ExOfficio Pants Keep the Bugs Away

It’s always great when summer arrives, but not so great when the mosquitoes arrive. If you travel to a tropical country, it’s always mosquito season, plus the bugs carry nasty diseases, so three months of annoyance turns into year-round danger.

Thankfully it’s easier to keep the bugs away than it used to be if you pack the right clothing. This pair of ExOfficio Altyn Insect Shield Pants is going with me to the coast of Mexico and the jungle of Belize this summer. They’re great travel pants on their own, but the kicker is built-in Insect Shield repellent that stays active for 70—yes 70—washings.


Continued after the jump - ExOfficio Altyn InsectShield pants

REI Adventure Pants Review

Walking through your local REI store can be like a traveler's version of a trip to Tiffany's. When I stopped in two weeks ago to use my annual rebate check and a "20 percent one full-priced item" coupon, I had trouble actually using the latter. After perusing racks of $95 slacks from Columbia, $80 t-shirts from Mountain Hardwear, $200 sunglasses from Smith, and $18 socks from a whole slew of companies, I ended up using the coupon on some heavy-duty DEET bug repellent. I saved $1.60. Woo-hoo.

In all fairness though, REI does run some killer sales now and then, in the stores and their outlet site, plus the prices on their own private label versions of popular clothing items are much easier to swallow. Like the lower-priced snacks and cereals under the Target or Costco brand name, the REI versions of pants, jackets, or wicking shirts won't sting you so badly at the cash register.

So I used my rebate check to go toward these nice REI Adventure Pants, marked down from $44 to $32.83---a deal that is still up on their website too at the moment.

...continued on the new Practical Travel Gear blog

A Bracelet That Could Save Your Life

Imagine you could wear something around your wrist that could save your life. Imagine that instead of some woven backpacker bracelet you won in a backgammon game in Dahab or that you bought in Panajachel for 25 cents, you wear a bracelet woven from 18 feet of super-strong parachute cord. How cool is that?

OK, so you've got to spend $19 on it unless you have the time and concentration to weave one yourself, but if it gets you out of a jam, that's a pretty cheap insurance policy. Plus it makes a cool conversation piece. That's the idea behind the paracord survival bracelets from SurvivalStraps.com.

Normally this is where I tell you how the gear item worked in practice, but thankfully I haven't needed to rappel down a cliff or spend the night tied to a couple of tree branches. So here's the rundown from the company:

In an emergency situation, you can unravel the bracelet and deploy the paracord for use. If you do use your Survival Bracelet, simply send what is left back to us, along with your story, and we will make you a new one, free of charge (shipping charges will apply).

Whether you are in the woods, stranded on an island, at the range, or running errands around town, you will always have several feet of 550 lb. test paracord with you at all times. Oh yeah, we also think they look pretty great! And since they come in almost 900 different color combinations, you shouldn't have a problem finding something you like! (Check out the colors tab to view our standard color choices.) They come with either a tough plastic side release buckle or a marine grade stainless steel shackle for attachment purposes.

So if you actually have to use it for its intended purpose, they will send you a new one. How many time do you see a guarantee like that? The company also makes belts, lanyards, watch straps, and more. See the whole line at SurvivalStraps.com.

Travel Gear on the Wish Lists

Every once in a while I pull up the stats on this travel gear blog to see which posts are really getting checked out by the most readers. Which gear items are people researching and drooling over? (Okay, so maybe "drooling over" is the wrong phrase to use when talking about travel underwear, but hey, you like it a lot better if someone else spends $20 on it instead of you, right?) Since I'm on deadline for some magazine articles due this week, I've been taking a break from the travel gear tests. So here are the most popular posts over the past month:

Pacsafe's theft-proof travel bag. This post is two years old and is the most popular, so apparently lots of travelers are looking for a good slash-proof bag for walking around town. This one is highly recommended.

Quick-dry travel underwear from ExOfficio. Save money on the road with sink laundering and have dry undies in the morning.

