News, reviews and articles about travel gear and accessories.
First off, I REALLY love Saddleback Leather Company‘s motto of ‘They’ll fight over it when you’re dead’. That is saying something in today’s disposable society; where electronics are engineered to last a few years before their battery dies, motherboard fries, or they simply self destruct. Saddleback believes their products are so well made they guarantee […]
Saddleback Leather Company Briefcase Thin Review Read More
If you’d like to travel with a surge suppressor but don’t have room for one in your laptop or gear bag, the Tripp-Lite travel-sized surge suppressor may be your answer. The Traveler3USB has three A/C outlets, with room for one large transformer without blocking the other two outlets. It supplies 120 V A/C, 50/60 Hz, 15A
Tripp-Lite Travel-sized Surge Suppressor with USB Charging Ports Read More
The DLO WallDock iPod Charger is a simple and effective gadget for anyone with one or more iPods/iPhones. This is a brain dead simple device weighing not much more than an iPod cable. No manual, no setup, nothing to configure – plug it into a wall socket and you’re ready to go.
DLO WallDock iPod Charger Review Read More
Get on your soap box and declare frugality for the New Year. A buck can get you a nifty if not thrifty MP3 case. Comes in a rainbow of colors, is easily replaceable and can stow not only the player, but a set of ear-buds, a USB cable, and a few M&M’s. All this in
Simple and Cheap MP3 Case Read More
When The Gadgeteer has had news posts about solar chargers in the past, many commenters said that chargers for a single specific device seemed a waste of money. The Icetech I-9005 comes with seven different connectors that work with a variety of phones, iPods, and other mp3 players. The Icetech units have a battery capacity of 2500
Icetech I-9005 Solar Portable Solar Charger Read More
LapDome Inc. makes a line of the most unusual laptop bags I’ve seen. These bags, when collapsed, look like more regular laptop bags. Some are padded and used to carry your laptop; some are not padded and are meant to be carried in your regular laptop bag as an accessory. All pop open to make a
LapDome Laptop Bags with Popup Shade Read More
Don’t know if y’all have seen these, but in case you haven’t, just more cool stuff to attach to your belt buckle, back pack, purse, or ear lobe. There are a couple of different styles, just do a search for “carabiner water bottle clip”. I actually lucked out and found these at The Container Store
Neat Way to Hold Your Maple Syrup, Er, Water Bottle Read More
If you’re an outdoorsman (or if you are impacted by the current winter storm), you need a way to monitor weather conditions. The Speedtech SM-28 Handheld Weather Monitor is a lightweight weather tool that lets you monitor most every possible environmental condition. It has a lanyard to keep it handy, and the cover flips open to
Speedtech SM-28 Skymaster Handheld Weather Monitor Read More
These tabletop items from Vat19 can help you do your part to reduce waste and appeal to your sense of humor. They offer a line of reusable melamine plates and cups that look like their wasteful cousins. There are melamine “paper” plates that look like the thin, pleated edge paper products – set of four
Environmentally Friendly with a Sense of Humor Read More
If you are the outdoor type who likes to take along your iPod or iPhone, you’ll need a way to keep your device charged. The Brunton Solaris i6 is a foldable solar charger that comes with an iPod charging cable. It opens up to 29 X 9 inches and weighs 7.1 ounces. It has four
Brunton Solaris i6 Foldable Solar iPod Charger Read More
More then just funny capitalization (yes, that’s really how they spell it) Kamiliun uses a modular system to create a flexible backpack/bag system from mix-and-match components. I received the Chicken or the Egg package consisting of a ‘letterbox’ back on the left, above, designed to carry a laptop or other large slab-like objects, and a
Kamiliun cHiCkEn oR tHe eGG Messenger Style Backpack Review Read More
Before I kick off, full disclosure; I’m a fan! A fan of Tom Bihn and nearly everything that comes out of their Seattle factory. I bought my first Tom Bihn bag in 2002, an Empire Builder, and shortly after bought the Brain Bag. These were painfully expensive at the time, but when I eventually sold
Tom Bihn Tri-Star Travel Bag and Accessories Review Read More
If you have a portable GPS unit, do you suction-cup it to your windshield? Do you worry that the mounting arm left on your windshield – or even the suction cup marks left on the glass – advertise to thieves that you have a portable GPS unit? If you do, the Nav-Mat Portable GPS dash
Nav-Mat Portable GPS Dash Mount Read More
As can be seen in the figure, the main draw of the Duracell GoEasy Recharger ($12.99) is its succinct size — no wall wart nor long cable needed. One of the several new Duracell “Smart Power Initiative” devices, it is a an unpretentious little charger for AA or AAA Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries. It
Duracell GoEasy AA NiMH Rechargable Review Read More
UNIEA manufactures cases of nearly every shape and size, engineered to protect your valuable tech-equipment from the dangers of the daily grind. Their Omniverse 13.3-inch Macbook (or similar sized laptop) Universal Tote (and the matching hard drive case) are no different.
Uniea Omniverse Universal Tote for the 13″ Macbook Read More
The purpose of the Smooth Away Hair Removal System is to rid one’s self of furry follicles from the extremities by way of a “crystallized smoothing pad”. The main advantages are: removal of said particles without the need for a razor; without water; without soap; without waxing; without pain; and (if you read some product
Fact or Fiction: Smooth Away Review It Works No It Doesn’t Yes It Does No it… Read More
There are plenty o’ devices and gizmos out there to help keep your coffee hot, but for those who prefer refreshments at the opposite side of the thermometer there is only a dearth of either lame Styrofoam “coozies” or tepid “peltier effect” boxes with fans. But I had forgotten about The Fridge — a freezable
Equal Time for Cold Drinkers – The Fridge Read More
My family has started using a lot of AAA and AA batteries lately. I’ve been looking around for a recharger that was economical and didn’t have a lot of space devoted to battery sizes we don’t routinely use. I jumped at the chance to try the Duracell GoMobile recharger when Julie offered. The GoMobile charges
Duracell GoMobile Recharger Review Read More
From the picture it may be hard to tell what the object on the right is – is it a pen, a pencil? Hint – look at the shadow. The Swingtime Readers are as narrow as they appear. The next photo shows the same objects from a different angle.
True Stow-Aways – Swingtime Readers Review Read More
I recently spent a lot of time in waiting rooms and found that when I got bored with my Kindle and wanted to swap it out for my MP3 player I had no easy place to put my reading glasses. (This was before I saw the review on the Periscope Lighted Folio. ) I was
Kindle Keeper -small, cheap, does the job Read More