Traveling with Timberlands

Timberland has a special place in my heart. I took a pair of their hiking boots around the world with me on my first round-the-world journey. Ply me with a few drinks in a bar and I’ll tell you the tale of chasing an Indian teenager down the fort ramparts of Jodhpur after he snagged them outside of a temple at the top. But that’s for another time…

On two recent trips I’ve been trying out two pairs of shoes that are good for travel. Both are from their Earthkeepers line. Shoes can only get so Earth-friendly, but in this case they’re at least giving it a good college try...

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REMINDER - This blog has moved! Partial posts will continue here for a couple weeks, then it's adios altogether. Visit the new Practical Travel Gear Blog and see not just my reviews, but those from two other contributors as well. Subscribe to the RSS stream.

Keen Sayulita Smart Travel Shoes

Shoes are always the big obstacle when you're trying to pack light, especially for men. While we're content to make due with less, there's no equivalent to "little black flats" in the male shoe wardrobe and we can't get away with flimsy little sandals when going out to a nice restaurant. So the challenge is to find a pair of travel shoes that look decent enough for a variety of situations, as in any situation that doesn't require hiking boots or dress shoes.

This pair of Sayulita shoes from Keen I've been trying out do the trick quite well. They're light, they're comfortable for walking around a city, and they look good with jeans or khakis. The top is suede and the bottom is reasonably environmentally friendly: recycled polyurithene and renewable cork.

Yes, cork is going to compress over time, but in this case that's a good thing. The base of the shoe ends up conforming to your foot so you get more support than you would expect in such a lightweight, flexible shoe. (The shipping weight for the two of them together is 10 ounces.) I put about five miles of walking on them over four days and they're conforming to my feet like a glove.

The Keen Sayulita shoes come in two colors (brown or gray) and two styles: lace and slip-on. The slip-on version make breezing through the airport easy too.

You can buy them at most online retailers specializing in shoes or travel gear. But check out the Keen Footwear website for a whole range of shoes that are ideal for travelers: toed sandals suitable for rafting or kayaking, the Market Street and Blvd. lines of casual shoes for strolling around town, and the Trailhead line---which includes the great Shellrock hiking boots I reviewed after trekking through Peru. And yes, there are female versions too, because you can't just travel with flats and thin sandals.

Get yours:

Direct from Keen.

KEEN Sayulita Lace Shoe at Backcountry.com


Keen Sayulita at Amazon

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

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

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.

Classy Money Belt and Money Sock

It's important to keep your cash tucked away when you travel. You should assume that there is always someone around wanting to separate you from your money. After all, people even get pickpocketed in the Vatican on a regular basis.

Many money belts and pouches out there are suited better to backpackers and adventure travelers though than to someone trying to do business abroad. I take the Eagle Creek All Terrain money belt I reviewed earlier with me on almost every trip and like it, but it requires dressing down, not up.

The leather belt from the National Geographic Store pictured here is a different story. You'll have to cough up $48 for it (click the picture to check it out), but it'll work with a pair of dress pants or a pair of jeans equally well. Magellan's sells a similar leather money belt for around $30, with both coming in black or brown and a range of sizes. The descriptions say you can stuff $1,500 in one of these, but I'm not sure why anyone would need to carry that much cash around and if you only put in one layer of bills they hold 5 hundreds.


I also like these money socks because it takes the old idea of hiding money in your shoe and makes it simpler and cleaner. You have to buy these in sets of three for $30, and they're really nothing special in terms of the socks themselves, but an extra layer of protection. There's a zippered pouch at the top of the sock and it's big enough to hold your credit card(s) as well. Alas, you'd better have normal feet: one size fits all. These also require being in a place where you're going to wear pants all the time, so no dresses/flats or shorts and flip-flops.

Organic Merino Wool Socks from Teko

I was just in chilly Iceland, where the weather seems to change every five minutes. My feet stayed toasty though in a new pair of merino wool socks from Teko.

The wool came from Argentine sheep, not Icelandic ones, but no matter. The key thing about these socks is that while they're high-performance and warm, this year's line is organic.

So what does that mean when we're talking about sheared sheep? Well, apparently the wool is from 20 farms in Argentina, ones which have been farming wool organically for years and have gotten all the right certifications. No pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides used on the farms, plus the sheep are grazed on large pastures with no motorized vehicles are utilized.

The bucolic image is shattered when you think about all the petroleum then needed to get these socks from South America to North America and out to the stores, but hey, most of us don't have a sheep farm and a sock maker in our town. Be advised though that to make these performance socks and not something your grandma would make, they're far from "all natural." For most versions, around 80 percent is wool and the rest is the product of man's ingenuity: lycra, polyester, and nylon.