Portable room safe. Apparently I'm not the only one who wonders how to keep valuables secure in a cheap hotel.

Are packing cubes worthwhile? Apparently a lot of people are pondering a purchase of these organizing aids.

The best backpacks for travelers. Your most important gear item for long-term travel.

Timex rugged Field Expedition watch. This was what I took with me trekking in Peru this past December. Great watch for a reasonable price.

Travel adapter, converter, and USB charger. This is a handy item that does double duty. I used it in Europe a few months back and was very happy with it.

Lightwedge innovative reading light. This one surprised me as I reviewed this way back in the summer of 2007. This book light takes some getting used to, but some people love it.

Altus Lumen Multi-use LED Light

Flashlights are fine when you've got a free hand and headlamps are good when you're walking around in the dark, but neither is much help if you want to play a game on the guesthouse bed or work collectively on something. This Altus Lumen PAD-L LED light is a great solution and is small enough to carry on any trip.

The design of the PAD-L is all about flexibility to put the light where you need it. There's a fold-out metal stand and an attached stand that will swivel around to either side. So you can direct the light in multiple directions. There's also flexibility in the intensity of the light itself too, with a low setting for say, brushing your teeth while camping, to high for finding the contact lens you dropped on the floor. The brightest setting uses up power about 30 times faster, but you probably won't need it very often anyway: it feels like your blasting out the brightness of a cop car's search light.

It comes with a nice carrying case and a cable manager contraption (with no cable) to help you hang the thing from a branch. For now anyway this appears to be a direct orders only situation though. You order from their site and then wait for it to arrive from Hong Kong. When there's retail distribution in place, I'll post a note here later. The PAD-L LED light is $40 plus you have to register on their site to order.

My main beef with this product is that the company's sustainability efforts are worthy of some kind of award---but for greenwashing. Their site is full of nice-sounding slogans such as "Protect and Enjoy the Environment" and "Preventing pollution is more effective than cleaning up the mess after it has already been made." That's true, so why does your product use FOUR disposable AAA batteries and use them up in an hour on the high setting? They say that "PAD-L is the world first sustainable portable LED light," but considering I've seen plenty of shake lights that use LEDs and no batteries, plus others that are solar powered, this is just plain wrong. It turns out the "sustainability" claim is just because 75% of the materials are recyclable when the thing dies on you. Nice, but not all that noble.

Putting the truthiness spinning aside though, this is a powerful light in a small package, good for multiple situations when you need to have your hands free.

Design Awards for Gear that Works

I almost fell off my chair when I looked at Travel + Leisure's 2009 Design Awards in their March issue. They managed to slide in a few expensive items from potential advertisers as "honorable mentions," but amazingly the most expensive gear item winner was a $225 bag and two items were under a hundred bucks.

The bag was in the "best luggage" category and indeed it does look pretty cool. It's the Hydro Sports Water-resistant T-Tech Backpack from Tumi.

Best Travel Accessory was this pair of Melissa Shoes pictured here. They pack easily, look interesting, and are 100% recyclable. At $79 retail, they seem pretty practical to me.

Amazingly, a $30 coat made the cut, and from Wal-mart no less. It's the Norma Kamali Trench Coat and I have to say it looked better in the magazine than many others costing 10 or 20 times as much.

The last two items I have reviewed and used myself. The Flip Video Camera got the nod, though I reviewed the older version, not the Mino. For $180 retail, it's a dead simple way to shoot video and it stores an hour's worth of footage.

The other item I've raved about for years and I would argue it's probably the greatest invention to come along in a decade for travelers: the Steripen water purifier. It's small, it's effective, and it helps save the planet. Obviously, it's well-designed enough to get the notice of these critics as well.

Good stuff! You can see more in a slideshow here.


Get the SteriPEN Adventurer Ultraviolet Water Purifier

A Jacket That Packs Some Heat

Baby it's cold outside! Bundling up in lots of layers is fine, but not so great when you need to move around a lot, say snowboarding or skiing. Each layer adds more bulk and less flexibility.

How about packing some heat?

