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TravelFusion Anti-Theft backpack review

REVIEW – Travel. Just the word can conjure up images of past adventures, or dreams of those events yet to come. These days, however, technology needs to be considered when planning your travels, whether for your daily commute or your global wanderings. I was recently sent the TravelFusion Anti-Theft backpack, and want to show you how it can help ease this possible stressor on your next outing.

What is it?

The TravelFusion Anti-Theft backpack is a single large opening pack with dedicated screen sleeves, internal wiring for on-the-go charging, accommodations for wet or soiled items apart from the rest of your items, and a few ways to secure your goods while on the move.

Hardware specs

  • ANTI-THEFT DESIGN – Retractable high strength metal coil and TSA approved combination lock.
  • EXTERNAL USB CHARGING PORTS – Easily access your power bank with external USB (type A and C) charging ports.
  • INSULATED LEAK PROOF INTERNAL POUCH for hot and cold storage. Also ideal to store wet clothing or umbrella. (10 in x 4.3 in x 5.5 in)
  • DURABLE RUBBER CARRY STRAP
  • SUPERIOR COMFORT AND DESIGN – Premium padding and breathability in shoulder straps with horizontal chest strap to reduce load and stress.
  • PADDED INTERNAL POCKET for 15.6 inch laptop. Water resistant polyester exterior and burst proof zippers
  • 18 LITER STORAGE CAPACITY with secure pockets for electronics, important documents, clothing, and more.
  • FULL ACCESS BACK PANEL for easy packing
  • SATISFACTION GUARANTEED. If you’re not satisfied for any reason, we’ll refund your order within 6 months of purchase.

Design and features

The TravelFusion Anti-Theft bag is mostly a single large pocket, sealed by a double-pull zipper. At the top center, there is a 3-digit TSA-compliant combination lock that you click the metal zipper pulls into with a satisfying click.

Overall, the bag measures about 17″ x 6″ x 13″. The two straps meet near the combination lock at the top center and are sewn into tabs at each lower corner. There’s a 1″ wide silicone hand grip that goes from each top corner across the lock area. It has enough play to allow unencumbered access to the lock and zipper without being too loose.


On either lower small side, there is a double-zipped 10″ x 6″ pocket. On the right (when you’re wearing it) is a weather-sealed power port with a USB-C and a USB-A jack.

This feeds through the side of the pack into the interior, where you can insert a battery pack (or two!) to power them. There is enough room inside for a phone, gloves, or a passport, but it’s not secured. You could easily store coiled cables here as well.


The other side pocket opens to reveal a folded up 8″ x 4.5″ x 4.5″ pocket that can be pushed inside-out into the interior of the pack through an internal zippered access portal.

It’s made of foil-lined material, so would keep your lunch cool, or prevent your water bottle from leaking into the main compartment.


Opening the main zippered area reveals the entire interior in a single compartment. There are two rear flaps against your back, and two on the upper part of the small sides, but these are all very flat.

There are a few zipped and mesh flat pockets in the inside cover, so you could unzip and reach into the top of the inner sanctum for items fairly easily, but the mesh isn’t very stretchy, so anything with more dimension than a wad of keys, your cables, or earbuds are going to be too bulky. Field glasses, cameras, or over-the-ear headphones will need to be stored elsewhere.


The top side pockets will be good for your computer power supply, power banks for your USB charging needs, and a mouse, if you need one. The rest of the space is totally open (unless you have the foil pocket pushed through). I packed it out in several different configurations and never wanted for space.

The outside of the flap is a grey tight woven-feeling fabric that the company says is water resistant. The lower back, sides, and bottom are all a rubbery-feeling material. It seems very water resistant, but the main zipper isn’t weather-proofed.


The back and the inner part of the straps is covered in breathable mesh and is nicely padded for comfort and breathability. There is no luggage pass-over strap for your roll aboard.


The final superpower of this bag is a coiled plastic-covered steel cable in a sleeve where the left strap attaches. You can quickly pull this out, pass it around something immovable, and snap it into the combination lock. At first, this bothered me, thinking you couldn’t use both slots for zippers, and add the tether to the mix. Then I found you could fit in the tether. This makes the bag much more secure if you’re in a crowded or notorious zone for snatch-and-grab crimes. Be careful out there, folks!

What I like

  • Plush laptop compartment will easily hold large laptops or two full-sixed tablets
  • Foil-lined leak-proof pouch is a great place for your lunch or your sweaty running shoes
  • Locking zippers and steel coil prevent thefts of opportunity

What needs to be improved

  • The lock has two places to place zipper pulls/hooks. If you lock the cable tether there, it’s a tight fit to add the tether to the zipper.
  • It would be nice to remove the waterproof inner pouch for cleaning.
  • The Sternum strap pulled out of the adjustment ridge whenever it got a little tight. I finally removed it.
  • There is no luggage pass-over strap for your roll aboard.

