Posts Tagged airplane gear
Comfort Eye Shade from Eagle Creek
Just in the past month I’ve had two overnight bus rides and a nine-hour overnight flight, so I’ve had plenty of opportunities to try out this Comfort Eye Shade from Eagle Creek.With this on I was oblivious to flickering screens and neighbors’ reading lights and I snoozed as well as can be expected while not lying in a flat position.
This Eagle Creek version is basically a soft microfleece upgrade on the scratchy cheap eye masks some airlines still hand out. Unlike an upgrade on a plane though, this one won’t cost you much: it retails for a mere 10 bucks. It comes in gray or blue and weighs less than an ounce.
In another improvement on the scratchy kind, this eye mask is molded to block out more light around your eyes and it has a thick adjustable elastic strap instead of some flimsy thin strap that won’t hold up to multiple uses.
Let’s imagine though that Business Class is just not good enough and you want to upgrade further. Well there’s a Comfort Plus Eye Shade that is a little softer and more feminine, with a quilted fabric and Primaloft filling on the inside. It wouldn’t look good on me, but if this look and cooler surface appeals to you more, it’s $15.
Like most Eagle Creek products, both versions are widely available and easy to find. I even saw the first version in the Santiago, Chile airport as I was browsing the shops before heading home. (There it was $12, in case you were wondering…) You can buy the Comfort Eye Shade or Comfort Plus at many travel retail stores or online at just about any of the travel gear outlets. Follow the link of your choice below if you want to snooze better on your next flight, overnight bus trip, or long train ride.
Comfort Eye Shade at REI, at Campmor, or Amazon
Comfort Plus Eye Shade at Backcountry or Magellan’s Travel Supplies.
Posted by Tim in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on August 25th, 2010
Kindle e-book Reader – Under $200, Now Practical Travel Gear
[Editor's update - the Kindle price has now dropped even more, to below $150 if you don't care about the 3G wireless access.]
When Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader first came out, I was baffled that anyone was buying it. It seemed like very few other people saw it as a worthwhile value either. Two years ago I asked in this post, Do you know anyone actually using a Kindle?
When it first launched, the Kindle went for $399, which was just plain silly. Then it dropped to $299, which was still the price of 20 or so new hardback books. Then it dropped below $250 (when I bought it—grrrr) and has now come down to $189.
I still wouldn’t call that a steal, but it’s now not a hard purchase to justify if you’re a traveler or you have kids who come with you. I am a traveler, but had trouble pulling the trigger on it until the latter reason came into play: I was going to be moving to Mexico for a year and knew I’d need more books for my daughter than I could drag along or buy locally.
Which brings me to the greatest feature of this e-book reader: you can download books in an instant from international locations. So let’s say you’ve run out of reading material in Puerto Vallarta, London, or New Delhi. Press a few buttons and presto, you’ve got a new book loaded and ready to go. If you read a review that sounds promising, you can download a sample first. If you like it, click the buy button and it’s done. Publishers have jacked up the price of some books, but most are still $9.99 or less, down to free in the case of public domain titles—most of the classics.
But what’s it like to read on this thing? Not perfect, but not bad. I’d still rather have a real book on my nightstand, but when on the move this is a good substitute. It doesn’t strain your eyes, it’s easy to hold in bed, and it feels almost like reading real paper and ink instead of a glowing screen (like the iPad has). Since it really is meant to do just one thing—deliver a book to your eyes—you’re not tempted to check your e-mail or go surf a website. To me that’s a good thing: no temptation to remove yourself from the immersion. (You can post to Twitter or Facebook from the Kindle, but thankfully not many people seem to want to do this.)
Where it bests a regular book is its instant defining of any word you put the cursor on. It’s also searchable. When you make bookmarks or highlight text, you can see a list of all those places you marked later in one spot. Since you can store more than 1,000 books on it, there’s no limit to what you can carry around in this little 10.6-ounce package. The battery life is really impressive: you can read a whole long novel before it runs out of juice. I’ve gone weeks, then it recharges in four hours. The keypad works far better and faster than the electronic one on a pad/touch device.
