Posts Tagged cheap and light
Innate Mentor Organizer Dry Sacks
Dry sacks that keep the water off your valuables haven’t typically been a travel item; they’ve been an excursion item. Something the guides bring along for the river rafting trip, or something bulky that sits in a storage compartment on a Zodiac boat in the Galapagos. That’s because they’ve typically been rugged and bulky.
Those of us who aren’t using a dry sack every day though can fare quite well with these thin, easy-to-pack dry storage bags from Innate.
These lightweight urethane pouches are billed as “organizer sacks,” probably because they don’t want you to take them out whitewater rafting on a regular basis. They’re meant more for keeping your valuables dry in wet or damp situations, like when you’d get caught in the rain or hiking through the jungle. Or just when your backpack gets thrown on top of a bus for travel to the next town in India or Africa.
They’re about the thickness of a super-lightweight nylon raincoat. But they have a great roll-and-clip closure at the top and the fabric itself isn’t going to let in any moisture. The seams are heat-welded closed, not secured with less permanent seam tape. There are two layers of protection: a laminate on the inside and a coating on the outside.
A one-way compression valve is a nice touch as this lets you squeeze out all the excess air when putting these inside your luggage. (And to keep them from floating/blowing away as easily.) That two-tone effect you see in the image is from a see-through window on the front. You can see what’s inside without opening it up.
I packed one of these on a recent trip but never got wet. So I’ve mainly been using them when taking my inflatable kayak out on the water near where I live. With one of these I can toss in my phone and wallet without worrying that I’ll ruin them if, oh, I get bumped over by a manatee or something. I was a little afraid of testing them hard with those things inside though, so I stuffed each of the three pouches with rags, cotton balls, and socks then held them under water for five minutes. Everything was bone dry when I opened the bags, so I think these will do fine in a drizzle for sure.
The price is right on these Innate Organizer Sacks: $4o list for a pack of three and even less if you get them online. You get a 2-liter, 3-liter, and 5-liter version.
Unfortunately these are easier to find in the company’s native Canada than in the U.S. But some independent retailers have them—see the dealer locator on their product page. Or you can order from Amazon Canada or Amazon USA.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on March 8th, 2012
The JIMI compact wallet
JIMI wallets
As bright as the flavors in an ice cream store, the colors on these durable, water-resistant wallets are mood-lifting for those looking for something a little whimsical. The company calls these wallets, “the wallet for people who hate wallets,” indicating the attention to detail in the simple design of the JIMI.
These wallets are crafted from recycled US-made materials giving them an eco-friendly edge (the company even donates a portion of wallet sales to green charities), and they come at an affordable price point of under $16.
There are a variety of wallets from the simple versions to carry credit cards, licenses, or money to the more tech-savvy version with a pouch for a memory stick.
Slim-fitting, they don’t bulge out of your pocket like some wallets tend to do, but that is also because you cannot over stuff these compact wallets either. The shell is translucent allowing you to see what cards you have in your wallet without having to fiddle around for them while in line at the check out counter. Since they are water-resistant, they are perfect for frequent travelers (no need to worry about leather or suede getting ruined in the rain or on a boat) or busy moms who can just throw them into a diaper bag.
Another benefit of the translucent skin is that your identification card can be seen without removing it. True, the persnickety TSA people will still make you take it out, but a simple ID check at the grocery store, a restaurant, hotel, or at work is now one step easier. An optional lanyard can easily string through the wallet for those who prefer to wear it around their neck.
These wallets are available at a variety of retailers, at Amazon, and also on the company’s website www.TheJimi.com. Stand out from the crowd and spice up your wardrobe with these clever, colorful accessories. Some people may choose to buy several to color coordinate with their wardrobe, and at these cheap prices…why not?
Posted by Ramsey in Kids and Family, Travel Light on February 27th, 2012
Reusable Snack & Sandwich Bags from ChicoBag
These cute and useful snack bags from pioneer ChicoBag are handy and are no sweat to clean and reuse.
The richer a citizenry becomes, the more stuff it throws away for the sake of convenience. One plastic baggie may not be a big deal, but multiply it times a year of lunches, then times a hundred kids, then times a hundred schools, and suddenly you’re looking at a mountain of garbage that will be around for a thousand years or more.
One small step for mankind is to switch to something reusable. Most of us already use Tupperware and the like for taking food to work or on a flight, but packing snacks or sandwiches isn’t as easy. I’m digging these Snack Time bags though because they don’t require much in the way of sacrifice. Made from recycled PET plastic, they already come with some environmental credibility from the start. They’re also free of lead, PVC, and BPA. When you go to buy them in the store, the packaging they hang on is recycled paper.