I've been trying out a sample of a vest from Ardica Technologies that is definitely unique. The Ardica Moshi System provides your own private heater for up to 8 hours on the low setting, or three hours on high. Basically it's a thin battery-powered heater that goes in a flap resting against your back, between the shoulder blades. You recharge it before you go and then control it through a lighted insigna on your chest, Star Trek style. In my tests the heater made a major difference, keeping me toasty on long walks in sub-freezing weather. It's light enough and thin enough that it wasn't a nuisance either.

But wait, there's more! The system also has a USB plug that allows you to charge up your iPod while you are on the move. Unfortunately that plug is situated in a side pocket rather than the one close to your ears where there is a slot to put your earphones through. So you either listen or charge, but not both. However, you can also use it to charge your cell phone or anything that has either a USB plug or an adapter with one. Other commercial jackets on the way will probably have multiple linked batteries and charging ports situated differently.

This is no thrown-together piece of technology. You can thank the U.S. government for laying out the millions in research grant dollars it took to develop it all. You see, soldiers don't like to be cold either.

The only problem is, the marketing has gotten ahead of the actual availability. You can't buy it from the Ardica website, so apparently I'm special to have gotten this loaner. Mountain Hardwear is going to put out a jacket equipped to use the Ardica heating system, but not until the fall of '09. Assume this will add a chunk of change to the price of a jacket as well, anywhere from $150 to $200. (Yet as it stands now, there's only a one year warranty.) But hey, my wife would have gladly paid that last time we spent a long weekend skiing in the blustery cold.

Stay tuned...

Hydration Tablets from U for You

If you're hot, sweaty, and on the move a lot, here's something new for you: tasty hydration tabs.

Sometimes I get some oddball samples of things to try out for this travel gear blog, but if they're fun, inexpensive, and have at least some application to moving around your state or the wide world, I'll test them out. Or I'll get some help from others to try them out, which is the case with these U hydration tablets from a company called nuun.

Think of these as a portable form of energy drink, and one that doesn't require throwing away cans or bottles. Each little tube has 16 tablets, each one good for a liter or so of water depending on how strong you want the taste. And in this case, you actually will want to taste them: the surprisingly yummy flavors are tangerine ginger, Goji berry green tea, and lemon chai. You pop in the tablet, it fizzes for a bit, then your bottle of water is transformed.

They contain lots of electrolytes and vitamins to replenish what you've lost on that long hike or bike ride. You'll get your zinc, your magnesium, your vitamin A, and a whole lot more. These would probably be good for jet lag too, with all the B vitamins. Almost no calories though, which puts them ahead of most commercial energy drinks that are full of sugar or corn syrup.

My wife is a personal trainer, so I had some people at her gym try these out, people who run marathons and triathalons while I watch football and drink beer. They universally gave the flavors a big thumbs up, though some wanted to dilute them more. Some of the testers got a boost from them, others preferred the heavier-duty stuff they normally use, but liked the convenience of this.

Get all the details at the U Hydration site, where you can buy a 3-pack of these (enough for 48 liters) for $24.

The tube is easy to pack and is made of recyclable plastic. And hey, the artwork is nice too.

Travel Gadgets and Gear That Work in Practice

About 48 out of 50 travel gear reviews on this blog tend to be based on real world tests. Some sites run gear reviews or stories based on just a press release and a photo, which is putting way too much faith in promises if you ask me.

I recently returned from a two-week trip in Peru: Colca Canyon, the Saltankay Trek, a couple nights in the Sacred Valley, then two days in Lima. I tried out a lot of gear for the first time, indluding the OR Revel light waterproof jacket, a Kombi bamboo weave base layer, an Airzone daypack from Lowe Alpine, and a set of lightweight but waterproof hiking boots from Keen. (Plus an awesome Casio superzoom camera I'll review next week.)

I packed and used plenty of other items though that I have reviewed here in the past. Consider this a list of travel gear items that really deliver in practice, over and over again.

