Posts Tagged Sea-to-Summit
A Year of Travel Gear
For the past year I’ve been living at 6,500 feet in central Mexico, in a historic colonial city that involves lots of climbing up hills, stairs, and cobblestone streets. In that time I’ve also traveled to a dozen other places in Mexico, and to Sedona, Salt Lake City, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru. I’ve used and abused a lot of gear during that time, so here’s a look at what was really useful and what held up well.
I’ve been wearing travel pants at least half the time, whether I was traveling or not, because they’re lightweight and were easy to carry down in a suitcase. The Titanium Expedition ones from Colombia Sportswear I reviewed a while back held up well except around the back pocket, where the ironed-on pocket glue gave out after a while. The ExOfficio Altyn ones did better and if I hadn’t spilled chili-laced food on them now and then, they would still look practically new—even though I’ve had them since spring of 2009. Their FlexCord corduroy pants I wore all winter still do look new.
I’ve worn my North Face Gore-tex hooded coat through two rainy seasons now and it has never let me down. Through drizzles and downpours, it keeps me dry without making me bake inside.
I’ve plowed through a lot of shoes in the past year, some I’ve stuck with long after I was reviewing them, others I’ve loved less as time went on. The hiking shoes I like enough to take home with me are my Hi-tec Viper Trail Ultra ones. Besides those, the footwear that’s gotten the best workout is probably the pair of Keen Rockaway sandals I wore 9 months out of 12 and took on a few trips. They’re comfy, even after walking around all day, my feet stay cool, and they look good.
Every bag and piece of luggage I brought with me and used repeatedly has held up well and all of it’s going back with me, so no complaints there. High marks for Eagle Creek, Tom Bihn, Kelty, and Osprey. All the Sea to Summit accessories are still going strong too, like this little toiletry kit I take with me every time I’m going carry-on only.
Somebody stole my Victorinox Swiss Army knife out of a checked back somewhere in the Mexico City airport, but I can’t really complain since my mom got it for me before my first round-the-world journey in, oh, 1993? Not bad for something that retails for $22 at Backcountry.com.
There’s a rattan crushable hat from Tilley that I’ve worn all year in the high altitude Mexican sun, but the company ended up killing off the product before I even got to review it. It’s a testament to the quality of their goods though that this one has kept its shape that whole time and still looks great. It’s hard to go wrong with Tilley hats.
And of course no gear round-up would be complete without three items I take on almost every single trip: my SteriPen Opti water purifier, my Callpod Chargepod for keeping the gadgets going, and my Kangaroom pouch for keeping all those gadgets and cords in once place.
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Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on July 13th, 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
Reactor Plus Sleeping Bag Liner from Sea to Summit
If you’re hard core enough to be camping right now in the mountains, hopefully you’ve got a sleeping bag that’s good enough to keep your warm. If you only do this kind of thing once in a while though and want to add a layer of warmth to your existing sleeping bag, this Reactor plus liner from Sea to Summit is the answer.
This liner only weighs about 9 ounces (263 grams) and it stuffs into its own small Ultra-Sil sack, but it makes your sleeping bag able to keep you snug and warm in temperatures about 20 degrees lower (11 centigrade). It’s made with lightweight Thermolite wonder fabric that provides lots of warmth without a lot of heft.
Naturally you could use this on its own as a sleep sack in hostels with sheets you don’t trust very much. There was plenty a night I could have used this when backpacking in countries where heat is considered to be something only fancy hotels should worry about. (As you find out when traveling on the cheap, there are a lot of these countries…). It could also be a pillow or bus blanket in a pinch.
This compact liner is meant to be for women and men of average height—if you’re over six feet tall you should look for something longer. It also comes in only the color pictured here, but that’s kind of understandable since it’s meant to be stuffed inside a sleeping bag anyway. This liner retails for $60 and since it’s a brand new product, it’s not discounted anywhere yet.
We’ve reviewed quite a few Sea to Summit products here and I’ve been happy with the quality and usefulness of them. This liner performed well in my tests and is a cozy addition to their camping and travel gear lines.
Get the Sea to Summit Reactor Plus Thermolite Liner at RockCreek.com
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear on October 13th, 2010
Packable Travel Laundry Bag from Sea to Summit
Even if you have a lot of compartments and pockets in your bag, after a few days or a week of travel that stash of dirty laundry can start getting hard to keep straight. This Sea to Summit TravellingLight laundry bag is great to have along for keeping the dirty things separate.
This mesh laundry bag packs down tight and it weighs a wispy 2.8 ounces, so taking it along in your travels doesn’t add much to your load. It has a drawstring at the top and is designed in such a way that it will sit up straight once you start filling it with laundry.
I’ve used this bag on multiple week-long trips now, in my Osprey backpack and my Eagle Creek rolling carry-on, and I’ve been glad to have it along once some of the clothes were beyond their freshness limit. Nothing got damp and mildewed though since the sides of this bag are mesh. It’s holding up well and I expect to keep using it for years.
This travel laundry bag comes in three colors and it retails for 20 bucks. That price seems a tad high for some stitched together fabric and mesh, but the fabric is tough Cordura and it’s all well-made and durable. Considering how much use this will probably get after you start traveling with it, it’s money well spent. (And it sure beats putting all your dirty clothes in a plastic garbage bag…)
Get the Sea to Summit Travelling Light Laundry Bag at RockCreek.com
See more Sea to Summit product reviews
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on September 22nd, 2010
Citronella Wilderness Wash from Sea to Summit
We love to review double-duty travel gear here on Practical Travel Gear, especially when it’s cheap and light as well. So how about hand-washing laundry detergent than also helps keep the bugs away?
That’s the idea behind Sea to Summit’s Citronella Wilderness Wash. You squirt some of this in the sink and wash your sweaty clothes. Then instead of your shirts smelling like flowers or perfume (which insects and bees will just love), you smell like citronella—a scent that the critters hate—and sandalwood.
Even better, this concentrated washing liquid comes in two sizes that are easy to carry on and airplane. The 1.3-ounce one goes for $3.50 and the 3-ounce one is a buck more. (If you’re going on a long overland or camping trip, however, you can buy an 8-ounce version.)
I tried this citronella laundry soap out on two recent trips and it did the job as well as any other liquid detergent I would use. I kind of liked the smell too—it’s not overpowering. If I were in a sensitive area I would rather have this along than one with harsh chemicals: it’s biodegradable and paraben-free.
It lives up to the “super concentrated” label as well. I’ve done five hotel bathroom sink loads with the smallest size and still have nearly half of it left. Whether you’re hiking through the mountains or backpacking around the tropics, this bug-unfriendly washing liquid is easy to pack and well worth the minimal cost.
And hey, this is multi-use soap meant for camping, so in a pinch you can use it for dishes, your body, or your hair. Double duty indeed.
See more details at the Sea to Summit site and follow the link below to order it from REI.
Sea To Summit Citronella Wilderness Wash Soap – 1.3 fl. oz. at REI
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on August 12th, 2010
