Roam 2

Just my two cents on this one:

First, the veggie base. It kind of rules, and I may like it better than the already pretty great omnibus base.  Lather feels richer and my skin feels more nourished post shave. All this after swapping back and fourth between bases for 2-3 weeks now. But per usual, ymmv.

Second, the scent profile for Roam 2 is fantastic.  I really liked the original roam, but get why it might be polarizing. It was a more direct representation of a particular experience. It was very much the dirt, leather, tobacco you may get while working the ranch.  Intense. It is also way more direct than Roam 2.  Roam 2 is more like the recounting of the experience years later with a fondness for having lived it.  It has notes that are there from the original, but rebalanced, rounded, and softened.  In a way, it is an evolution to a more standard perfumer's interpretation of an experience. It is also evolved in the way that relating an experience years later tends to reorder/re-weight some parts of the experience, while also softening the rougher edges. It is fun to have both versions on hand for comparison because it really is pretty cool to experience thinking through fragrance first hand.  I would say that for the price of a sample, roam 2 is worth a try if you weren't necessarily a roam v.1 fan.  If for no other reason, the base is very good. (Side note: if you want to try the base but not necessarily roam 2, maybe get pencil pushers - a phenomenal cedar focused scent).

Cheers, folks!