Archive for January, 2010
Epson EX71 Projector Makes Presentations Easy
If you’re making presentations on the road and want the impact of a big screen, schlepping a bulky, heavy projector is no longer required.
Epson sent me their EX71 Multimedia Projector recently to use for a video presentation at a museum. Not only did it project a bright, colorful, bigger-than-life picture, the setup was quick and easy. It helped make the show a big hit.
The rehearsal for the presentation took a lot less time than I expected because the setup was so easy. The height, focus and zoom are simple to adjust and the “Instant Off/On” feature means there’s no waiting for the bulb to warm up or cool down.
For show time, the video was sharp and bright. Epson uses a triple LCD, three-chip technology and the projector is rated at 2500 lumens. The bulb should last a long time—up to 5,000 hours.
Travelers will appreciate the size of the EX71. It’s just under 12″ long, 9″ inches wide and 3″ tall. It weighs in at just over five pounds and comes with a soft carrying case. It will easily fit under the seat or in an overhead bin on an airplane with room to spare.
The native WXGA resolution is 1280 x 800 for sharp pictures and the projector does a good job of handling all the different aspect ratios out there now, such as 16:10 or 16:9 widescreen and traditional 4:3. An HDMI cable allows one-cable hookup to a high-definition source.
There’s a USB port that will hook directly to a laptop for the ultimate in easy setup. Some other projectors offer only control and do not transfer the picture over a USB cable. But with the EX71, what you see on your computer monitor is exactly what is projected.
The throw distance means you won’t need a huge auditorium for a big picture. For a picture larger than 26 feet, the projector only needs about 35 feet of distance from the screen. A distance of three feet makes a 33″ picture.
The projector can also be used to play a slideshow directly from a USB thumb drive. In an ideal world, the one additional feature I’d like to see is the ability to also play videos from a thumb drive or portable hard drive.
The list price for the Epson EX71 Multimedia Projector is $749.99. It’s available direct from Epson or at Best Buy and other retailers, but is currently on back order at Amazon.
Check Epson Ex71 prices across the web for other retailers.
Projectors come in all sizes these days—some will fit in your pocket or attach to a cell phone. The Epson EX71, while not the smallest in the pack, boasts a full set of features and does an excellent job balancing picture quality and portability.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 25th, 2010
Columbia Sportswear’s Fashion and Function for the “It Girl”
Columbia Sportswear didn’t get so popular without some clever marketing and equally clever design to back it up. After spending 16 hours surfing the manufacturer’s booths at the winter Outdoor Retailers show, it was easy for me to get a little cynical. Are there really major noticeable differences between 500 fleece jackets or 200 different pairs of hiking socks?
I capped the show off though with something that reminded me why there’s a lot to celebrate about the current crop of wonder apparel: a fashion show from Columbia. The company slid me into a VIP seat next to the runway where I could be dazzled by their form-meets-function collection for women that will be hitting the stores this coming fall.
I gotta say I like their attitude. They say this collection is for the “it girl” out there, who may be in her 20s but may be a 40-something mother. She bikes, she snowboards, she hikes, but she works, she pounds the city pavement, and she runs errands. What she wears needs to be comfortable and warm but look good. Her clothes need to do more than one thing. They need to do what they promise without a lot of fuss.
That’s my paraphrasing of a more finely-tuned marketing message, one you’ll surely have seen a lot of by this time next year. Based on what I saw, touched, and tried on, however, they back up the hype with great technology and design.
Enjoy the fashion show video above, especially if you thought that being warm in the outdoors and looking great had to be mutually exclusive.
For more on what’s out there now, visit Columbia.com or search for Columbia at your local retailer, REI.com or Backcountry.com.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 24th, 2010
Live From the Outdoor Retailers Show
Recently John brought you the latest in electronics and gadgets from CES. Now I’m wallowing in a sea of fleece and waterproofing to bring you the latest in travel gear from the Outdoor Retailers Winter Show. Here the gear manufacturers strut their stuff and the retail buyers decide what’s worth stocking. Fortunately, they also allow a few of us writers and bloggers in the doors to report on what’s new and notable.