Teko tries to use recycled materials though, plus the Boulder-based company buys wind energy credits to offset their electricity use. The key thing is, these work as well and feel as nice as any socks processed with less care and concern, so why not?

The Teko line of merino wool socks comes in several styles, colors, and heights for men and women. You can get them at local gear stores, Campmor, Zappos, or at the links below.


Teko EcoMerino Wool Light Hiking Socks at REI


Search the whole Teko line at Backcountry.com

Travel Gear Rewind

On this travel gear blog I usually review an item after a few days or a week of use and move on. But sometimes the positive impression is reinforced after I use something on several subsequent trips and give it more of a workout. In the past I've done some capsule mentions of things I use regularly, but here's a rewind look at some other items that have stood up well after the original review.

Targus Convertible Laptop Bag and Backpack
I still prefer a regular backpack style of laptop bag over this style because you can stuff a lot more in it and it's easier to get the laptop in and out at security without unhitching a clasp and moving a flap. When you're going into business meetings though, a backpack doesn't give a great impression. So I'll switch to this convertible Targus bag when I've got to go gladhanding for some reason. I can wear it over my shoulder like a messenger bag or carry it with the handle on top. But then when I'm strolling around the city, I can unzip the back panel, pull out another set of straps, and use it as a backpack. This thing is very well constructed, with some of the strongest-feeling hardware and zippers I've encountered.

Sennheiser Noise Canceling Headphones
I just flew across the Atlantic and back this past week and it was nice to hear Sigur Ros in full symphonic glory on my way to Iceland---without all the airplane engine noise as an intrusive extra instrument. I don't take these if the flight is short or space really tight in the carry-on; I usually take the Comply passive noise cancellation ones then instead. But when I'm in the air for four hours at a time or more, these can put me in my own little world (even in a cramped coach seat.) On my flight home the guy beside me was carrying the big Bose versions. His took up twice as much space and didn't sound any better---we did a swap, tried each others', and called it a wash.

Merrell Hiking Boots
I bought a version similar to these Merrell Outland Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots back before I even started reviewing gear for this blog, which is kind of the point of bringing them up. Years later they still do the job and have not popped a seam anywhere. On a rainy hike I noticed that they've lost some of their original waterproof tendencies, but that's easy enough to remedy with a little Nikwax waterproofing solution. Two other people in my group--both travel writers---were also raving about their Merrill boots, so that's three for three with active travelers who don't just leave them sitting in a closet. I also like these because they are sized wider than many competing models, so there is room for some thick socks. When these hiking boots finally go to their graveyard, I'm getting another pair of Merrells to take their place.

Tati Yes Watch
This quality watch has the ability to set "home" and "away" time zones, which is cool, but the main differentiator (besides the look) is the sun and moon cycles displayed constantly around the rim. If I want to go out and shoot photos in optimal light, this allows me to plan ahead, always knowing when sunset and sunset are. This can also be useful for everything from scheduling golf or tennis game around your work schedule to figuring out how late you can party in the Arctic daylight in August.

Gordini Lavawool Hiking Socks

Last weekend I spent a couple blissful hours in the great outdoors. It's spring hiking time again--yay! Though my feet are pasty white and soft from being cold and in shoes or slippers much of the past few months, they are feeling fine thanks to some Lavawool socks I was trying out from Gordini.

It is painful for most of us to lay out $15 to $20 for a pair of socks. It's especially hard when you see plain old cotton ones selling for a buck. But hey, your feet get far more pressure than the parts of your body covered by a fancy t-shirt or shorts, so it can pay off to equip them well. Quality socks do keep your feet in blister-free shape when you're subjecting them to punishment and the good socks outlast the cheapies, staying in working order for years if you treat them right. (A few pairs I bought for hiking the Inca Trail three years ago are still going strong.)

So what's special about these?

The official line is that these merino wool socks give you "the warmth and benefit of wool, but with the comfort of fleece. " The truth is they do feel quite good, with no wool scratchiness to deal with. Plus they're cushioned where they need to be and aren't where they don't need to be. So you don't have bulky socks bunching up in your shoes. They've got the wicking thing down too and in my short test they kept things dry and odor-free. Definitely going in the pack for my next trip.

There's a bit of synthetic material in the mix here though to make them stretchy and durable, so don't go thinking you're going to get an extra helping of eco-cred. (The socks say "Made in the USA," but the wasteful cardboard and metal packaging the retailers insist on for hanging is made in China.)

