Vivarati Designer Socks
Vivarati Sidebar designer socks
Dress socks can be plain and boring. As a frequent traveler, I am constantly having to remove my shoes at airport security. It’s time to spice up my feet with clever colors and designs!
Vivarati has a full line of colorful, designer socks produced with high quality and eye-catching style. The company’s motto is creating “socks for the modern man,” and these socks are both modern and hip. Vivarati believes that socks should represent boldness and confidence, and these socks certainly express personality.
They are produced with high-quality Turkish combed cotton fiber (meaning impurities have been removed from the material before use) and have a hand linked toe meaning there is no line at the bottom of the sock connecting the base to the toes giving it a snug, comfortable fit. Vivarati.com offers high resolution photos showing the vivid designs, which makes shopping for your favorite pairs a cinch. Free shipping is another benefit, and returns are happily accepted through the use of a prepaid return shipping label.
The socks are thick and comfortable with a padded base and reinforced heels. A problem I face is that my dress socks usually end up with holes because I am walking so much, but these high quality socks feel both durable and comfortable thanks to the combed cotton material. They breathe so that your feet do not become too hot, which is another thing that I find important. The material stretches for comfort and keeps them from sliding down your leg. These socks are neither too thin or too thick making them perfect for year-round use.
Designers have also given their insight on how to pair these colorful socks with various clothing styles and colors. These socks are one size fits all. My favorite design is the Rollover, which has a certain Mad Men vibe to it. The Sidebar pair is another playful combination of colors. The socks are delivered in a classy gift box wrapped in paper making an excellent impression.
Vivarati has turned a somewhat boring piece of clothing into a fun, vibrant personality statement that is sure to turn heads at work or airport security. Unfortunately, they’re hard to find at retail at this point (online or off), so you’ll need to order direct from their own site.
See more reviews of good travel socks here at Practical Travel Gear.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on January 30th, 2012
First Ascent Igniter Jacket with Primaloft
Looking for a winter jacket that will stand up to the elements—but can be stuffed down into a daypack pouch? This Igniter one from First Ascent is brawny but without the bulk.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if you haven’t heard of First Ascent outerwear before. But it’s the sister brand of one you surely are familiar with: Eddie Bauer. See, when Eddie Bauer wanted to get back to the founder’s mountaineering roots, they knew just putting up some technical pieces next to their famous plaid flannel and mud boots wasn’t going to cut it. So they started this new label and went all in. They put in orders for the best materials, hired the kinds of people who climb K2 regularly for input, and went from 0 to 60 in no time.
The names of mountain guides who take people to the world’s highest peaks adorn the tag attached to this Igniter jacket at retail. There’s a whole line of First Ascent jackets to choose from, but this one is built for tough conditions that are cold and damp. Down is nature’s great insulator, but it doesn’t work so well when it gets wet. So this jacket is filled with Primaloft, the synthetic substitute that’s lighter, less bulky, and able to keep working well even when it gets soaked.
I wasn’t able to test this out in blizzard conditions on a mountain, but I wore it around during two slushy snowfalls in Salt Lake City last week and, as advertised, it still kept me super-warm through it all. It didn’t get very damp anyway since there’s a good DWR waterproofing coating built in, but it let the heat out fairly well other times when the weather warmed up. When I got back to my room after getting hit with wet snow and some rain for a half hour, it was dry again in no time.
If you look at the reviews on their site though (click the photo or the link at the bottom), you’ll see positive comments from people who have worn this in sub-zero weather in Alaska, on northeast ski slopes, and on Mt. Rainier. The one negative that comes up consistently is the fit. For me this Igniter jacket fits perfect in the large size and I love it. But I’m not fat or overly musclebound. For reference, I’m 5’11″ and 180 pounds—usually a medium for jackets. So go up a size or two if you’re not skinny because this one follows the recent trend (blame the Europeans) of making outerwear form-fitting, without much extra space. The marketing spin on this will be that you don’t need to layer as much anymore, but it seems to ignore the fact that the world’s population is collectively getting larger, especially here in the land of car commutes and strip malls.
