Posts Tagged packing aids
Cram it all in with Space Bags
We review lots of lightweight, thin travel clothing products on here that help you pack light. But what do you do if you’re heading somewhere really cold and you want to pack sweaters, scarves, and down jackets? Well, you can cut the bulk down quite a bit by stuffing these things in a Space Bag.
Sure, a lot of “as seen on TV” products are a gimmicky joke, but these Space Bags have been around for quite a while and keep selling because they work.
The concept is simple but brilliant. You stuff your bulky items into a plastic bag, seal it like a Ziploc with a piece at the top, then roll downward to push out the air. Like magic, the air goes out the other end but none is sucked back in after. So what you end up with is a very flattened version of your clothing, minus all the bulk.
I will probably use these for when I head to where I grew up in Virginia for the Christmas holidays, but I tried them out recently for something less pleasant: a move. I was going from a temporary crash pad to a new house and had a lot of things to pack up in suitcases. I put all my sweaters and a few fleece shirts into a few Space Bags and was able to get twice as many things into one suitcase. They were in there a couple days before it was all over and no air got in. I can reuse the bags over again and considering they’re around 10 bucks for two or three of them, a good value. If you go to the ITW Space Bag website, for $20 you can get a whole slew of these bags plus a portable organizer.
These Space Bags come in multiple sizes, just like suitcases, but if you end up with one that’s too large, you can fold it or roll it as you see in the picture here. I was able to fit one of them in an outside flap pocket of a suitcase, with multiple items flattened inside.
Keep in mind though you’ll still have to stay under the airline weight restrictions, so using a really large suitcase crammed full of items in Space Bags is not a good idea. Packing twice as much in the same space only works if you’re not overpacking in terms of weight. See our reviews of lightweight luggage for help with that and it’s a good idea to have a luggage scale to make sure you don’t go over—especially in Europe.
When you’re not traveling, you can use these for winter storage as well: they’re good for compressing comforters, pillows, and other bulky items you’re going to pack away in a closet or attic.
See more at the Space Bag site or see a selection of the bags at Amazon.
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Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on September 14th, 2011
Jet Bag “Wine Diaper” Review
The Jet Bag "wine diaper"
Scoring that prized bottle of wine in France or stocking up in duty free can be a challenge with security rules restricting the carriage of liquids to less than three ounces. What is a top-notch vinophile to do!? The Jet Bag is a convenient and light solution for packing fragile items like bottles of wine in your checked luggage.
The concept is a dual-pronged approach because the bag is designed to protect wine from breaking, but in the rare case that it does, it keeps it from ruining your clothes or other items in your bag. It is composed of a bio-degradable material that has a zip closure and is lined with the same absorbent material found in diapers.
Travelers can easily stash it away into a bag pocket and use it only when needed for items like olive oil, perfume, and liquor. Trips to prestigious vineyards can now be more enjoyable since you can save money by not shipping the wine home and carry it yourself. The reusable bags are perfect for cruise ships that permit you to carry aboard your own drinks and destination weddings where you may want to travel with a special bottle of champagne.
Testing it on a special bottle of wine was a cinch. I still wrapped the JetBag in a plastic laundry bag, but that was not necessary as the “wine diaper” has its own seal. Upon arrival, the bag and its prized contents were in tip-top shape.
Affordably priced, they can be purchased individually or in packs of ten. They make a great holiday or birthday present especially for frequent travelers to wine regions like California, Italy, France, Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, or South Africa.
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Posted by Ramsey in General Gear, Travel Light on July 11th, 2011
Five Things I Always Pack — Mike Barish
Mike Barish is a freelance travel writer and regular contributor to Gadling. He is a universally respected expert in the SkyMall catalog whose work has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Budget Travel, World Hum and Intelligent Travel. He was also the host of Chevrolet’s Travel Cruze-arati web series. You can always see what Mike’s up to on his own site and on Twitter. Mike is based in New York City where he lives with his fiancée and their two dogs.
