Posts Tagged cheap and light
The Screwpop Tool – Now Black and Customizable
Close to two years ago I reviewed a cool little $5 item that I’ve used plenty of times since: the Screwpop. It’s a handy tool that opens beer bottles (that always gets my attention), has a Phillips screwdriver, and a regular flat-head screwdriver. With those out, it’s also a hex nut wrench (should your nut be the right size). See the details here.
These days, unless you encounter an especially dickish TSA agent, you should be able to carry this with you on a flight. But if they do confiscate it, you’re not out a fortune at least.
The original version, still available, is chrome, which is hard to print on. So now there’s a black version. This looks cool on its own, but the one key advantage is that you can customize it for your company, your band, your store, your website, whatever. So instead of giving people some useless schwag they’ll toss in the garbage or a ballpoint pen that will die in a few months, you can hand out something they could still be using a decade from now.
To show me how this works, the Screwpop people did a sample run of their tool with the Practical Travel Gear logo and website address—see the photo at the top. Pretty darn cool.
Want one? (Contest now closed)
I’m handing out some of them at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in January, but I’m going to send three of them to our readers. First you have to do one of these three things:
1) OR
Then send an e-mail with which one(s) you did to tim [ at] practicaltravelgear.com. Include your name and physical shipping address. That’s it!
I’ll pick three winners at random from the submissions, which must arrive by midnight, December 23, 2011. The Screwpops will ship out the first week of January. (No sorry, while these make great stocking stuffers, you’ll have to buy one if you want it in time for Christmas.)
If you don’t win, you can get the newer black Screwpop for $6 at ScrewpopTool.com.
* UPDATE – WE HAVE WINNERS! Congratulations to readers Janice Z, Sam G, and Brian C. Sorry, you’ll have to lay out six bucks for one of your own if that’s not you.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on December 14th, 2011
Eagle Creek Accessories to Keep Your Money Safe
Many types of urchins would love to get hold of your money or credit cards when you travel. Keep it all safe with these under-clothing accessories.
There are a few practical travel gear items I’ve been using since I first set off on my first trip around the world many years ago. One of them is the venerable under-pants money pouch from Eagle Creek. Officially it’s the Undercover Hidden Pocket. I’ve had one of these under my pants in a few dozen countries and as a result, the total amount I’ve been pick-pocketed in all time is…30 rupees in India. (And that really was in my pocket—I’d just gotten change at a movie theater.)
Sure, you can buy things that hang around your neck and go under your shirt, but I don’t like the feel of that—especially in sticky tropical countries—and it’s too easy for someone to do a cut and pull in a crowd. To get this thing out of my pants would be tough though, especially since it’s usually attached to my belt. (You can pin it with a giant safety pin if not wearing a belt.) Then when you need your money or credit card, it’s easy to pull this out and get to them.
There are three places to put things: a main compartment good for a passport and bank notes, two equal smaller ones for credit cards or another currency folded. Speaking of choices, there are also two different belt loops. One is brown, one is black, to match whatever belt you’re wearing. The other just folds out of the way.
It’s all made from ripstop nylon and I can attest that these things hold up through years of daily use on the road. If you’re carrying a passport though you should put that inside a Ziploc bag to be safe. If you get caught in a total deluge, this thing is not completely waterproof.
The Undercover Hidden Pocket comes in black or khaki and lists for $12, which is not a bad investment for something that will help you hold onto the rest of your money. It would make a nice gift for a person about to go on a long international journey. You can find this money pouch at most any outdoor gear or luggage shop, but you can also order it online from Backcountry, Altrec, or Moosejaw.
Undercover Leg Wallet
Another option, if you’re going to be somewhere that involves having pants on every day, is this Undercover Leg Wallet. Instead of going between your underwear and your pants/skirt, this attaches snugly to your leg. 
It kind of feels like you’re packing heat, so if you want to pretend you’re a detective with a concealed weapon, this will do it.
I’ve used this a couple times, but it’s not something that would be my first choice. It’s harder to get to this when you’re pulling out money to pay a bar tab or buy something in a market. Plus it doesn’t work with shorts or a skirt. It has to go on your calf unless you have really skinny legs.
On the plus side, it’s larger and doesn’t hinder movement in any way. This seems to me to be a great choice for people who spend a lot of time in dicey situations: third-world journalists and NGO field workers, for instance. If someone gives you a good once-over, they’ll see a money pouch attached to your belt or hanging around your neck. They won’t see this.
As with the first item above it’s made with wicking ripstop nylon and has a soft surface for the part that goes next to your skin. Ample pockets keep your goods separated and the straps close with adjustable Velcro.
You’ll find this Undercover Leg Wallet at many physical retailers and it lists for $18. Get it online at Backcountry, eBags, or Altrec.
See more Eagle Creek gear reviews
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on December 8th, 2011
Fold-up Travel Hanger from Grand Trunk
Sure, if you’re staying in swanky hotels all the time, you may have a selection of hangers and a nice closet to hang them in. If you’re backpacking through Central America though or staying in tents as you climb over mountains, you can forget all that. So if you want to hang up something so it will dry out or get a bit less wrinkled, you might be out of luck.
