What Todd Snyder Can’t Live Without

For me, it’s about the taste. I tried it when I was in Paris a few years ago, and I just fell in love with the taste and the packaging. Now it’s my go-to. I’ve used the other ones — the cinnamon is nice, but I feel like the mint is more like a toothpaste. Cinnamon feels like you’re cheating and brushing with chewing gum or something. I like the officialness of the strong mint.

This I discovered when I was in Japan maybe 15 or 20 years ago actually. I stay at the Park Hyatt, and it used to be all they stocked there. I fell in love with it and started carrying a tube in my bag everywhere I went to moisturize my hands. I just love the smell. It’s a little bit masculine, but not overly so — it’s really unisex. My girlfriend loves it and steals it from me all the time.

That is the best stuff on the planet. When you’re out and about from the normal grind of the day, it gives you that perfect sort of grittiness when your hair’s fallen limp. I actually know Brent Lavett, and he said he wanted to create something that mimics your hair after the beach because there’s nothing better than when it’s been in the ocean and is a little bit dirty and blown in the wind. It’s not really a hairspray but more like water with some sea salt that’ll give your hair texture. I think most guys’ hair gets better as the day gets on because it gets dirtier. This helps you fake it.

It’s always been my favorite candy since growing up. Obviously, coming from Iowa, you never see it in New York, so it’s my ultimate treat, especially when I’m traveling and need a little pick-me-up. It’s got this taffy consistency and tastes like honey, but not overly so (which is why the name, obviously). You chew on it for a bit, and it just dissolves in a way that coats your mouth with this great sweetness. I typically get it from Amazon. It’s hard to find!

It’s a thumb drive that’s smaller than a key that you hook onto your key chain. If I’m in meetings and I need to share a file but don’t have Wi-Fi, it comes in so handy, plus it doesn’t look bad considering how ugly USB drives are. I do a lot of work digitally whether it’s photos or artwork or huge files, so it’s the best way to share things.

My go-to. I bring it as many places as I can remember to when I’m looking for inspiration or ideas, or just for my own documentation of trips. I travel quite a bit, and I used to use my phone a lot, but just over the last year and a half, I’ve been going back to my camera because they say the iPhone’s just as great at capturing photos, but it’s really not the same. And I actually print out the photos all the time. I went on a trip to Capri and have a photo of it on my wall right now.

You’d be surprised how often I use the bottle opener on this. I bought it because it was a nifty key chain, but it really is super functional, and not in a trashy kind of way but an artisanal one. It’s made of either brass or copper or something, but it’s just a cool way to pop open a beer or a soda bottle at all times.

It’s my ultimate travel suitcase. It’s made of tarpaulin, which is camp-tent-material, so it’s ultra-weatherproof. Not a lot of people have it, so I can identify it quickly anywhere I go — it’s small enough just to be an overnight bag, too. I travel to Japan three or four times a year and found it there. I think it’s the perfect bag. I just used it yesterday.

These are my sunglasses of choice when I’m traveling and driving — they are the most authentic made-in-the-USA thing and such a nice juxtaposition with a suit because you can be dressed up but add some edge with military spec sunglasses. They’ve been around since the ’60s or ’70s, and the temples are made for pilots (there’s no curved arm), so you can just slide them on and off when wearing a helmet. I obviously don’t need to wear a helmet, but a lot of guys who ride motorcycles wear them.

It’s been my favorite piece that we make because you can dress it up or down — under a suit or over a swimsuit after a long day at the beach. It’s become that layering piece our customers love because of its utility for keeping you warm, but also a bit of luxury because of the cashmere. We think of it as a hybrid T-shirt and sweater. People are going crazy for it — they’ll come in and buy every color. We do it now in 8 colors, but this fall we’re making 15.