1. Merino Wool Underwear
Between sitting on planes for hours, going on hikes and layering various types of clothing to keep the elements at bay, my special areas can get a tad warm. My absolute favorite items for travel are Icebreaker’s Beast 150 Boxer Briefs with Fly. They’re breathable, don’t absorb odor and are phenomenally comfortable. I’m able to pack fewer pairs of underwear because I can wear these several times before they need to be washed and, if I do wash them on the road, they dry quickly. Speaking of which…
2. Liquid Soap
I refuse to spend time at laundromats while traveling. That just seems like lost time. Instead, I wash clothing in the sink at my hotel or, more often than not, the apartment that I’ve rented. Most of the clothing that I pack dries quickly, so sink washing and hang drying is my best strategy for keeping fresh and not wasting time. Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild Liquid Soap isn’t too abrasive, can be used on clothing as well as body and, most importantly, is unscented.
3. Extra Batteries
Maybe I’m a jerk, but I always giggle when I hear someone moan, “Oh, crap, my camera battery is dead,” while I’m traveling. Whether you’re on a family vacation or searching for Dr. Livingstone, you know you’re going to be taking plenty of pictures. Don’t let an easily remedied issue keep you from capturing your memories. I shoot with a Canon PowerShot S95 and love my off-brand spare battery that actually lasts longer than Canon’s stock battery.
4. Collapsible Backpack
The quickest way to lose or forget your belongings while traveling is to frequently unpack and repack your bags. That’s why the bag that I use on the plane for my headphones, iPad, passport, etc never goes out with me on day trips. Instead, I bring a second, easy-to-pack backpack with me. My favorite is the Patagonia Lightweight Travel Pack. It’s a tad pricey, but it’s far more durable than other travel packs out there, has a few easy to access pockets and packs down to a fantastically convenient size.
5. Baby Powder
I’ll end the same way I started, by discussing my crotch. Whether I’m going someplace hot and humid or ice cold, I always bring some baby powder with me. If you’ve ever gotten a heat rash or – and let’s all behave ourselves now – crotch rot, you know how uncomfortable and trip-ruining it is. Rather than overpay for expensive talcum powders that often come in large bottles, I opt for a simple travel-sized bottle of Johnson’s baby powder or a store brand if they have one.
Curious about what other travelers have on their “Five Things” list? The entire series is here.
Posted by Pam in General Gear, Travel Light on July 1st, 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
Best Practical Travel Gear of the Year
Here at Practical Travel Gear we review a lot of new items first-hand, to the tune of one new one almost every weekday. So we’ve seen enough to know what’s been good and what’s been great. Here are our picks for the best travel gear we checked out over the past year.
John Gordon
Best Cell-Phone Accessory
Wilson Electronics’ Sleek Universal Cell Phone Signal Booster is a must-have if yourphone often drops calls because of poor signal coverage. Even in places that show no signal at all, I’ve been able to place calls. Really. The cradle design is also handy if you’re using the phone for GPS navigation or with other travel apps. It hadn’t been officially released at the time of our review, but is now widely available through Amazon and other vendors.
Best Portable Light
Joby’s Gorillatorch Flare does so much, it’s hard not to like it. It fits right in a car, suitcase or backpack. And the bright LED light has spindly legs that wrap around just about anything. Plenty of room to use the imagination. It’s built tough, designed to withstand a 6-foot tall. And with the energy-saving LED light, the battery should last a long time. Three AAA batteries should last up to 80 hours of normal use, depending on the brightness setting of the light.
Best Small Portable Luggage Scale
Here’s a piece of gear that can quickly pay for itself. The Balanzza MINI Digital Luggage Scale helps avoid expensive overweight bag fees now being charged by many airlines. It will weigh bags up to 100 pounds. Airlines are clearly cracking down on overweight bags. The Balanzza MINI will help you pack smart and avoid haing to reach for your wallet at the airport.