Hiking socks from Gordina Lavawool and Teko. Eight days of hiking, warm feet, zero blisters.

The Steripen Traveler. I just added another country to the list where I didn't even get the slightest case of the runs when using this water purifier. (I'm up to six now.) Yet I only added one throwaway plastic water bottle to the landfill in two weeks' time. With its solar charger case, I also recharged the batteries from a hotel window sill.

The Hymini wind and solar charger. I never had to plug my iPod into a computer to recharge and I left my phone charger at home and just brought the tiny Nokia connector for Hymini. I powered three devices solely on wind and the sun, with no worries about 220 vs. 110 volts.

Western Digital portable hard drive. I am paranoid about losing photos when on assignment, so I save to my laptop every day or two then back up to this hard drive, which goes into a separate bag. With its small size and light weight, it's easy to squeeze in.

ExOfficio quick-dry travel underwear. Carrying 14 sets of underwear for a two-week trip is silly. These dry in a few hours, so it's easy to do a sink washing and have clean undies in the morning.

CoolMax wicking t-shirt from CoolClothing. I have some more expensive wicking shirts, but I like this one because it's black, thin, and dries quicker than anything else in my pack.

Illuminite zipper fleece. Peruvian drivers aren't known for having a deep respect for pedestrians. Wearing this around Cusco and Lima, at least they saw me in the headlights. Plus it's comfy when I don't need to be seen.

Comply noise-reducing ear buds. These are passive rather than active for noise reduction on a plane (squishy like earplugs to block out noise), but are far easier to pack than the Sennheiser headphones I also like.

My Timex Field Expedition watch. Held up well in the elements as usual and I love the Indiglo function at night. Plus you don't need to consult the owner's manual to reset the time or date.

Keen Shellrock MP Hiking Boots - Light but Rugged

Three and a half years ago I hiked the Inca Trail in Peru with a great pair of Merrell hiking boots, but this second time to Peru I took along a pair of newer and lighter ones for the Saltankay Trail. I hiked for six days straight with the Shellrock Mid WP model from KEEN Footwear and came away quite impressed.

These mid-height boots do it all while still coming in under 15 ounces. They're waterproof but they breathe well, which is really important when you're slogging through mud, mule crap, and streams sometimes, but in a climate warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt. These hiking boots have plenty of reinforcement where it counts too, with a "stone bruising protection plate" in the front that saved my toes over and over on the rocky trail. I could walk down steep rock faces with the great tread, plus a heel stabilizer and a shank kept each foot stable on rough terrain.

The real test, of course, is the blister test. I didn't get even the hint of a blister on this trek and never touched the Band-aids I had brought along. My foot is wider than the standard D, so I usually have a problem with boots that don't come in wider sizes, especially when wearing thicker hiking socks. These fit fine though---I just had to loosen the laces a bit more than a D-width person would need to do.

So, the Keen Shellrock Mid WP hiking boots came through on all counts. Despite their light weight, they perform like a heavy-duty boot and I expect them to serve me well on many hikes to come.

They come in two color combinations, both looking good but not too out there. There is also a very similar women's version that comes in two different colors. Same specs, but a bit smaller and lighter. Both genders list for $130, but they come in closer to $100 at some online and offline retailers.

Get the KEEN Shellrock Mid WP from Backcountry.com

Lowe Alpine Airzone Centro 35 Pack

I don't get a lot of chances to do real backcountry hiking, but on this last trip I went up and down (and up and down) the mountains of Peru carrying a daypack. Mules had most of the heavy load, but I used this Lowe Alpine Centro 35 daypack to carry all the essentials along the way. Water bottles in the side pocket, camera and changes of clothes in the middle, all the little items in the top zippered pocket.

I've had my eye on this pack since my last Peru trip. Then I hiked the Inca Trail, my back constantly soaked from the pack resting against it. Meanwhile, my guide was cool and dry because his Lowe Alpine pack had a mesh backing keeping the pack suspended away from his clothes. It was my turn to stay comfortable this time. The mesh backing on this daypack does let the air flow through nicely and it's quite comfortable in varied temperatures.

