Gear

News, reviews and articles about gear.

Saddleback Leather Company Explorer’s Satchel Review

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Anyone else out there ever had a secret fantasy about wanting to be like Indiana Jones?
Come on, I can’t be the only one. I remember the original movie and falling in love with the
character. Traveling to exotic locations, searching for treasures, yeah, that’s me in a nutshell!
Ok, not quite… But I do live in Indiana and… ok, the similarity ends there. Or it did till now.
Now I am one step closer to fulfilling that fantasy because I have an Explorer’s Satchel from
Saddleback Leather Company.

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LiveScribe Pulse Smartpen Review

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Kids sure are lucky these days because they have laptops and PDAs to help them with their school work. Back in my day,
all we had were pencils, that we had to sharpen with a pocket knife as we walked to school barefoot in the
snow. Ok, maybe it wasn’t that bad… But really, all we had were pens and pencils to take notes
during class. I used to hate taking
notes in school because my mind had a really bad habit of wandering. Fast forward to present day
and not much has changed. My mind still wanders and I still don’t like taking notes. But, now I have a new tool that can help fill in the
gaps during those times when I’m supposed to be paying attention during meetings. It’s an electronic pen called the Pulse Smartpen from Livescribe.

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LED Lenser P7 LED Flashlight (8407) Review

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I always enjoy receiving flashlights from Discount LED Lights & Knives to review. They sell the German made LED Lenser products, which are extremely nice. One of the latest LED Lenser flashlights in the new HP (High Performance) line that has come on the market is the P7. This light is unique in that it has a focusable lens and is super bright.

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Solio H1000 Universal Hybrid Solar Charger Review

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In this day and age, we are all aware of our impact on the planet. As a gadgeteer with gadgets galore, I often feel guilty when it comes to charging their batteries using various AC adapters plugged into sockets all over my home. So, what could be better than a way to charge these gadgets without increasing your carbon footprints every day? How about a charger that uses the sun? The Solio H1000 Universal Hybrid Charger claims to help you with this task. Let’s check it out…

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LifeGear LifeLight Mega-Function Lantern

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I live in a rural area that seems to have power issues on a semi-regular basis. Either during storms or even on a perfectly nice day,
there will be at least a couple times a month when the power will go out. Most of the time it is a fast down / up sort of thing, but
then there are times when it will stay down for a couple of hours at a time. It’s typically not a big deal during daylight hours, but
nine times out of ten, it will happen at night. During those times, it’s always a crap shoot if I can find a flashlight that is charged
and ready to go. Now I don’t have to worry about the status of my flashlight battery, because I have the LifeLight Mega-Function Lantern
from LifeGear.

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AltusLumen Tri-L LED Flashlight

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Most gear heads probably already have an LED flashlight (or two) at the bottom of their gear bag or stashed in a desk drawer. They are handy tools that we all need to use every now and then, but for the most part, they aren’t all that exciting… The Tri-L LED flashlight from AltusLumen that I’m going to show you today though, has a couple of great features that I think will impress you.

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Amazon Kindle Waterfield Cases

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It usually isn’t long after the arrival of a new gadget that accessories start to show up. Like many other gadgets, the Amazon Kindle comes with a basic cover to protect it straight out of the box, leaving the creation of more elaborate and fashionable cases to third parties. Recently, Waterfield Designs became one of the first companies to introduce cases for the Kindle, in three different designs.

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Canary Wireless Digital Hotspotter WiFi Finder HS-20

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It’s been three years since I reviewed my favorite WiFi scanner / finder, Canary Wireless’s Digital Hotspotter. I’ve reviewed other scanners, but always liked the Hotspotter best due to its one button super fast scanning ability. That’s why I was very happy when the folks at Canary Wireless sent me their 2nd generation Digital Hotspotter HS-20 to review.

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Mountainsmith Day Lumbar Pack

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As I read Julie’s review of the Timbuk2 messenger bag, I couldn’t help but think of my own choice in gear-hauling. The ‘2’ is a fine bag and the design possibilities are unlimited. I looked at such bags while I was shopping for a new hauler. I knew I didn’t want just a backpack or rucksack; they get tangled on furniture as you walk by and they are too big for everyday carry. I need room for a book, a sweater and a water bottle, not a sleeping bag and a tent.

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Tom Bihn Aeronaut, Packing Cubes and Organizer Pouches

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Last October I received a pile of cases and accessories from Tom Bihn. Over the years I’d reviewed several Tom Bihn products, all bought with my own hard earned cash – no review samples. Tom Bihn’s products are very good value I think, but a little expensive. When reviewing a case that represents days of toil in your day job, even the most tolerant of reviewers is likely to be a little more harsh. Tom Bihn’s stuff has always come out shining – not perfect, but always well worth the money.

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Kingston DataTraveler 110, 400 and Style USB Flash Drives

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Late last year I reviewed two of Kingston’s DataTraveler USB flash drives. The Mini Fun and Mini-Migo. Today I’m back to tell you about three more of their DataTraveler drives: the 110, 400 and Style. Let’s find out if you might want to add one of them to your keychain or gear bag…

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