The turning of the new year is always a moment of hope, and after a year like 2020, this has perhaps never been more true. In fact, the idea of leaving 2020 behind us has provoked new levels of hope for 2021, hopes manifested in the form of New Year’s resolutions. With doomscrolling taking a heavy toll, spending less time on our phones is a common resolution across the Highsnobiety office.
That’s right, we’re trying to take a step away from the six-inch screen this year. No more unenthusiastic Instagram-feed refreshes. But, to ween ourselves off our mobile phones won’t be easy, so our tactic is to replace screen time with something just as occupying. If you’re already faltering on your New Year’s resolution, or if you’re yet to even start, we’ve laid out two approaches to giving your phone the cold shoulder — going outdoors and going analog.
Scroll one last time to get phone detox ready.
Going Outdoors
Arc'teryx Zeta LT Jacket
Getting out of the house to rediscover all the things you’ve walked past with your head down should be first on your list of things to do now that your phone has been prised away from your hand. There's no jacket better to do that in than a breathable GORE-TEX Arc’teryx.
HOKA One One Kaha GTX
HOKA One One is pretty much unrivaled when it comes to comfort. That's why we're opting for the brand's Kaha GTX Boots for our phoneless expeditions. A chunky Vibram sole unit provides a rugged foundation matched by a GORE-TEX upper.
Snow Peak Amenity Dome S
Time for a real escape now that you’ve detached from the screen. Jumping off-grid is a much nicer prospect when you’ve got fire accommodation like this Snow Peak Amenity Dome S tent to hand. Big enough to fit two people (or just you and a few nice jackets), the Snow Peak tent will keep you warm and dry when you’re a long way from having any reception.
Snow Peak Takibi Fire & Grill
Consider the Snow Peak Takibi Grill an extension of our previous selection — you can’t have a Snow Peak tent and then slack when it comes to grill time. This packable, stainless steel grill is easy to carry in its own case and folds down easily when you’re on the move.
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Going Analog
Dubblefilm Show 35mm Camera
It turns out that there's a whole list of products that do almost all the things your phone does. Why would you opt for an addictive screen when you can snap your photos on this easy 35mm point and shoot camera? Your photos will look better, too.
Breda Virgil
One of your phone maker's more intelligent ruses was embedding a clock on your home screen. It's conditioned you to check your phone (and then scroll Instagram for 10 minutes) every time you need to know the time. Breda's Virgil watch harks back to mid-20th-Century style, long before mobile phones were part of telling the time.
Andy Warhol Puzzle
A good jigsaw puzzle has the power to occupy your mind in much the same way that your phone does, but without any of the negatives. These mini Andy Warhol puzzles are a nice entry point to the world of fiendishly difficult jigsaw puzzles which may also become something you'll need to ween yourself off of, but we'll leave that until 2022.
UNDERCOVER Jun Takahashi
Uncover the story behind one of Japan's greatest exports with this beautiful hardback by UNDERCOVER founder himself, Jun Takahashi. A foreword from Suzy Menkes readies the stage for Takahashi to trace the history of the legendary label through hundreds of high-quality photographs.
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