to be precise. Yes, I felt the earthquake. It woke up everyone at the campsite but after confirming that yes indeed it was an earthquake, we all went right back to sleep. I didn’t even get out of bed/my sleeping bag. We are all California natives so we’ve been through that many times. Well. . . except for “Lego”, our four-legged camping companion. He was not a happy camper, poor thing. Perhaps the earthquake wasn’t as dramatic for us campers because we didn’t hear glass clinking or all the movement one hears when in a house. It literally felt like being rocked on a boat or maybe lying down on the floor of a railcar. The trees rustling above were really all the noise we heard. Maybe camping is the best place to be when experiencing an earthquake? It’s not like it makes any difference if there is a power outage in the area. As long as you’re clear of large brittle trees or boulders, you should be good. 

That morning we went into the town of Calistoga and the shops and restaurants were conducting business as usual. It wasn’t till we headed south to go home, that my sister was able to see all the news coverage on her phone. Yes, there were a few traffic lights that weren’t working and the place we stopped at in Napa to get some ice cream had a closed sign noting a “Power Outage”  taped to their window. But that was really all the evidence we saw of anything unusual happening. When we saw the national news coverage, that’s when we all realized the magnitude of how people in town were affected. In our reality, those images and news stories circulating the world were very different from what we were experiencing. My heart goes out to those that were greatly affected, and especially to all my non-California native friends who are now even more devastated by the images.

While in Napa (before the whole earthquake situation),  I had planned to do an article on great men looks for camping and outdoor adventures. What would a trig & polished man wear out in the woods? I mean, well-dressed doesn’t mean you have to wear a bow tie and suits in front of a campfire, although Edison, Ford and Firestone did it but they also brought along an entourage of cooks and attendants. That’s not camping! I do admire their style though.

Nah, we want practicality and style in our Trig & Polished men. We want them to wear something that they can get a little dirty in, something they can move around in. Here are some former Trig & Polished men that have the rugged look down.

Chris in his motorcycle jacket. Trust me when I say that women like a good motorcycle jacket on a man. Especially the kind with dark fur collars.

Chris Mustain-Wood on Trig & Polished

Ben Weaver being a stylish, rugged dad. Check out his post to see the cool diaper bag that he’s sporting.

Ben Weaver on Trig & Polished

We were really digging Benjamin’s Herringbone Toggle Coat and his shoes are definitely forest worthy.

Benjamin Trivers on Trig & Polished

Arlo, spotted in San Francisco’s Mission District

Manny Fabregas in an American-Made outfit.

And one of our most popular T&P men, Kyle wears the newsboy cap better than Ryan Gosling did in “The Notebook”. I didn’t think that was possible.

T&P Man, Kyle knows how to style a simple Henley Shirt and jeans.

For more ideas on what we like to see on men when we are out in the Great Outdoors, check out this Pinterest board. This is like a Victoria’s Secret Catalog for women. Trust me, if you want the ladies to be looking, use this board as a guidebook. You’ll thank me later. In fact, please comment if you have any questions about style, advice, travel recommendations. Seriously, I could go on and on about the Redwoods, Big Sur and the Oregon Coast and all those magical places. I love sharing that info. And I love seeing men in rugged style.