Some of my favorite travel gear

Some of my favorite travel gear (in no particular order) for fellow gearhead readers.  I’ll add to the list from time to time.  I had photos added from the vendors' websites but there were of really crappy quality so I've deleted them.  You can see a photo of the item at the link for the item.  I make it a point to write about gear that I have personally used.

Vapur Element Anti-bottle:  I carry a one liter Vapur Element Anti-bottle on my travels.  There are a number of reasons I like this one compared to other cheaper bottles.  The foremost reason for carrying a foldable bottle is pack space.  It weighs about one and a half ounces folded so a regular plastic water bottle weighs less but takes up much more room in the pack when not needed.  The Element takes up little space in the folded configuration until you fill it with your favorite beverage (water for me).  I like the shape of it compared to other one liter bottles out there.  I bought a foldable one liter bottle at Walmart yesterday for my daughter’s upcoming mission trip in Nepal.  Got it home and filled it—the shape is relatively short and fat which will make it difficult to slip into and retrieve from an outside mesh pocket on a backpack.  The Element’s shape is backpack friendly and it is made here in the USA.  I like to “buy American” when I can.  The mouth on the Walmart bottle is rather narrow in comparison to that of the Element which is big enough you can put ice cubes in it if you hadn’t thought to put it in the freezer a few hours before your departure.  I’m looking for an old shopping bag with a reflective lining we have somewhere here in the house that we bought at an Army commissary a few years back.  The zipper on it is shot but I can repurpose a portion of that bag to make an Element cover to keep cold things cold longer.  An added bennie is the Element is BPA free.  And, it's relatively unusual so it may spark a conversation...ya never know.....

Eagle Creek Packable Day Bag:  Although my travel bag goal is one bag as in the fifty liter backpack I use, I do carry an additional day bag in the pack for use once I get to my lodging.  Why carry a twenty-five pound pack around with me all day?  The day pack is for schlepping around the city during the day/evening so I can carry the ten essentials (see my :what if?" series earlier this month).  The Eagle Creek Packable Day Bag fits the purpose very well and works out to about eleven and a half liters of space.  It appears to be quite durable despite the fact it weighs only six ounces and takes up very little space in your main pack when folded down into its own built-in pocket.  Now that I have my Scottevest, the day pack may see less use as it has been my experience in Germany that one surrenders a backpack for storage until the end of the tour in museums and castles/palaces.  Security concerns.  Although, it seems women need not surrender their purses.  Backpacks seem to be the scary item.  I can fit most of the stuff that I would carry in my day bag (including water) into my travel vest so there will be no pack to surrender.  A travel vest can be uncomfortable during hot weather though, so the day bag still has utility.

 

Eagle Creek Packable Duffel:  Although my travel bag goal is one bag and I carry a packable day bag for day trips, there is the remote possibility that I will throw caution to the winds and make some purchases that simply will not fit into my travel pack.  On the off-chance that will happen or that I will need an additional bag for some reason, I carry an Eagle Creek Packable Duffel as well.  It weighs in at eight ounces and gives me an additional fifty liters of storage if I need it.  If I don’t need it, very little space in the pack is taken as it also folds down into its own built-in pocket.  I can put this, the day bag, and my Kiva tote (to be reviewed soon) in my vest or pockets in case I need to make purchases while touring but I don't purchase much other than food for the next day or so.


Foldable Hiking Staff:  Hammacher Schlemer sells a great Packable Walking Stick that weighs around twelve ounces.  Collapsed down, it measures about ten inches long and about two inches wide.  Opened up, it measures about fifty inches in length.  Very ergonomic and useful in my opinion.  The top knob has a compass imbedded in it but the knob can be taken off so you can mount a camera on it converting the staff to a monopod.  There are measuring marks on the body of the staff so you can figure out the depth or height of things you encounter on your travels.  I became a fan of hiking staffs after reading books by Colin Fletcher.  They serve lots of functions:  balance, defense, re-enforcing a cadence when walking distances, and the fun of watching folks' faces when you fold it up or let it unfold in front of you by holding it at arms length and letting gravity and physics do the opening and segment placement for you.  It's also helpful assistance when you get to be my age and you've finally reached your destination after hours of sitting.  


Thermarest pad:  I am a fan of Thermarest pads, particularly the Neo-air Trekker, which takes little space and weighs considerably less in comparison to other Thermarest pads.  There is usually no need to pack one for international travel unless you have a military connection and are traveling Space A or anticipate weather-related airport delays/long layovers.  But it’s also useful for regional/local travel and you need a comfortable mattress to sleep or rest on when a bed’s not available.  My wife complains it sometimes has a “crinkly” sound but she doesn’t complain about the comfort.  The sound, when it occurs, does not bother me at all and I’m a light sleeper.  The only complaint I have about the mattress is that is does not have much in the way of insulation value during cold weather.  That can be fixed by putting it on top of the reflective side of an emergency mylar blanket so your body heat is reflected back up to you via the mattress in between.  Oh, and it has a nice feel to it, not like the standard plastic vinyl air mattress.   Age related arthritis causing back pain is mitigated a lot with this mattress.  I bought a Trekker large torso pad on sale which is great but I wish I had purchased the full-length Trekker instead.