Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Gear We Love: All the Best Stuff for a Great Night In

Normally our favorite gear gets us out of the house, awake, refreshed, and hitting the pavement. But this month? We’re digging staying in. From the only facial serum you’ll need, to the perfect book for a late-spring read, to the most delicious summer tequila and new binge-able seasons on Netflix, rejoice in FOGO (fear of going out) with this Manual-approved gear.

Playa Real Pineapple Tequila

While summer begs for rooftop bar time, going out can hit your wallet hard. Even if you don’t have a stocked apartment bar, all you’ll need for a summery night in is Playa Real Pineapple Tequila. The new Austin-based spirits brand uses 100-percent blue agave for an 80-proof, triple-distilled, fruit-infused tequila (they have mandarin also!), that requires no chaser (but it’s next-level in a margarita). The pineapple is bold, but not artificial … seriously the best tequila we’ve tried in months.

Related Videos

See It

Zachary Prell X Incipio Phone Case

Staying in means you’ll probably be on your phone planning the next big night out… swiping right and left following a glass of Playa Real. Stay in your sweats, but dress up your phone with a new Zachary Prell X Incipio phone case, inspired by prints from the modern American menswear designer. For the guy who opts for basic solid iPhone cases, the cleanliness of this five-design line is a much-needed departure from, well, all the busy, decal designs out there. Your opening line might even benefit from the style upgrade.

See It

Verso Super Facial Serum

With a high dose of Retinol 8 complex, this healing and strengthening facial serum from Verso is thick and instantly nourishing. One small pump should be applied in the morning to clean skin and at night before bed. Consider it your super-simple version of a face mask. The formula will aid in your skin’s natural production of collagen and after enough nights-in, makes your face brighter and more illuminated. The overall texture of your skin will improve while pigment spots and wrinkles recede. Meaning when you finally go back out into civilization, you’ll look damn fine.

See It

Le Beanock Signature Indoor Hammock

We’re torn: lay outside in the hammock and drip with sweat or stick to the boring couch and bask in luxriously cool AC. We’re gonna have it both ways. The Le Beanock is an indoor hammock bean bag chair that hangs from the ceiling, bringing the weightless lounge-power of an outdoor hammock to the comfortable indoors. (Your allergies will thank you.)

See It

American Pastoral by Philip Roth

Iconic American novelist and short-story writer, Philip Roth, known for the classic American Pastoral, died on May 22, 2018, prompting us to revisit his literary masterpiece. Along with these quintessential books every man should read, American Pastoral was a tale of the American Dream gone rotten, following a man whose conventional upper middle class life is ruined by the domestic social and political turmoil of the 1960s. Stark and profound, a day in calls for hours of good, uninterrupted reading. And this is that.

See It

Light Book Lamp

Speaking of books, as the sun sets outside we’re reaching for the high-designed Pascalina Light Book, a handmade lamp in the shape of a book that you can open and close. Five acrylic pages house white 3500 K dimmable LED lights, all wrapped in a black linen cover. Small yet precise, there’s a reason this lamp will set you back roughly $500… it’s a work of (functional) award-winning art.

See It

Luke Cage Season Two
Marvel's Luke Cage - Season 2 | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

Or just put your reading material away and turn on the TV. Binge-watch the second season of Marvel Comic’s Luke Cage, released June 22 on Netflix. Expect all the gritty, action-packed, and socially-conscious perfection that made seasons one a smash hit. Joining the cast will be Mustafa Shakir playing John McIver and Gabrielle Dennis as Tilda Johnson, aka the villain Nightshade. So get your popcorn ready.

See It

Brooklinen Super-Plush Towels

Imagine the softness of clouds and puppies mixed with super absorbent power and a perimeter large enough to be a sheet. These are the ridiculously soft, huge new Super-Plush Towels from Brooklinen. We mean large like your-towel-rack-might-not-be-big-enough-to-hold-them large. So forget robes and silk pajama sets: chill in your towel. (We’re obsessed with the black Graphite colorway.)

Snow Peak Titanium Curved Flask

What, you don’t drink a flask around the house? What are you, crazy? This pure titanium flask from Snow Peak produces no funky metallic flavoring that messes with the taste of your scotch. It’s also light, strong, and doesn’t spill in our indoor hammock. And sure, you could take it out with you, but we’re FOGOing here, not FOMOing.

See It

Editors' Recommendations

Best Sleep Earbuds and Headphones to Reduce Noise at Night
Woman sleeping soundly on her bed with earbuds on.

Falling and staying asleep can be more difficult than you’d like. Between the stress of the day, the to-do lists mounting in your mind, and the sirens or street traffic outside, there are all sorts of sounds and mind chatter that can pollute the quiet calm you need. Wearing earplugs can help, but some people find listening to music, audio stories, podcasts, or even white noise or specialized sleep sounds is the best way to block out the distracting soundtrack of life and create the relaxing haven you need for sleep.
Wearing conventional headphones in bed can be uncomfortable. If you are a side sleeper, the pressure of lying atop something sticking in or over your ear can be extremely uncomfortable -- if not dangerous. Even if you sleep on your back or stomach, regular headphones or earbuds can get tangled up in bedsheets or fall out, especially types with cords or poorly-fitting designs. However, there are earbuds and headphones designed especially for sleep, as well as some regular models that do tend to work well in bed.
Sleep headphones are typically one of two designs -- a traditional earbud style that goes in your ear canal or a headband style that wraps around your head and ears, encircling them with fabric and positioning embedded speakers near the ear canal. The former can be advantageous for those who need additional noise blocking or who want to use the earbuds outside the bedroom, whereas headband styles tend to be most comfortable for sleeping on your side and they tend to stay in place better than earbuds if you toss and turn at night.
We sourced dozens of the most popular sleep earbuds and sleep headphones, as well as traditional earbuds that work well for sleeping, and evaluated them based on comfort, function, value, features, noise-blocking effectiveness, versatility, sound quality, and durability. After weighing the pros and cons of each, we selected the eight best sleep earbuds and sleep headband headphones below.

Best Overall: Bose QuietComfort Noise-Canceling Earbuds 

Read more
The Best Tailgating Gear for 2022: Grills, Games, Gear, and More
The best tailgating gear can seriously up your game day celebrations.

Fall is well underway and that means it’s officially tailgating season (well, as far as we’re concerned, it’s always tailgating season). Depending on game time, tailgating can be an all-day affair. To some, it’s as much a profession as it is a pastime. Wearing the best tailgating gear can make or break your game day rally. Whether you are cheering for your favorite collegiate team or following the pros, here are the best items to take you from pre-game festivities to post-game celebrations.
Grills, Ovens, and Smokers
BioLite FirePit+

BioLite's FirePit is a portable grill, camp stove, and fire pit all in one. The design is so cool, it's worth gathering the camp chairs around as the centerpiece of your next tailgating event.

Read more
The 31 Best Halloween Movies To Watch All of October

Now that we're in October, we're in the full holiday season. If Halloween is one of your favorite holidays, make sure to bookmark this page and countdown the days until Halloween. These Halloween-themed and spooky movies are perfect to watch every day.
Whether you like a good scare from classic horror movies or you're more of a Disney movie fan, these fun (and scary) movies will get you in the Halloween spirit. Grab your popcorn, settle in and enjoy 31 spooky nights of Halloween this fall with all the best Halloween movie classics starring zombies, vampires, ghosts, ghouls, and more. Best of all, we'll tell you which streaming service (Disney+, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Freeform) you can use to stream these nostalgic movies.
Related Reading

Best Horror Movies on Netflix
Best Horror Movies on Amazon Prime

Read more