Final thoughts

The look-and-feel of this bag is top-notch. The single large opening made getting to items easy, and the many smaller pockets were large enough for actual use. Having a side power port that sports both USB-C and USB-A is quite handy for on-the-go charging. Being able to remove the battery from the bag is mandatory for some TSA checkpoints. And sometimes, a day takes more than one power bank.

Price: regular price $199.99, on sale for $139.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Travel Fusion.

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TravelFusion Anti-Theft backpack review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 3, 2019 at 10:25 am.

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CUBEPACKS | Packing Cubes That Transform Into Packs – Notable crowdfunding campaign

CROWDFUNDING NEWS – Packing cubes are some of my most vital travel gear—they allow me to pack a lot more than without them.  But sometimes I think it would be nice to have a smaller day pack to use once I get to my destination, rather than hauling me travel backpack around.  Cubepacks bridge that gap.  Let’s take a look!

What is it?

Cubepacks are compression packing cubes that transform into packs once you arrive at your destination.

Why do I like it?

I’m a huge fan of multi-purpose gear, especially for travel.  Cubepacks compression packing cubes help you pack more clothing or other gear into a smaller space while you are traveling to your destination.  But once you arrive, they don’t have to just sit in your travel bag—they can transform into packs that you can use as day packs.  They are available in three sizes: Backpack, Should Pack, and Hip Pack, each feature YKK zippers with dual pulls, a carry handle, concealable shoulder straps, and exterior organizational pockets.

Where do I find more info?

The CUBEPACKS | Packing Cubes that Transform into Packs campaign ends April 23, 2019 and has already surpassed its funding goal of $10,000. Pledge packages start at $29 for a single Size Small Cubepack and increase from there depending on the options selected.  After the end of the campaign period, rewards are expected to start shipping in September 2019. Visit the CUBEPACKS | Packing Cubes that Transform into Packs campaign site for more information or to become a backer.

 

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CUBEPACKS | Packing Cubes That Transform Into Packs – Notable crowdfunding campaign originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 1, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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6 Awesome travel apps to use for your Spring Break trip

ARTICLE – The information age has opened new avenues when it comes to travel. You can choose to stay in someone’s home in a foreign country to fully immerse yourself in the culture, or book an inclusive resort vacation, with a few keystrokes from your smartphone or laptop.

There are so many travel apps out there it can be hard to choose the right one, so we’re here to help. We’ve gathered a list of apps you’re probably missing out on.

For the sake of this piece, we’re going to focus on lesser-known apps, so you won’t see Priceline, Travelocity or Airbnb on this list.

1. Tripit

When you’re planning a vacation, whether you’re heading across the county or around the globe, you probably have dozens of emails to sift through.

You’ve got booking confirmations, hotel and flight information, not to mention any dinners, tours or activities you may book in advance. Even in a clean inbox, it’s easy to lose a vital piece of information, or accidentally delete it.

Tripit is a free app that links to your email and collates all that information in one simple, user-friendly program. It picks through your email to find the relevant information and pulls it together for you in one place. Never lose a digital hotel reservation or boarding pass again.

2. PackPoint

Just about everybody loves to travel, but far fewer of us enjoy packing before we do! If spring weather rolls around and you’re ready to “spring” out your front door, pause for a beat and ask yourself: do I have everything I need? In three hours’ time, will I be wishing for my neck pillow on the flight — or thinking about looping back home to grab my travel-sized Waterpik? If you want to take the guesswork out of packing for your next getaway, consider enlisting PackPoint.

PackPoint is a free app for iOS and Android that brings some intelligence to the process of packing.

All you have to do is input your destination, length of stay, and a couple of other details, and the app generates a surprisingly inclusive packing checklist for you. After the list is complete, you can add or subtract items as needed.

3. HotelTonight

There’s nothing worse than showing up for a hotel reservation, only to find the facility is overbooked and you have nowhere to stay. It can put a damper on even the best vacation. HotelTonight takes all the hassle out of finding a last-minute hotel room when you’re far from home. Enter your destination and dates of your stay, and the app does the rest.

There is a web version of HotelTonight too, but if you’re on the road, download the app, and you’ll have all the local hotels and the best deals right at your fingertips.

