Your new dream job is getting paid to hike mountains and test clothes

VENTURA, California — Walker Ferguson didn't plan to work at Patagonia, Inc., where he spends half his time bouncing around the world and meeting the best outdoor athletes on the planet

But five years ago, after a 10-year stint in amateur and professional bike racing, he landed what can, without hyperbole, be described as a dream job: product testing coordinator for the outdoor apparel company

Ferguson works to perfect the 43-year-old company's clothing, by partnering with ice climbers in Scotland or surfers in Mexico. They test almost every product the company makes in the climate and terrain for which it's intended — "everything from sports bras to waiters to wetsuits to ski jackets," he said Read more...