Posts Tagged double-duty gear
NorChill Soft-Sided Cooler for Road Trips — or Plane Travel
Ever use a soft-sided cooler bag as a carry-on? I did last month, when we were flying from Colorado to Minnesota to begin a wild mystery road trip through seven states. A cooler for storing water bottles, snacks, sandwiches and leftovers is a non-negotiable must have for our family road trips, and I knew I had to have a good one for this adventure that didn’t start from our own garage.
My brand-new soft-sided cooler, the NorChill 24-Pack (yes, it holds a case of soda or beer), did the trick — in so many more ways than one. First, I packed the heavy-duty, thickly padded bag with my DSLR camera, laptop computer and other necessities for my plane trip. It’s size — 10 by 18 by 12 inches — is ideal for carrying on a plane, as is the shoulder and hand straps. I also appreciated the extra cushion for my valuables; the external zipper pocket was ideal for storing I.D., boarding passes and paper itinerary.
Did I feel a little silly carrying a royal-blue, soft-sided cooler as my carry-on? For sure. It’s not quite as classy as my Briggs & Riley Shopping Tote or as sleek as other backpacks and rollerboards I have in my rotation, but it’s efficient to use a cooler as a suitcase, that’s for sure. Gotta love any travel item that can pull double duty.
Once we were on the road — from Minnesota to Texas over the course of a week! — we made use of the cooler daily. It fit perfectly between the kids in the backseat of our rented Ford Flex (when we needed a barrier between them to allay arguments) or at their feet when they were getting along. At hotels where we didn’t have a fridge in our room, we used bags of ice to keep our food cold overnight; we can confirm that the heavy-duty “leak-proof” liner indeed does not leak. We didn’t use it to keep hot foods hot, but the bag does have a “dual-temp insulation system” for just that use — great for transporting warm dishes to potluck parties.
I forsee using our NorChill cooler until it wears out. It does have a two-year warranty, that I need to activate online, but it’s so sturdy and solidly manufactured, I see this cooler lasting for a long time to come.
The 24-Pack Cooler retails for $49.99 on the Norchill site; also browse around Amazon.com to find it at a discounted price.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on July 16th, 2010
ExOfficio Insect Shield Halo Shirt Keeps the Mozzies Away
Mozzies? Well if you travel internationally in the tropics, you hear that word a lot—a slang term for mosquitoes—often accompanied by some kind of swear word. When you’re in a place with hungry mosquitoes it’s always annoying, but when those bugs carry malaria or dengue fever, you need an arsenal of weapons to stay healthy.
This Halo Check shirt with Insect Shield takes ExOfficio’s usual double-duty usefulness to a higher level, hitting all the right points for active travelers and keeping the bugs away as well. This fabric treatment is a no-brainer really once you get past the cost: there’s no odor, no harm to your skin, and no change to the feel of the fabric. Yet it holds up for 70 washings or so. I don’t know about you, but there are very few items of travel clothing I own that have been washed that many times.
The shirt itself has most of the attributes I love from ExOfficio . It’s lightweight nylon that doesn’t wrinkle, it dries quickly after a sink washing, it’s ventilated, and there’s a 30+ SPF sun protection. Provided you’re not in a place that’s super hot and humid, it’ll wick away the sweat. With the color I tried out—the khaki checked one—it doesn’t show sweaty areas too badly either.
As usual, there are lots of nice thoughtful extra features built in as well. It has snaps instead of buttons, which I really like. A mesh liner extends much of the way down the inside. There’s a 
fabric hook on the back for hanging it up and a flap and snap system to hold the sleeves up when you roll them up. (Rolled up during the day when the mosquitoes aren’t around, down at night to protect the arms.) Each breast pocket has a regular pocket and a handy zippered hidden pocket for stashing some cash or a credit card.
This is a great all-around, double-duty travel shirt that should keep looking good for years and keep the mosquitoes away for however long it takes you to wear it enough to need to wash it 70 times. It lists for $90, but prices will vary depending on who is selling it and what colors aren’t moving. As I wrote this, some colors were selling for around $50, so shop around.
There’s a version for women and a version for men, some in solid colors, others in checked patterns.
See more at the source, ExOfficio.com: Halo Check Shirt for Men and Halo Check Shirt for Women
Get the ExOfficio Halo shirt at Amazon.
ExOfficio Insect Shield Halo Check Shirt – Men’s or Women’s at REI.
Check prices at Magellan’s – Halo ExOfficio shirt
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on July 15th, 2010
Julbo Multi-functional Bivouak Sunglasses
At the Outdoor Retailers show earlier this year, I spent a lot of time checking out sunglasses from different companies. I came away thinking that setting yourself apart with specific sunglasses is almost as hard as doing it with socks. Most of what makes one pair of sunglasses more expensive than another is pretty subtle until you put them on read the specifications. It’s hard to talk about “features” as much as technological innovations in the lenses and frame types.
So I was drawn to these Julbo Bivouak sunglasses because they do actually have some features to set them apart, plus there’s a bit of double-duty gear action with these. Sunglasses that aren’t wraparound generally don’t protect you from the sunlight coming in through the side. That can be bad for your eyes and your skin—especially since this area of the face is where crow’s feet wrinkles start as you age. If you’re climbing a snowy mountain or skiing, it’s even more of an issue because of the reflective rays.
