Provisions: Travel stuff you need
A guide for what you need to buy, read or consume to enhance your recreation and travel experience.
Buy
Luminoodle Color String Lights
Just because you are camping out doesn’t mean that, come nightfall, you pack it in and sleep. Now you can entertain with this portable string of lights (either 5 feet or 20 feet) hung from tents, trees and campers. The 5-footer gives off 450 lumens; the 20-footer 3,000 lumens. There’s also a “night vision” option of red lights. It comes with a wireless remote to snuff the light out. And it can be renewed via USB charger. If you contribute to the Kickstarter campaign now, delivery comes by August.
Buy
“Mountains and Marshes: Exploring the Bay Area’s Natural History”
$16.95; www.counterpointpress.com
Nationally renowned natural history and conservation writer David Rains Wallace turns his attention to his native Bay Area with this book that explores the region’s varied micro-environments, from Point Reyes to Mount Diablo and the bay itself. The best part, though, is when Wallace segues to first person and writes about his relation to the land. Nature writing rarely gets better than this.
The List
The Onion’s “Tips for Setting Up a Campsite”
The satirical website aims its barbs this time at those annoying outdoor “lists” that crop up on outdoors websites:
1. Ensure your group’s safety by making sure any nearby bears sign a non-aggression pact.
2. Seek out dry twigs to use as kindling, a search that can easily last as long as it takes for Kyle to set up the tent.
3. Find a good spot to hang a string of lights and plenty of occult symbols to ward off mosquitoes.
4. To avoid flooding, build your campsite on high ground, such as one of Manhattan’s many luxury penthouse suites.
5. Ground your tent with taut lines of rope so as to form tripwires for hungry campers in the area.
Compiled by Sam McManis/smcmanis@sacbee.com
This story was originally published April 16, 2016 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Provisions: Travel stuff you need."