Posts Tagged Innate
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
BPA-free Water Bottles From Innate
In a sea of water bottles it’s hard to stand out, but in my experience the ones from Innate are rugged and work well for travelers.
With a kid and a personal trainer wife in the house, I have tried out more than my fair share of water bottles over the years. The Innate ones haven’t let me down. I always carry a water bottle with me when I travel internationally and use it in conjunction with a Steripen to avoid fouling the Earth and oceans with more single-use plastic. (For more on that nastiness, see the 5 Gyres Project site.)
For any traveler who cares even a little bit about the destruction of the planet, a water bottle is essential gear. It is worthy of a decent investment, especially if you want to avoid the potential effects of BPA, found in many hard plastic bottles. The science is not all that convincing on the dangers of BPA for adults, in my opinion, but better safe than sorry and besides, one of these stainless steel water bottles from Innate could last you for 20 vacations or a trip around the world—not bad for something that lists for $12-$20. When you’re done, you recycle it. 
I especially like this Vite Plus V2 version pictured top left. It holds 22 ounces, has a vented drinking spout, there are indentations on the sides for your fingers, and a loop on the top for holding it or pulling it out of your carrier (like this Cruising Caddy I reviewed before.) Plus it has something you don’t get from some brands like Sigg: a large opening at the top so you can use a Steripen purifier. For me, this is the complete package, leaving me wanting for nothing.
Innate makes a variety of other styles though, like the Mizu one pictured on the right and a few monster bottles like the Mega Fresco that hold 40 ounces. Plus there are some smaller kid-friendly versions. All are made from food-grade stainless steel sourced from Korea for high quality consistency. They also make some double-walled vacuum versions for keeping hot coffee hot or cold wine cold. I wasn’t real thrilled with the placement of the handle and button on the Kaze vacuum mug I reviewed last year, but without the handle it works great and keeps coffee hot for 10 hours.
You can get Innate products at your local gear shop or online at REI and Backcountry.com.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Kids and Family on March 11th, 2010