None of that is going to get someone to buy them if they don’t work though. Fortunately these do, and quite well. The first objection from most is going to be about having to clean them. That’s not as hard as I expected. You can simply turn them inside out and wipe them clean with a wet sponge or rag, or if they’re really smudged on the outside too, you can just toss them in the washing machine. We’ve been sending my daughter to school with these and making her wash them when she gets home and there hasn’t been any whining—a sure sign it doesn’t require much effort.
The real kicker with these though, especially for travelers, is the double-duty design. At full size the bags are 6.5 inches wide and extend to 9.5 inches (24 cm) on one side. So you can fit in a sub sandwich pretty easily and close the top. Or you can fold down the flap and it’s 5.5 inches (14 cm) high, the perfect size for a sandwich or a bunch of pretzels. Either way they close with one of several Velcro fasteners and in the smaller folded-down mode there’s a relatively tight seal. I wouldn’t put anything that could leak badly in there, but for grapes or strawberries that won’t get crushed they’ll work. Obviously they’re fine for any dry snacks and nothing gets out.
They come in packs of three or five, so you can mix and match your food with the right setup. Whether you’re grabbing food to go for a road trip or flight, or need something for that budget self-catering backpack trip through Europe, these handy Snack Time bags are compact and light enough to easily find room for.
I admire this company for turning trash into treasure and trying their best to wean people off of single-use plastic bags with their products. This isn’t always easy, especially when the plastic bag manufacturers sued the company last year for making them look like their products create lots of garbage. (Which reminds me of when Muslim organizations successfully pushed Hollywood to stop making the terrorist characters in movies and TV shows be from from Afghanistan or the Middle East. No fair!)
These reusable sandwich and snack bags are new and are just getting out into stores. You can order a set of three direct from ChicoBag for $16 or get a five-pack with free shipping for around $25 from Amazon.
See our other ChicoBag product reviews.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family on February 22nd, 2012
Travel Shoe Bags
Designed to use in conjunction with their luggage cube line, Great Useful Stuff’s shoe bags are such a simple concept, I’m kind of kicking myself for not thinking of it myself. Made from a washable, durable polyester with a wide zipper opening, these packing cubes for shoes keep dirty soles away from your clean clothes (while protecting the shoes themselves).
Admittedly, the first time I tried these out, I didn’t use them to store shoes of any kind: I used them as additional packing cubes for a short family getaway. They’re the perfect size for storing kids’ socks, underwear, and swimsuits (especially useful if two children share a larger suitcase). After spending a lovely holiday not digging around in luggage looking for tiny undergarments, I was sold.
Of course, with Oregon’s mud season (I mean, winter) in full swing, I know I’ll use the shoe bags for actual shoes soon as well. They’re large enough to store even a pair of my husband’s size 12 sneakers, and water-resistant enough to keep my child’s mud, snow, or sand-caked boots from ruining everything else in the bag. I’m thinking they’ll be essential for camping and road trips.
Great Useful Stuff’s shoe bags can be purchased alone ($14.99 for a set of two), or as part of the complete, four-piece packing cube set ($40).
See other Practical Travel Gear reviews of packing aids in general or other types of packing cubes.
Posted by Amy in General Gear, Kids and Family on February 7th, 2012
eBags Packing Cubes Set
Packing for a long trip can be frustrating for a number of reasons. First, if you are traveling to destinations with different climates, it feels like you are double packing. Second, it is hard to keep things organized in your bag so that you can easily reach the things you need at each destination. It often seems that the thing you need most is always at the bottom of the bag and you end up wrinkling or shifting everything else to get to it.
These packing cubes from eBags are the perfect way to keep your luggage contents organized and your clothing neatly pressed and organized. It is also perfect for separating electronic devices and shoes from delicate clothes or for storing a sweater or charging cable that you might need to access in a jiffy on the plane.
Each durable, nylon pouch has a zippered top with mesh covers to keep the contents visible and well-ventilated. There is also a handle on each pouch making them easy to carry individually. A variety of colors are perfect for families who share a bag and want to color code their packing cubes. They are lightweight and add virtually no additional poundage to your suitcase.
The packing cubes keep clothing from wrinkling and moving around in your bag during transit. They are sold in sets with small, medium, and large cases making them great for both smaller, carryon bags or larger suitcases.
If packing for more than one person in the same bag, these cubes also help to separate things without splitting the bag into two sides. This allows for the most efficient use of space in your suitcase. It also serves a dual purpose because they can be used for laundry to keep your dirty clothes separated from clean clothes.
These make a great gift for busy travelers and are available on the eBags website or on Amazon. They run from $20 to $28 for a set of three, depending on size. They are always in my suitcase now making me feel more organized and keeping my clothes looking spiffy no matter how long my trip.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on January 23rd, 2012