Everything about this jacket feels thought-out and well-made, from the easy-pull zippers to the quality stitching to the nice feel of the fabric that’s not too “swishy shishy” like a lot of nylon outerwear. The adjustable hood can work with or without a ski helmet and there are cuff adjustments to get the fit right around your wrist. A locking cinch strap at the bottom allows you to tighten the waist. There are three zippered pockets on the outside and one on the inside.
For travelers heading to cold places, this jacket can give you extreme warmth in extreme conditions, but without taking up your whole suitcase. It packs down into its own included pouch, which is about the size of one for those super-thin sleeping bags. I carried it in a daypack for three days recently and still had room for whatever else I needed.
In every respect, this feels and looks as good as many jackets I just saw at the Outdoor Retailer show going for $350 or more, but the price tag for the Igniter is $199. It comes in blue or black for men, black or dark plum for women.
Get the Igniter Jacket direct from EddieBauer.com or at their retail stores across the U.S.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on January 26th, 2012
Fun, Funny and Downright Useful New Travel Gear
What’s on the way in travel gear? I just got back from the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market held each year in Salt Lake City. It’s a place where retail buyers come to see what’s new and different for the upcoming fall season and place their orders. For us media types, it’s a chance to get a sneak peak at what’s going to be hitting stores later.
Over on our sister Cheapest Destinations Blog I already posted a rundown on new trends in travel gear that you should go check out before or after reading this post. It’s all about light gear getting lighter, but basic materials costs driving up prices. Plus some buying advice and a rant about retro bags.
When covering this show, most gear and outdoor publications get all serious and dive into the technical specs for all the new wonder jackets and slightly changed backpacks. I’d rather cover those items here in detail later—the ones fit for normal travelers—after they hit the market. I saw three developments that might be true game-changers though.
1) Lightweight shoes that are not just for runners. We’ve had ultra-light running shoes for quite a while now, thanks to the barefoot running style craze. But now the technology is making it to the mainstream. The post I mentioned before has some very packable winter boots from Teva. The picture above has some ultra-light Nike running shoes on a scale—and a pair of comfy Rockport shoes that weigh less.
2) Treated down that repels water. I saw two companies talking about this process, where down is subjected to a microscopic polymer that repels water, before it goes into a sleeping bag or jacket. Sierra Designs is the one that’s leading the way on this and is putting the most marketing muscle into it. From what I saw at the demos, it really works.
3) More and better rechargeable devices. I’ve tried some solar chargers over the years with mixed results, but now I’m seeing some solar panel/battery combos that pack some serious juice, like enough to charge a laptop once or an iPad multiple times—after a few hours of sunlight. Plus there are more items hitting the market that can be charged via USB instead of having to deal with AA batteries. The SteriPEN Freedom is a hit already and as this year goes on you’ll see more flashlights, lanterns, and purifiers that plug and charge. I’m especially excited about a Camelbak bottle coming in March that has its own UV purifier lamp built in.
Bring on the fun!
Enough serious stuff. Here are some of the items that I found more interesting to take shots of than yet another waterproof ski shell.
First up, two new face warmers to give you a cozy beard while on the slope. The left photo is me with a sample from 5 O’Clock Shadows. On the right are sample styles from Bearded Apparel.
I’m a sucker for silly winter hats for kids. The ones at the top of this post are from Knitwits. The ones pictured here are from Nirvanna Designs—made in Nepal.
Actually most of the gear that makes you smile is geared to kids, which means I think we all need to lighten up a bit. I mean how can you not smile when you see this backpack from MadPax? Or these fun mittens that look like bear paws (and have an opening where you can get your hand out to pull up a zipper) from Bear Hands & Buddies?
Okay, okay—I’ll put some photos of some serious gear to watch for on our Facebook page if you really want to know what’s coming to a store near you in six months. So go like us there and watch for pics the next few days.
Meanwhile, stay tuned the rest of 2012 as we review the best travel gear for your money.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on January 25th, 2012
Cheap Survival Insurance: $15 Adventure Medical Kit
With this kit, you can prepare for unexpected problems without carrying a lot of extra weight and bulk.
If you’ve ever been on a guided tour or hiking trip, you’ve probably noticed that whenever something goes wrong or someone gets hurt, the guide has a Hermione-like magic bag filled with all the right bandages and first-aid supplies. You almost never see a professional guide without some kind of daypack because they need to be prepared for whatever nature can throw at them.
