Shake Light Flashlight - No Batteries!

A couple years back I ran a review of a shake flashlight (torch) that never needs batteries. I bought that one for less than 10 bucks on eBay though and got what I paid for. After about a year the switch started wigging out on me and I had to hold my thumb on it to keep the light on. (Still makes a good kid toy though.) Now I'm using something more rugged and dependable: the Shakelight from Gaiam.

This one runs $20 to $30 depending on the exact model and where you buy it, but it could be the last flashlight you ever need. Plus you don't ever have to buy batteries for it. If a twister comes through or a meteor wipes out the electric grid, you'll still have light for weeks with just a shake of the arm. Naturally this makes it a good bet for traveling in developing countries too since the electricity supply is often dicey and the acid batteries go straight into the ground or into a burning pile of garbage. This you just shake and the magnetic coil system does its thing.

The Gaiam Shakelight weighs less than a pound, but has a double coil that enables almost a half hour of light after just two minutes of shaking. It's nine inches long and thin except for where the light comes out, so it's not much trouble to pack. It's the little things that often have the most impact on the environment over time. Using an eco-friendly flashlight is one little thing that's painless and productive.

(Just one warning on the box though: avoid this if you've got implanted medical devices and you might want to keep it away from any magnetic computer disks or credit cards.)

Get this version from Amazon for $20.

Search for more eco-friendly gear from Gaiam.com

Travel Adapter, Converter, USB Charger from Travelon

If you are an American traveling abroad, this nifty electrical converter and adapter from Travelon eliminates the guesswork without taking up much room.

This universal 3-in-1 device is a converter, adpater, and USB charger all in one. It automatically steps higher voltage down to 110 volts and reduces the wattage at the same time (so nothing explodes or starts smoking). Through some Transformers-style engineering, the various plugs adapt to those in some 150 countries around the world (though in all fairness, most of them between Canada and Chile are the same and you don't need an adapter.)

This is all well and good, but what if you have an MP3 player or camera that charges by USB? They've got that covered too, so you can charge up your portable gadgets without booting up a laptop. You can even use this at the same time as you're using a different electrical item with a plug.

The Travelon converter and adapter generally retails for around $58, but sometimes you can find it for less at Amazon. If you don't need a built-in voltage regulator (most laptop cords have one built in), Travelon makes a slightly thinner model of this without the voltage adjuster.

I've reviewed plenty of travel electrical adapters over the years, but this is the one I'll be taking with me on my next trip beyond the Americas.

BoGo Solar Flashlight Pays it Forward

Here's a cool flashlight that helps the world in two ways. It charges up by solar power, which is great in itself. But it doesn't stop there: when you buy one, the company sends a second one to a needy family in Nigeria for free.

For each light purchased a second light is donated to the Ikot Usen Secondary School in Nigeria. These provide safe, healthy, renewable light for students and allow them more study time after dark. BoGo lights also help eliminate the need for kerosene lighting, an expensive and very hazardous pollutant that is all too common in developing countries.

This BoGo Solar Flashlight came to my attention via Current Energy, a company in Dallas that shows people how to save energy in their business or home. They have a store that sells all kinds of eco-friendly gadgets and gear, from bamboo bath linens to solar security lights for your house.

This is a hefty flashlight, so you probably want to use it on a camping trip or around the house more than you would want to backpack the world with it. The flip side of that is it is a lot brighter than most solar ones and it has a larger charging area. In my tests, after charging a full day in the sun, it would routinely go nonstop for six hours or more before it went dim. For normal intermittent use, you could probably go weeks between charges.

When the rechargeable AA batteries eventually die (after 750 to 1,000 hours), any old commercially available ones will do, so you can switch them out almost anywhere. There's a hook at the end of it so you could hang it from the top of a tent for lighting or clip it to a belt or pack. You're not likely to lose the BoGo: it comes in bright pink or bright orange.

It retails for $25 to $35, which is not a bad price for helping to save the world. See more at the official BoGo site.

Targus Grove Convertible Messenger/Backpack Laptop Case

I've been using a simple laptop backpack from eBags for over two years now and it has been with me to nine countries on three continents. While I like the way a messenger bag looks, when I carry one I feel like I have a big sign on my back that says "Please steal my laptop!"

This convertible bag from Targus is a different story. It's built to be carried vertically instead of horizontally, which in itself is a radical leap away from the standard groupthink. Plus it's versatile: you can carry it with the handle, with the shoulder strap, or as a backpack by pulling out the hidden straps. With the third option, it just looks like a daypack that's a little different, not an obvious laptop carrier.

