Home Travel Gear

Where’s my passport? Topo Designs is introducing their new & redesigned travel bag lineup!

NEWS – If one-bag travel is your thing, Topo Designs has some new stuff to show you!

Topo Designs has upgraded their travel bag, with new 30-liter and 40-liter designs. Both bags feature separate compartments for your laptop, quick access travel essentials, tech gear, and small stuff, and a main compartment that opens flat with a U-shaped zip for easy packing. Both bags have stowable backpack straps and a removable shoulder strap in addition to sternum straps and a waist belt to help balance bigger loads. The 30L retails for $189 and the 40L retails for $229. Both are available in three colors: an olive or blue with red/yellow accents, or an all-black version for the more conservative-minded traveler.

As with all of Topo Design’s gear, the travel bags feature everything we love about their products: simple & functional usability, bomber construction, and a design aesthetic that reflects their outdoor style. I own the Rover Pack and Commuter Briefcase, and I’d highly recommend you give them a look based on my experience.

Check out the 30L and 40L Travel Bags here!

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

Where’s my passport? Topo Designs is introducing their new & redesigned travel bag lineup! originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 1, 2018 at 12:00 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Masterbolt Travel Door Lock review

REVIEW – For near 30 years, I traveled the world for work. I’ve had cause to stay in some less desirable places, sometimes losing sleep worrying if someone might gain access to my lodging while I slept. On one occasion, one of my coworkers woke to find a hotel employee in his room in the middle of the night. I took to carrying a door wedge with me, but the Masterbolt Travel Door Lock is a far better option

What is it?

Masterbolt Travel Door Lock is a simple two-piece mechanism that when properly deployed, renders it extremely difficult to open a door from the outside, even when in possession of the keys.

Hardware Specs:

  • 7 x 3 x 1.1 inches
  • 4 ounces
  • Portable – Masterbolt is easily packable and comes with its own pouch to place in your suitcase or backpack to provide additional security when you travel
  • Installs in seconds – No tools required. Protects you from unwanted intruders
  • Travel security – Use at home, hotels, Airbnb, hostels, rentals, and anywhere you travel and need added security
  • Perfect for students – Use in your dorm, while travel, or for internship apartment stays during the summer
  • Protect tour children – Prevent toddlers and small children from leaving the house unsupervised

What’s in the Box?

  • Two-piece lock chained together
  • Storage pouch
  • Instruction sheet

Design and features:

The Masterbolt lock arrived in a simple white cardboard box. It’s refreshing to receive something that is not over packaged.

The design is elegant, simple and fiercely effective – two pieces, chained together is all that’s needed. After practicing a few times, it literally takes seconds to deploy and remove.

First, the long metal part’s tabs are placed into the strike plate on the door frame.

The door is closed and the latch bolt protrudes through the hole in the Masterbolt plate.

On the knob side of the plate, the sliding bolt on the red part is placed into the triangular hole in the metal plate. The edge of the red part rests against the door. That’s it – secure.

Once the Masterbolt is installed, the door is VERY securely locked, whether the door is locked using the knob or not. I tried, hard, to dislodge the Masterbolt. If the strike plate is properly anchored, only an extreme amount of force is going to breach that door.

Pulling on the doorknob in an attempt to open the door resulted in flexing and distortion of the entire door frame. The stronger the door and frame, the better the Masterbolt is going to work. I’m confident that nothing short of a sledgehammer, SWAT breaching tool, reciprocating saw, or vicious kick by a mule is going to get that door open.

What I like:

  • Small size
  • Simple, effective design
  • Easy to use
  • Inexpensive

What needs to be improved?

  • Nothing

Final thoughts

Masterbolt’s Travel door lock is one of those “I wish I had thought of that” products. It’s tough and, in my opinion, works better than described. I was genuinely shocked at the stability and security this lock provides. Gone are my days of frequent travel, but I’ll be using the Masterbolt Lock every time I will be sleeping in an unfamiliar location.

Price: $19.95
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Masterbolt.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged: ,

Masterbolt Travel Door Lock review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 1, 2018 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Is the Game Theory bag the perfect anti-theft travel bag?