Otherwise, it's what you would expect in a daypack and more. The overall design follows what seems to have become a standard now: internal support frame, deep interior compartment with cinch strap closing, front compartment for flat items, two mesh side pockets, a foldover top flap with roomy zippered pocket, another small zippered pocket on the front, and a side zipper to get in without opening up the whole contraption. Traveling around the world with this setup would drive me batty, but for moving through the woods and only getting into it now and then, it's ideal. Plus it comes with a built-in rain cover (the orange part here) that tucks away in a bottom flap when not needed.

There are padded hip straps and a sternum strap that can be adjusted horizontally and vertically. At 3 pounds 3 ounces, this is not the lightest pack around, but it is extremely rugged and can be jammed to capacity without worries about splitting a seam. It holds 35 liters (2,100 cubic inches) and has all kinds of loops and straps for adding things to the outside of it. A very good mid-size backpack for your next hiking trip, from a company with a solid reputation: Lowe Alpine. Highly recommended.

I can't get a direct product link to work on the Lowe Alpine site, but see the whole line of Lowe Alpine products and click on "hiking" for the various daypack options.

As a commenter pointed out, there's a "35 + 10" version of this that lists for $179 instead of $149.

Lowe Alpine Airzone Centro 35 at Amazon

Get the AirZone Centro 35 Pack at Backcountry.com

NGA's Best Gear of 2008

The current year-end issue of National Geographic Adventure has a "must-have" gear list for the best of 2008. Some of the items are well beyond the scope of a blog called "Practical" Travel Gear of course. I don't think I'll be trying out the $11,500 mountain bike, $6,900 watch, or $350 sunglasses anytime soon.

There are plenty of featured items though that are fairly affordable yet do what they do very well. I haven't personally laid hands on any of these, but I assume NGT gear reviewer Steve Casimiro has. Something tells me he's at the top of every gear company's mailing list.

Columbia Rapidfire Windshell - made of stronger-than-usual 20-denier nylon, water and wind resistant, but weighing only 4.5 ounces. At a list price of $80, this doesn't hit your wallet or your backpack very hard.

Hi-Tec V-lite Hornet HPi hiking boots - Could they make that name any longer? I've always viewed Hi-Tec boots as the cheapo choice, probably because I lived in Korea where they were made and you could buy them for a song in Itaewon. Apparently they have improved, as this model gets the nod for its innovative new moisture management system: some kind of plasma ion-mask that uses nanotechnology instead of the normal wicking membrane. Vibram tread and a 3/4 shank make it ready for any conditions and despite all the technology, list price is $115---not much above the norm.

KOR ONE Hydration Vessel - This gets featured for its cool-looking design and its BPA-free Tritan plastic. I like the fact it has a flip-open wide top so it's easy to fill and easy to purify (unlike the cool-looking but less practical Sigg bottles). Plus for this price, $30, you also get a rubberized base so it's not so slippery.

Nokia MD-8 - (picture below) OK, this is the one I'm really lusting over, to be honest. It's a "booming sound quality" iPod speaker set that blasts out tunes in stereo, yet fits in the palm of the hand. It runs for 40 hours on the batteries, has an FM tuner, and is a reasonable $50 list. Damn, too late for the Christmas list...

See a photo tour of the best gear items on National Geographic Adventure's site.

Lightweight Waterproof M's Revel Jacket from Outdoor Research

I was worried a lot about being able to pick the right jacket for my current two-week trip in Peru. It had to work well for a six-day Saltankay trek in the beginning of rainy season, be light enough to pack in a carry on bag, and be warm enough for cool evenings in Cusco.

This M's Revel jacket from Outdoor Research passed with an A+. I have to say that this is hands-down the best lightweight jacket I've ever worn. Its waterproof functionality came through fine during one and a half rainy days of trekking. It has a reflective interior that makes it surprisingly warm when the weather gets cold and the wind picks up. With a couple layers underneath, this jacket would probably work down to 40 degrees F or so.

