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Flipping through The Manual: Teardrop trailers, custom swim trunks, hiking hats

Burned out on apps, keys and screens? Improve your analog life this weekend! Digital Trends’ brother site The Manual exists to give men straight-up advice, from unspoken suit rules you need to know, to the latest in fashion, food, drink, travel, grooming and culture. Here are a few of our favorite stories to appear on The Manual lately.

Trekking: Hit the road with the High Camp teardrop trailer

Trekking: Hit the road with the High Camp teardrop trailer
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The teardrop trailer is nothing new, but Portland’s High Camp Trailers is adding a modern touch to a classic build that’s been around for nearly a century.

Read the full story on The Manual

Tarifa And Company premium swimwear allows for 15K customization combinations

Tarifa And Company premium swimwear allows for 15K customization combinations
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Tarifa has just taken the elements that are at hand in the country, and merged them to create a unique project building on elements that were already there.

Read the full story on The Manual

Specialty cocktails for National Tequila Day

Specialty cocktails for National Tequila Day
Igor Normann/Shutterstock Image used with permission by copyright holder

National Tequila Day is upon us and to celebrate the occasion, The Manual has recipes for speciality tequila cocktails that you can try out at home.

Read the full story on The Manual

Gandys flip flops and the ‘Orphans for Orphans’ initiative

Gandys flip flops and the ‘Orphans for Orphans’ initiative
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gandys founders Rob and Paul Forkan were orphaned in the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Today, they’re giving back to less privileged orphans though the Orphan to Orphan initiative.

Read the full story on The Manual

Feasting: Grilling tips & recipes from the pros

Feasting: Grilling tips & recipes from the pros
Fritzi Dog Image used with permission by copyright holder

We asked chefs from all over the country for their best grilling recipes and tricks to get a perfect char and delicious meal every time.

Read the full story on The Manual

How to hat when hiking

How to hat when hiking
Sunday Afternoons Image used with permission by copyright holder

A good hat should be able to keep your face and neck protected from the sun, your head dry even during driving rains, and should be able to help keep you warm or cool depending on the climate.

Read the full story on The Manual

Digital Trends Staff
Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…
The 4 best smart thermostats in 2024
A person operating the Google Nest thermostat.

A lot of folks may feel that a smart thermostat device is just a gimmick for the lazy that lets you control it remotely, but there are actually quite a lot of good things when it comes to smart thermostats. Depending on which model you buy and how much money you spend, there can be some significant savings, especially if you spring for the kind that learns your patterns and adjusts the temperature to eat up less electricity. Some thermostats even know what time of day electricity is expensive and adjust to use less of it to help bring your costs down.

As such, if you rely heavily on your HVAC, then having a smart thermostat can save you money and add a ton of convenience, even if you don't go for one of the smarter ones. Just knowing your energy usage over time can help you adjust and spend less money while also being a bit more eco-friendly. While there are a ton of options, we've collected four of our favorites below across various budgets and features, so be sure to check things out thoroughly and be sure a smart thermostat supports your HVAC system before taking the plunge.
The Best Smart Thermostats in 2024

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The best open-world games
The Witcher 3-Wild Hunt

Just like you probably enjoy getting to choose your own path in real life, you want to have the same freedom in your favorite video game. Open-world games like The Division 2 have only continued to grow in popularity since their release. 

While this genre of gaming can be a little intimidating for anyone without tons of experience in gaming, there are plenty of great open-world games to chose from. Ranging from first-person shooter games to RPGs and action-adventure titles, our list will have something for everyone.

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What is HDR TV? High dynamic range and why you need it
A Sony Bravia A80K 4K TV sits on a table in front of a large window.

HDR, or High Dynamic Range, is a TV spec you've undoubtedly seen in your TV's settings or while shopping for a new TV, and we're willing to bet that if you're here, you're wondering what the heck HDR is. HDR can be found in pretty much all of today's best TVs, from 8K to 4K to HDTVs, and in TVs across a wide range of price points -- HDR has become standard in most new mid-range and high-end televisions.

But what is it? When viewing TV, movies, video games, sports, or other content displayed in HDR, an HDR-capable TV will deliver extra-brilliant brightness levels, ultra-rich colors, an expanded color palette, and higher contrast.

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