Posts Tagged gift ideas
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
Share Pictures with Folks Back Home with a CEIVA Digital Picture Frame
Mad bloggers that we are, we forget that not everyone is quite so wired. Thanks to email subscriptions, my mom gets my personal blog updates to her inbox, but your loved ones might be one step removed from the wired world. That means they don’t get to see images of your travels until you’re sitting down with them. CEIVA’a digital picture frame makes it easy for you to send images to your less wired friends and family, to share your travels from far away places via the magic of the web.
Basic set up is quite simple — and you don’t need internet to get started, you can set it up over the phone. It’s easy. That’s just the first step. This gadget requires, at the most basic, a few file management and administrative tasks. Ideally, the administrator is the person that owns the frame, but it doesn’t have to be, you can register the frame and have it sent to your auntie or grandfather. You’ll be responsible for the webby interactions — uploading photos, inviting people to share their pictures — while auntie or grand-dad will need to connect the frame to a phone line, a router, or wifi. Once that’s done, new images will download to the frame automatically, and they’ll be able to delete the things they don’t want to see.
I’d recommend doing the set up yourself, first, then sending it along to the recipient. CEIVA puts some intermediary slides in there that I didn’t want to see over and over again in my slide show. I know they’re meant to be helpful, but I’m pretty sure my mother in law doesn’t need to see the “Congrats, your frame is registered” message more than once. Plus, seeing the pictures appear is confirmation enough. They looked great, by the way, big enough to appreciate and the back-lighting does make them shine.
Once the frame is registered, you can start inviting people to share their pictures — they’ll just sort of magically show up when you update the frame. It’s kind of a cool concept. Imagine, you’re off traveling, and whenever you get a chance, you can send new images to your people back home. I love the idea of this. My old dad doesn’t travel anymore, but he’s genuinely excited by my adventures. I know he’d get great joy in seeing something new from me on a regular basis. Invites are simple email invites, and the upload process is familiar to anyone who’s used photo sharing. CEIVA makes a handful of plug-ins and apps, too — you can share from Picasa or Facebook or directly from your phone. Heads up! This photo sharing isn’t free, it’s a subscription model. Depending on what, exactly, your purchase terms are, you may get the first year free, after that, you’ll need to pay for the service.
I wanted the operation of the frame itself to be a little easier. Navigation of the frame is by a little remote control — easy enough to use but the menu items aren’t entirely intuitive. (Also, heaven forbid you lose the remote, you’ll need to buy a replacement one.) It took me several tries to figure out how to delete the images I didn’t want to see. The frame has to be connected to receive updated images, meaning if you don’t have wifi, it has to be anchored to a phone line or network cable. Not a big deal, but it may add some restrictions to where you can place the frame. There are a lot of customization options — wired types will like that, but less computer literate folks are likely to experience some frustration.
There are a few things that this gadget allows you to do that I really liked. I like the idea of scheduled updates — you can send a “Happy Birthday” photo so it’s in rotation on your favorite uncle’s birthday. I like the support for lots of different sources — “Hey, I want to send my mom a picture of me in Paris right now!” Again, I love the way the images look, and the frame is attractive. I’m not totally sold on the usability, though. CEIVA offers extensive support, both on their website and via phone, so they’re clearly aware that some customers are going to have trouble.
My guess? Your wired family members are going to love this thing. I’m imagining it in the home of a friend who’s got very well traveled kids, or in the home of another friend who doesn’t travel much himself but has many traveler pals. Your less wired people may be a little flustered at first, but once they get it sussed, they’re going to enjoy it.
And, hey, here’s a thing that happened. I was chatting on the phone with my husband; he’d received my photo sharing request. I connected the CEIVA frame to the web, and then, I was looking at the view out his window. I was delighted.
CEIVA has a two different models, both currently include one year of picture sharing. You can get one from CEIVA directly, or check Amazon for prices.
Posted by Pam in General Gear, Kids and Family on May 27th, 2011
Banjees for Stashing Your Cash
How about a new place to stash your cash while traveling?
There are lots of products invented for another type of customer that eventually get co-opted by travelers. (Swiss Army knives, Tevas, trail runners, wicking clothing, and bandanas for a start.) Here’s a new one that could join those ranks: banjees wrist wallets from Sprigs.
The primary market for these banjees is fit women who need to have their apartment key and Starbucks card with them when they go out for their morning jog or power walk. Subtract the apres-cafe and that’s my wife, so I’ve had her trying this item out as she pounds the pavement in the neighborhood.
The verdict is that this is a pretty cool item that solves a simple problem in style. When it’s hot out, you don’t want to be wearing extra clothing, so this banjee keeps the essentials on your body without you having to wear something with pockets. She likes how these are stylish and allow some personality to shine through: they come in solid reflective colors, reversible polyspandex, eco designs from organic cotton, and more.
For the traveler, the benefits are more defense-oriented: keep a stash of cash in a place where nobody is looking. Who tries to pickpocket your wrist? I’m a big fan of money pouches that go inside your pants, but you still need to keep some ready cash somewhere else for bus fares, food stalls, and market bargaining. (The quickest way to lose your bargaining leverage is to pop out a money belt and start thumbing through giant banknotes.)