It weighs under a pound and packs up a small as a T-shirt. There's a zip-away rain hood with cinch straps, two zippered outside pockets under flaps, one interior pocket with an earphone slit, and cinch straps on the bottom to pull it tight. There are also zippers on each side that go all the way up to the armpits, presumably to help you get to pockets in your snow bibs or to let the heat out when you get too toasty. And hey, you can pop it into the washing machine when it gets dirty.

It's made in China of 100 percent nylon (well, Shield DS Pertex fabric if you want to get technical), but still all this smart design doesn't come cheap. The M's Revel jacket lists for $150. There's an "infinite guarantee" though and based on my tests over the past few years with other Outdoor Research products, you won't need it.

I don't usually get too enthusiastic about a piece of outerwear, but I love this jacket. Something's getting tossed out of my coat closet so this can go into a prime position.


Get the Revel Jacket at Backcountry.com

Bamboo Base Layer from Kombi

I'm in Peru right now trying out lots of new gear in the Andes Mountains, but am not near a computer very much. So for a while these travel gear reviews will be coming in drips and drabs.

First up, this wicking base layer from Kombi. I've been wearing it on many a cool morning in Colca Canyon and it will get heavy use on my upcoming trek. It's a soft as a cotton shirt, but is actually made of bamboo. Well, 48 percent anyway, then an equal part of CoolMax and just a dash of Spandex. So the majority of the materials came from a sustainable resource and it doesn't feel as synthetic as the usual wicking layer.

It works well with the zipper open: unlike many of these mock turtleneck designs I try out, the collar lies flat. If the air is cool though, zip it to the top and it provides extra insulation around the neck. Anti-chaffing flatlock seams are a nice touch and the top of the zipper goes inside a fold. Kombi also makes models are a thicker bamboo/merino wool blend and this one comes in four colors.

The women's version is a two-tone affair, in five options like the one pictured here.

As with most bamboo weave products, you can't just toss then in the washer and dryer though. jfjfj. The good news is, if you're on an extended trip and are doing a lot of sink washing, this shirt dries more quickly than cotton or synthetic fleece. It's just a single layer though: bring something heavier if you're facing frigid conditions.

You can find Kombi products at ski shops, or check their site for other options.

Cozy Snoqualmie Cap From REI - Woof Woof!

I was a little skeptical about this Snoqualmie cap from REI, with its doggie-ear flaps and a shape I usually associate with hunters tramping through the woods wearing bright orange. This puppy is one comfy hat though.

My home town got hit with a bracing cold snap this week, giving me a chance to really test this cap with the thermometer below freezing. As I scraped off the frost from my windshield and later walked around the neighborhood seeing my breath in front of my face, I realized that this may be the most comfortable winter hat I've ever worn. It keeps my ears warm without smothering them and with a soft fleece lining, it doesn't get scratchy when my head gets warm.

I'm all for renewable resources, but you've got to admit modern science results in a step up in comfort and features. This Snoqualmie cap uses eVent fabric that is waterproof and windproof (up to 60 mph), but has venting properties that allow the sweat to ease on out---reportedly twice as fast as typical wicking waterproof fabrics. The hat is as light as any plain fleece cap, but is lined with soft fleece and has a brim to keep the sun out of your eyes. When you don't need the flaps, they snap to the body of the cap. It comes in the color pictured here and "graphite."

None of this technology and smart design come cheap though: the hat retails for $40. But what's your comfort worth on the slopes? Or while slogging through the streets of Europe in the winter trying to find your hostel?

In my experience, REI-branded products are not a screaming bargain, but they're generally a fair value compared to gear with similar features from the likes of Patagonia, the North Face, or Columbia. I plan on using this hat for years to come whenever I'm headed off to a cold place. My ears will thank me, even if I do feel like begging for a bone-shaped treat.