NEWS – Need a new backpack?  Check out the Game Theory before settling for a regular bag.  The Game Theory bag, like many you’ve seen on the market, is quality-made with a water-resistant exterior, reinforced stitching, padded interior, and an ergonomic design with breathable back support.  But Game Theory ups their… well, game… with both anti-theft and travel-friendly features.  Let’s let Game Theory list them for us.

Anti-Theft Features Include:

  • Hidden zippered opening
  • No exterior facing pockets
  • Slash-proof hard shell exterior
  • Secret pockets on the arm strap
  • Secret zippered pockets on the side and back
  • RFID protection pocket

Travel Features Include:

  • TSA approved when lying flat
  • USB portable charging – equipped with an internal USB cable and an external USB port for charging on the go
  • Breathable thick cushioned three-piece back support
  • Reflective lines on straps
  • Luggage strap
  • “Feet” to keep the bag upright
  • Laptop padding
  • Shock absorber handle
  • Laptop drop protection
  • Cushioned arm straps
  • Velcro slack holder at the end of the straps
  • Hydrophobic material at the bottom of the bag for easy cleaning and waterproofing

The Game Theory Bag is available in black or gray for $69.95 at the Game Theory website.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

Is the Game Theory bag the perfect anti-theft travel bag? originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 16, 2018 at 1:42 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Travel in style with your own tea service set

NEWS – If you like the act of making your tea as much as you enjoy drinking it, then you may like these little travel OMyTea Portable Travel Tea Sets.  There are two styles.  The porcelain set, like the image above, has a small pot, two mugs, a tea mat, and a bamboo tray, which all store neatly in the included padded, fitted travel bag.  This set is described as a 100% handmade Chinese / Japanese vintage kungfu gongfu tea set.  These are not necessarily sized for the typical American tea drinker, though.  The pot holds 6.2 ounces, and each mug holds 1.7 ounces.  The spout of these ceramic pots have small holes instead of a large opening, which acts as a strainer when pouring the tea.  The porcelain OMyTea Portable Travel Tea Sets are available in green, black, or white for $20.99.

The other style is a glass set, which has a borosilicate glass pot with a stainless infuser basket and four glass cups.  The set is completed with a bamboo tray, a tea mat, and a padded, fitted carrying case.  This pot holds 15 ounces, and each cup holds 4 ounces.  The cups and pot are dishwasher-safe, and the pot only can be used on the stovetop.  This set is $39.99.

Both sets are available at Amazon.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

Travel in style with your own tea service set originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 27, 2018 at 10:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Julie’s gadget diary – 5 lessons I learned from my last vacation

 

I recently returned from an epic vacation to California where Jeanne and I explored 3 different locations over the course of 7 days.  As with most trips, I always struggle with the gear that I want to take with me. I am a minimalist at heart, so I like to pack the least amount of items while getting the greatest benefit from their usefulness. My biggest gear decisions for this trip were whether I wanted to take my 12-inch MacBook or my Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Android tablet and if I wanted to splurge and buy a small camera just for the trip.

Time to pack the gadgets

In the image above, you can see the tech that I took with me on this trip. Here is the list of items:

12-inch MacBook
Pixel 2 XL
Huawei P20 smartphone
Xaiomi Mi Sphere Camera
Skyroam SOLIS 4G LTE Global WiFi hotspot
Identity wallet
Selfie stick portion of the MeFoto Backpacker Air tripod
Jaybird Freedom 2 Bluetooth earbuds
EasyAcc MegaCharge Doubin 16750mAh USB-C Power Bank
X47 journal
Big Idea Design Ti Click Classic pen
Altoids tin with small cables, adapters, and thingamabobs
Lens cleaning cloth
Photon X-Light Macro flashlight
Spyderco Ladybug pocket knife
ThanoTech stainless steel USB car charger
Various cables and AC chargers
Generic shoulder bag

Other items that I packed but weren’t included in the photo above include:

SCOTTeVEST Hoodie Cotton jacket
Showers Pass Trailhead Bamboo-Merino Wool hoodie
Duluth Trading Company firehose cargo pants

Every time I go on a vacation, I revisit the idea of only taking a tablet and then every year that I do that, I complain that the experience was painful because I wasn’t able to get work done on the tablet as easily as I can on the MacBook. I’m happy to report that I saved myself that headache this year and decided to take the MacBook. In the end, the 12-inch MacBook takes up less space than a 10-inch tablet, a Bluetooth keyboard, and a Bluetooth mouse. Also, I didn’t need to take the dedicated Apple power adapter because the MacBook uses USB-C, so I was able to use the same charger for it as I used for my phones.