How prepared are you when you go hiking, kayaking, biking, or rural road-tripping on your own? Are you prepared for getting stuck somewhere for the night—with no heat?
It’s hard to justify a big and bulky kit that covers every possible bad situation. But I’m digging this little 4-ounce, $15 Survival Medic packet from Adventure Medical Kits. It’s got some first aid supplies in it, like antibiotic cream, an antiseptic towelette, and bandages. The real high-value items though are things you would probably spend much more than $15 on if you were to buy them individually and pack them up yourself. (And they wouldn’t fit so well together.)
This kit has their cool little firestarter that makes sparks, tinder to light up from those sparks, and an emergency blanket to retain your body heat while all that gets going. There’s a compass to keep you from wandering in circles and a signal whistle to alert anyone around that you need help. You also get 26 inches of duct tape and some very useful survival instructions in a small booklet.
All this packs into a waterproof plastic bag that’s about the size of one hand. It takes up about as much room as a solar charger, so it’s not going to be a packing burden or weigh you down.
You wouldn’t know it from watching 24-hour news channels, but I read that more tourists died in U.S. national parks last year than died in all of Mexico. But people don’t usually warn you to be careful when you say you’re going to go hiking in Yellowstone. Pack one of these—it’s cheap insurance. Order it direct or get it from Amazon here. It should also start showing up at stores shortly.
If you go backcountry hiking on a regular basis, check out this heftier kit I reviewed earlier from the same company: Origin SOL Survival Kit.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on January 19th, 2012
Eagle Creek Swift 22 Carry-on Suitcase
The Swift 22-inch rolling bag is another winner from Eagle Creek—if you prefer an open compartment over multiple pockets.
With most airlines sticking it to you for checking a bag on domestic flights, but only one in the U.S. charging you for a carry-on, most frequent fliers have gravitated to a 22-inch bag. These generally fit into the overhead bin okay and if you’re just moving around airports and hotels, you’ve got wheels to make it easy. If you pack well, you can get by for four or five days with one this size, or longer if you do some laundry. This Swift one from Eagle Creek has a capacity of 45 liters or 2,750 cubic inches.
There’s nothing fancy about the organization of this bag. Apart from a mesh section on the flap, it’s just one big compartment inside. This is because it’s meant to be used with Eagle Creek’s Pack-it cube system. (Watch for a detailed review of those cubes next week.) There’s a little diagram in the instructions tag telling you the most efficient way to pack using these. As I’ve posted before, I’ve got mixed feelings about packing cubes, so most of the time I don’t use them; I can stuff more into my bag without them. If you’re going to be moving from hotel to hotel though, they can help you keep organized. Here’s a quick rule of thumb: if your favorite retail outlet is The Container Store, you’ll love packing cubes. If you have a messy jumbled sock drawer, maybe not.
A set of compression straps will keep everything in place inside, then on the outside you’ve got one large pocket running the length of the bag and one small zippered pocket. This suitcase weighs in at 5 pounds 11 ounces (3kg), despite having a good handle system, heavy-duty large wheels, and rugged material with trademarked names like Stratus, Helix, Cordura, and “900D Bi-Tech.” It’s not advertised as waterproof, but the material did repel water in a drizzle and all the zippers are either covered or sealed.
There are two cushioned handles, which always makes me happy: one on the top and one on the side. One odd omission though: there’s no built-in luggage tag holder. It’s been a while since I saw a quality suitcase without one of those.
Overall this bag performed admirably on my trips, with smooth rolling action, a good handle mechanism, and a surface that can easily be wiped clean. As with all Eagle Creek luggage, it comes with a “no matter what” lifetime warranty—not something you see very often with wheeled suitcases.
This bag only comes in a black/gray combo but it’s different enough looking from the other sea of black bags that you can easily pick it out on the airport carousel. You can’t easily see it in this photo, but the surface has an attractive subtle striped pattern. It lists for $200, but goes for $130 or less at most online retailers. That’s a good value for something that will last a lifetime.
Find the Eagle Creek Swift 22 at Sierra Trading Post or buy the Swift 22 at Campmor.
See more Eagle Creek travel gear reviews
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 18th, 2012