Hats from Mountain Hardware
My first impression was, “What recession?” While this industry has felt some pain, overall the likes of Keen, Patagonia, Columbia, Teva, Kelty, and Mountain Hardware are looking amazingly healthy. It makes sense when you think about it: camping and hiking are still pretty cheap recreation options compared to a lot of other things a couple or family could spend their money on.
This industry has some problems though, which were outlined in no uncertain terms in a kick-off breakfast I attended. To paraphrase, the majority of people who frequently enjoy the outdoors are white, male, and relatively well-off. Women are gaining, minorities are going from next to nothing to something, but overall there’s a lot of work to do to make the outdoors look anything like the demographics you find in American cities. The good news is, lots of really dedicated foundations and organizations are doing great work in getting kids off the asphalt and into nature. Let’s hope they keep the momentum going.
In terms of products, I’m super-encouraged by what I am seeing here. There seems to be a serious movement toward the principles we espouse here on a weekly basis. Products are being touted as affordable, multi-functional, and durable. Instead of ever-more-specialized expensive niche items, I’m seeing a shift back to items that really pull their weight and can do more than one thing. In other words, Practical Travel Gear. Everything is getting lighter, more eco-friendly, and more useful to the average traveler, which is a beautiful thing.
Sure, there are still $800 jackets, $500 sunglasses, and skis that cost more than most people make in a month, but those products are increasingly in the minority. It’s all about you getting your money’s worth. That doesn’t mean everything is manufactured in China with crappy materials and shoddy workmanship: a much larger number of products than I expected are being produced in the U.S. or Europe. But everyone is keenly aware that you need to feel good about what you’ve paid for that item for years on end. On that score, things are looking very bright.
New Camelback Water Bottles
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 22nd, 2010
Travel Underwear by Tilley
The challenge: Pack only two pairs of Tilley “fast drying, sweat defying” underwear on my week-long road trip from Colorado to California. The reasoning: The undies are made with 100% polyester CoolMax Extreme Mesh fabric, so I could wash them by hand in hotel sinks (or my mom’s bathroom), and they’d dry by morning. My goal: Take this test so that PracticalTravelGear.com readers would know if they could do the same when packing light really matters (i.e. when you’re on an extended backpacking trip or you only want to pack a carry-on bag for your next plane flight, not when you’re driving a mini-van that could actually transport two dozen pair of underwear).
I’m not one to typically buy underwear for its quick-dry qualities, but I sure found the Tilley CoolMax Extreme Women’s Briefs ($22) fit the bill here. On our trip, I was able to wash my underwear by hand at night, wring it thoroughly, towel it dry twice (per instructions), hang to dry in a well-ventilated place, and it was dry by morning. I almost made it through the entire nine days of our trip on one pair of black and one pair of white Tilley briefs … if only I hadn’t forgotten to do my hand-washing one night. Since both were dirty the next day (hey, it’s not part of my nightly routine; mea culpa), I had to pull out my back-up pair of Hanes.
I am very impressed with how comfortable and light the underwear are. The weather was cool in California over Christmas, so I couldn’t fully test its moisture-wicking capability on our hikes in Joshua Tree National Park (I just didn’t sweat that much), but I sure intend to wear the underwear this summer when I’m hiking in the mountains here at home.
My husband was given a pair of Tilley CoolMax Travel Boxers ($22) to test on our trip as well. He could not speak more highly of how comfortable they are. To wit: He said he was more comfortable driving our 10-hour day in his Tilley CoolMax boxers than driving for just 4 hours in his Gap cotton ones. He says they are the most comfortable underwear he owns.
Testing Tilley Underwear in Jamaica
I wanted to test the quick-dry theory on our trip to Jamaica last week, so I packed my Tilley briefs again. I figured that doing the overnight-dry routine in arid Palm Springs would be quite different than in the humid tropics. Indeed, the quick-dry feature just didn’t work well in our hotel room in Jamaica. It might be that my husband and I abhor air-conditioning, and I dislike ceiling fans, so we actually slept in a room with no air circulating (really, it was better than it sounds), and whenever we were in the room, we had the sliding doors open, so the humid breeze blew in. All of these factors added up to my underwear not drying overnight, unfortunately.
