New SteriPEN Freedom: Smaller and USB Rechargeable!
The beloved SteriPEN water purifier keeps getting better. I loved my original Traveler and and the Steripen Opti was even better. I’ve lost count of how many international trips those two items have kept me healthy—dozens. But ever since I laid eyes on a prototype last January, I’ve been looking forward to checking out this new Steripen Freedom.
In case you haven’t heard of this product, it’s like a magic wand for tap water you don’t trust. You wave this around in clear water (not muddy creek water) and it’ll kill the nasties with ultraviolet light. I have yet to get the runs even once while using this and it has enabled me to drink tap water from all kinds of dicey places.
This one takes the best aspects of previous models (like the little LED lights from the Opti version that help you see that it’s on) and adds some very key new features.
1) This one recharges by USB.
The reason this Freedom version is smaller is because it doesn’t require two bulky batteries. Instead there’s one small one that recharges. It has a standard micro-USB female plug and the cord has a regular USB on the other end. So you can use the included cord and plug it into a charger or laptop, or you can use something like a Chargepod or iGo and leave the cord at home. Before you could buy a bulky solar adapter case for the batteries, which works, but under this new system you can carry something more compact and powerful along to harness the sun’s energy instead like a Solio or Brunton Restore charger.
Per the official specs you can purify up to 40 times on one charge, so figure you’ll get at least 15 liters out of it before you need to plug it in again.
2) It’s even lighter
This Steripen Freedom is not just smaller. It weighs in at 2.6 ounces (74 grams). This has gone from “I should have room” to “Help me find this little thing in my bag!”
3) It’s also a flashlight
The Opti model sort of has a flashlight…in a pinch if you didn’t need much light. But this one will really light up the path to the latrine. It’s kind of tricky to get it to come on as that involves some shaking and moving around your hand to make it kick in, but the light is a dedicated one on the opposite end from the purifier lamp. It works pretty well once you get it going and stays on for three minutes.
When you buy this travel gadget (list price $120), you get everything pictured in the right side photo here: purifier, USB cord, wall adapter, and the handy Neoprene case it all fits into. This is a worthy investment for yourself and a nice thing to do for Mother Nature: it can potentially keep 1,000+ single-use plastic water bottles out of the world’s landfills, streams, and oceans. Or if someone near and dear to you is about to depart on an international journey, this would be a very thoughtful and useful gift.
See more at the Steripen.com site and buy this online at REI or Summit Hut.
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Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on December 1st, 2011
Travel Gear Sales for the Holidays
[Updated 12/4 to strip out expired sales, but links may take you to a different sale page as these change often.]
If you’re getting some new travel gear for yourself or someone else, this week is a good time to do your virtual shopping–or at least start it.
I’m never quite sure what drives the idiots you see on TV to line up in front of stores the day after Thanksgiving to supposedly get a better deal. For at least a decade I’ve managed to do quite well while clicking away at a laptop, having gotten plenty of sleep and not braving any crowds.
Pretty much every gear retailer is running some kind of promotion over the next few days. They can’t be in the game if they don’t. So take advantage of these discounts and free shipping deals. No gas, no stress.
Get an Extra 20% off at Sierra Trading Post. Use code ALSNOW1. Valid Nov 3 to Dec 7.
Get Free Shipping No Minimum at Columbia.com with promo code F11FREESHIP! The same code works at sister brand Sorel.
At Teva.com, Get 10% OFF your order with code Teva10Off now through 12/31. With free shipping on orders over $45. The same deal is available at Ahnu with code Ahnu10Off.
BACKCOUNTRY Holiday Sales Page + Free 2-Day Shipping On Orders Over $50!
Save $3 each when you buy 2 or more of these travel gear at Magellan’s. Also Free Shipping on orders over $50 with coupon code FSDEC
$10 off all items at Beltoutlet.com with purchase of $50 or more. Use coupon code CJ-FRI10 at checkout.
