Basic backpacking essentials for WOMEN:

Navigation

The TomTom from your car might not work here.

1- Map

2- Compass

3- GPS

Sun protection

Should have brought sun protection… bitch

1- Sunscreen

2- Sun glasses

3- Lip balm

Proper clothing

While you may fit in in Japan, during Lollapalooza, and in one district of Chicago… don’t be dressed like a fucking tard for traveling.

1- Jackets / coats

2- Long pants

3- Gloves

4- Hat

Lighting

Size isn’t too much of an issue with these powerful LEDs now a days

1- Flashlights

2- Batteries

First aid

Med kits generally help with blood and shit… little things.

1- Aloe

2- Antibiotic ointment

3- Ace bandages

4- Bandages

Fire

Yes….

1- Matches, lighter, or flame thrower, or flare gun

2- Waterproof container or bag

3- Cotton to start a fire easily

Tools

That works

1- Multitool kit for your bullshit needs

Emergency food

Breakfast of champions… just kidding, it’s breakfast for the lost, scared, and broken.

1- Extra days worth of food

2- Hunt the land like men once did

Hydration

Camping water filter

1- Water container

2- Water filters (Because unclean water is no longer sexy)

Emergency shelter

You all wanted the other emergency shelter picture didn’t you…

1- Huddle together for warmth: Never do this with more than one man. For a gaggle of hot women… it is required… naked.

2- Tarp

Okay, here it is. Kind of like this… just less clothes and more naked.

Obviously there can be pages and pages of gear and shit for your camping list, this is just a quick list of essentials. Use common sense, look up the climate for the area you will be in. Pack accordingly with a large enough gear bag that’s comfortable.

Backpacking essentials for MEN:

Everything needed

Now you’ve got it down.

1- Knife

2- Compass

3- Cool hat

4- Cool jacket

5- Pants optional

6- Cool sunglass

7- The smallest backpack imaginable. Preferably a satchel (not a purse, there is a difference).

8- Scruff

Sorry about my little hiatus guys. I’m mixing it up a bit and now in the United States to visit a few buddies. We were hooked up with a place in Lake Tahoe, California. Man, how I wish you guys could see this place.

I wish you guys could see this place.

Lake Tahoe splits both California and Nevada with some of the most beautiful scenery you guys could ever imagine. It’s located within 10 miles West from Carson City, Nevada. It’s like a paradise in the middle of hell. Or at least driving straight from the barren deserts of Las Vegas until you get just outside of Lake Tahoe. Las Vegas was pretty crazy too, perhaps I’ll share that story another time with you all friends. But now… Lake Tahoe has the show. Sorry you desert bitches between Las Vegas and Carson City.

The water of Lake Tahoe

Once we got to Lake Tahoe, crossing the mountains… I was floored. This crystal clear lake is 22 miles long, 12 miles wide, tucked between the boarder of two states, and surrounded by mountains and trees. This place is like nothing on Earth that I’ve seen. The water is so clear you wouldn’t believe it; you’d think the whole lake was filled with water from the Caribbean. As you drive around the lake getting to wherever you want to go you look up and see some of the mountains that are still snow-capped despite 76 degrees and sunny weather. Water comes down from the mountains in small waterfalls that can be seen in vast numbers, as you will pass many while there. The micro waterfalls come up right against the road and go under it in some places. There are plenty of scenic parking areas where if you stop (and you most likely will) to see the sites clearer… you will wonder why you live anywhere else on the planet.

Actual road pull-off location

The only regret I honestly have about Lake Tahoe is that I didn’t come sooner as the ski resorts aren’t open anymore. I would kill a Vietnamese hooker to be able to board these mountains. I’ve heard such glorious stories where people come here for spring break and the weather is so warm but the snow still hasn’t melted that everyone will ski and snowboard in their swimsuits… I’m thinking I know where I want to go next year for spring break… any takers?

I cannot get over how beautiful this place is you guys. I’ve been able to go hiking and biking in the mountains. I’ve gone zip lining here. Tomorrow we are going paintballing… paintball and a place this beautiful? I could die from pure ecstasy right now in this place. The only thing that could make it better would be casinos… what’s that you say? There are casinos on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe? O my god yes there are. This place is incredible. We are within a short distance from all things beautiful and all things awesome. I need to find a place here to skydive now before I leave. Jesus… with this place being this amazing I’m going to have to overdose on heroin or something to level it out.

A high recommendation for anyone in the U.S. would most definitely be to visit Lake Tahoe and do it as soon as you can. Never know, Mother’s day is coming up… do I sense an excuse to get out here and see the pure awesomeness?

Salzburg, a town renowned for being the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the setting for the Sound of Music, is a musical city. Classic music to be more precise, as the birthplace of the aforementioned Mozart and home to numerous Sound of Music tours, this part of Austria attract countless tourists each year. With easy access from the UK Salzburg is increasingly popular with those visitors looking for a weekend break. This is how you could spend a weekend in the Sound of Music country…

On the day of your arrival, start with a tour of Allstadt the Old Town. It is internationally known for its stunning baroque architecture and is one of the best preserved city centres in Europe. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to three large universities, the Old Town still manages to retain a quaint and quiet aura.

Most visitors will spend their weekend exploring the Old Town, Mirabell Palace – a historic building and accompanying gardens is an ideal place to relax and enjoy the sunshine.

Any visitor to Salzburg will have noticed the grand castle perched above the city, Hohenzalzburg Castle (High Salzburg Fortress) was built at the request of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg and is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe

Salzburg is also home to the top football team in Austria, Red Bull Salzburg. They play their home games at the magnificent Red Bull Arena, used in Euro 2008. Check the club’s website for more details and ticket information.

