There are rides you plan, and rides that just happen. This was one of the planned ones—but even the best plans don’t prepare you for what the road gives back. The Three Pagodas Pass had been on my list for a while, a route stacked with history, grit, and the kind of roads that test both machine and rider. The rainy season had finally eased. In Thailand, you learn to respect the rain. Out here, a storm doesn’t just get you wet; it can pin you down on the roadside, staring at sheets of water that make the world disappear.

A deep dive into the part of the boot most brands never talk about but we never ignore.

For as long as I can remember, boots have been the one piece of gear that never let me down — or, when they did, I remembered it. Hiking, mountaineering, camping, motorcycling... all better done in the right boot. I spent years figuring out what that meant — what kind of sole made sense, how a boot needed to break in, how it had to hold up when things got rough.

Some of that came from experience. A lot came from trial and error.

Bootmaking in Thailand has a rich history that intertwines with the broader narrative of the country's development, influenced by cultural exchanges and evolving demands. This might seem odd since the actual wearing of shoes was not widespread until the 1930s.