Great Holiday Gifts For Kids under $20 at Campmor
Eddie Bauer Clearance: Save Up To 75%. Canada Shipping Available.
Extra 20% Off + Free Shipping on All Orders at eBags.com
Doorbusters Holiday sale at Altrec.com with free shipping on $45+.
Go to Rockcreek.com to see a line of gear gifts from $25-$50 and get free shipping from $49 up.
Get Free Shipping on Orders of $50 or More at REI and remember that you can get it shipped to a store for pickup (as in where you’re flying to instead of where you live).
Luggage Guru sale: 15% off Luggage, Totes, and Bags except Briggs & Riley and Rimowa. Valid 11/24/11 – 11/30/11 – Code: blkfriday2011
Of course Amazon will be cutting prices bigtime to maintain their dominant position and their Kindle readers/tablets range from under $100 to $199 now. Visit Amazon’s Consumer Electronics Deals Page.
Or follow these sale links if you’re a regular shopper at Summit Hut, Moosejaw, or Eastern Mountain Sports.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family on November 24th, 2011
DJ Sport Headphones by chicBuds
My kids like to listen to a pop radio station in the car — one that plays the same Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga songs over and over and over. Thankfully, our minivan has an audio system that allows me to listen to my music (or none at all) in the front seat, and they can listen to their radio station in the back. But it requires headphones. Unfortunately, my kids (not me!) have a problem with keeping track of headphones, or more specifically earbuds. They lose them, step on them or complain about them: “They keep falling out of my ears!” or “They’re too big!” or “They hurt!”
Enter DJ Sport Headphones by chicBuds. Since receiving a pair of the hot-pink style last week for review, they’ve become a staple in the car and no one’s complained about them. In fact, my kids – ages 9 and 11 – have fought over who gets to wear them vs. the white earbuds that came with their iPod touches. Even my son doesn’t have issues with wearing the girly pink color – though I’m sure if he got wind there’s a red-green-yellow (Rasta!) version, he’d prefer those.
My daughter reports the padded ear cups are very soft and comfortable; the adjustable headband sizes small enough to fit the kids’ tween-size heads. I’ve plugged in and put them on to listen to the sound quality, and I think it’s great.
I like that these headphones fold up to fit in a seat pocket in our minivan, but they’re travel-friendly for carry-on bags or purses, too. The stereo plug fits into our car’s audio system, as well as iPhones, iPods and other mp3 players,plus portable video-game players and video players.
Purchase the chicBuds DJ Sport Headphones on the chicBuds website for $34.99. The company chicBuds makes many other products, including these retractable earphones with Swarovski crystals $24.95 on Amazon.com.
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Posted by Kara in Kids and Family on November 1st, 2011
Not For Parents New York City Book for Kids
In an ongoing effort to a) engage my children in helping to plan our family trips and b) encourage my son to read something other than the Wimpy Kid books, I got ahold of the brand-new Not For Parents New York City published by Lonely Planet. It’s designed for “young adult” readers, according to Amazon.com. I argue it’s a bit simple for teenagers, but I think the colorful photos, drawings and short snippets of information about the history and sights of the Big Apple are ideal for ages 8 to 12.
Author Klay Lamprell argues on the first page that this is not a guidebook, and I agree that it’s not a comprehensive listing of all there is for families to do in New York City. But the slim paperback (96 pages) does make the city incredibly interesting to curious kids, especially those who appreciate wacky facts and funny stories.
I’ve asked my children to flip through the book to check for any “must see” things they want to do on our trip to the city next month. I’ll be sure to pack the book, too, so they can read the facts pertaining to stops we’ve already planned: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Broadway and Little Italy. For example, did you know that Lady Gaga is the daughter of an Italian New Yorker, and that her real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanota? (I didn’t.)