Back to more cultural matters and the Hellburn Palace is a great example of early Baroque style. The Villa is of palatial size and is found in the southern district of the city. Built between 1613 and 1619 by Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, the then Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, the villa named after the clear spring which provided drinking water to it.  Interestingly the palace was only meant as a daytime residence, the Archbishop did not use it during the evenings and therefore there is no bedroom in Hellbrunn.

And while Salzburg is home to Mozart and an array of baroque architecture, 70 per cent of visitors to the city are enticed by The Sound of Music. Luckily for these visitors there are plenty of tours to choose from. Somewhat surprisingly is that many Austrians claim to have not watched the Sound of Music and fail to grasp the impact the film has in the UK and North America. However, the word has long been out and nearly all of the city tour companies now offer their own version of The Sound of Music Tour.

The iPhone and various other Apple products have transformed the way we take photographs. There is no doubt that the world of iPhoneography or mobile photography is here to stay and with each passing month there seems to be another app to entice users to part with $0.99 of their money. But as the iPhoneography app market becomes more and more cluttered which are the best apps to go for? To help would-be iPhoneographers navigate this minefield, we have created a list of our four favourite iPhoneography apps… you all have Instagram right?

First up is a great and relatively new app called PureShot.  PureShot’s purpose is not to edit your photographs; no PureShot’s purpose is to help you shoot better photographs in the first place. A filter-free app designed to capture digital photographs with the highest possible technical integrity for later editing on your device. No editing takes place in the app. The app allows users to lock in current exposure settings as well as white balance and focus settings. An interesting addition to the app is the night mode, allowing for longer exposure and greater low-light performance.

Camera+ has long been the star iPhoneography app, aside from the hugely popular Instagram. Where Instagram has managed to capture the social-networking side of iPhoneography, its editing application sucks. Step forward Camera+, the success of this app lies in the depth of options it gives iPhoneographers. It allows users to either shoot in app or import photographs and uses five types of edits; Scene, Adjust, Crops, Effect (filters) and Borders. While the crops and borders are fairly standard in an iPhoneography app, the scene and effects are where Camera+ really stands out. The best scene effect is Clarity, it brings what could be a dull photograph to live.

Snapseed is the new powerhouse for heavy duty editing in iPhoneography. With a heavy duty price of $4.99 Snapseed has a lot to prove. Luckily for serious iPhoneographers Snapsneed doesn’t disappoint. The app has an incredible interface which makes it easy to use and it comes with packed with features. From the basics of adjusting brightness, contrast and saturation, the app also has some major selling points. Selective Adjust allows iPhoneographers to choose a focal point in an image and then adjust the rest of the image based on personal preference. Snapseed is as close to an all-in-one iPhoneography app as you’ll see on the market today.

Panoramic shoots are simply awesome. Ever wanted to capture that mountaintop view in all its glory? Well there is an app for that. While many newer iPhone, iPod Touch and iPads have built in panoramic features, Autostitch leads the way. Its genius is its simplicity, point and shoot at its best. Simply take a series of photographs, adjusting the shot accordingly and Autostitch will, as the name suggests, stitch them together automatically. Recognising overlaps and seamlessly blending the photos into one panoramic shot.

There are many different ways to explore a county but none can be as personal and intimate as discovering your destination on foot. Walking and hiking in Austria will allow visitors and would-be adventurers to get close to nature, people and learn the traditions of hiking in the Austrian Alps.

Cheese and bacon seem to feature prominently in Austrian cuisine and the Cheese Route through the Bregenzerwald in Vorarlberg is an ideal way to explore the region and its ties with the cheese-makers of Austria – from dairy farms to cheese speciality inns and from alpine pastures to Austrian milkmaids. Cheese-making has a long history in Breagenzerwald and clearly has left its mark on the region’s culture and traditions. The Cheese route also allows hikers to enjoy the beauties of a rural landscape as well as the produce of the region’s dairy farms. The route is a local network of linked roads rather than one single road taking in many of Bregenzerwald’s most memorable features, old traditional buildings, crafts, folklore and all located in the idyllic setting of a region which retains a sense of yesteryear.

The capital of Tirol, Innsbruck is a charming medieval city but stepping away from the architectural highlights of the past and visitors will find Innsbruck is home to a plethora of hiking trails. Take a cable car to Patscherkofel Mountain and walk the Pine Tree Trail, a four-mile long panorama promenade in the foothills of a nature reserve.

Seefeld is located high up in the Austrian Alps, a sunny plateau at 3600 feet and a genuine paradise for those who seek and appreciate outdoor recreation, healthy climates and panoramic views.

Just a short 45 minute drive from Innsbruck, the Alpbach Valley is littered with timber houses and historic inns. Marked trails lead along sparkling mountain brooks, through woods and alpine pastures.

The ‘Hills are alive with the Sound of Music’ in Salzburg and millions of people around the world recognise the Lake District in the region from that famous movie. Leaving Julie Andrews and the Von Trapp family behind, hikers can discover the crystal clear waters of Wolfgangsee and Fuschlsee, while the nearby Saalach Valley is also a favourite walking destination.

A recognised World Heritage site with over 4,500 years of history, the small mountain town of Hallstatt is located at the heart of the Salzammergut region. The Dachstein mountain towers over the town from 3,004m and is the highest mountain in the region. Hikers can explore ice caves, ancient salt mines and miles of trails.