4. Dark Sky

Most people manage to squeak by with the stock weather app on their tablet or smartphone. But whether you travel regularly or you’re proudly sedentary, Dark Sky is a great ally to have on hand. The Dark Sky API is built on open-source code and serves as the foundation for other weather apps and services.

More importantly, its feature set won’t leave you wanting. For travelers, the ability to save multiple destinations is handy for planning your next jaunt around potential foul weather.

Dark Sky’s marquee feature is probably its “hyper-local” forecasting and down-to-the-minute push notifications for precipitation and other weather events. Wherever life takes you, grab a companion who can tip you off about what the sky has in store for you.

5. Rome2Rio

Once you get off the plane at your destination, getting from point A to point B can be challenging. The bus and train schedules are probably in a different language, and figuring out which bus to get on, or which subway you need to ride to get to your hotel, can be a nightmare.

Rome2Rio does all the hard work for you. It has databases of bus, train, driving and ferry schedules, instructions on how to ride and tools to help you map your way to your destination.

You can plan your whole trip itinerary in the app, and follow it to help you make it where you’re going safely. It will even tell you how long your trip will take, and the approximate cost!

6. Detour

Walking tours are an incredible way to experience a city from the ground, but they can be expensive, and you might find yourself left behind if you prefer a stroll, but your tour guide is into power-walking. Instead of booking a tour, download Detour.

This app provides immersive self-guided walking tours, and all you need is your phone and a pair of earbuds.

Audio giant Bose bought Detour in 2018, which means the app may soon be coming to Bose’s AR glasses, which would take these walking tours to a whole new level.

Go off the Beaten Path

While mainstream apps like Priceline and Travelocity can be useful tools, they’re not your only option when it comes to travel apps.

These hidden gems might help you find an affordable flight, a last-minute hotel or a new hole-in-the-wall restaurant you never knew you needed in your life.

Image via Roman Carey

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6 Awesome travel apps to use for your Spring Break trip originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 15, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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The wandrd Travel Journal is packed with useful features for travelers

NEWS – We’ve been very blessed to have taken some nice family vacation of varying duration and in different parts of the world.  Two aspects of these trips that would have been nice to have a good place to record information are the planning prior to the trip and journaling during the trip itself.  I wish I’d known about the wandrd Travel Journal a few years back, because I’d have certainly used one.  It’a an 8″ x 5″ book with a soft-touch, hardbound cover, 240 pages of 100 GSM paper, three bookmark ribbons, an integrated pen slot, elastic strap closure, and a pocket for keepsakes.  But those are just the tip of the iceberg.  It also has space for 12 trips of varying durations (3 long, 3 medium, 6 short), and each trip’s allotted space includes pages for planning, itineraries, pre-trip checklists, maps and travel logs.  There is also a fold-out world map, universal communications symbols section, and tear-out notecards.  The wandrd Travel Journal is available in Black and Yellow for $35 each.  Note that wandrd also has a blank, grid-page Notebook version in the same two cover colors for $25.  Wander over to wandrd.com for more info or to order.

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The wandrd Travel Journal is packed with useful features for travelers originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on February 6, 2019 at 11:00 am.

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The G-RO Check-In Classic bag might just check all the boxes when you travel


NEWS – One of the biggest challenges that I face when I am traveling on a plane and need to carry photography equipment and other personal items, is how to do so with the least amount of luggage and luggage that I do not have to struggle with. My carry-on bag usually has mostly photography gear like cameras and lenses and accessories, which leave very little room for all of the other daily supplies I would need like clothes and shoes, etc. Recently, I have used spinner luggage, which has been better than my previous luggage, but still presents a challenge when I have to walk for a while after disembarking. Many times I have tripped over or dropped my luggage because of the awkwardness involved with pulling luggage that is usually unbalanced and I usually have to carry one piece in each hand.

However, there is hope!! I have been looking at luggage from G-RO for my next trip. G-RO makes the Check-In Classic that is a “large-capacity checked bag/duffel equipped with indestructible GravityRoll™ Wheel Technology and thoughtful organizational features like a dedicated compartment for shoes and an expansion system that increases volume from 80L to 90L.” It also includes a luggage strap for attaching an additional bag. The size and guaranteed balance mean that I can cram every daily item that I would need into it and then strap on my photography gear carry-on and move quickly through the airport with one hand free and without the fear of my luggage tipping over and/or tripping me especially on uneven surfaces

Here’s a short video on how capable this bag is.

The Check-In Classic by G-RO comes in about 6 different color options and is available on the G-RO website for $475, with the option to pay for it in installments.

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The G-RO Check-In Classic bag might just check all the boxes when you travel originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 26, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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