Posts Tagged cheap and light
Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Packable Duffle Bag
Here at Practical Travel Gear we’re suckers for anything that packs up small but carries a big punch. This strong but lightweight duffle bag from Sea to Summit packs down into a little pouch that’s about the size of a two golf balls. As you can see in the photo here, it’s not exactly a space hog.
When you need it though, it pops out to be a 23.6-inch long piece of luggage that can hold up to 40 liters of your stuff (2420 cubic inches). Now granted it’s not going to compete with a suitcase you’d buy to use as real luggage, but you probably wouldn’t expect that out of something that weighs a mere 2.82 ounces (80 grams), right?
The main use for this is the vacation phenomenon whereby you almost always come back with more than you left with. Souvenirs, gifts, booze, and trade show swag have a way of forcing some tough decisions. You either toss something you brought to make room, or you buy and fill up another bag.
With this expanding duffle, you can take that extra bag along just in case. I’ve now used it for two trade shows where I needed to pack light to avoid baggage fees but had a sneaky feeling I’d need to bring some extras back. Both times I’ve gotten away with carrying it on as an extra “personal item” that will fit under my seat.
Technically though, if you packed this to the gills it would be over the regulation size for a carry-on. It is 23.6 + 11.8 + 11 inches, which is a tad over the limit. You probably don’t want to jam this full anyway though since there’s no shoulder strap and you’ll need to carry it like a suitcase. Leave some room so you can smash it into those “your bag must fit in this bin” displays that American Airlines is so fond of making you submit to before even getting to the security line.
The Sea to Summit packable tough Duffle Bag with zipper comes in three color combinations and lists for around 40 bucks. You can order it from Summit Hut or Amazon.
See more reviews of Sea to Summit products.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on April 18th, 2012
GSI Collapsible Coffee Drip Travel Filter
Since the days when Starbucks became a fixture in every strip mall and top hotels began installing quality coffee makers or putting a cafe downstairs, getting a good cup of coffee when you travel has become expected. When good coffee is not around, we get cranky. For the price of a couple tall lattés, you can get this innovative collapsible coffee filter from GSI Outdoors and make a good cup anywhere. In the middle of the woods camping or in a cheap hotel with a cheap coffee maker, you can bring your own and get a good cup every time.
This filter collapses into a small disk that’s about the height of a stack of five coins and a diameter of 5.6 inches. The covering case is made from plastic, the filter itself from silicone. That means you can pour boiling water into this fine, but it is very pliable and packs down easily to stuff in a backpack or suitcase. It’s easy to clean and the silicone case can double as a trivet for a hot pot.
It works with standard drip machine paper filters (you do have to bring those along) but you can then adjust the amount of coffee to serve one cup or 12. GSI makes some portable java presses too, which are great for car camping—see my review of the 20-ounce one here—but this takes up far less room for when you’re not able to load up a car. It weighs less than 5 ounces.
The process for this Java Drip is that you center the filter hole over your receptacle (anything with a diameter larger than 2.5 inches) insert the filter and coffee, and pour in hot water. This means you are the actual coffee maker though, so there’s a bit of patience involved in pouring the hot water, letting it drip into the pot or mug, repeating until you’re done. The longer you’re into the cycle for a large pot, the longer it takes for the water to go down.
The waiting is worth it though: the results I’ve gotten with this have clearly bested any commercial drip coffee makers I’ve used. I’ve tried it with enough to fill up a home mug, with the Snow Peak Titanium travel mug, and a pot for four.
I’ve been quite impressed with this handy $13 item and it’s a sure thing for my packing list every time I go camping from now on. I’ll also be taking when I know I’ve got a dubious brand of coffee waiting in my not-so-luxe hotel or motel. (The trick is to use the provided coffee maker to just heat up the water, then transfer it to this filter.)
See more nifty camping items from GSI Outdoors and pick this filter up at Backcountry.com or Amazon.
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Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on April 11th, 2012
Super-thin Wallets from All Ett
Who wants wallet butt when they travel? If you want to carry a wallet on the move (instead of say, some kind of under-clothing money pouch), “the world’s thinnest wallet” will work well in all kinds of pockets. With its slim profile, it’s also less noticeable for would-be thieves.
I’ve been trying out the nylon sport wallet pictured at the top and to the right. This thing weighs so little you can blow it across a table and it’s thinner than a credit card. It also retails for a mere $15, so it won’t set you back much either. The design is minimalist cool and uncomplicated: bills go lengthwise in the main pocket, cards go lengthwise in two half-pockets on the top.
