Emergen-C Vitamin Supplement Fizzy Drink Mix
The joy of constant travel is being exposed to hacking seatmates, sniffling hotel clerks, and germ-factory immigration or TSA officers (imagine how many peoples’ travel documents these people touch in a day without washing their hands and then touch yours!). That’s why any experienced traveler should always have backup. Vitamins, fresh fruit, hand sanitizer, and green tea are all favorites.
A fairly recent newcomer to the marketplace is Emergen-C, which is a powdered fizzy drink mix that comes in individual travel packets and packs a mean punch of antioxidants and illness-fighting vitamins to protect your immune system when added to a glass (or bottle) of water.
It contains 24 different nutrients including 1,000 milligrams of Vitamin C, electrolytes, and seven different B vitamins. Another benefit is that there is no caffeine meaning it won’t keep you up on that long-haul flight where you need to catch some Zs. I also liked that there was no after taste, which is often the case with some vitamins in pill form.
While it is perfect for daily use, the individual packets are very convenient to being on the road. Unlike Airborne, which features hefty-sized pills that come in a slightly heavy tube, these thin packets are almost weightless and perfect for slipping into your pants or coat pocket (or purse). An Airborne tablet would need to be wrapped into a tissue for quick use later.
It was a bit annoying to have all the individual packets swim all over my suitcase during a long trip (Airborne tablets would be in one tube), but nothing is perfect. They do come in boxes for those going on long trips.
There are different formulas for a variety of uses like one for children whose immune system would not need the same high level of certain ingredients as an adult’s. Other special versions include one fortified with extra calcium for bone health, one with Glucosamine and Chondroitin for joint health, and another with lycopene and plant sterols for heart protection.
The company even sends out free samples on request by visiting http://www.emergenc.com/free-samples.
Priced less than $1 per packet and often sold in bulk boxes, this is a great travel accessory especially since it can be tailored to your individual health needs. Its fun array of fizzy flavors from pomegranate to dragon fruit mean that taking Emergen-C will never get boring. It is available at Emergen-C’s website, local drugstores, grocery stores, or on Amazon.com.
Posted by Ramsey in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on May 21st, 2012
Easy Set-up Family Tent From Grand Trunk
My natural reaction was to be skeptical when I saw this Grand Trunk tent billed as “The easiest tent to set up in the world.” We’ve all heard that one before, right?
So I pulled this out of the carrying case, unrolled it, and took a crack at it with my 11-year-old daughter. Some thirty seconds later, no lie, she jumped inside our set-up tent and said, “Cool!” It wasn’t just the easiest tent I’ve ever set up, it was the first one where I haven’t had to look at the instructions or wrestle with a bunch of hinged-together poles I was trying to get through fabric tunnels. In fact I didn’t look at anything. I just pulled up the handle, locking it into place on top with the attached hook. Done!
Once open, it’s billed as a “4-man tent” or a family car camping tent. That gives you some clue to what the catch is: this is a rather heavy tent you would not want to carry very far. It comes in a bag that would not qualify as a carry-0n if you were flying and it weighs 15 pounds. If you’re using it for its intended purpose though, who cares? It’s big, easy to assemble with the attached fiberglass poles, and well-made without any shortcuts to make it ultralight.
This Grand Trunk tent has a front door and a back door should you choose to use them without the rain fl. There are lots of no-see-um mesh opening with flaps you can zip closed, and places to stake it into the ground. My daughter liked the little stowaway pouched on the sides and at the “loft” top, plus there’s a hook for hanging a lantern. An attached flap extends out from the front for leaving your hiking boots outside. The included rain flap not only protects the tent, but it extends out over this vestibule flap to keep those boots dry or give one person a place to sit with their head dry.
The tent itself is 95 X 95 inches—more than 7 feet/2.3 meters in each direction. That’s a little tight for four if anyone is too plump, but downright spacious for three or a family with one or two small children. We fit in a twin Aerobed mattress and two sleeping pads and had room to spare.
When you’re finished, take-down is just as fast as the set-up, with it easily fitting into the carrying case without knowing any origami. Just like that, you toss it in the car and you’re off.
The Grand Truck Easy Set-up Tent for Four is available direct from Grand Trunk for $225 or check prices online at REI and Overstock.com.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on May 17th, 2012
Revo Headway Sunglasses
If you’re traveling by water, or into water sports (such as kayaking, sailing and SUPing), you know the value of having sunglasses with polarized lenses. But it’s hard to find those ideal sunglasses that will both keep your water experience squint-free and not get lost below the waves should you drop them. The Revo Headway sunglasses meet both criteria.
The Headway uses Revo’s Crystal Water lenses, which have high-contract polarization and are highly scratch resistant. The frames, made partially from castor bean seeds (as an alternative to entirely petroleum-based nylon frames), are designed to wrap around, so that very little sunlight gets in the sides.