If you’ve got a little wedge of space in your bag though, you can still carry your own hanger along, thanks to this folding travel design from Grand Trunk. We like this brand because they make a lot of cool little gadgets that are simple but brilliant, like the travel chopsticks and travel towels we reviewed earlier, plus nice packable hammocks.
This hanger weighs only 2.5 ounces and it folds up into its own little pouch you can easily jam into a suitcase or backpack that already seems full. Check out this helpful diagram for the dimensions.
It took me a few tries before I could open and close this hanger without looking like a fumbling idiot and I still don’t appear to have the agility of a ninja, so I’m not doing a demo video. But the basic idea is that this is five hollow metal tubes connected by thin chains. The largest red tube sits on the bottom and two of the smaller ones go into that, making up the longer bottom part. The other two tubes stay where they are and then you’ve got a hook mechanism at the top.
Something like this is only going to be as strong as its weakest links—the wire loops at the top—so it’s not meant for holding a giant layered parka in Antarctica. But for normal use with clothing and lightweight travel jackets, it’s fine.
Under normal travel circumstances, this item may not be at the top of your need list. But on some journeys, like a multi-night river kayaking trip I’m taking in the spring, having this along would make the trip more civilized and comfortable. Those hardy British jungle explorers of the 19th century would surely put this right up there with a flask on their priorities list.
Get the collapsible travel hanger direct from Grand Trunk for $15 including the travel case, or check prices at Amazon.
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Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on November 23rd, 2011
RumbaTime Fun VanDam Watches
My colleague Kara reviewed some original RumbaTime watches a while back and liked the choice of styles and the fact that they’re cheap enough to buy several of them. (Kind of like the original Swatch watches, before they went all upscale on us.)
I’ve been wearing around one of their VanDam watches—the black one pictured here to the right—and keep gravitating toward it when deciding what to wear when going out. It’s fun and cool looking plus I don’t have to care if it gets wet. It’s water-resistant to 99 meters. Good for the pool, the beach, or adventure travel trips.
These are minimalist watches that are sleek and simple. They tell the time and they look good. With only two buttons, it doesn’t take a manual and a pair of reading glasses to change the time on the fly, like when you’re crossing time zones.
Plus you can’t beat the price: a mere $16 for any of them in this line. Despite the price, they even come in a reusable round case. They’re made of stretchy durable silicone, but with grooves on the bag to keep them from getting sweaty within five minutes of putting them on. They come in three sizes so you can get the right fit.
These VanDam ones come in a whole range of colors and patterns, from multiple solids to funky designs like the second one pictured here. Is 37 styles enough for you to pick from?
This is just one of several styles they have, some with an analog face if you’re not into the digital look. These cost a bit more, but are still very reasonable, topping out at $35 except for their serious adventure Mercer line.
The original Rumba Time watches, which are like a thin bracelet, are a great choice for kids. My daughter has never been too into wearing a watch, but with one of these she loves it because it’s more like funky jewelry. Those list for $14-$16 but can go for as little as $6 for some colors at the RumbaTime shop.
Order more than one RumbaTime watch at Amazon and you’ll get free shipping too.
Posted by Tim L. in Travel Light on October 19th, 2011
Tough as Titanium Spork for the Road
If I’m not mistaken, it’s been four years since a spork appeared on Practical Travel Gear and that was on the old version of this blog. Titled In Praise of the Lowly Spork, it was about one that had been thrown in with another gear item I was getting to review, as an afterthought.
Snow Peak wants to elevate the spork to a higher plane, thus this Titanium Spork with baked-in coloring. This Japanese company doesn’t believe in doing anything halfway. If you’ve been to Japan or Korea you’ll understand: if you’re going to go camping (or hiking, or skiing), you must be fully outfitted with the very best gear, even if you only do this once every two years. Projecting the right image is very important.
Thankfully Snow Peak realized there’s a limit when it comes to which products can command a premium price and a spork isn’t one of them. So unlike their $69 souped-up coffee mug, this spork retails for around $9 or $10 depending on if it’s plain or a color. Sure, you can get a plastic one for 1/3 that amount, but it won’t look this cool or feel as bulletproof.
First of all, it’s made from titanium—really! It’s not just a name to make it sound stronger, it truly is stronger than steel. For the colored versions you see pictured here, that pigment is actually bonded in the metal in the manufacturing process so it won’t wear off ever. The color on mine has gotten a little duller over time, which Snow Peak says to expect, but I kind of like the new weathered hue.
As far as “features” go, it’s a spork: it can be a spoon or be a fork—what else do you want from it? There’s a little hole on the top of the handle for hooking it to other things, but that’s about it. It’s something you take with you on a camping trip to have two utensils as one or you take it backpacking around the world so you’ll always have something to eat with. In countries where people eat everything with their fingers, this can be especially useful for self-catering: if you ask, “Can I have a fork?” at the take-out counter, they’ll look at you like you’re from Mars.
Thinking ahead, this would be an inexpensive but unique gift for that about-to-depart traveler heading out for a long jaunt. And as a dad I can say these things are always a hit with the kids. My daughter uses one of these in her daily school lunchbox, just for fun.
Get the Snow Peak Titanium Spork at Backcountry, at REI, at RockCreek, or at Amazon.
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Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on October 5th, 2011