Tim Leffel
Best Eco-friendly Green Gear Item
The Brunton Restore Solar Charger isn’t perfect: its only inputs and outputs are USB and mini-USB, but this rugged power pack is much more travel-worthy than its competitors and stores an impressive amount of juice (up to 2,200 mAh, with a 1,000 mA/5V output). I’ve dropped it multiple times, crammed it into impossibly small spaces, and left it out in the rain several times when a sunny day turned dark. It’s still cranking.
This is a charger that’s well-designed and I’ve charged my devices with it at least 50 times now, saving untold amounts of fossil fuel. Plus I can keep the damned battery on this next item going…
Best Do-it-all Device
The iPod Touch is the contract-less, AT&T-less cousin to the iPhone, doing almost as much for $1,000 less a year. Sure the battery life sucks, typing is slow, and it doesn’t render Flash sites, but this thin device makes up for all that with what it can do on the road. With this in my pocket I have a currency converter, calculator, note-taker, web browser, e-mail checker, Skype phone, music player, gaming device, weather forecaster, podcast player, good maps, and mini-guidebooks. It was a little painful to spend a few hundred bucks on this thing, but now I’d hate to be without it when on the road, especially for international travel.
Best Easy-to-pack Travel Shoes
The New Balance WT100 sneakers are perfect for travelers who want to be able to get a workout but are still trying to pack light. They jam down flat when packing (that entire upper is mesh), so they don’t increase your bulk like most sneakers do, and they weigh about the same as a pair of hiking socks. They don’t have monster thick cushioning of course, so you probably don’t want to train for a marathon in them, but they’re fine for walking around the park or a workout in the hotel gym. I keep reaching for these time and again when packing only a carry on.
Most Innovative Clothing Item
With so much competition, it’s gotten pretty darn hard to make a travel jacket interesting. We’ve reviewed plenty on this gear blog that are lightweight, functional, and easy to pack, but just when I thought I’d seen it all I received this ExOfficio Storm Logic one (pictured at the top) and went “Wow!” It’s comfy and warm, but it’s the extra 
features that really make it. There are fitted pockets for all your gadgets and then it packs into a built-in pouch and becomes…a travel neck pillow! Double-duty travel gear with a twist.
Coolest Cheap and Light Item
Speaking of a twist, some things we review here we like just because they’re inexpensive and fun. This Twistick keychain corkscrew retails for only 10 bucks, but it ensures that you won’t face the sad affair of a full bottle of wine but no corkscrew.
Kara Williams
Best All-Around Travel Skirt
I’ve worn this long black skirt with cowboy boots and flip-flops, cashmere sweaters and tank tops on my travels this year. It truly pairs with just about anything, the elastic waist is incredibly comfortable and it folds down to nearly nothing for carry-on packing. This skirt from ExOfficio’s Go-To collection gets an A+ for versatility.
Best Travel Item to Prevent Cranky Kid Meltdowns
Since getting this large, soft-sided cooler from Norchill in early summer, my family hasn’t traveled by car without it. The durable cooler fits our water bottles, fruit, sandwiches, yogurts and more for any weekend trip, and sits conveniently between the kids’ seats in our minivan. I like having food and drink on hand to save money on restaurant and drive-thru meals, and keeps the kids happy when their stomachs start grumbling en route to our destination.
Best Travel Product for $20 or Less
Sunscreen is a travel item I never go anywhere without, and I wear it daily in the summer at home in Colorado, too. I continue to be enamored with Beyond Coastal products. While the Natural SPF 30 is too chalky and zinc-y for me, I highly recommend the Active SPF 30. It has little to no fragrance, and goes on smoothly. The Natural Lip Balm with SPF 15 has the best lemon-y taste, and keeps my lips silky smooth. The kids like these products, too, which makes the lubing-up process painless.
Want to see last year’s picks? Best and Worst Travel Gear of 2009
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on December 27th, 2010