A flush-mounted metal spring hinge makes the fit both secure and comfortable for folks, regardless of how big or small your noggin is. In addition, the nose and stem pads are sweat and chemical resistant.
The sunglasses include a detachable leash and floating buoy. Sure, you can pop a cheap buoy onto your existing sunglasses for a similar effect, but with these sunglasses, the leash and buoy are attached with a flush-mounted spring hinge—which avoids thickening the stem pads. The only minor drawback to having the buoy attached is when you’re driving in the car. You need to flick the buoy over your shoulder to keep it from digging in your neck or back.
Does the buoy keep the sunglasses from sinking? I’ve tested these sunglasses during kayak and SUP trips in the Pacific Ocean along the California coast, and after test-dropping them in a huge tub of water, got up the courage to fling them in the ocean. And here they are, sitting on my desk.
Revo Headway sunglasses list for $209.95 on the Sunglass Hut website.
Posted by Jill in Adventure Gear on May 16th, 2012
Eagles Nest DoubleNest Hammock
I’ll admit it: When traveling in Central America, I often want to bring home a colorful hammock. It’s the image of relaxation, and I always think the colorful mesh bed will be the perfect thing in my yard. Now that I’ve discovered the Eagles Nest DoubleNest Hammock, my shopping days are over.
Yes, it’s a pretty strong statement, but after testing the hammock in my yard and on a short camping excursion, there are a few reasons why I love it:
Portability
Those big colorful mesh hammocks are pretty, but they’re murder on a backpack. The DoubleNest Hammock measures 6’8” by 9’4” and weighs 22 ounces. It packs up into a compression bag that’s smaller than a travel pillow (about 4” by 5”). Even when you include the smaller bag that contains the straps for the hammock, there will be plenty of room left in your bag. That’s not the case for your souvenir hammock.
Size
The hammock truly fits two people and is extremely roomy for one. The breathable nylon hammock seems so delicate, but will fit a maximum weight of 400 pounds, and the nylon interlocked stitching helps keep everything solidly strong.
Straps
The hammock suspension system from Eagles Nest allows your hammock to get set up super fast. The .75” UV-treated nylon webbing is easy to adjust. All you have to do is wrap it around a sturdy object, pass an end through the loop, pull it tight and attach the hammock to your desired length. There is a selection of loops to which you can attach your hammock, so you don’t have to worry about finding the perfectly spaced trees or other objects.
The Eagles Nest DoubleNest Hammock lists for $64.95 on the Eagles Nest website or check prices on Amazon and Backcountry.com.
There’s also a slightly more expensive Double Nest version with Insect Shield protection from the bugs. See the details here.
Posted by Jill in Adventure Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on May 11th, 2012
EcoQue Portable Charcoal Grill is a Winner
Want to grill a few burgers and hot dogs without using half a bag of charcoal? This EcoQue portable, stainless steel grill is ultra-efficient, using only 9 briquettes to get blazing hot and stay that way for more than an hour.
This funky-looking grill’s shape is the key to both its efficiency and its portability. When set up, it directs the heat to where it’s needed, getting far hotter than most charcoal grills. When not in use, it folds up into a little bag that’s easy to throw into your car or even a bike pannier. (It’s all stainless steel, so at ten pounds it’s too heavy to be a hiking item unless you’re not taking much else.)
It’s all about the design with this product: although it packs down into a small bag with a handle, it folds out into something that will get quite hot with a minimal amount of energy. It’s made from a series of unfolding steel plates that wrap around the grate and part that holds the charcoal. It was a little tricky to set up, but intuitive enough that you could probably figure it out without the instructions.
Some of the edges are a little sharp, so probably asking your 8-year-old to set it up isn’t the best idea, but it didn’t take but a couple minutes. You then place something to light the charcoal on the bottom (they sell some starters made of sawdust and wax, but you could improvise with sticks and leaves). Since the heat is concentrated, you don’t need to put the coals in a pyramid and flatten them out later. They’ll start and burn where they’re supposed to be.
You can cook in the open like the photo at the top and that worked fine for me. There’s a cover though as you can see in the photo to the left and that would work well for smoking after the heat has died down a bit, or if it’s a windy day and you need the protection. There’s a nifty handle that comes with this kit for taking that hood on and off easily. Obviously the surface of this thing gets quite hot.
Clean-up was quick and straightforward. The optional foil liners make it faster since they keep a lot of gunk off the frame.
The 12-inch Eco-Que grill sells for $120 and if you want the foil liners (recommended for easy clean-up, though not so eco unless recycled), they’re another $8. You see more details at the EcoQue site and get it online at Amazon.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear on May 9th, 2012
