My travels took me to San Francisco, CA this week and I decided to pay a visit to Triple Aught Design’s Hayes Valley location. Hayes Valley is a high end über cool shopping district in the heart of San Francisco that features an eclectic mix of craft coffee houses, specialty boutiques, independent bookstores, and bars/restaurants. Nestled in all this is TAD’s only dedicated retail space on the planet.
Triple Aught Design Hayes Valley SF
As an EDC enthusiast, walking into the Hayes store was akin to a religious experience. The shop is packed with items that are sometimes hard to come by when TAD does it’s (in)famous weekly online re-stocking. There is an entire wall of clothing including their hoodie designs in various sizes. For instance, they carried the outstanding Ranger Hoodie, which we reviewed earlier this year.
Although the store stocks roughly 10% of TAD’s inventory, they are still prone to runs on certain items. For instance, I was told they had a limited number of sizes in the popular Shag Master Hoodie after it’s recent release for Winter. The Shag Master is made from high loft Polartec Pro and it’s the warmest jacket they offer.
Of course, the store also sells the Litespeed and EDC Fast Packs as well as the Dispatch Messenger.
I especially liked the Dispatch Messenger in Multicam. It’s stunning in that colorway.
Triple Aught Design Dispatch Messenger in Multicam
The store also stocks most of the accessories that they offer online including hats, patches, battery cases, and paracord. They also had a small number of balaclavas, watch caps, and scarves available. I picked up a wool watch cap while I was there.
They also had a collection of high end knives in a case (which is probably to protect them from the drool of customers who can’t afford them).
I missed Josh, the store manager, but Chris and Michael were extremely helpful and generous with their time. Chris was relatively new but he is a veteran and former LEO with the experience to speak to how TAD’s gear can be used in the field. Michael has been with TAD longer and was a fountain of product knowledge. He’s also been known to weave a paracord bracelet or two for beer.
Chris and Michael were awesome.
On December 7th during their Annual Warehouse Sale, TAD will be re-opening their larger and very popular Dogpatch location complete with a climbing wall and classrooms for outdoor education seminars. In the meantime, Hayes Valley offers the TAD Gear fan a more intimate shopping experience in a great location. If you’re in the Bay Area and have an hour to kill, I definitely recommend you swing by and pay them a visit. And if Michael’s there, bringing some beer wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
Triple Aught Design’s Hayes Valley store is located at 551 Hayes Street and is open Tuesday – Sunday from 1100 – 1900. They are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
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