I mentioned that I also toyed with the idea of purchasing a camera just for the trip because I knew we’d be having some excellent scenic photo opportunities. In the end, I decided NOT to buy a new camera because again I’m a minimalist… Also, I was packing the Huawei P20 smartphone that I was in the process of reviewing and the Xaiomi Mi Sphere 360-degree camera along with my Pixel 2 XL. So 3 cameras would be plenty right? Hmmmm, I think maybe my definition of minimalism is flawed 😉

California here we come!

The trip started with us flying from Indianapolis to Dallas and then from Dallas Texas to Fresno California. During that leg of the trip, I used my Pixel to surf, keep up with emails, read news feeds, and read a few pages here and there on the book I’m currently reading (Chaser by John W. Pilley). I also ended up using the EasyAcc power bank while waiting in the Dallas airport for our connecting flight because all the outlets and charging stations at our gate were already being used by other people. I think this might be the first time that I’ve actually used a power bank for real-world use instead of just testing it for a review. It worked out great and allowed me to easily top off my Pixel’s battery before and during a couple of our flights.

When we landed in Fresno, we were greeted by a display that reminded us why we were there in the first place. Giant Sequoia trees! So we grabbed our bags, got a rental car, plugged in the ThanoTech car charger and used my Pixel 2 XL to navigate us to King’s Canyon National Park and the John Muir Lodge where we would be staying.

Lesson 1 – Offline Google Maps are your friend

Make sure you download your Google Map trip navigation info on your phone before you get into the middle of the drive to your destination. I already knew that cell coverage was going to be pretty much non-existent inside the King’s Canyon National Park, but it was also spotty on the drive from Fresno to the King’s Canyon National Park. That’s why I was really glad that I had planned ahead and had set up Google Maps on my phone with an offline map/directions from the airport to the park and also from the park to our second destination.

The drive from the Fresno airport to King’s Canyon National Park inside the Sequoia National Forest was our first taste of California and it didn’t disappoint.



Jeanne who loves plants and flowers kept wanting to stop at every turnout (wide gravel berms on the side of the highway where you can pull over so faster drivers can go by) so she could see and photograph various wildflowers that we don’t see in Indiana.

The scenery changed dramatically from what looked and felt like a desert landscape into a fairy tale world as soon as reached the Sequoia National Forest.

This was our first look at one of the giant sequoia trees as we drove into the King’s Canyon National Park which is inside Sequoia National Forest. We were impressed and had to get out and snap a few pictures. We would soon come to learn that this one was just a ‘baby’ compared to others we’d see the following day.

We checked into our room at the John Muir Lodge and then had a quick dinner at the lodge restaurant where they had free (although insanely slow) WiFi. Afterward, we went back to our room where I promptly crashed due to not sleeping at all the night before in the hotel where we had stayed near the Indianapolis airport so that we wouldn’t have to get up so early to drive from Columbus to Indy for our 8am flight to Fresno, CA. I ended up sleeping from 6pm to about 8am the next morning. I guess I was tired and the time difference from EST to PST caught me.

When we got up that next morning I checked again to see if I had any T-mobile coverage and nope, nothing. Then I checked to see if there was open WiFi in the room. Nope. Then just for kicks, I tried the Skyroam 4G WiFi hotspot. Again nothing. I wasn’t surprised though as I already knew I was going to be off the grid during the first part of our vacation. I’d already prepared to be incommunicado by scheduling Gadgeteer news and reviews posts for several days in advance and I surrendered to the fact that I would be able to catch up on emails once we made our way over to the coast to our final vacation destination in Carmel.