Other fun stuff: The original 1907 taxis in NYC were painted shiny red and green, but fleet owner Harry Allen wanted them to stand out, so he painted them yellow. Toilet paper was invented by a New Yorker. The imaginary location on Sesame Street was inspired by buildings on Amsterdam Avenue, and on November 10, fans visit the area to celebrate the long running kids’ show; the same actor has played Big Bird since 1969!
Yep, my kiddos love these little bits of trivia, and I hope the book will inspire a love of New York City, as well.
Other Not For Parents city guides include Paris, London and Rome. Purchase on Amazon.com for $11.10.
More books for kids:
Posted by Kara in Kids and Family on October 25th, 2011
Time-tested Favorites: Best Gear from the Past Two Years
I’ve been reviewing travel products at Practical Travel Gear since it launched in May 2009. For more than two years, at least once weekly, I’ve detailed my firsthand experiences with everything from travel-sized toiletries and kids’ activity books to high-tech cameras and versatile clothing. That’s at least 120 blog posts about different pieces of gear, just a few of them true flops.
Here are 10 of my favorite items I’ve reviewed since 2009 — gear that I continue to pack on my travels today. By no means is this list exhaustive, just a few things that come to mind as I think about some of the “best” I’ve encountered recently and have stood the test of time.
1. Cate the Great Boots by Sorel: I’m thoroughly enjoying the latest stint of warm autumn weather in Colorado, but I’m equally anticipating winter’s snow, because it means I get to wear these hip (and warm) lace-up boots. They’ll get use not only for evenings out in snowy destinations, but also on the tubing hill or in the lodge for apres ski.
2. Heidi Bottoms stretchy skirts: For two summers I wore one or both of my Heidi skirts at least weekly. I received a complimentary skirt to review here on Practical Travel Gear, but then went out and bought another one because I loved it so much. I’ve paired them with T-shirts for sightseeing, and worn over a bathing suit as a cover-up. Well worth the price, because I’ve gotten so much use out of these skirts!
3. Miles of Smiles travel book for kids: This sits in the back seat of my minivan, and my daughter will pull it out and challenge us to tongue-twisters or some sort of verbal game we can play on our road trips. Really, chock full of entertainment.
4. ZIP-IT Travel Crossword Game: This one we keep in our cupboards of games to play at home, and it comes out regularly when I insist the kids turn off the TV. Though it is just a two-player game, it does help me buy some time when I need to, say, and my two kids need to some screen-less time at home. I also enjoy playing it, as well! It’s portable, and I’ve got to remember to pack it on our next trip — good to pull out during airport waits.
5. NorChill Soft-Sided Cooler: This is our go-to cooler for road trips. It’s the perfect size for placing between the backseats in our minivan. Alas, the zipper broke on our last family adventure. Need to remember to fix that before our next one!
6. Briggs & Riley Large Shopping Tote: I have so many carry-on shoulder bags and rollerboards, that I rotate them around depending on my length of trip or my needs on the plane. But one bag that I continually return to is this huge, quality-made tote — I can fit so much stuff in it!
7. Lowepro CompuDaypack: I wish the main compartment of this backpack were a bit bigger (see above, I like to carry a lot on the plane), but overall I dig this bag for housing my DSLR on my travels. I use it all the time, and in fact, store my camera in it when I’m not traveling.
8. REI Multi-level Protection SPF 30: This is a new find, but it’s a favorite in my house. In fact, when our one bottle’s gone temporarily missing, my kids ask (whine): “Where’s the good stuff?!”
9. USB Charger from Energizer: Okay, this one is relatively new-to-me also, but it hasn’t left my minivan since I got it. The kids use the double-USB charger to power their iPod touches, I use it for my Droid phone. Love.
10. GoPro HD Helmet HERO Waterproof Camera: This camera comes with us on all our travels, and I’ve used it to capture the action (still and video) snow tubing, surfing, water tubing, rope swinging, kayaking and more. The fish-eye lens results in some fun photos!
Posted by Kara in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on October 18th, 2011