Get the REI Snoqualmie Cap with eVent Fabric - Men's

Gear Wash from Nikwax

All these scientific fabrics and organic fiber blends now prevalent in our travel gear and clothing are a wonderful thing, except when it's time to wash them. At the two ends of the scale---hi-tech and organic---the laundry instructions go far beyond what's required with your usual wardrobe. You can't just drop those Gore-tex and bamboo items off at the back alley laundry shop in Cusco. If you're away from home, you'll probably need to hand-wash them in a sink.

Nikwax, the people best known for their waterproofing liquids, has put out a line of washing gels to meet the needs of these fabrics. As the clothing has gotten more specialized, so has the washing, apparently. There's a Base Wash for synthetic base layers like fleece, a Tech Wash for waterproof items, and Wool Wash for Merino and other natural fibers.

These come in a size small enough for travel, but unfortunately not quite small enough: each is 3.4 ounces and doesn't meet TSA limits for carry-on items. Be advised you need to use a lot of it too in some cases. With the recommended amount of 33ml for 1-2 items with the Tech Wash, you'll get exactly three uses out of the $5.95 container. For the Base Wash though, you only need 5ml.

I tried out my sample of Wool Wash on my Ex-Officio soy blend sweater, an item that comes with more care warnings than a newborn baby. The wash got the stink out, left the sweater feeling fresh, and seems to have preserved its fragile temperament. Since I couldn't remember when, if ever, I had washed my GoLite Ether wind jacket, I used that to try out the Tech Wash. The water in my sink looked like the Blue Lagoon in Iceland after it got going and it was a strange slick sensation. My jacket is now clean though and the waterproofing is intact.

I have no idea what's really in any of these gels since the ingredients listed all comprise 5% or less of the total. The packaging says "data sheets are available upon request," but that part of the website is blank. They don't use petroleum though and at least try to have a strong environmental ethos, so I'll willing to give Nikwax the benefit of the doubt.

While I wish the company had gone all the way and made these packages 3-ounce travel-friendly, I guess if you're geared up to go skiing or hike the Andes, you're probably packing more than a carry-on anyway.

See more about the products at the Nikwax site. The gels seem to just be trickling out there at retail, but search REI.com or Backcountry.com as they carry the larger sizes and will likely be stocking these soon.

Tifosi Torrent Photochromatic Sunglasses

A while back I reviewed a pair of Vogel sunglasses from Tifosi and they have become my go-to glasses for everyday wear. This Tifosi Torrent model though is the pair I pull out when it's time to go for a bike ride or a hike.

They're photochromatic, which means they'll adjust to the brightness and become darker as needed. So if you're going from indoors to outdoors and shade to sunlight, the glasses will adjust to the conditions. As always, that means they don't get as dark as standard sunglasses, but to me that's a fair trade-off and they're "dark enough" for most situations.

As with most wrap glasses, they curve a bit around the eye to block out more harmful rays and fit snugly without moving around. (One drawback: if you have long eyelashes they might rub against the lens.) These Torrent glasses go beyond in two ways though. First, the nosepiece actually gets tackier when wet, so if you're sweaty or it starts drizzling the sunglasses don't slide off your nose.

Second, they have a small vent in the top corner of each end to let air flow through. This might sound like a gimmick, but in my tests it made a difference. I usually start getting tears in the corners of my eyes if I'm skiing or coming down a hill fast on a bike from the wind, but with these on it doesn't seem to happen.

These sunglasses come with a hard zippered case that has a pocket on the inside, plus a soft carrying pouch that doubles as a lens cleaner. At a retail price of $60, these shades deliver at a high level for the price. (The polarized versions are $90.) And hey, they let you see the world through rose-colored glasses...

Get the Tifosi Torrent FC Photochromic Sunglasses at REI

See more at the Tifosi Optics website.

Casio Wave Ceptor Atomic Solar Watch

Nuclear and solar live together in harmony with the Casio Wave Ceptor watch. No, there's not a nuclear reactor on your wrist, just updates from the official atomic clock. This means once you set your time zone, you never have to reset the watch until you travel. When you do travel, just pick a different city and you'll continually have the perfect time again. Always.

