Posts Tagged travel bag
Hummingbird Carry-On Zip Travel Bag
Save your clothes from getting soaked on your next water-based vacation. Whether you’re cruising, paddling, or lounging by a river, your black wheelie just can’t do the job when it comes to keeping the water out. Keep your gear waterproof with the Hummingbird Carry-On Zip travel bag.
The 40-liter capacity duffel is rugged enough to join you on extreme adventures, but it’s also convenient to use on a coastal vacation. The 1-pound, 9-ounce bag is lightweight—more than many waterproof bags of the same size. Most importantly, it’ll save your clothes from getting soaked.
The welded seams and waterproof zipper make the bag perfectly functional in wet conditions. And let’s face it, when you’re on vacation, dry clothes are a key to happiness—unless you’re swimming.
The diagonal zipper allows easy access to all your clothes, and the soft sides make it easy to fit the bag into a kayak hatch or an overhead bin. The strap is attached on three sides—so you can carry it by hand or on your shoulders. For those who are actively around water on trips, whether it’s just a weekend or even longer, this is more than just your standard dry bag. Those aren’t the easiest to carry, and the straps on this bag make it much more convenient to carry and use as a travel bag.
I’ve taken it on a trip to Kauai, where I spent a lot of time on the water (on a catamaran and SUP). I’ve also used it on shorter, coastal trips in California–where I needed something waterproof for kayaking.
It’s not black, but the bright yellow color will help you identify it on the baggage carousel, if you do happen to check it. There is a larger, 75-liter version for those who have a lot of gear and don’t mind checking it.
The Hummingbird Carry-On Zip Travel Bag lists for $149.95 on the Cascade Designs website or check prices at Amazon.
Posted by Jill in Adventure Gear, General Gear on May 4th, 2012
Haiku Hobo 2 Bag
This review of Haiku’s Hobo 2 bag finds me mid-quest in my pursuit of the best travel tote. A few weeks ago, Overland Equipment’s Radcliffe Bag came close, but failed to meet three of my criteria to graduate from around-town tote to travel tote: a cross-body strap, exterior cell phone pocket, and laptop sleeve.
How does the Hobo 2 score? A solid two out of three (more on that below). First, some general impressions: I love the Hobo’s shape and look. It’s roomy without being bulky, and stylish without being cutesy (if you’ve been reading my reviews for long, you know I have no use for cuteness in my travel gear). It measures at 10″h x 14″w x 4″d and has just enough pockets and sections without having too many. It’s also extremely durable (and fully lined). I’ve used it daily for over two months, and it shows virtually no sign of wear. Best of all, unlike the Hobo bag Kara reviewed last year, the Hobo 2 is made from renewable cyclePET fabric, recycled poly from 100% post consumer beverage bottles. Put more simply: each Hobo 2 saves 18.9 plastic bottles from the landfill. So you can look good and feel good, too!
The Hobo 2 uses a comfortable shoulder strap, and does have that detachable cross-body strap I covet (score one point of three!). I love the two exterior (zippered) cell phone pockets on either end (point two!) and the additional side pocket. The Hobo zips completely closed, which is a huge plus, and all zippers have nice pulls to make it easier to reach for things and be on the go at the same time. Inside, the Hobo has two water bottle pockets, but I can’t use them for their intended purpose because while wide, they’re not deep enough to fit my standard-sized Kleen Kanteen bottles. This is a bummer, as I carry a water bottle everywhere. Instead, I use the water bottle pouches to store my detachable strap when not in use, my phone charger, and the like. In addition, the Hobo 2 does have another interior zippered pocket, perfect for chap stick, hand wipes, or business cards.
While the Hobo 2 is not quite big enough to tote my 13″ Macbook (another bummer), it is sized to fit an iPad, which tempts me to grant it half credit toward that third point as a travel tote.
Bottom line: for $84, you get a high-quality, multi-purpose, day-to-day bag that will last for the long haul (and is great for the planet). Will it travel with me? On weekend trips during which I’ll do doing a lot of city walking and touring, yes. For air travel during which I need to bring my laptop, no. If you travel with an iPad however, the Hobo 2 could absolutely see you from gate to hotel and back again. Pick one up (in your choice of four colors/patterns) at Haiku, or spend a tad less at either Amazon, Zappos, or Backcountry.
Posted by Amy in General Gear on April 24th, 2012
Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW
Camera bags aren’t always easy to bring along on outdoor adventures. If they’re sturdy enough to protect your DSLR and lenses, they’re often also heavy, or they lack the space necessary to combine your gear into one, convenient bag. But the Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW is a backpack and camera bag, in one convenient package.
The pack is lightweight but sturdy, and its padded shoulder and hip straps are enough to keep it securely attached to you. Even more straps are included for additional gear. There’s also a built-in rain cover, to keep the pack protected from the weather.
The padded camera pocket protects your camera gear with an extra cinched section to keep it from bouncing around while you’re out being active. A side-access pocket allows you to rotate the pack to the front, unzip, un-cinch and get to your camera quickly. Much better than having to take the bag off and dig around for your camera, only to have the perfect photo moment pass you by.
