Posts Tagged green gear
Camelbak All Clear Water Purifying Bottle
There are tipping points in technology where a seemingly simple innovation can have a huge impact on human behavior. I’m hoping this All Clear water bottle from Camelbak is one of these moments.
First their were iodine tablets, then less nasty purification tablets, then pump filter and cup filters. None were all that practical: they either made your water taste bad, they took too long to work, or they were bulky to carry around. Then came the SteriPen and suddenly we could purify water with a little battery-powered wand. It looked like magic, but it worked. The newest version is not much longer than a finger and recharges by USB.
This Camelbak bottle is the next stage in that evolution, using ultraviolet light to kill anything living in the water, but combined with the convenience of a water bottle that can be zapped pure with its own cap. Here’s a video demo on how it works:
What you don’t see in that video is that this UV cap is rechargeable by USB cord. After it runs out of juice (which is going to take a while—it’s supposed to go 80 cycles on one charge), you plug it into a laptop or just use an adapter and plug it into a 110 electrical socket. A few hours later you’re good to go again.
If you don’t want to watch the video, here’s a quick rundown on why this All Clear bottle is something special. You fill it up with tap water in a place where you normally can’t drink the water. You turn it on, shake it around a bit, and 60 seconds later you’ve got pure water you can drink straight from the bottle. A second cap comes with it (but without a drinking spout, unfortunately) that you can screw on, leaving the purifying one behind in your room for the day.
The bottle is a standard Camelbak size, so you can buy whatever kind of cap you want for the top or switch one from another bottle you have. It’s BPA free of course and fits into most standard water bottle holders or pockets, holding 3/4 of a liter.
And I’ll answer the inevitable questions: yes, I’ve been using this myself and yes, my digestive system is doing just fine. (But thanks for asking.) I’ve been traveling through Mexico for more than a week without purchasing a single bottle of water, in four cities. I just fill this up, hit the zap button, and I’m hydrating carefree.
It’s only available in the U.S. for now and just getting into the marketplace. It retails for around $100, which may sound a little pricey, but if you add up how much it would cost to buy 80 bottles of water in a convenience store or restaurant when you’re traveling, you’ll see you could have this thing paid for before the first charge runs out. After that it’s paying you back every week. On top of that, Mother Nature will thank you and your karma meter will rise significantly…
Get the CamelBak All Clear Water Purifier Bottle at REI.com.
Related review: A Camelbak bottle that makes your water taste better
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on March 28th, 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
Fun, Funny and Downright Useful New Travel Gear
What’s on the way in travel gear? I just got back from the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market held each year in Salt Lake City. It’s a place where retail buyers come to see what’s new and different for the upcoming fall season and place their orders. For us media types, it’s a chance to get a sneak peak at what’s going to be hitting stores later.
Over on our sister Cheapest Destinations Blog I already posted a rundown on new trends in travel gear that you should go check out before or after reading this post. It’s all about light gear getting lighter, but basic materials costs driving up prices. Plus some buying advice and a rant about retro bags.
When covering this show, most gear and outdoor publications get all serious and dive into the technical specs for all the new wonder jackets and slightly changed backpacks. I’d rather cover those items here in detail later—the ones fit for normal travelers—after they hit the market. I saw three developments that might be true game-changers though.
1) Lightweight shoes that are not just for runners. We’ve had ultra-light running shoes for quite a while now, thanks to the barefoot running style craze. But now the technology is making it to the mainstream. The post I mentioned before has some very packable winter boots from Teva. The picture above has some ultra-light Nike running shoes on a scale—and a pair of comfy Rockport shoes that weigh less.
2) Treated down that repels water. I saw two companies talking about this process, where down is subjected to a microscopic polymer that repels water, before it goes into a sleeping bag or jacket. Sierra Designs is the one that’s leading the way on this and is putting the most marketing muscle into it. From what I saw at the demos, it really works.
3) More and better rechargeable devices. I’ve tried some solar chargers over the years with mixed results, but now I’m seeing some solar panel/battery combos that pack some serious juice, like enough to charge a laptop once or an iPad multiple times—after a few hours of sunlight. Plus there are more items hitting the market that can be charged via USB instead of having to deal with AA batteries. The SteriPEN Freedom is a hit already and as this year goes on you’ll see more flashlights, lanterns, and purifiers that plug and charge. I’m especially excited about a Camelbak bottle coming in March that has its own UV purifier lamp built in.
Bring on the fun!
Enough serious stuff. Here are some of the items that I found more interesting to take shots of than yet another waterproof ski shell.
First up, two new face warmers to give you a cozy beard while on the slope. The left photo is me with a sample from 5 O’Clock Shadows. On the right are sample styles from Bearded Apparel.
