Posts Tagged travel accessories
Fold-up Travel Hanger from Grand Trunk
Sure, if you’re staying in swanky hotels all the time, you may have a selection of hangers and a nice closet to hang them in. If you’re backpacking through Central America though or staying in tents as you climb over mountains, you can forget all that. So if you want to hang up something so it will dry out or get a bit less wrinkled, you might be out of luck.
If you’ve got a little wedge of space in your bag though, you can still carry your own hanger along, thanks to this folding travel design from Grand Trunk. We like this brand because they make a lot of cool little gadgets that are simple but brilliant, like the travel chopsticks and travel towels we reviewed earlier, plus nice packable hammocks.
This hanger weighs only 2.5 ounces and it folds up into its own little pouch you can easily jam into a suitcase or backpack that already seems full. Check out this helpful diagram for the dimensions.
It took me a few tries before I could open and close this hanger without looking like a fumbling idiot and I still don’t appear to have the agility of a ninja, so I’m not doing a demo video. But the basic idea is that this is five hollow metal tubes connected by thin chains. The largest red tube sits on the bottom and two of the smaller ones go into that, making up the longer bottom part. The other two tubes stay where they are and then you’ve got a hook mechanism at the top.
Something like this is only going to be as strong as its weakest links—the wire loops at the top—so it’s not meant for holding a giant layered parka in Antarctica. But for normal use with clothing and lightweight travel jackets, it’s fine.
Under normal travel circumstances, this item may not be at the top of your need list. But on some journeys, like a multi-night river kayaking trip I’m taking in the spring, having this along would make the trip more civilized and comfortable. Those hardy British jungle explorers of the 19th century would surely put this right up there with a flask on their priorities list.
Get the collapsible travel hanger direct from Grand Trunk for $15 including the travel case, or check prices at Amazon.
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Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on November 23rd, 2011
Smartfish Mouse Pad Travel Pouch
Travel accessories can often be numerous and cumbersome especially as we balance multiple mobile devices, iPads, chargers, and their accoutrements. Smartfish has developed a simple way to keep some of your devices neatly bundled, at those for your laptop at least.
I recently tested our their Smartfish Whirl Mini Mouse, which I found to be lightweight and easy to use when on the road. But, if you don’t have a protective pocket in your laptop bag to keep the mouse in, it could easily get dirty or broken.
This convenient travel pouch zips open to create a mouse pad on which you can use the whirl mini mouse. Once you are finished, you simply zip up the mouse inside the pouch and shove it into your bag without worrying about any damage to it. It has enough space to store other small devices as well like a charger or mouse cord.
The pouch zips up into a semicircle shape and features a convenient handle that snaps open allowing you to hang it on the side of your briefcase or laptop bag if you like.
It comes in black or blue and weighs about two ounces adding little extra weight to your carryon bag. I am all for anything that keeps me better organized while protective my expensive electronic devices. But, the added benefit of this mouse is that it is ergonomically designed to ease stress on your wrists when using it.
The mouse pad features a padded neoprene surface that allows the mouse to glide easily. I find it especially helpful when I am using it on an airplane traytable that may be crooked or have a ridge or fold in the center. Some traytables have cut-outs for a beverage glass, but I can simply place this mouse pad on top of it to glide smoothly as I point and click.
It retails for a very affordable $14.95 and is available at www.GetSmartfish.com or at Amazon. This is one travel accessory that actually reduces the complexity of the chaos that is inside my briefcase!
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Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear on September 26th, 2011
Five Things I Always Pack — Jessica Spiegel
Jessica Spiegel is a Portland-based travel writer with BootsnAll Travel Network, where she’s the WhyGo Italy travel guide writer. There are way more than these five must-haves on her “I always pack” list, but these are five that she hasn’t seen on most other packing lists – which is why she wanted to share them.
1. Travel Sound Machine
I don’t care what anyone says, there’s no such thing as “silence” when I’m trying to sleep. It never fails, no matter how tired I am – all I hear are the random nighttime noises that are perfectly normal but that distract my brain from actually falling asleep. I combat this with a little sound/white noise machine that makes ocean or rain (plus about 18 other) noises all night long. Yes, this can be irritating if you’re my roommate. Bring earplugs.
2. Purse Hook
Ladies, who’s tired of uncomfortably perching your handbag on your lap while you try to look graceful lunching at that sidewalk Parisian cafe, all because you don’t want to set your pretty purse in whatever’s on the ground and you’d rather not wave the “rob me now” flag by hanging it over the back of your chair? Yeah, me too. Enter the purse hook. And guys, most of them are sturdy enough that they’ll hold a daypack-sized backpack, too (and not all of them are bedazzled or ridiculously girly).
3. Chinese Fan
To be fair, this is really only something I carry when I’m going to be in hot/humid places, but since most of us try to go on vacation where it’s sunny this does make it onto my “must pack” list frequently. Even if you’re springing for a high(er)-end hotel with A/C, buses and subway cars are often muggy. In those situations, I’ll pull my cheap Chinese fan from my purse and – voila! – instant relief. Be prepared for the strangers sitting next to you to lean in your direction to catch some of that moving air. Fans like this aren’t exactly durable, so don’t be surprised if you break them now and then; luckily, they’re as cheap as they are fragile.