There are downsides though. It only displays one page at a time, so you’re hitting that “next page” button (loud enough to irritate a bedside companion) quite often. It doesn’t show page numbers while you’re reading, rather a percentage of completion, which feels quite odd. It’s harder to flip though, to browse, to mark a page, etc. Using a search function for something like a guidebook is not nearly as simple or quick as just turning to it in the real thing. The e-pub format used is not kind to illustrations and maps, which is another reason this is still a sub-par experience compared to a regular guidebook. It works better for straight-text books like novels.
With most any e-reader, there’s no such thing as a used book and it’s hard to loan one to a friend—like you easily can with a real book—without giving them your $189 reader. What do you do with a book when you’ve finished it? Good for the environment, but it doesn’t feel like you really own an e-book.
There are some other features that I tried out quickly but don’t use, like a text-to-speech reading function, a built-in PDF reader, a newspaper subscription service (extra $), wireless Wikipedia access, and an MP3 player.
The pros far outweigh the cons, especially now that the price has dropped down below $200. If you’re a frequent traveler packing light or a parent whose kid plows through a lot of books, I would recommend plunking down the money for one of these sooner or later.
My colleague John has reviewed a few other e-readers, including the the Sony Reader, but neither of us has tried the Nook from Barnes & Noble to make a comparison. For me the worldwide 3G wireless access, included in the purchase price with no ongoing contract (compare that to your iPad bill) was the clincher.
Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Free Global 3G – $189 & free shipping
See other e-reader posts.
Posted by Tim in General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on July 14th, 2010
Quick Pass Luggage Tag Doesn’t Pass the Test
Occasionally, I invest in a piece of travel gear that doesn’t quite measure up as I had hoped. Such is the case with Quick Pass Luggage Tag from Magellan’s.
I really liked the idea. First, it works as an ID tag for a carry-on bag. But it also cleverly holds a mesh pouch that unfolds to carry a cell phone, keys and other items you need to shed before going through an airport metal detector.
I enjoyed using it for a few months. While approaching or standing in line at a security checkpoint, I’d just shuck my pocket change, phone, keys and other metal items and place them in the pouch. That way they went through the x-ray machine attached to the bag and easy to retrieve at the end of the checkpoint.
Unfortunately, after less than six months of use, the pouch began falling apart and became unusable. This might be fine for infrequent travelers. But as many times as I’m going through airports, it just didn’t hold up.
Of course, I can’t complain too much for $12.85. And Magellan’s customers give this gadget five out of five stars in their reviews, so apparently it works for some.
But for me, it just wasn’t durable enough for anyone who travels more than a few times a year. I finally tossed the Quick Pass Luggage Tag and now just put my metal items inside the carry-on bag.
I do enjoy browsing Magellan’s selection of travel gear and they offer some useful items. But for my use, the Quick Pass just doesn’t hold up well enough for frequent travel.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear on May 31st, 2010
Cocoon Cases with Handy GRID-IT Organizers
As our gadget and cord collections keep expanding, the accessory pocket of our laptop bags or backpacks can start to look like a pit filled with electronic snakes and critters. Trying to fish out the correct accessory if you’ve been packing and unpacking in a hurry isn’t always easy. So I’m always on the lookout for products that allow painless organization. The GRID-IT system from Cocoon does this in an innovative way—if you pair it with one of their laptop, netbook, or iPad cases.
Cocoon makes a wide variety of cases for multiple laptop sizes and gadget sizes, with most of the options allowing the integration of this grid system to match. It’s basically a stiff panel with a series of interwoven elastic bands. So instead of you trying to match the size of your accessories to a bunch of pockets, with this GRID-IT panel you just pick one of the many elastic bands that’s close to the right width and pop it in.
I tried one meant to go in with a 15-inch laptop ($25) and it held pretty much everything I could possibly carry with me on a trip. I’m talking cell phone, iPod, CallPod, pens, battery charger, SteriPen, portable hard drive, Flip video camera, and assorted cords. There were still spaces to spare. Smaller models stair step down to 7″ X 5″ ($10).
