FIELD JOURNAL 31: Try This Pedro Pascal Outfit Formula, Marathon 'Blue Yonder' Watch, Esquire's Tom Hardy Profile
Plus, my appearance on Create.Repeat, my first attempt wakeboarding, the book I can't put down, and more...
Welcome to FIELD JOURNAL, the place to get style & gear news, outfits, & inroads for the adventure-seeking man.
Wakeboarding is one of those activities that’s inherently cool.
It’s also mad difficult to learn, especially if you (1) have bad balance and (2) have never surfed or skated. I’m lucky enough to have decent balance, along with some experience surfing and skating.
I say this all because, this weekend, I learned how to wakeboard while out on Lake Travis with a group of friends. I ate sh*t three times to start. On one attempt, I waterboarded myself so bad that I started dry heaving…
It’s worth stopping here to mention that, with wakeboarding, the hardest thing is figuring out how to get on the damn board. (Surfing the wake is the easy part.) You start in a position that’s perpendicular to how you’ll eventually end up facing, and you have to let your heels rest on the edge of the board. The force of the boat then flips the board onto your feet and turns you into position as you come up.
So before my fourth attempt, I remember my friend saying, “RELAX, let it come naturally.”
At that moment, my mind turned off and my body took over.
The boat jolted me forward. My arms extended out—but this time, no trying to yank myself up. Instead, my legs fired like I was performing a barbell squat and the board flipped right onto my feet.
And just like that, I was riding my first ever wake.
LIVE A LITTLE
STYLE & GEAR NEWS
Marathon SSNAV-D ‘Blue Yonder’ Pilot Watch
Marathon is one of my most trusted watch brands. Their timepieces are built to be indestructible. Their style is always the right level of ruggedness.
This limited-edition Blue Yonder Navigator Pilot Watch inspired by the U.S. Air Force. According to Marathon, the Blue Yonder “draws its name from the official U.S. Air Force song's opening line – Off we go into the wild blue yonder.”
With the watch, you get a matching blue FKM 3-piece rubber strap kit, and a blue travel pouch. Priced at $1200.
Pedro Pascal’s Cannes Airport Look
The internet has been talking about Pedro Pascal’s latest airport outfit upon arriving to the Festival de Cannes. GQ noted he’s dressed mostly in the latest Bottega Veneta—a brand associated with A$AP Rocky and Jacob Elordi. I personally like Bottega, but it’s not a brand I’ll probably ever have enough money to dress myself in head-to-toe.
The general formula of Pedro’s outfit is the newsworthy piece here. I put together a similar look a couple weeks ago in FIELD JOURNAL 29’s outfit. Instead of wearing Pedro’s Bottega Harrington jacket, you can buy the famous G9 Barracuda for under $400. (There’s a great story about the history of Harrington jackets published in The Rake in November I recommend reading.)
My outfit is a little more comfortable with the New Balance sneakers. Pedro’s is more classic and stylish with the black leather loafers. But, like mentioned, this is a formula of an outfit that looks classic and is easy to replicate.
Well done, Pedro. Well done.
Garmin Forerunner 970 & 750
Garmin just dropped its latest line of smartwatches for 2025, and they’re aimed at runners, triathletes, and hybrid athletes. Both the Forerunner 570 ($550) and the Forerunner 970 ($750) the most expensive model) come with bright AMOLED displays, more features, and more colors available.
The 570 offers a mid-tier upgrade to the most advanced 970. With the 570, you get new tools like skin temperature tracking, on-wrist calling, and adaptive race prep plans. With the 970, you get all those features plus full-color offline maps and an ECG capability.
I’ve been using my Garmin Forerunner 265 a ton lately to track running, biking, and strength training. It’s on the lower tier of Garmin watches, but I’m ok with it for now as I don’t use all the watch features. The on-wrist calling capability is the most attractive feature to me in this release. Based on how I use my watch now, I’d probably only want to upgrade to the 570 to get this feature, as I’m starting to get tired of carrying my phone all the time when running.
OUTFIT
INROADS
My Appearance on Create.Repeat’s Talent Show
This month, I was selected to be featured in Create.Repeat’s “Talent Show” portion of its weekly newsletter. I’m a big fan of their Substack and Instagram, and I take a lot of inspiration from the words and art they’re creating.
When I was writing in my submission, I was asked to provide one of my favorite quotes. Here’s what I wrote,
“My hero is always 10 years away. I'm never gonna be my hero. I'm not gonna attain that. I know I'm not, and that's just fine with me because that keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.” – Matthew McConaughey
I always fall back to this quote when I start comparing myself to others. It reminds me that my art, and my life, must always stay true to me. Authenticity is the key. I don't want to be someone else. I only ever want to be me.
Comparison has been the thief of joy many times in my life. Even as I continue to write LIVE A LITTLE, I have to remind myself not to look around and size myself up to other newsletters.
We all have something to offer this world. We all can rise and find our ideal version of success…
Shoutout
once again! []
Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chounard
Earlier this week, I mentioned on Substack Notes that I’ve been reading Yvon Chounard’s Let My People Go Surfing. The book itself is 10 years old now. According to Chounard, it was originally intended to serve as a guide for Patagonia employees to better understanding his philosophies on life and business.
This book has obviously become a much broader scope. To me, it feels like I’m reading a blueprint for how to take your passions and make them a reality. [Patagonia]
My Dinner with Tom Hardy (And His Dog)
I’ve been watching Guy Ritchie’s new show MobLand on Paramount+. It’s basically a show where Tom Hardy serves as the go-to fixer for a prominent mob family in London. It’s totally badass. Esquire UK, and writer Miranda Collinge, put out this cover story profile with Tom about the making of the show (and other things going on in his life). It’s a great read. Tons of fun photos too. [Esquire UK]
LIVE A LITTLE
READ MORE FROM THE ARCHIVES
Want to know the best new releases in men’s style and gear? Go check out my 19 Best Releases in April.
Looking for more summer style inspo? FIELD JOURNAL 30 talks the latest release of Flint and Tinder summer, plus an easy linen outfit to mimic.
Recently, I found myself rewatching Sunny Kind Journey’s video on the “10 Nordic Secrets for An Amazing Life.” I’m trying to find ways I can replicate some of the video’s tips in my everyday life. Go check it out in FIELD JOURNAL 17.
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Leave a comment if you wanna talk style + gear.
I read Let My People Go Surfing earlier this year, and it's become one of my all-time favorite books on business.
Another great one!