I remember an aunt once showing me a new gadget she bought that would allow her to always be able to hang her handbag from a table when she went out to lunch. It was a pretty little metal hook combination that (in theory) hung from the table’s edge, letting her hang her purse from the other end. That way, she didn’t have to place the bag on the floor or on the back of her chair, where it was less secure.
The hook didn’t work out well. It was pretty, but not robust, and it broke within weeks of her purchasing it. But the idea is pretty solid. Hang your bag from the back of a bus or plane seat, hook your day pack on a fence, hang a lantern from a tree branch when camping, keep wet boots off the ground for quick air drying. All these tasks could use a device like that.
That’s why a beefier hook, like The Qlipter, is ideal. Made from steel-reinforced aluminum, it’s corrosion resistant, meaning it’ll last longer than those pretty little purse hooks. (I’m not against the purse hooks, by the way, but think that they’re far too precious to be very utilitarian.)
The Qlipter works like a non-locking carabiner, but hangs like a hook. The carabiner has a large opening, so you can link a few bags together. The wide hook securely hangs from a variety of surfaces and has a rubber end cap to make it grippier. The hook holds 50 pounds, so unless you’re someone who must pack everything when you vacation, it’ll hold your bag.
The hook and carabiner fold together for ease of packing, and magnet holds the hook closed so it doesn’t pop open in your bag. To get the exact right angle for holding your gear, you can rotate the hook 360 degrees.
The Qlipter weighs 2.5 ounces, so while it’s strong enough to hold your gear, it won’t weigh you down. In a pinch, it’ll even make your hotel room complete when you don’t have enough hangers, or you need to keep your toiletry bag in the bathroom and there are no shelves.
The Qlipter comes in Stone (light gray), Thunder (black), Ocean (blue), Fire & Ice (red with a blue rubber end cap) and Phoenix Rising (red with a black rubber end cap), and all list for $19.95 on the Qlipter site. It’s also available at Amazon.