Posts Tagged Keen
Best and Worst Travel Gear of 2009
We’ve been cranking out first-person reviews of travel gear on a daily basis and trying out lots of things as we hike, backpack, explore new cities, and navigate airports. Some items disappoint, some thrill, some defy expectations, so here’s a list of what worked and what didn’t in 2009.
Kara Williams
Item I used on the most trips this year
These Lucy capris pictured above are comfortable and stylish—they can go from the hiking trail to the dinner table. I wore them on the top of the Continental Divide in Colorado, to Maya ruins in Belize, to an ecological preserve in Mexico, and eating lobster in New Hampshire.
Worst piece of crap I gave up on
This battery-operated mosquito repellent is a travel-gear don’t. The blue plastic fan looks like a toy, so it’s dangerous to young children. Plus, it’s dorky and doesn’t work.
Most useful item for $20 or less
The Flip & Tumble bag. A reusable shopping bag that compacts into a tiny, squishy, 3-inch ball is a must-have for any traveler. Use it to tote items to the pool, buy groceries at the local market, or protect packed clothing from dirty shoes on the return trip.
John Gordon
Item I now cannot live without
It took a long time, but I’ve finally found a Bluetooth headset I can love. Motorola’s Endeavor HX1 (pictured at the top) offers excellent audio quality for normal conversations and true bone-conduction technology, like special forces use, to knock out extreme noise. Voice prompts make it easy to use.
Worst “Do we really need this?” item
Some things I just don’t understand, like Planesheets for covering airline seats. Besides the dubious claims of cleanliness, I’d just feel a little weird being the only passenger on the plane sitting in a zebra-stripe seat.
Most questionable travel app
iPhone and iPod users are familiar with the marketing line, “There’s an app for that.” Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear app is supposed to calm white-knuckled flyers. There’s a screen that says, “This is natural. We know you’re scared. You’re going to be OK.” Like that’s going to help.
Never leave home without it
My AT&T Tilt 2 smartphone (same as the HTC Touch Pro2) lets me keep in touch with friends and clients whether I’m at the neighborhood store or in another part of the world. Sure, AT&T sells a lot more iPhones than this model. When the iPhone gets a real keyboard, can tether to my laptop and lets me swap out the battery, I’ll consider it.
Tim Leffel
Worst Case of Greenwashing
There was plenty of greenwashing to go around this year and the “green gear” tag keeps making its way onto things that really aren’t. I debunked plenty of these, but the most obvious one was this Altus Lumen LED light that burns through four AA batteries in an hour. Decent product otherwise, but the bombastic claim of being “the world’s first sustainable portable LED light” turned out to be based on one factor: the shell is 75% recyclable—provided you pry it all apart and separate the pieces when the thing dies.
What I used the most this year
There were plenty of items I tried out and then put on a shelf. The new things I tried that became a permanent part of my ensemble included the Tom Bihn Aeronaut carry-on bag (pictured at the top), my Teva Omnium sandal shoes, and pretty much everything I put on from ExOfficio—including their underwear. And I almost never pack my bags without a pair of Tifosi Optics sunglasses and some kind of Keen Footwear shoes.
Item that caused the most mixed feelings
I have to admit the Starbucks Via instant coffee tastes ten times better than Sanka or Folgers, but at $1 a serving, it sure better! If you already like the over-roasted, burnt taste of Starbucks, you’ll like this stuff. Even if you don’t, instant coffee that’s drinkable would be worth packing on a camping trip or when staying any place where hot water is more readily available than real coffee.
Honorable Mention – Past year’s standout that keeps coming back:
Travel gear item I would gladly do infomercials for
Only real travelers who have used it believe this $99 SteriPEN Traveler is for real. It looks fishy, I’ll admit: you stick this in the water you’re going to drink, the light kills everything, then you can drink away. But I, my wife, and my daughter have used this daily in 9, 6, and 4 countries respectively without getting sick. ‘Nuff said.
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on January 1st, 2010
Keen Kaley Boots for Girls
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what your kid is going to like, but other times you can take one glance at an item and go, “Oh man, she’s going to go nuts over that.” These pink Kaley boots from Keen Footwear definitely fall into the latter category. My little one surely did go nuts over these and she’s been wearing them anywhere and everywhere since the weather turned cool.
These Kaley boots are fun and funky, but like most Keen products are also comfortable and rugged. They would be awesome for any trip that calls for cold weather walks and playing outdoors.