I’ve only been using this off and on for a few months, so I’m not sure how well it will hold up as your daily wallet, but the nylon is ripstop tough and the stitching looks solid. This photo to the left below shows how one of these—in leather even—stacks up to a normal stuffed wallet. My results weren’t quite that dramatic, but it did reduce the bulk by more than half.
This sport version will only work with U.S. dollars or other currencies where all bills are the same size. (Why are we so mean to blind people?) For international travel it would be best to get one of the larger international wallet, which sells for $20 nylon, $35 leather.
That’s also the price for the travel wallet, which holds your passport and everything else in a package just a tad larger than the passport itself.
In some places I’d still recommend using an Eagle Creek money pouch when you travel, but in places where you don’t have to worry so much about pickpockets—like the NAFTA countries—these thin wallets are convenient and they cut out a lot of bulk. You don’t have to decide between a butt bulge and a man purse if you’re carrying lots of bills and cards.
You can get these and others direct at ThinnestWallet.com or go to Amazon for the sport wallet, international wallet, or travel wallet.
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Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on March 21st, 2012
IDAPT i1 Eco Dual Charging Device
This unique dual charger from Idapt provides the ability to charge more than one device simultaneously, which for this time-strapped traveler is extremely important. Yes, it is feasible to charge an iPad, iPhone, and laptop all at once overnight in my hotel room, but sometimes they run out of juice in the middle of the day. I can charge more than one thing from the same outlet in the airline lounge or airport gate area while on a short connection.
The brand’s main focal point is the reduction in environmental impact this can have by only using one charger for all of your devices. When it has reached 100% charging for your devices, it automatically powers down reducing usage of electricity. This is, of course, important to me too, but so is the ease of use and increase in productivity that it provides.
Plus, when you are the one paying the electric bill (like when using its wall plug while at home), it saves you on energy use. I am sure you have heard that even when an outlet is not in use, if something is plugged in, it is using energy and electricity. In addition, the device is created from recyclable materials. There is also a car plug to use with your car lighter port that makes it a cinch to use while driving to the airport.
There are dual inputs on the device: one USB charging port perfect for my iPhone or iPad and one regular charging port for my laptop. The combination cuts down on the number of cords needed on my desk or near my seating area if space is limited.
The $25 price tag is extremely affordable especially with a tradeoff of having fewer cables to travel with (think about those otherwise overweight bag fees!) and increased productivity on a short connection. It is available on IDAPT’s website and at Amazon and makes a great gift for business travelers.
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Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on March 19th, 2012
Eagle Creek Packable Daypack
Here at the Practical Travel Gear Blog, we’re big fans of anything that packs down to a little pouch and can then pop out Transformers style when you need it in your travels. So I was pretty darn excited when Eagle Creek gave out samples of this Packable Daypack at an adventure travel conference I attended in the fall.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one who gave this a thumbs up because for the next few days, the host city of San Cristobal de Las Casas was awash in tour operators with this Eagle Creek daypack slung over their shoulders. Many of them surely packed something else for carrying around their daily essentials, but they liked this better.
The photo at the top is what this daypack looks like when you stuff it in its sack for packing. A little smaller and thinner than a paperback book (and obviously more squishable). Then the photo on the right shows what it looks like in use: a nice backpack-style daypack that will hold 11 liters of your stuff. On the two trips where I’ve used it this thing has been stuffed with a super-zoom hybrid camera, tripod, guidebook, notebook, a phone or music player, pens, a windbreaker, and assorted papers. I’ve still had plenty of room to spare.
There aren’t a whole lot of bells and whistles to this, but the zippered front pocket does have a key clip on a loop and there’s a fabric loop on the top for hanging or grabbing. The backpack straps are made of a mesh, which surely helps with the weight and packing compression, but they’re also quite comfortable and they keep your shoulder from getting sweaty.
The fabric is strong, water-resistant ripstop nylon. Here’s the amazing part though: it comes with a lifetime warranty. When’s the last time you saw that for a product retailing for under 30 bucks?
This packable daypack comes in three colors: black, Pacific blue, and “Morocco.” You can buy direct from Eagle Creek for $27.50 or follow these links to order from Zappos, Amazon, or REI.
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Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on March 14th, 2012