I’m a sucker for silly winter hats for kids. The ones at the top of this post are from Knitwits. The ones pictured here are from Nirvanna Designs—made in Nepal.
Actually most of the gear that makes you smile is geared to kids, which means I think we all need to lighten up a bit. I mean how can you not smile when you see this backpack from MadPax? Or these fun mittens that look like bear paws (and have an opening where you can get your hand out to pull up a zipper) from Bear Hands & Buddies?
Okay, okay—I’ll put some photos of some serious gear to watch for on our Facebook page if you really want to know what’s coming to a store near you in six months. So go like us there and watch for pics the next few days.
Meanwhile, stay tuned the rest of 2012 as we review the best travel gear for your money.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on January 25th, 2012
Nau Down Sweater
Winter can be downright cold, and it can be pretty difficult to have a good time when you’re focused on staying warm. But with the Nau Down Sweater, you won’t have to spend that good vacation time worried about the weather.
The down “sweater” is more low profile than many full-size down jackets—so you get protection and warmth without the huge, puffy look. Made with 850-fill goose down, the jacket will keep you toasty in chilly conditions. The shell and lining is 100-percent recycled polyester, and the durable water repellent (DWR) surface finish helps to shed snow and light rain.
It’s not just the down that helps to keep the cold away. The front zipper has a wind flap to block the wind from whistling right through the zipper teeth. A draw-cord hem allows you to tighten things up down below. And internal elastic cuffs keep things cozy around your wrists, as well.
I’m a big fan of pockets, and the Nau Down Sweater has just enough for me, with two front zip pockets big enough for your hands, and an added hidden inside pocket.
Down is always going to find a way to get out of jackets, and this sweet sweater is no exception, despite the description of the recycled shell as “down proof.” While wearing it, every once in a while, I discovered a lone feather working its way out. That said, it happened far less than with other down jackets I’ve used in the past. But despite those few feathers that found their freedom, plenty remained inside, doing their job to keep me warm.
The Nau Down Sweater lists for $235 on the Nau website and it’s available at Backcountry.com. A men’s version is available for the same price. (Easier to find is the slimmer and slightly cheaper Men’s Down Shirt.)
Posted by Jill in General Gear, Travel Light on January 13th, 2012
USB-charged Night Bike Flea Lights
Want to stay safe on your bike at night without churning through batteries? These Flea Lights from Blackburn Design can recharge by USB.
One of the key advantages of living in a warm place is that you can ride your bike pretty much all year. A few months back I moved to Tampa, FL and recently I joined up with City Bike Tampa for a night ride they do from restaurant to restaurant in and around downtown. It’s not too strenuous, so you can grab a beer where you stop, but you’ve gotta have lights on your bike. It’s the law in this state, but it’s also the smart thing to do.
So before the trip I looked at a lot of bike lights and in the end decided to spend more than I planned on the smallest ones—around $50 for this set of front and back lights. They’re pretty damned cool though, so I think it was a good choice. They’re little but very bright lights with 4 LED bulbs and several choices of brightness and flash patterns. It’s a one-button operation too: you turn it on and cycle through the various options one by one. The last one turns it off.
These bike lights attach with Velcro straps, which is a huge advantage in my eyes over the ones that are meant to screw onto handlebars or a seat stem. With these I can switch them over to my daughter’s bike if she’s riding over to a neighborhood friend’s house or I can take a light inside in my pocket if there’s some shady character milling around the bike rack where I’ve stopped. If I wanted, I could also hook the front headlight to a helmet instead of my handlebars. Versatile.
The real game-changer with these though is they don’t use external batteries. They have a rechargeable battery that’s pumped back up via USB. That can turn out to be a very eco-friendly move if you’re using a solar charger of some kind or a product I’m sorry hasn’t caught on more: the wind-powered HYMini. (You would think a wind-powered generator on your bike is kind of a no-brainer—it’s always going to be spinning if you’re moving.) Blackburn even sells one package that comes with its own solar power charger.
The USB connector actually separates from the lights and with the combo set, one connector is used for both lights. That makes these a lot thinner than they would be otherwise, but I do worry that I’m going to lose such a small little accessory that’s vital to the functioning. No worries about that with AA batteries.
These are rated to run for 3 hours steadily on, or 5 hours for the front and 12 hours for the back if on the flash mode. That’s not enough? What are you doing riding around more than three hours non-stop at night you weirdo?
These lights come in a variety of colors and are so small and lightweight that you could easily pack them for bike rentals on vacation. Most good bike shops have Blackburn Flea USB lights, or you can pick them up online. Try Altrec.com for a wide selection of colors or Amazon, where you can pay far less than I did in a retail store.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on October 12th, 2011
