Flipping through The Manual: A backpacking hot tub, the perfect blazer and more

By Digital Trends Staff Published October 24, 2014

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: Soak it up with Nomad’s collapsible hot tub

How to choose the perfect blazer

Espolòn Añejo: Tequila aged in Wild Turkey casks

Hand-forged grooming gear from Studebaker Metals

The Manual’s top 5 chambray shirts for fall

Digital Trends Staff

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…

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Audio / Video

6 outrageous headphones that will blow your mind — and your savings

As the world hums continuously with the rhythms of life, from the cacophony of bustling city streets to the serene whispers of nature, there exists a magical gateway that transports us from the mundane to the extraordinary, a vessel that allows us to encapsulate the essence of sound itself. This conduit, often underestimated in its power, is none other than the a solid pair of high-quality headphone.

What makes the best headphones (whether of the wireless earbud or noise canceling variety) so unique isn't just their ability to reproduce sound, but their profound capacity to elevate each note, each chord, each subtle nuance of a track to a palpable experience. As you slip them over your ears, the world around you dims, and you’re invited their deeply emotional embrace.

Photography

The best photo printers you can buy in 2025

Alan compares draft, standard, and high-quality photos from Epson's EcoTank ET-8500.

If you love sharing photo prints, journaling, or saving memories in physical photo albums, you might want to upgrade to a photo printer. When manufacturers optimize printers for pictures, the results often exceed the image quality of the best printers available.

Compared to sending photos to a lab or printing at a local office store, you can enjoy faster feedback and more control by creating pictures on your own photo printer. If you decide a print would benefit from a color or exposure adjustment, you can quickly make that change and print again with minimal delay. A printer that handles photos well also offers instant gratification and convenience while saving you money on print costs from a photo lab.

Computing

SSD vs. HDD: What’s the difference, and which drive type is best?

When on the hunt for a new PC or external hard drive, you’ll likely see two different storage options: Traditional hard disk drive (HDD) and solid-state drive (SSD). Deciding on the best one for your needs can be a massive obstacle if you don’t know the difference. Should you go with the old-school HDD or the newer, faster, and better SSD? Here, we’ll help you make the best choice based on crucial factors such as storage size, speed, and price.