My Gear is Pricier Than Your Gear

If you enjoy hiking, biking, skiing, or other outdoor adventure activities, you've probably noticed that there's nothing humble anymore about travel gear. Travel and adventure gear has become another form of one-up-manship. People who wear $10,000 watches and $4,000 dress shoes to work during the week aren't about to let go of their dress-to-impress competitiveness when it's time to venture outside.

One sure way to see where this is heading is to check out any article titled "XX Hot Gear Pics" or "Travel Gear of the Year List." These articles are a boon for magazines because they are a nice way to grab the newsstand attention of aspirational browsers, plus they are pure gold when attracting advertisers.

The latest comes from National Geographic Traveler, with the cover headline 45 Gear Picks of the year. Don't check it out expecting to find a lot of things that a traveler of normal means can afford unless there's a home equity loan in play to finance it. We're talking a $1,200 low-res mini camcorder, a $4,100 mountain bike, a $299 flashlight, $800 skis (no bindings included), $159 sunglasses, and a $210 rope. (Yes, a rope!) The cheapest item is a $30 umbrella, but it's not waterproof--just for the sun.

But look at the prominent ads in the magazine and it gives you an idea of who this article is really aimed at. There are full page glossies for Rolex, Cartier, Chivas Regal, and Hummer. Hummer? Maybe that $299 flashlight is another way to compensate for some, ahem, weakness somewhere.

What to Buy a Backpacker

I stumbled upon this useful post on Backpacker.com travel blog: What makes a good gift for a backpacker? Some would say cash works pretty well, but that's not very imaginative. One of those Amex gift cards would be pretty cool though--something to splurge with in a city somewhere along the way. Or a gift card to a travel gear store, virtual or real.

But since this is a travel gear blog, I linked to that post because they echo what I often emphasize here. The best gift, after a nice new backpack, would be something compact and super-useful. They go into Swiss Army knives, flashlights/torches, travel towels, and other good stuff. I remember when we were preparing for our first round-the-world trip and it was overwhelming to think about all the little things we needed to take care of before leaving. Having someone else take care of getting a few travel gadgets for us was really appreciated. Much better gifts than something we just had to put into storage!

Travel Umbrella or Poncho?

If you are going on a round-the-world journey or just an extended trip as a backpacker, sooner or later you're going to get rained on. But carrying a clunky umbrella is a pain: even a small one takes up a lot of room and the metal parts add to your overall weight. Considering that you only use it now and then, this is not a good use of valuable space and not worth being weighed down for.

The best options are a travel umbrella or a cheap plastic poncho. The former tends to work better for a vacation than for long-term travel. I've found that after frequent use, the travel umbrellas tend to fold inside out or get whipped into an avant-garde sculpture by the wind. But the one pictured here from
Magellan's only weighs 7 ounces and folds down to a flat 5-1/2 inches, so a good bet if you're not planning to use it for months on end.

Those waterproof jackets that stuff down to nothing are nice, but there's just one problem: they don't cover your backpack. So unless your pack is extremely waterproof, your belongings could get doused while you scamper down the street looking like a wet turtle with a giant shell getting rained on.

So the best solution is to carry a cheap plastic poncho. It will cover you, your head, and your pack and keep all of them dry. Not too stylish maybe, but it doesn't take up much room and if it rips or wears out, just buy another one. You can find one in a travel gear store for a few dollars--even less on location sometimes. I bought one in Cusco last year for one dollar.

Travel Without Taking Home Along

crackberry
Originally uploaded by kathrynandalex.

For a business publication I edit I'm interviewing the author of ideaspotting, a great book about setting up your daily life in a way that encourages creative thoughts and ideas. There's a section on travel--and the importance of it for creativity--and a page that speaks to the need to let go of the gadgets that keep us too tethered to home and home jobs.

"We can't spot new ideas while dealing with old ones. Yet too often we head off on vacations only to let phones and e-mails bring us right back."

You can't experience the full effect of the new place if you are still tethered to the old one. Nothing is more discouraging than seeing a crackberry addict giving his thumbs a workout while a whole new world is swirling around him. Go away for real. Use gadgets that enhance your travel experience. Don't be ruled by gadgets that just allow you to carry home with you wherever you are.

A Phone in a Jump Drive, from Vonage

Here at Practical Travel Gear, it's all about small things that perform far beyond their size and weight. This little Vonage jump drive phone is the kind of thing that really fits the bill. It's the size of a keychain, yet when you plug it into a USB port somewhere, that computer is now your phone. Could the instructions be any easier? "Simply insert the Vonage V-Phone into any available USB port, plug the earpiece microphone into the side of the Vonage V-Phone and you're ready to make and receive calls! Remove the drive when you're done and the phone and all your important contact information goes with you."

Okay, so you still need to carry the earpiece/microphone, but that won't take up much space either. What this means is that if you're floating around the world, just popping into internet cafes, here's another reason you don't need a laptop. Just plug in and gab away with the folks at home, without any rebooting necessary.

I can't admit to having tried this out myself. I use Skype and an Ipevo phone on the road when I'm carrying a laptop, but this is certainly appealing--especially when I get to leave the laptop at home and just travel.