The RTO Survival Manual

Your premier source for Gear, tech, and caffeine for the modern cubicle farm.

  • Why I Still Use Bose 700s in the RTO Era

    Why I Still Use Bose 700s in the RTO Era

    <LOG> There are newer headphones. There are flashier headphones. There are definitely more “influencer‑approved” headphones. But on my actual desk, in my actual return‑to‑office life, it’s still the Bose 700s doing the work. These aren’t the latest drop or some limited‑edition collab. They’re just boringly good, which, if you’ve been dragged back under fluorescent lighting,…

  • The Filson Tin Cloth Compact Briefcase: The Last Commuter Bag I Want to Buy Twice

    The Filson Tin Cloth Compact Briefcase: The Last Commuter Bag I Want to Buy Twice

    <LOG> If you’re going to drag yourself back to the office, the least you can do is carry something you won’t be embarrassed to own in ten years. Most corporate laptop bags feel like they were engineered by a committee tasked with making nylon as sad as possible. Thin zippers, floppy structure, a logo the…

  • The Rift Tumbler: The Only Office Mug I’d Take Into a Blackout Meeting

    The Rift Tumbler: The Only Office Mug I’d Take Into a Blackout Meeting

    <LOG> Office coffee is already bad enough. The least your mug can do is not make it worse. Most “corporate swag” tumblers are thin, loud, and leak if you look at them wrong. If you’re going to survive RTO with hot, drinkable coffee, you need something built for more than a trade show booth. Enter…

  • The RTO Survival Watch: Why I Wear a Field Watch to the Office

    The RTO Survival Watch: Why I Wear a Field Watch to the Office

    <LOG> The transition back to the office (RTO) isn’t just about a location change; it’s a change in identity. For those of us who spent the last few years working from the porch, the woods, or a home office with good lighting, the return to the cubicle farm can feel like a slow-motion identity crisis….