You can see a slick HD video with eye candy scenery of all this in action at this link, the narrator alternately trail running along the ocean with this pack and whipping out his camera to get some good shots.
The upper compartment of the pack provides up to 13.9 liters of volume for you other items—whether you’re out for a multi-day hike, or a day of mountain biking. There’s also a hydration pocket for a 2-liter hydration reservoir, however the reservoir is not included.
The Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW comes in orange or black and lists for $199.99 on the Lowepro website. It’s also available at Amazon and Summit Hut.
Posted by Jill in Adventure Gear on April 20th, 2012
Crumpler Red Dry Line No 2 and No 9
From the moment I laid eyes on Crumpler’s Red Dry No 9 rolling tote from their newest line, I could see its apeal to a solo or business traveler. First of all, it’s a looker. More importantly, its carry-on size is compact and includes all the bells and whistles you’d expect from Crumpler, such as a 17 inch laptop compartment (plus a second laptop sleeve!), no fewer than seven distinct storage sections, and functional, high-quality construction. But before I put it in use, I didn’t see how slick little No 9 would work for a family traveler with three kids in tow.
Turns out, Red Dry No 9 is a pretty near perfect carry-on for families, too. It’s easy to pull with its adjustable, hideaway handle (bye-bye, old rollie with the quirky wheel), is lightweight, and fits much more than you’d think. (The dimensions are 17.5×16.5×10.) You can use the No 9 as an in-air entertainment carry-all (using the aforementioned laptop sleeve), but even more useful: as a family ‘just in case’ case. Not familiar? We always pack essential toiletries, one set of sleepwear, and swimsuit (when applicable for our destination, of course) for each family member when traveling by air, to ward against lost or late luggage (not that that ever happens). To my surprise, using No 9′s dividable storage spaces (complete with elastic compression belts), I was able to fit in all of the above (plus my husband’s laptop), for five people. Due to the snap-fitted gussets on the sides of the bag, it opens 180 degrees ‘accordion’ style for when I needed to dig in to find something, which was inevitably on the bottom. Better yet, No 9 not only fit comfortably into our plane’s overhead luggage compartment, but fit under the seat. Three cheers for easy access!
Also in the new Red Dry line is Red Dry No 2, a nicely-sized shoulder bag (made, of course, with the same high quality construction as the No 9). It can be worn over the shoulder or across the body, and is designed with an iPad in mind. It’s a great companion piece to the No 9 (or any rolling tote), and due to its well-appointed front panel, could completely replace a purse. Travelers could easily carry on both the No 9 (packing a laptop and extra clothes) and the No 2 (packing an iPad, book, and a snack or two) and breeze past most airlines’ carry-on requirements with room to spare.
Bottom line: would I bring Red Dry No 9 and 2 on a family trip? No 9: yes. It would replace my laptop bag and probably a few of the kids’ backpacks, making our travel day far more streamlined. No 2: maybe. It’s not quite big enough to cater to an entire family’s in-flight needs and paperwork, but it could double as a day bag once at the destination. Plus, it’s unisex enough that a man could carry it (oh so chivalrously) for his wife. (Just saying.)
Crumpler Red Dry No 9 retails for $265, and No 2 is $90. Both are water-resistant, and the No 9 is lockable. Both are available at the Crumpler website, as are several check-in sized bags in the Red Dry line, should you want to supplement your carry-ons.
Posted by Amy in Kids and Family, Travel Light on March 13th, 2012
Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad
Unless you absolutely have to, why lug your laptop around every time you travel? When you’re toting around your iPad or netbook, it’s so much better to bring a smaller bag—one that isn’t built to fit a laptop and the kitchen sink. The Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad (and iPad2) is a great option.
While the size requires you to pare down, there’s plenty of room for your iPad or netbook, cell phone, wallet, notebook, pens, keys and even a water bottle. The padded compartment protects your iPad, while an easy-reach pocket allows you to grab your phone or pen on the fly. A zippered secure pocket is included, for items you want to hide away. The small bag is roomier than it looks. I was easily able to get a camera, book and sweater for the plane trip in with all the other gear.
Use the shoulder strap or a removable waist strap—perfect for securing your bag while you’re biking around any city. The Ristretto comes with the Tom Bihn “standard” shoulder strap, which has a 1 1/2-inch-wide nylon webbing strap and a wide foam pad for your shoulder.
For a little bit extra ($20), you can upgrade to the “absolute” shoulder strap, which has a soft, durable neoprene pad with comfortable stretch backing. I picked the upgrade strap, and it’s made a big difference when I’m hauling a lot of stuff around. It may not make the best sense for the Ristretto, since it’s a smaller bag, but I also use my shoulder strap on other bags—any that have hooks for D-ring attachments will do.
Tom Bihn makes other Ristretto bags that fit larger technology, so if you just can’t part with that 11-inch or 13-inch MacBook Air, there’s a Ristretto for them as well.
The Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad lists for $125 and the one place to get it besides their store is on the Tom Bihn website. (Their bags are made in the USA and to enable them to keep doing that, they’re only sold direct from the company.)
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Posted by Jill in Business Gear, General Gear on February 24th, 2012
