BUY
▪ High Sierra Lightning 35 backpack
$60-$120
As day packs go, this mid-priced model from High Sierra has everything you want – except, perhaps, in a name. I mean, aren’t you tempting fate by naming your product after a natural disaster that sometimes kills hikers? In any event, the pack is light (3 pounds, 7 ounces) and sturdy, with expandable mesh pockets and a stretchy cord on the lid to store rolled up sleeping bags. The shoulder strap even has a pocket for your smartphone.
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▪ PCT Thru-Hikes 30 Years Ago
Sometimes I wonder how hikers back in the day could ever survive without sporting fancy, high-tech gadgets such as GPS and wearing such shabby garments as cotton (what, no moisture-wicking base layers, no rain-proof shells?). Backpacker magazine has a great photo essay showing Pacific Crest Trail thru-hikers from 1985. Almost everything except the natural surroundings – hey, they actually had snow that year – looked different back then. Plus, the two hikers have mountain-man beards that would make any craft-beer-sipping hipster proud.
THE LIST
▪ 11 professional tips for better travel photography
Tired of out-of-focus, ill-framed pictures that don’t do your vacation justice? The experts at A Luxury Travel Blog provide tips:
1. Lighting makes all the difference (early morning yields good light).
2. Research your location (know your spots for maximum exposure).
3. Avoid distracting elements (such as crowd scenes).
4. Hire locals/find a fixer (in a foreign land, locals know the most photogenic spots).
5. Say hello to people in their language (ice breaker for portraits).
6. Feel the place (do research).
7. Travel light.
8. Don’t try to get it all in once (take time for the right shot).
9. Leave the camera behind sometimes.
10. Find yourself a master (watch a professional photographer at work).
11. Be human (“Don’t become the camera”).
THE TWEET
Rachel Westra Marsh, @RW_Marsh: “I really think @delta should tell you when your window seat doesn’t actually have a window! #travelfail #twiceinarow.”
Compiled by Sam McManis, smcmanis@sacbee.com
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