The drawback is, this is just a panel with a bunch of gadgets sticking out of it, so you’d better have a cushioned case or sleeve over top of all that once you slide it in.
Most of the Cocoon cases take this into account, with some kind of cushioned Neoprene case like the one pictured below. With that model you have one large pocket for the laptop and a smaller pocket for the gadget carrier. The soft furry interior is like manufactured puppy fur—very soft and nice to the touch. That one is carried vertically, by the handle or the included shoulder strap. It comes in sizes for a 13″-15″ laptop or a smaller size for a netbook or an iPad. At $45 for the largest size and $35 for the smaller one, including the grid system, this is quite a bargain.
Other cases include a few more conventional horizontal models. A couple models open out to be checkpoint friendly in the airport security line.
I also tried out a Cocoon MacBook sleeve like the red one pictured here ($30). Sleeves can be great when you need to just toss the laptop in a regular bag or carry it downstairs to a lobby or common area. 
I found the configuration of this one a bit odd, with grabby zippers that have to navigate two turns each time so the end can pop open. Putting function aside, the design is catchy, however, which goes with the Apple ethos of giving up one thing to gain another. (There’s a more conventional design for conventional laptops.) These come in six colors.
I got these items as a loaner with a quick turnaround time, so I can’t vouch for how well they’ll hold up over the long term. They emitted that harsh “made in a Chinese factory” chemical smell that permeates the room upon opening, but that hopefully fades over time. For this price, they probably couldn’t be made anywhere else: these Cocoon products are a great value, especially if you get one of the cases that already includes the handy GRID-IT system for keeping track of all your accessories.
Related Reviews:
Posted by Tim in Business Gear, General Gear on May 19th, 2010
Unique and Artsy Kindle Cases
When you buy a Kindle from Amazon, all that comes in the box is the unit and a charger. If you feel more than a little trepidation over putting this $279 investment into a bag where it can get jostled and scratched, you will find yourself scrambling to get some kind of case or pouch right away.
Most of the Kindle covers sold at Amazon are meant to look professional, business-like, or unobtrusive. They’re fine, but if you want something with more pizazz, check out the collection from FernFiddlehead at the Etsy.com store. Etsy is a place where individual craftspeople show off their work and sell directly to people like you and me. This way they get the word out and have a nice display space without building hundreds of individual stores. There’s a lot of cool stuff on there for people who want products with personality.
I’ve been trying out the two FernFiddlehead Kindle cases pictured here. I’m using the version at the top as I move around with my Kindle, but this summer I’ll be moving to Mexico and my daughter will become the Kindle holder since we can’t lug 20 kids’ books down with us. So we’ll switch to the second cover pictured here when it’s in her hands.
Technically these are called “e-reader pouches” since you could also use them for a Nook, the Sony Reader John reviewed before, or some of the other e-book readers he checked out at the CES show this year. There’s basically just padded pouches (using polyfill) with a zipper, so they can hold any device that will fit the dimensions of 6 inches X 9 inches.
The only problem I’ve run into with these cases is that the length ends up being a shade less than 9 inches where the zipper closes, so you can’t just slide the Kindle in and out. You have to put it in at a slight angle and adjust, and pull it out at an angle when removing it from the case. No biggie, but a zipper that extends further than the case would make extraction easier.
These e-book reader pouches come in a variety of rotating designs according to what fabric the artist is currently working with, so what you see at the shop now will probably be different a few months from now. If you see a style you really like, in other words, snag it. These are not mass-produced cases that you’ll see other people using in the airport. These cases can show your own personal style.
Most can be washed in cold water and put in a dryer on low. They sell for $12 to $15 and shipping is a bargain: $2 in the U.S., $3.50 for Europe, $4 elsewhere, or free if you buy two or more items. See the whole line here.
My colleague Kara reviewed a line of padded laptop covers from FernFiddlehead a while back and liked the uniqueness of those as well. The shop also sells iPad covers, netbook covers, and iPod pouches. See it all at the Etsy FernFiddlehead store.
Posted by Tim in General Gear, Kids and Family on May 9th, 2010