The "ecosmart" claims touted in the packaging tags seem like a stretch though. Okay, it's PVC-free, nickel-free (why does that matter?) and the plastic parts are supposedly recyclable--but who is going to take apart their bag 10 years from now and figure out who has the right bins to accept some random plastic buckles? Better for the landfill I suppose, but all the fossil fuel used to get the bag from a factory in China to your store or door negates any of the other efforts it seems.

Nevertheless, this is a rugged, multi-functional bag with plenty of room for gadgets and cords. It has an expandable pocket for a water bottle. This Grove Convertible bag won't hold a 17-inch laptop though--that would make it too wide to look good if you ask me. For now it only comes in one color combo: inoffensive brown and black, with an orange interior. It lists for $80 at the Targus site. As I write this though, it's going for $60 at Amazon.

So far I've just used this around town, but I'm taking it on a two-week trip this summer to put it through a real workout. More on that later.

Not quite your style? Search Briefcases and Laptop Bags at eBags.com

Comply Noise Reducing Earplugs

I understand the appeal of active noise reduction headphones, especially when I've got a crying baby beside me and whiny toddler behind me on a flight. But devoting that much space in my bag to a bulky single-use item doesn't fit into my packing light plans. While those headphones are certainly nice, I feel like I've jumped back into the 1970s when I wear them, like I should be listening to the new Foghat album.

I've been trying out some earbuds that come close to duplicating that noise reduction headphone experience though---but at a tenth of the size. The Comply NR-10 Noise Reducing Earphones look much like normal earbuds, but have the kind of foam used in expanding earplugs that light sleepers and people who work around a lot of noise (like machinists and rock bands) often use. You just pop them in your ears like you would normal earbuds, but they block out 48 decibels of outside noise, so you hear very little besides your music.

According to the company who puts these out, Hearing Components, these Comply earphones use the same patented technology adopted by U.S. army helicopter crews and special forces. The earphones produce a frequency range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz, so you're going to hear much more of the music at the high and low end than with plain vanilla earbuds.

In my tests on two recent long flights the Comply NR-10 Earphones performed very well. As soon as they went in my ear the airplane engine noise was cut down dramatically and the whoosh of the airplane cabin ventilation system was almost imperceptible. I forgot about the crying baby two rows away and just soaked in the tunes.

They retail for $80 at the Comply Foam site or at Magellan's (link below), which includes one additional pair of smaller foam tips and a nice handy travel pouch that's smaller than the Altoids box you've been using to carry your earbuds around. There's a volume control on the cord itself too, which is a nice touch, but no batteries required.

Comply Earphones at Magellan's

(P.S. - I've been a traveling parent with both a crying baby and a whiny toddler, so no flaming comments about how I'm insensitive and just don't understand how hard it is to travel with a child, okay? I'd just rather not listen if I can help it.)

Carry-on Sunscreen for Your Beach Trip

The three-ounces and under rule for flying is an inconvenience if you are trying to travel with a carry-on bag. But you can get around it pretty easily with small containers, travel-sized toiletries, or innovative products like non-liquid travel sheets.

There's one item that is especially problematic though: sunscreen. Three ounces of conventional sunscreen isn't going to last you very long if you're vacationing in the tropics. You could wait and buy it there, but you'll pay twice as much.

So, when I was going to Roatan Island on Delta--which only flies there one day a week--I brought along this three-ounce spray sunscreen from CVS. I was skeptical about these spray sunscreens when they first came out, but if you really rub them in evenly, they seem to work just fine. The real benefit for travelers though is you can get a lot more use out of three ounces of spray than you get from that amount of regular sunscreen lotion.

This sunscreen comes in a strong aluminum canister and has an SPF of 30. (And it's actually more squat than the bottle pictured here.) In my tests in the blazing sun on a beach, it performed well and didn't feel as gunky as the usual stuff. I used it for five days and still had enough left that I brought it home. The three-ounce spray sunscreen from CVS retails for $5, but is often on sale for less.

Moving Your Data From Old Laptop to New

A review of the Laplink PCmover software may not seem like an obvious choice for this travel gear blog, but I'll give any product a shout 0ut if it makes your travel life easier. This file transfer software definitely fits the bill. At $50 to $70 it isn't the cheapest thing out there, but it does everything it is supposed to do--almost like magic--and if time is money, this thing more than pays for itself.

The simple promise is that it will take all the data from your old computer and transfer it to that shiny new one you just bought. If you're the type who has a laptop filled with vacation photos, thousands of songs, and a few years' worth of software programs and utilities, PCmover can keep you from having to take days out of your life to move files around and fix the resulting problems.

It makes sense to first clean up the old computer, removing all the junk you don't need anymore and those files you should have deleted years ago but never got around to. Because every megabyte you have to move is going to add transfer time to the process. Then you install the software on both machines, which means you'll probably need to switch the mouse, monitor, and keyboard back and forth unless you have two of each.

