The holiday season officially arrived yesterday. As we sat with family and friends eating turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, retailers were busy setting up their holiday specials for Cyber Week. Black Friday used to be the one day with some of the best deals of the year, but since the Internet made it easier to shop for deals from retailers near and far, the one day has turned into a long weekend (a weeklong event for some) sale - but still with the best deals of the year. Here are a few I took advantage of this morning and a few others that you may find helpful as a nature photographer. 

NOTE: Some of the links in this post link to affiliate retailers and I may receive a small portion of any purchases at no additional cost to you. This allows me to continue providing you with the helpful information I enjoy sharing to help you improve your photography experience. 

Lowa Renegade Hiking Boots at MooseJaw

These are my absolute favorite hiking boots. I think I am up to my 15th pair. My last pair still sits in a plastic bag waiting for me to clean the poison ivy oils off of the leather so I have been wearing my previous pair. (I walked through way too much of the stuff this past spring while looking for birds in Ohio and I am crazy allergic to the stuff to take a chance; stay tuned for the video about how to clean that rash-causing oil off of boots in the coming weeks.) I always keep my old pair around just in case I need them for situations like this — poison ivy, dunked in water and waiting for my current pair to dry, extra pair in the car, etc. So I have been using them in the meantime but I used them literally until the seams busted. The soles are wearing holes, the threads are breaking and I punctured a hole through the leather recently. I desperately needed another pair. (To be fair to Lowa, these issues are nothing to do with the quality — or maybe a great representation of their quality to get this much use out of them. I probably have 1000 miles on these boots, which I bought in I think 2020 and wear almost daily.)

These boots are extremely popular, even considering their high price tag, so they rarely go on sale. I found a sale this morning on MooseJaw for 20 to 30% off a pair. When I saw the inclusion of these boots in the sale, I decided to take advantage of it even knowing this is the last thing I should be buying right now. At least my pinky toe will no longer be hanging out the side of my boot. The discounted price depends on which color you purchase. Older color combinations are less expensive, but I don't care about that in the least. Plus, they are offering free shipping. (Microspikes not included. See Amazon section below for Black Friday sales on footwear traction devices.)

Women's Lowa Renegade

Men's Lowa Renegade

Amazon Deals

I filled yet another hard drive this week. This time it was my SSD that holds my LightRoom catalog. (I really should spend some time to clean up old photos!)

I jumped on Amazon knowing that there would be some Black Friday sales. Not only did I find an amazing price for an SSD, but I discovered a couple other items on sale I would love to try out for my own photography and outdoor adventures. 

- SanDisk 2TB Extreme Portable SSD: You can never have enough hard drives if you take photos in the quantity I do or if you enjoy the benefits of the new frames-per-second rates that mirrorless cameras have these days. This drive also comes in a 4TB option. Don't forget to buy two so you have the same size and stability for a backup. $99.99 Black Friday Deal

- Kahtoola Microspikes: As I write this, the snow is falling outside. We are supposed to receive up to a foot of snow in some places in northern Colorado by tomorrow morning. Snowshoes, spikes and Yaktrax will become a necessity now through April at least in Colorado and other mountain regions for anyone enjoying the outdoors. These make a great gift for someone who likes to hike or even for the person who wants to stay safe when walking a dog on snowy and icy paths. 20% off for Black Friday (See photo above of micro-spikes on the Lowa Renegade boots.)

- Nature books: There are so many great titles out there for folks who enjoy reading about nature, especially in winter when it might just be a little too cold or windy outside. Check out one or all of these great reads, all available on Amazon. Several of these titles are available as hardback books and a couple are available as audiobooks. (Prices are all Black Friday deals or current prices.)

       • What an Owl Knows by Jennifer Ackerman: this is the latest title from one of my favorite nature authors, this time delving into the latest research about owls; $17.59 for hardcover
       • Edge of the Map by Johanna Garton: the true-life story of the perseverance of mountain climber Christine Boskoff, $19.95; audiobook free with Amazon Prime
       • Echo Loba, Loba Echo by Sonja Swift: a look at the many facets of the misunderstood and amazing wolf, $26.64
       • Our Little Farm by Peter and Miriam Wohlleben: take a walk into this family's adventures in sustainable living, $21.53
       • Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake: learn about the mysterious world of fungi, $7.73 for paperback

- Binoculars: Anyone who watches wildlife — whether that is birds, elk, brown bears or backyard squirrels — should have a good pair of binoculars. There is a lot to know about them (blog post coming in the coming days about how to pick a pair) but this pair — Nikon Monarchs - are my favorite, especially for the price. To take advantage of a Black Friday deal, check out this pair — Celestron Nature DX 8x42 — listed at $100.00 on Amazon. 

- Fleece Pullover: I can never have enough of these pullovers (I am currently up to three and just ordered another in black). With a front zip pocket and thick fleece that seems to be holding up very well after many washes, this Amazon Essentials 1/4-Zip Fleece keeps me warm when photographing in the cold. $20.90 Black Friday deal

- Wireless Headphones: I have worked from home since before the pandemic. Since then, my partner now also stays home most days. He watches a lot of tv. I found the only way I could focus was to block out the noise at home, and since then I have discovered that these headphones — the Sony WH-1000 XM4 Wireless Headphones — work wonders in coffee shops, airplanes and any place where I need a little quiet to get my work finished. $248.00 Black Friday deal

- Guide Pro Pants from Eddie Bauer: This is another item that I have multiples of for wearing on hikes, photo tours and photo excursions. I also have them in a variety of styles: fleece-lined for the winter, cropped for the summer and full length for the rest of the year. These pants fit great, have held up very well, are comfortable, fit well and dry super quick. 

Happy shopping!

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