Plus there are times you want to keep your valuables locked up in a room while you go out clubbing or hitting beach bars. With one of these on you can still wear your cute skirt and t-shirt but have some money or a credit card on hand—in something that just looks like a fashion statement.
If you’re the type that needs to record your every move at night and share it as well, don’t worry: there’s a phone banjee too.
See the full line at www.Sprigsville.com or get them at REI.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on April 28th, 2011
GoPro HD Helmet HERO Waterproof, Wearable Video Camera
How to be the coolest mom ever? 1.) Get ahold of one of GoPro’s super-cool, sporty, durable video cameras. 2.) Strap it to your kid while he’s skiing, sledding or mountain biking. Voila! Not only will your child be on the receiving end of all sorts of “ooohs” and “ahhhs,” from all those who spot him and covet the sleek little camera, but you’ll have a blast together looking over all of the fun (often funny) footage he’s captured while enjoying some favorite activities.
The friendly folks at GoPro sent me the HD Helmet HERO last month specifically to take with me on my family’s Disney Dream cruise. While I wore the camera strapped to my head, I recorded a ride — with my son — down the cruise ship’s first-in-the-industry top-deck water coaster. I think the footage is hysterical.
Since then, we’ve also mounted the camera to my son’s helmet so he could film his skier’s-eye-view while skiing the rails in the terrain park at Buttermilk, our local Aspen/Snowmass ski hill in Colorado. My daughter wore it mounted to a head strap while flying head first down the tubing hill at Vail’s Adventure Ridge. If you can’t make it out the words, that’s her shouting, “Suuuuper-man!”
Indeed, this tiny camera is a ton of fun. Housed in its waterproof shell, it’s safe underwater to 180 feet. As my colleague John pointed out, when he reviewed a wearable camera in 2009, the mounting options for GoPros are excellent. You can attach mounts with adhesive to ski or bike helmets (either flat or curved surfaces). You can purchase special mounts for bike seats or handlebars, as well as surfboards. There’s a “waterproof wrist housing,” I’m guessing for snorkeling or diving adventures, and a chest mount (to capture running trails, perhaps?). Plus, we have the head strap that I wore on the Disney Dream water coaster ride above.
The camera doesn’t only film video, but it also takes still photos. You can set it every “x” seconds for time-lapse mode, or just snap a single picture. The fish-eye lens results in some really cool images. I took this one just outside my sunny, snowy front door; even shooting directly into the sunlight, a pretty clear photo resulted:
You can use the GoPro HD Helmet HERO with an SD card up to 32GB capacity. The camera comes with the waterproof housing and also a USB cable for downloading images or charging the battery. Note that the camera does not come with an LCD screen, so unlike most digital cameras you cannot “see” what you are shooting. I recommend purchasing the screen ($80), just so you can see what you’re photographing if you are using the Helmet HERO as a still camera. The light, detachable screen also allows you to play back videos directly on the camera, as opposed to plugging it in or removing the SD card to view on a computer screen.
Instructions for the GoPro HD Helmet HERO are straightforward. Even this non-techy type figured out how to shoot video and take still photos within minutes.
My son can’t wait to use our GoPro for capturing his mountain-biking adventures this summer. I’m planning on bringing it to Lanai, Hawaii, to test its quality while snorkeling in the local bay. This camera is hardly cheap: it retails for $299; check for lower prices on Amazon.com. Indeed, it’s certainly not one of the most practical travel items I’ve reviewed on Practical Travel Gear, but it sure has provided a heck of a lot of fun for this family.
Get the GoPro HD Helmet HERO at Backcountry.com
Posted by Kara in Adventure Gear, Kids and Family on February 15th, 2011
Packable Ultra-Sil Sling Bag is Tiny but Strong
We’ve reviewed a good number of Sea to Summit products here because they make a whole lot of practical travel gear and gadgets that won’t bust your budget. Since we also like to bring your attention to travel items that can pack up small, it’s time for their latest Ultra-sil product, the Sling Bag.
Once again, this packs into a tiny little pouch that you can wrap your hands around—that’s a USB thumb drive next to it in that photo. It’s small enough to hook onto a loop on your bag or it can easily stuff into a corner of a backpack. Pull out the insides though—magician’s dramatic flair optional—and you’ve got a useful messenger bag for shopping or sightseeing. Opened up it’ll hold a bunch of fruit or the day’s needs around town: guidebook, camera, journal, and some gadgets even.
The official capacity is 16 liters, and it just may actually be strong enough to hold multiple liters of your favorite beverage, but I wouldn’t recommend testing the limits. The seams are reinforced, but your shoulder is not.
It’s made of strong siliconized Cordura nylon and has a real zipper along the top enclosure so you can close it to keep the snow or rain out. But it weighs all of 2.2 ounces.
The Sea to Summit Ultra-sil Sling Bag is available in Green, Black, Blue, Red, or Yellow. The zipper, strap, and connected pouch are all the same color. The list price is $30 and I’d love to tell you what you can get it for on sale at retail, but it’s new and still hard to find. The only places I can find carrying it online so far are smaller outlets like Summit Hut and Moosejaw. Watch the Sling Bag product page at Sea to Summit for availability updates at other outlets.
See more reviews of Sea to Summit products.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on February 10th, 2011