After the software is installed, you connect the included USB cable, follow the wizard instructions, and let it rip. The best way to do this is to set it up one evening and let it transfer all night. If you have USB 2.0 connections on both ends, it'll probably be done by morning. If not, it could take longer if you have a lot to transfer. In my case a freak storm knocked out power in the middle of the night, in the middle of the transfer. No problem though--the software picked up where it left off after the restart.

The results? Amazingly, every program I had on the old computer is working except the virus scan one and a network management one. In a couple of cases I had to reenter my license number, so you may want to pull out those files and messages first. Impressively, my Thunderbird and Outlook e-mail programs worked just the same as before (with all messages retained), my desktop looked exactly the same down to the wallpaper, and a second hard drive I had on the old machine was just transferred over to a different folder labeled "D drive" on the new one.

Note that it moves from the same Windows OS to another or to a newer one (like from XP to Vista) but not in the other direction. If you have Vista, make sure you get the newest version of PCmover.

It's an all-too-rare occurrence when a piece of software does exactly what you want it to do and doesn't require any workarounds, bug fixes, or surprise updates. Highly recommended.

PCmover - $15 Off with Coupon Code CJPH7Q


Get Laplink PCmover at Amazon

Search Laplink PC Mover prices at Shopzilla

Double-duty Sunscreen and Bug Repellant from SmartShield

Right now I'm sweating my way across Honduras, battling sand flies in Roatan and determined mosquitoes in Pico Bonito National Park. All the while, the intense tropical sun is set on "full blast."

In other words, a great time to try out these SmartShield towelettes, which are designed to protect you with both sunscreen and natural bug repellant.

I have one main criteria when reviewing products like this. Do they do what they promise? In this case, I didn't get any bugbites and I don't have any bright red splotches of sunburn, so they towelettes passed the test. I slathered on once before walking around various beaches on Roatan and before an hour-long hike through the tropical forest in the interior.

I'm not sure I would trust the stuff on my arms and legs to last all day though. The bug replellant is DEET-free, which means cedar bark extract and lemongrass. Smells nice, but not known to protect for hours on end. The sunscreen is SPF 30 is is not all natural, with lots of chemical names only a lab technician would recognize. (And it is not for kids under 6.) But it's oil-free and has aloe vera and three vitamins in it.

This is a handy item to take along anywhere you need to protect yourself from both the sun and insects, especially in the tropics. The SmartShield "no bugs no burn" towelettes retail for $14 for a pack of 18, but the individually wrapped ones are about a buck apiece. More economical is the combo spray, which is $8 for 2 ounces (TSA friendly size). See more about them at http://www.smartshield.com/.

Rock On! Skullcandy Link Hydro Pack

Sometimes I review travel gear that is not exactly aimed at my demographic. Exhibit A: the Link Hydro Pack from Skullcandy. I had to check it out though, because it definitely qualifies as "double duty travel gear." More like "triple-duty" actually.

This is a small backpack and a hydration pack, which let's admit is pretty ho-hum on its own. But the kicker here really kicks: your own person stereo blasting tunes out of your shoulder straps! I've tried out a few bags with speakers over the years and this is the best one so far. The instructions actually explain things well, the speakers don't sound like vibrating tin cans (though don't expect booming bass), and the fact the pack plays music doesn't seem to make it noticeably heavier or bulkier.

First you pop in the included four AA batteries. (Please promise you'll switch to recyclable ones after these wear out.) Then you plug in your iPod, turn it on, and you're biking or walking with tunes blasting right by your ears. While it could be annoying to others if you're on the Appalachian Trail, for an urban bike ride it makes more sense than sealing yourself off with headphones. You can still hear what's going on around you. But you can plug in headphones if you want, using the same volume and skip/back buttons you would use with the speakers.

The controls are right on the shoulder straps, so you can adjust the volume right there or skip to the next track without touching your music player. You can also hook your cell phone up to it, though I didn't try this out since as usual, the supplied connectors only work with a fraction of the phones out there. (And once again, the handset makers' fault, not these guys'.)

And oh yeah, it's a hydration pack, holding a half gallon of water. Easy to fill in my tests and well, you suck on a tube attached to the water pouch, so there's not much that can go wrong if you keep it clean.

Skullcandy's marketing tag line of "Slash the silence of the great outdoors" worries me though. Call me a cranky old fart, but the last thing we need in the real outdoors is some lunkhead bombarding us with more media just as we're trying to get away from, well, constant bombardment from media. But used responsibly this would make a nice daypack to carry along on a short trip to enable an instant stereo---in your own private quarters or with willing company.

The Skullcandy Link Hydro Pack comes in orange/gray or camouflage and has a (rather steep) list price of $150. Get it for a tad less here:

Order the Link Hydro from Amazon