In terms of specs, there are full-length side zippers to make the boots easy to take on and off, rubber toe guards and non-marking rubber outsoles, and EVA midsoles to provide cushioned support. Polyester “faux shearling” does not sound very desirable, but it looks good and is warm.
The uppers are suede though, which is great for cold weather but isn’t ideal for snow. You may want to spray some waterproofing on them if you live in the north.
The Keen Kaley boots come in sizes 1 to 6 and retail for $70. Just a tad over half the price of UGG boots for kids and only half as likely to make you go “Ugh!” Unlike most of the footwear from Target that she plows through in a season, these should last at least another year (if the feet cooperate and don’t grow another size.)
And yes, if your child isn’t a girly-girl, you can also get them in brown or “iguana” green. If you’re not a girl at all, there’s a women’s version too (but for $110).
See more at Keen Footwear’s site.
Posted by Tim in General Gear, Kids and Family on November 17th, 2009
Keen Briggs II Shoes: Sidewalks to Lava Rocks to Mud
I just spent two weeks in Ecuador with the same shoes on my feet almost the whole time: the Briggs II leather “good for almost everything” shoes from Keen. They performed admirably on every surface I threw at them and were surprisingly comfortable the whole time.
Keen set me up with this particular model to try out after I said I was going to be pounding the pavement in a city, walking on sharp lava rocks, riding on a boat, and tromping through muddy fields checking out giant tortoises. I didn’t want giant hiking boots on my feet though—I was still going to need to walk into a restaurant now and then.
I tried these out for two weeks first in my homebound conditions: walking around the sidewalks of my pedestrian-friendly neighborhood. This is how most travelers would probably use them most of the time anyway. Then I packed them up for the trip to Ecuador, putting them to use on cobblestones in Quito then everything to be encountered in the Galapagos Islands, which is a lot.
This particular model has waterproof leather uppers, non-marking rubber outsoles that curve up to protect your toes, and a form-fitting shoe bed. Here’s the official description on that: “Cush footbed features recycled PU, cork, and memory foam for sustainability and comfort.” Worked for me.
I personally like Keens because they’re sized a little wider than most and allow for a better fit with hiking socks. Then you can just lace them a little tighter with regular socks. I’ve also found them to be well-made and durable. This pair lost a stitch in one corner of one shoe that I need to fix, which was probably the result of a sharp lava rock somewhere. Otherwise they’re still looking and feeling good after the punishment and will probably go on plenty more trips. The waterproofing held up in several drizzles.
See more on the Briggs II (listing for $95) at Keenfootwear.com
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, General Gear on October 20th, 2009
Keen’s Eco-friendly Harvest Bags
Now that the Earth Day media (and blogger) bandwagon is done for a year, you will see the predictable drop-off in stories about green travel and eco-friendly gear. The world keeps turning and deteriorating though, so we’ll keep talking about what does and doesn’t help the planet when you are on the move.
I’ve been trying out one of these cool recycled materials bags from the Keen Harvest collection. The “harvest” name refers to what these totes are made out of: recycled rice paper and “brown haul bag paper.” This one is the Harvest Grand, a simple shoulder tote that’s like a narrow messenger bag. Inside the flap there’s a zippered front pocket, a small interior zippered pocket, a place for a phone/notebook and some pens, and the main compartment.
I’m a green gear skeptic much of the time because if you really dive into the data, the most wasteful part of creating and selling travel gear comes with the creation and shipping rather than what it’s made out of, but it’s hard to fault anything made with stuff that would have just ended up in a landfill. With this Keen Grand bag you can give some materials a second life while having a cool-looking conversation piece as well.
As you can see from this back shot of the bag I’ve been using, these Asian rice bags are far from plain, plus you get the design element of having very foreign characters that we can’t come close to deciphering. With a list price of $50 for this one, the company is banking on the coolness factor being a big selling point. The tag says, “These bags have looks, smarts, and oodles of features that make them as unique, adaptable, and full of surprises as the people who carry them.”
You’ll need to treat the Harvest line of bags nicely though, making them better for a sightseeing daypack on vacation than for something you will use nonstop for months on end. “Resist overloading and do your best to keep it dry.” A two-week trip in Morocco? Check. Rainy season in Costa Rica. Maybe not. Take something like the Keen Hybrid Transport bag instead.
See more at the Keen Bags site.
Get the Harvest Grand at REI.
Posted by Tim in General Gear on April 28th, 2009