What I hadn’t completely prepared for was just how freaking cold it was in King’s Canyon National Park. We had checked the weather for King’s Canyon when we were packing before we left Indiana and thought the forecast was screwy because it had shown temps in the 30’s and 40’s. We figured it was showing the forecast for farther up in the mountains or something. But when I checked out on the porch outside our room at the lodge that morning, I was pretty surprised by how cold it was. But it wasn’t just cold, it was also foggy and drizzling. Luckily, we’d each brought sweatshirts, along with t-shirts and a jacket.

Lesson 2 – I still love my SCOTTeVEST Hoodie

When we were packing for the trip, I had originally decided to take the BauBax Women’s Sweatshirt jacket because I’d just posted my review but hadn’t actually put it through any real-world travel scenarios and wanted to do so for a later review update. But in the end, I changing my mind and packed the SCOTTeVEST Hoodie Cotton Jacket because I just like the SeV jacket better.

I’m glad I did make the swap because the SeV jacket is a heavier weight and kept me warmer than the BauBax would have been able to do. The SeV jacket also has a better layout of pockets that were perfect for 2 phones and the Xiaomi camera that I carried with me every day while on the trip.

That first day we walked around looking at some of the trees in King’s Canyon near the John Muir Lodge where we were staying. But the weather was so bad and it was so foggy that we packed it in earlier than anticipated and drove to our 2nd destination which was Three Rivers.

But before we left King’s Canyon National Park, I got my journal stamped. One stamp was a postmark from the tiny post office near the lodge and the other one was from the park visitor center. And that’s one reason why I still love my paper journals. I like collecting little mementos to tape, or glue in my journal so I can flip back and remember the fun we had and things we did and saw.

Lesson 3 – Don’t forget the panorama mode on your camera

The panorama mode on my smartphone’s camera isn’t normally something I think about using on a daily basis. But on this vacation, it was the perfect way to capture pictures of the giant sequoia trees and other landscape shots. Here are some examples which you can click if you want to see the full-sized image.




Panoramic images aren’t perfect. They often have a fisheye or warped appearance like the giant sequoia images above. But I still think they are cool because you can get all of your subject in one photo where it would otherwise only show a small portion of it.

It’s also amazing how many people don’t know about this feature. When we were on a tour of the Sequoia National Park, one of the other people with our group asked what I was doing when I was taking panos of the trees. When I showed her how to do it with her iPhone, she was overjoyed to learn that she could do that.

Lesson 4 – I didn’t have access to the internet for almost 3 full days and I survived!

When we were staying in Three Rivers, our room at the Gateway Inn had internet, so I was able to check my email and surf when we were there in the room – which was only in the morning and evening since the other part of the day we were in the park which has zero internet/cell coverage.

Before the trip, I was a little anxious about not being able to keep up on my email, news feeds, and Gadgeteer stuff. But once I gave in to the fact that I wouldn’t have control over that part of the trip, I stayed calm and carried on. It was actually pretty liberating. For someone who likes to stay connected and on top of things, this was a big accomplishment for me and I am glad that the trip worked out the way it did because now I know that taking a break from the digital world is not going to kill me. 🙂

Lesson 5 – My 12-inch MacBook is a great travel computer but for my next trip I may go with a tablet or nothing at all

Shocking right? But seriously, now that I’ve survived without working for a week, I’m going to look forward to doing that more often. Of course, it did take some preparation beforehand. I had to schedule news and review posts to publish days in advance and I had Janet take over comment moderation and take the wheel while I was away.

I also used the Newton Mail client on my phone when I needed to file emails and the Gmail app with the canned reply feature for quick responses. These two tools helped me to keep my inbox clean, which is important to me so I don’t get that I’m never going to catch up feeling that can happen when there are dozens of messages awaiting a reply.

Our next vacation is this fall when we’ll go to Sanibel Island, Florida. I’m seriously considering just taking a tablet this time. No, I’m not going to try to make it bend to my will and become a laptop. I won’t even take a Bluetooth keyboard with me. I’d just use it for surfing and a few games when the mood strikes. With Newton Mail and Gmail, I can keep my inbox clean and as for working on Gadgeteer reviews and articles, I now know that I can relax and take a vacation.

The post Julie’s gadget diary – 5 lessons I learned from my last vacation appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: ,

Julie’s gadget diary – 5 lessons I learned from my last vacation originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 22, 2018 at 5:09 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.