4. Ginger Candies
I’ve been blessed (ahem) with the world’s most sensitive gastrointestinal system, which means I get sick for no apparent reason at home as well as in countries where you can totally drink the water. (I’m terrified of how ill I’ll get when I finally get to places like India and China.) For this reason, I always have a handful of ginger candies in my purse at all times – and a larger supply in my suitcase for restocking purposes. I particularly love Ginger People‘s ginger chews (so much so that I bought a five pound box of them from the company’s website). Added bonus? They’re spicy-sweet deliciousness, in addition to helping with my upset tummy.
5. Teeny Perfume Bottle
Frankly, I don’t even know if they do this anymore, but there used to be a time when tiny perfume samples were doled out not on paper magazine inserts but in miniscule bottles. I’ve got a few of them, collected over the years, and I always tuck at least one into my TSA-approved zip-top baggie. It takes up essentially no room at all, and dabbing a bit of perfume on my wrists can make me feel much more freshened up than I actually am when traveling. (I refrain from using perfume on planes or trains, though, because that’s just the nice thing to do.) Oh, and if you can’t find the tiny bottles of liquid perfume anymore, there are TSA-approved solid perfume options, too.
Follow Jessica on Twitter: @italylogue
Posted by Pam in General Gear on July 15th, 2011
Eco-friendly Haiku Travel Bags for Women
My new favorite everyday bag is the Haiku Hobo in chocolate brown. It’s got this great rounded-corner, trapezoidal shape that is surprisingly roomy — the top compartment opens wide with a clever diagonal zipper (see photo below). There’s tons of space to put all the crap stuff I seem to need to carry around on a daily basis, and then some. (Seriously, I’ve fit a set of workout clothes, a water bottle, legal pad, wallet and giant cosmetic bag in here, without it bursting at the seams.)
Besides its cool design and voluminous space, I adore the Hobo’s pebble-texture faux-leather accents, the magnetic-closure front pocket and two exterior slip pockets. The inside is lined in easy-to-wipe-clean nylon with Velcro and zip pockets. Double straps are adjustable and come with a removable Velcro cushion (which I removed). Straps extend so that I can sling the bag across my chest — convenient for hands-free sightseeing and souvenir shopping.
Style, function and attention to detail are key for Haiku, a woman-owned company, as is the environment. So much so, Haiku will stop making bags in its original, petroleum-based primary fabric (like the Hobo style I have), and use solely eco-friendly cyclePET fabric moving forward. CyclePET is created from 100-percent post-consumer PET (polyethylene terephthalate) beverage bottles.
Now, the good news is, each bag that Haiku creates out of cyclePET material keeps 22 plastic bottles out of landfills. Bad news — that cool pebble fabric I love so much in the Hobo won’t be in production much longer. Alas, I’m confident that the updated eco-friendly Hobo will be equally as lovable, also with textured fabric and new recycled aluminum hardware.
Haiku’s current Rumi collection is already made out of cyclePET. Designs include a backpack, messenger bag and a little skinny-strapped shoulder bag. As soon as my 11-year-old daughter got a look at the little Rumi Pouch — basically a multi-faceted wallet with a bunch of little zipper pockets, credit-card slots and a detachable shoulder strap — she claimed it as her own. She likes that it also holds her cellphone and chapstick. She uses it as a purse when she goes to the movies with friends; but it could also be used as a wallet within a larger bag. That detachable shoulder strap makes it easy to use on its own when you really only have to carry some cash, lipstick and a hotel-room key.
The Rumi Pouch retails for $42; the Hobo is $78. Shop for many styles on the Haiku website. Browse offerings and check prices on PlanetShoes.com or Backcountry.com.
Posted by Kara in Travel Light on April 5th, 2011
GSI Personal Java Press for Good Coffee Wherever
If you’ve gotten used to drinking good coffee at home made with a French Press, coffee on the road can be a major disappointment. And what do you do when you’re camping?
This handy little Personal Java Press from GSI Outdoors gets about as compact as one of these presses can get, but brews up an excellent 20-ounce batch of coffee. It also has its own mug—complete with an insulating wrap—all put back together afterwards in one well-designed package.
The total footprint of this device is the carafe part, with the mug going inside and the plunger parts going inside that and on top. The hardest part is getting it all apart as the plastic pieces create a great seal while in use, but that seal is tough to break when you don’t want the pieces together. Once you manage, the shaft goes through the top cover and screws into the plunger. You put coffee in, pour in water, stir the coffee, then use the plunger to push the grounds to the bottom (after letting it all steep a few minutes).
In my tests the coffee making part has been performing admirably, brewing up a mug and a half of java that’s on par with what I get out of a regular home French press, even though this is mostly made out of light (BPA-free) plastic. The plunger is a good one too: it doesn’t leak out grounds or leave you with a muddy brew from the “blow-back” you get with some versions. There’s a small spout opening from pouring from the carafe into the mug, then a nicely-sized sipping hole on the mug itself.
I’m not sure I’d want to carry this on a business trip or a regular vacation unless I knew in advance I was going to be in a place where Nescafe is considered coffee or when I was in a car and space wasn’t an issue. For future camping trips, however, this Personal Java Press from GSI is going to be a permanent part of my packing routine. If you’ve got a camper or coffee lover on your list, this is a good gift to pick up, retailing for around $25. Get it here:
GSI Outdoors Personal Java Press Coffee Maker at REI.
GSI Outdoors Personal Java Press at Backcountry.
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear on December 1st, 2010