So the Bivouak sunglasses have these little magnetic shields on the side to block off the area. When you need them, they shield the sides of your eyes from the harmful rays. When you don’t, like in the car, you can just pop off the shields and stow them.
There’s no need to attach Chums or some other kind of cord: there’s one built into the design. The included adjustable cord hooks into small holes at the end of the earpieces. As with the shields, this is removable when you don’t want or need it.
The model I’ve been testing came with a Zebra photchromic lens. I’m a big fan of photochromic lenses that get lighter or darker according to the conditions. I found I could keep these on all the time as I moved through sun and shade, car and parking garage, outside to inside. They fully change from a shade-worthy category 2 to darker category 4 in only 28 seconds. The Zebra lenses also have built-in anti-fog properties, which passed with flying colors when I tested them against some cheapo sunglasses. Going from crisp air conditioning to humid outdoors, plus biking on a foggy morning, these lenses stayed clear. There are small vents built into the top corner too, a feature I’ve always appreciated with Tifosi shades, as this seems to keep my eyes from getting teary when I’m biking downhill or skiing fast.
The Julbo Bivouak sunglasses come in seven colors and three different lenses, with the latter determining the price (list of $120-$190). This is at the high end of Julbo’s range—these are geared to serious climbers, skiers, and mountain bikers more than casual travelers. With the ability to adjust the shields and the cord as needed, however, they can be the only pair you need to carry for a wide range of activities.
See more styles at JulboUSA.com and see more of our Julbo reviews here.
Check Julbo Bivouak sunglasses prices at Campmor
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on June 16th, 2010
Amelia Convertible Tote Bag from Ellington Handbags
I write about a lot of bags here at Practical Travel Gear, and I always give bonus points for bags that pull double duty. The Amelia Convertible Tote gets quadruple points for its versatility. I’m freakishly giddy with excitement about the different ways I can use this Ellington tote bag this summer.
The major selling point for this sturdy and durable nylon bag: it can be carried several different ways. Grab two top handles to carry it like a tote bag; attach a long strap to wear across the body or over the shoulder; or expose two “stowaway” shoulder straps and use as a backpack.
Like most of my favorite bags I use every day and for travel, I’m partial to how many pockets and pouches this bag has: there are two with top drawstrings on either side for water bottles or a compact umbrella. You can slide a book, notebook or folders into the exterior pouch that also stores the backpack straps when not in use. The other side has two zipper pockets, one with a magnetic closure and a couple of mesh pouches for a cell phone or iPod. The main compartment is huge — and also has a couple of interior zipper and snap pockets.
I foresee bringing this water-resistant bag to the swimming pool, using it to cart books back to the library (the kids love the local summer reading program), or filling it with snacks and water bottles for a day’s outing to the park. I’m thinking it could carry a bottle of wine, cheese, crackers and crusty bread for a grown-up picnic during an outdoor concert.
While I’m way past the diapering stage with my kids, I think the Amelia Convertible Tote would make a great diaper bag. (It’s designed for women, but I bet my husband would carry it.) It’s plenty big to fit a netbook — the bag is 14-inches high), but it won’t zip shut with my 15-inch laptop inside. It’s not as big as many of the bags I’ve used as carry-on luggage lately, but if I don’t need a ton of stuff with me on the plane (i.e. if I’m not traveling with my laptop or my kids), I’d consider using this bag.
The tote comes in seven colors. I have the purple one (pictured above) with subtle olive-green piping; it’s much more dark gray than bright violet.
The bag is available for pre-order now for $79 on the Ellington Handbags website, with delivery beginning on June 15. Order now, and you don’t have to pay for shipping within the U.S. Also check pricing on Amazon.com for many (many!) other Ellington styles, like the Parkrose Tote or the Lightweight Travel Tote/Backpack.
Posted by Kara in Travel Light on May 28th, 2010
Suave Keen Rockaway Sandals Go From Casual to Classy
Women have loads of nice-looking sandals to choose from that are also comfortable enough to wear all day and into the night. The choices are much slimmer for men. Some companies have been trying hard lately to remedy that though, putting out stylish closed-toe sandals that can be worn in multiple situations, like these suave Rockaway Sandals from Keen Footwear.
I’m a big fan of sports sandals and water shoes from the likes of Keen and Teva, but those aren’t the kind of thing you want to wear with a pair of nice slacks. These Rockaway sandals do well on the double-duty scale, with a classy look that doesn’t shout, “I just went river rafting!” So if your trip is more about staying cool and being cool than hitting trails and kayaking, these are a good choice.
They’ve got a nice leather upper that covers the whole foot but has ample places for the air to pass through. Like most Keens these won’t squeeze your foot into a narrow tube, but the adjustable wide strap with Velcro allows you to tighten them as needed. There’s a bouncy non-marking rubber sole and a supremely comfortable anatomical footbed. I’ve worn these off and on for several weeks and on a couple days were my only footwear from morning until night, remaining comfortable after long walks.
The footbed has an odor-resistant compound in it also that worked well in my tests, though I did find the surface a bit sticky when the weather turned hot and sweaty. Some kind of design adjustment with grooves or a variable surface pattern might help. Although these are leather, they are water-resistant.
These Keen sandals come in brown or black and list for $89 at the Keen Footwear site, where you can see them from more angles and how they look with jeans. They’re currently going for a tad less at the retailers below.
Get the KEEN Rockaway Sandal at Backcountry
Posted by Tim in General Gear, Travel Light on May 27th, 2010