The solar part eliminates one of my pet peeves---having to constantly shell out money and spend time getting watch batteries replaced. With this Casio model, the sun keeps it running and it doesn't take all that much exposure either: it will run five months on a full charge before you'll start getting a warning icon telling you to get out of your cave. (If you live in an Arctic zone and it's winter, a lamp will do the job.)

I've been using this watch for a week and a half now and once I got past the biggest drawback, I've been loving it. The drawback was the steel quick-clasp watchband. It looks nice, it's comfortable, but it's definitely not one size fits all. So when it came sized for a sumo wrestler's wrist, I opened the manual to find out how to adjust the band. Just one problem: there's nothing in the manual on how to do that. Or on the Casio website. So you're on your own.

After some serious Googling, rooting around for my precision screwdrivers, then wrestling with the band under a bright light, I finally got it to fit. I guess the manufacturer figures the watch store will take care of all that for you, but if you buy it as a gift or get it online, be prepared to invest some time learning and poking. Pictured here are the "missing links" that I guess I should just toss.

But the watch itself has a lot of nice features and is carefree once it's set up. This model has a regular hands and a second hand, then the day and date are displayed digitally. There's a stopwatch and an alarm function if you dive into the manual more. The Wave Ceptor is water resistant to 100 meters and has luminous hands that glow in the dark. Get the full specs on Casio's Wave Ceptor site, where you can see the women's model too.

At a list price of $120 (and usually retailing for $100 or less), this watch looks and functions far above its pay grade. You might have to search around to get the particular model you want though. When I tried the "where to buy" section of the website for my million-person city I got a message of "I'm sorry there were no results that match your request." I didn't think a Casio watch would be all that hard to find, but you can definitely get this model online at Amazon.

Be Seen at Night With Illuminite Clothing

I've been wandering the streets of my neighborhood at night this past week wearing black, but I have not been hard to see. No, it's not a tease from the Riddler, it's reflective clothing from IllumiNITE.

There's nothing new about reflective clothing of course. Highway workers have donned it for decades and every night I see someone jogging around with some kind of reflective orange vest on. This line of clothing is different though: it actually looks good. There are no random stripes of tape or big logos that might as well say "Look at me, I'm a runner!"

This clothing is cool because the designers looked at things from a different angle. The reflective parts are around the outside of your body instead of the middle of your chest and back, so everyone behind the wheel can recognize that you are a moving human and not a road sign. Plus the reflective part is built into the design instead of being an obvious add-on. There are solid sections that look normal by day but act like a collection of tiny mirrors at night, or dots that just appear to be normal design elements until the headlights hit them. You may feel like a superhero getting ready to save the world when you put on one of these pieces, but you won't feel like a dork.

I've been trying out a illumiNITE thermaGARD Early Riser fleece (pictured here). It performs as it should and then some. Nice locking zippers, a comfy fleece liner, a good fit, and a sleeve pocket for a (small) MP3 player. It's lightweight, breathable, wicking, and downright cozy.

When I've not been wondering what's wrong with the caps lock on the keyboards in their marketing department, I've been thinking of how useful this would be as the go-to fleece on a long trip. It may, for example, reduce the number of times you are almost run over by a tuk-tuk in Thailand or an auto rickshaw in India. It would be good for nighttime walking along the street in Latin American cities, where the sidewalks are only about as wide as your two shoes. It would be good for one of those "we will leave camp at 3 a.m." hiking trips where you're trying to keep track of each other with voices and flashlights.


So, while this stuff is mainly marketed to cyclists and runners, it might make you safer as you travel the world as well -- while still keeping you looking good. They make waterproof jackets, caps, t-shirts, and much more. You can get the background and specs on the illuminate.com website, but considering they have "See our 2007 collection" on the front page and it's mid-October of '08 as I write this, you should go elsewhere to buy the latest models.

Click on that women's jacket to the left or here to go to REI, where there's a big selection in lots of colors and styles.

Or you can find this line in a lot of good retail shops catering to cyclists.