Bellows Pump is All Air

Sometimes an item shows great promise, but just doesn't deliver. I purchased this Greatland Outdoors foot-controlled bellows pump from a store's camping section thinking it would be just the ticket for blowing up an air mattress we use now and then and an inflatable pool for the back yard. It was only around $10 and seemed simple and effective: you step on it repeatedly, it forces out air, and you pump up your item while getting a little exercise.

Unfortunately, it's a bust. Even someone who has been smoking cigarettes for two decades could blow up an air mattress faster than this thing. By the time you get something even half pumped, you'll have a cramp in your quadracep that will hurt for days. I don't know how they messed up something that looks this simple, but the bottom line is, it just doesn't work.

Now I'm not sure what to do with it, besides adding to our landfill volume. If I give it away, it's got to be to someone I don't like...

Flexible Travel Clothesline

Flexo-Line Travel Clothesline
Another cheap but oh-so-handy travel accessory

On my three trips around the world, this is the item that got the most of a workout, besides my pack. If you are carrying everything you are traveling with on your back, you end up doing a lot of laundry in a sink somewhere, especially socks and underwear. Cheap hostels and guesthouses aren't known for having lots of hooks and big closets, so you have to improvise when hanging things up to drive. This handy clothesline stretches from one point to another and since it is braided, you can stick a corner of your clothing in anywhere. No clothespins needed. It's small, light, and rugged. I'm only on my second one in ten years.

Search for Flexo-Line at
Magellan's.

Clever Retractable Razor

This travel blog is not about $400 sunglasses and it's not about what's travel gear is to keep you one fashionista step ahead of others vacationing in Aspen. This blog is for backpackers, vagabonds, and escape artists. It's for people who pack like there won't be a bellboy. Here's travel stuff that deserves to go along for the ride.

The tone is set for this blog by the very first entry. It's a humble item that costs less than $5. The real cost is probably a few pennies in a Chinese factory. But design matters and this design is a beauty. So simple, yet so effective. It's a retractable travel razor that twists into a little tube the only slightly larger than a tube of lip balm. Twist it out and it shaves your face (or legs) like any other twin-blade razor. But when you pack this little razor into your bag or backpack, it's taking up almost no space, there's no worries about cutting your finger when you reach in, and it weighs about as much as a pen.


It takes standard twin blades that you can buy in any old store around the world. It weighs next to nothing. It's cool, functional, light, and cheap. What more can you ask from a travel accessory?

Search for "Clever razor" at REI.com
[Editor's note - see the comments below on where to get one of these if it's not in stock at your favorite travel gear store]

Eagle Creek Continental Journey Backpack

I recently replaced my ancient Jansport travel backpack, which had circled the globe with me three times. I got something smaller, figuring it would force me to pack light and sensibly.

I settled on this sleek (as backpacks go) Eagle Creek one, which supposedly even fits as a carry-on bag if you want to push it. Since mine is always ready to burst at the seams, no matter what size I use, I just check it. This is a very sturdy, well-made pack that can take anything you throw at it.

It's small, so maybe not so good for a round-the-world trip unless you are staying in hot climates the whole time. On the other hand, this is one of the few packs where you can walk around with the day pack attached and not feel like you're going to topple backwards at any minute. Very comfortable to wear around and the size keeps it light. Lots of useful straps and the suitcase-style zipper make it very easy to pack and unpack. I'm sure I'll still be using this five years from now.

See more about the Eagle Creek Continental Journey pack at Backcountry.com.