But, to be fair, neither pair of my Hanes underwear dried overnight either (yes, at one point, I had four pairs of wet underwear hanging in various places in my hotel room … the housekeeping staff must have thought I was nuts). In fact, all of my clothing ended up slightly damp by the time this trip was over, as is typical when I travel to tropical locales; it was downright musty when I unpacked it all in Colorado, and had to rewash everything.
Testing Tilley in Colorado
I wanted my Tilley underwear experience to end on a high note, so just last night, I hand-washed a clean pair and hung them to dry on the doorknob of my bedroom. I went to bed at 11 p.m., and by 7 a.m., they were perfectly dry.
So, what did I learn from this experience?
- I’ll do just about anything in the name of research for this blog.
- I highly recommend Tilley underwear for frequent travelers, with the caveat that it may not wick and dry as well in humid climates as it does in arid ones.
- I know what I’m getting my husband for his birthday.
Tilley manufacturers all sorts of other travel clothing, including its awesome lifetime-guaranteed hats. I wore a pair of “Unholey”quick-drying travel socks ($16) on my two most recent trips; similarly, they dried no problem overnight in desert California, and took longer to dry in Jamaica. They are super comfortable, mid-calf socks with ribbed arch support and a “moisture escape panel for breathability.” They really resist odor, too. The Tilley CoolMax Extreme Women’s Briefs have matching black or white Extreme Tanks ($26), made from the same moisture-wicking fabric. These, too, are very comfy, and great for layering for active outdoor pursuits in cold weather.
Yes, Tilley costs more than the underwear you might find at your local Gap, Jockey or Hanes outlet. But because Tilley underwear is built to last with material that will keep its shape much longer than traditional cotton underwear, I look forward to wearing my Tilley travel undergarments for years to come.
To purchase — and browse more Tilley offerings — visit the Tilley Endurables website.
Related post: Travel underwear by ExOfficio.
Posted by Kara in Travel Light on January 21st, 2010
North Face Mountain Light Jacket with Gore-tex
If you walked into a store and could choose whatever jacket you wanted, which one would you grab? That actually happened to me a few months back and I picked this Mountain Light shell with Gore-tex from North Face. Others were flashier or trendier, but this one lets me stomp out into the rain without an umbrella, so I went for the practical choice.
I don’t have a whole lot of North Face clothing in my wardrobe. I know this branch of the giant VF Corporation makes great products, but their jackets are kind of like iPods and Crocs—something everyone and their brother seems to have on them already. I do have one North Face windbreaker fleece though that I got years ago and I like it a lot. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and join the crowd.
This Mountain Light jacket is one finely tuned piece of technology. It is really and truly waterproof—a claim I’ve tried out a dozen times now—yet it is truly breathable too thanks to the Gore-tex liner. That alone doesn’t justify the $300 price tag, I’ll admit, so there’s a whole host of features that take this beyond your average shell. It’s got Velcro cuffs, a hood with cinch straps, covered pockets in and out, a place to put your music player, and armpit zips to let the sweaty heat out and regulate your temperature.
Then you’ve got a cinch strap adjustment at the waist, sealed zippers with a double flap, a zipper that will accommodate a zip-in liner, and an “internal stretch water bottle pocket.” (You say water bottle, I say flask…)
The jacket itself has a lifetime guarantee from North Face and then Gore-tex has a lifetime guarantee on top of that. So you can trust this thing will do what it’s supposed to do: keep you warm, dry, and comfortable. It’s listed as weighing 28 ounces, which is about half the weight of another shell I own from Marker. It would be a great choice for winter sports or just days of walking around in iffy weather. Proof I believe in this shell for travel: it’s the only coat I’m carrying to snowy Salt Lake City for the next few days.
Back to that nagging question you may have: How did I get to walk into a store and pick out any jacket? I could make up a story about winning a contest or my rich aunt coming to town, but really it’s because the Gore-tex people were feeling generous when I visited their offices and they made me feel like the Snoop Dogg of the travel gear world, just handing me clothes so I would try them out and talk about them. OK, I’m easy. Hey…nice jacket!
Click the picture to the left to check prices at Backcountry.com, where I saw the black version on sale for $209 as this post was going up.
Search for men’s and women’s versions of the Mountain Light at REI.com or at Rock/Creek!
Related post: 8 Things You Should Know About Gore-tex
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on January 20th, 2010
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