Backed Hard: The Best Stuff We (Actually) Bought in January

It feels like just yesterday that we were compiling end-of-the-year lists and abandoning our families on Christmas to go see Michael Mann’s Ferrari (it was awesome). Yet, just as surely as the Dodgers are going to win the World Series for the next ten years—I don’t like it either, it’s just probably true—the horrific march of time continues. Here we are, a whole dang month into 2024, already looking ahead to Valentine’s Day horniness, Spring Break (Jamaica, here we come!), and baseball coming back. 

But, hey, let’s pause a minute. Don’t be so negative, bro! Beach vacations mean buying fun books, powerful sunscreen, and dope hats! And V-Day means stocking up on delicious chocolates, luxury sex toys, and cool robes and coffee machines and stuff! You say “baseball season,” we hear “time to buy a new 4K TV!” If we’ve learned anything from this beautiful moment in late capitalism, it’s that literally any human experience can provide a worthy rationalization for buying the killer products we’ve convinced ourselves we deserve.

This January, whether it was because of all the post-Christmas returns, early tax refunds, or New Year’s resolutions, the VICE shopping team spared no expense starting the year off right with things that we thought would make our lives more tolerable. A new bread knife to help us conquer sourdough? Copped. A silk sleep mask to improve our meditation and sleep (and also to literally blind us from the trauma of airplane travel)? Got a great one, and for the exact price of a Chipotle burrito without guac. An old-school digital camera, so we can remember the good times without bEiNg On OuR pHoNeS? Yep, we freakin’ bought, fam. Here’s some of our fave gear that we actually picked up this January.

As my little winter project, I’ve been teaching myself to make bread, and in the process I’ve realized my knives are absolute trash—I’m surprised I haven’t chopped a pinky off with my particularly awful serrated knife. Anyway, I finally decided to look into some high-quality knives, specifically a bread knife. This 9-inch option from Made In hails from France and seems like it will last a lifetime. Also, I was shocked by how thoughtfully Made In packages its products. Each of the brand's knives arrived in an individual box with a protective sleeve, including care instructions—and a single tiny bandage! As if I hadn’t already tossed that old serrated knife in the trash, this was game-changing. —Kate Spencer

Why did hundreds of people uncontrollably dance themselves to death in the streets of Strasbourg in 1518? Collective stress? Psychedelics? Divine punishment? The mystery of this 16th-century dancing plague still boggles historians, but this book is an easily digestible deep dive into the uncontrollable rager that took place centuries before Coachella had two weekends. It’s the perfect light, yet fascinating subway read for winter. —Mary Frances “Francky” Knapp

I know what you may be thinking… but hear me out. For years, I was an analog girl; if I saw something interesting that I wanted to take a photo of, I had one of two options. I could either snap a quick photo with my iPhone, or bust out a 35mm camera, take the photo, wait weeks or months until I finished the roll, actually take the finished film to a photo developing place, wait for the prints, and so on and so forth. But I had a revelation recently: What about, like, 15 years ago, when we would just carry around tiny, durable digital cameras that felt more intentional than a cell phone camera, but were less cumbersome than film? With this in mind, I recently bought a 2007-era digital camera —the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33—at a flea market, and y’all, I have been having the time of my life with this thing. It’s just old enough that the photos have a certain throwback appeal, but it’s contemporary and high-quality enough to take reliably amazing photos with an indie sleaze sheen. You can find this model on eBay for under $100, in various states—just make sure to grab one that comes with a charger:

Better yet, I soon discovered that if you like instant gratification, you can get an SD card reader that plugs directly into your iPhone for under $10, thus allowing you to transfer (and post, if that’s your thing) your photos as soon as you take them. 

Apparently, I’m the one who’s late to this. The Gen Zers have been all over it for a couple of years now.  —Hilary Pollack

I focus so much on my skin that I tend to neglect my hair, so this year I pledged to make a change. I tried various drugstore deep conditioning hair masks, but none seemed to make any real difference. I’d heard great things about the Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair Mask from TikTok, and recently found out that it’s definitely worth the hype. My hair feels way more hydrated, shiny, and smooth than it has in years. Key ingredients include rosehip oil, B-vitamins, and plant proteins. —Nicolette Accardi 

I’ll be damned if I’m not constantly drinking, discussing, and buying things to make coffee—not to mention writing the actual VICE guide to making coffee—but, still, I always seem to wind up with more. Recently, my fiancée started a new job that requires her to be in the office four days a week. When we both worked remotely, we were die-hard Moccamaster devotees, but now that I’m drinkin’ alone most days, I’m going back to my pour-over roots. To ease the transition, I picked up a Hario V60 plastic dripper, a carafe, and some super high quality Norwegian coffee. Let me tell you: I couldn’t be happier. Absolutely delicious, clear brews every day, and one of the cheapest setups you can get. —Adam Rothbarth

I started meditating recently, and I’m also traveling soon, so I finally decided to pick up a comfy sleep mask to block out the light (and the bad vibes). I’ve never owned much any silk, but I quickly found that this affordable option from Alaska Bear is relaxing and super comfortable. It’s also got more than 38,000 reviews on Amazon that come out to a 4.6-star average rating. It makes me wonder: If there are that many relaxed, rested people out there, why is our society so unhinged? We may never know. —Adam Rothbarth

Damn, zitty people have it so good these days. Back when I was a teenager, all we had was nuclear-strength Clean & Clear and a pervasive fear of moisturizer because it would make you “greasy.” Now, anti-zit stuff technology has advanced to the point that you can order these tiny, clear patches with microscopic dissolving needles in them that penetrate your pulsating blemishes and deliver legitimately effective ingredients (niacinamide, tea tree oil, salicylic acid) so those fuckers disappear in just a few days. I had a really bad cystic zit next to my nose and another on my chin, and after wearing these for a couple of nights in a row, they’ve all but disappeared. It was like magic! Why is the brand called Peach Slices? I don’t know, but they work! —Angel Kilmister

It’s been a struggle to leave the house given the drab winter weather. To stave off cabin fever, my boyfriend and I have started doing puzzles, which is honestly much more relaxing than downing three tequila shots at the bar. Our jigsaw kick has been a breath of fresh air—we even completed a winter landscape, which served as a nice reminder of all that we’re not missing.  —Nicolette Accardi

I have been a sateen sheet loyalist for a while, but I also live in one of those pre-war Brooklyn apartments that gets wildly hot in the winter thanks to janky pipes. “Bro, you need linen or percale” is what all of my bedding connoisseur friends told me I needed to sleep without breaking into a sweat. I recently tried Brooklinen’s cotton percale sheet set, which gave me a ton of bang for my buck; I got two pillowcases, a fitted sheet, and a flat sheet that feels crisp and cool but never scratchy. It’s akin to that feeling of slipping into fresh hotel sheets. —Mary Frances “Francky” Knapp

It’s cold as balls right now, no question about it—and I am already sick of getting tangled in layers of scarves and hats and jackets like a human Russian nesting doll. Instead, I ordered one of these hand-made, all-in-one scarf-balaclavas from a nice woman in Turkey. I like to think that it would make my actual babushka damn proud. —Mary Frances “Francky” Knapp 

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.