These midweight hiking socks are part of a whole big line of socks that cover the gamut from ultralight to heavyweight hiking socks, two versions of running socks, and ski/snowboard socks. Most come in six colors and four sizes. Go to the Gordini sock section to see the whole shebang, but you'll pay $8.90 of shipping even if you only buy one pair. So you might want to get your Lavawool socks at a physical store or combined with another order here:

REI Footwear

Comfy Puppies for Your Feet

The big travel gear issue for most people when packing is shoes. They take up a lot of room. Some of them are heavy. If you're working, sightseeing, going out at night, and visiting the gym too, how do you pack for that?

I've reviewed a few items that help now and then, like lightweight sandals and light multi-sneakers, but there's always some kind of trade-off you're going to have to deal with. The best method I've found is to do your best to find shoes that can work with multiple outfits and situations. These fashionable Hush Puppies I've tried out over the course of a few travel weeks have fit the bill.

The uppers on this Shift style are made from what the company calls Worry-Free Suede and for the most part it performs as advertised. Water did indeed bead up and roll away and though the dirt showed up pretty easily on my pair of tan ones, a quick brushing got most of it back off. The shoes also have an anti-bacterial lining to keep odors at bay (especially important if you're going to Japan or Korea--where nobody wears shoes inside a house.)

The ladies seemed to love them and they fit like a glove. The glove part can be a bit of a problem if you wear them too much though: they're better for lounging around and padding over to a club or restaurant than they are for pounding the pavement or the cobblestones. They feel more like slippers than a shoe with proper support.

But as a result they squash down to nothing in your pack and don't weigh much at all. Good traveling shoes.

Comfy Casual Beach Shoes from OKA b

When a shoe company's website is www.shoesthatloveyou.com, those puppies better be comfortable. When the little tag attached to said footwear also says, "Love at first step," they had better be really comfortable.

Fortunately, it's not just hype and spin with the line of beach-friendly shoes and sandals from OKA b (short for Okabashi). For the past week I've been wearing a pair of the Cambden ones for men. The female with me, who is genetically wired to have a shoe fetish, has been bopping around the beach house with a pair of Savannahs. The verdict? "They're fabulous," she says. They look good and feel good.

I say they're comfy and they go on and off quickly, so mission accomplished. Granted they don't have a beer bottle opener like my Reef ones, but hey, fashionable people frown upon such utilitarian genius. These go over the foot rather than requiring a toe wedgie though, so points for that. Like Japanese onsen shoes but more pliable. You can even put them on the top shelf of the dishwasher to get them clean!

The big differentiating features of the Oka b line are raised arch supports (actually a minus for flat-footed me), non-slip soles, and massage beads where your foot comes in contact with the shoe. They're also impregnated with things to keep them from smelling and clean-up takes no time--there's no fabric. True, they're a long way away from being "green," but they'll last you years, which in itself puts them above most of the glorified flip-flops out there. Plus they're made in the USA; when's the last time you saw that on a pair of shoes?

For the full selection see the shoes that love you website, or look for them at hip shoe stores. The Camden ones I've been wearing retail for $20. The Savannah ones for women retail for $30. Good beach shoes, good price.

Nikwax Sandal Wash Keeps Things Fresh

I'm heading to Mexico in a few days with a fresh pair of sandals in my pack. I didn't buy new ones, I just cleaned up the old ones very well with some Nikwax sandal wash.

Nikwax is known for their line of waterproofing products, which work very well at turning a pair of hiking boots into water-repellent boots. They also make some spray-on waterproofers that work for jackets and the like.

This sandal wash is meant to combat an entirely different problem though: funky footwear. This stuff kills bacteria, deodorizes, and gets rid of everything that's been stuck to your sandals after months in the outdoors. In my tests it was easy to use (there's a sponge applicator brush) and delivered as promised. One $7 package should last you for years. Besides the obvious use on sandals, you could also use this for Crocs and other rubber or plastic footwear.

Get yours at REI, Backcountry.com, or Sierra Trading Post.

What Did Those Crocs Cost You?

We may live in a globalized economy, but prices for travel gear - or anything else - are certainly not uniform around the world. (Good thing, cause otherwise my World's Cheapest Destinations book would cease to exist.

Every once in a while the Wall Street Journal runs a column called Arbitrage where they look at retail prices around the world for various items. Last week it was a pair of Kids Cayman Crocs shoes, bright yellow. After prices were converted to U.S. dollars from the local currency, here is how much they were in various spots.

Tokyo - $24.46
Shanghai - $26.29
New York - $29.33
Manila - $32.75
Sydney - $36.17
Bangkok - $41.32
Seoul - $42.47
Frankfurt - $41.27
London - $41.93
Paris - $48.22

Several interesting ironies here. The Crocs are not cheapest in the place where the company is based (U.S.) or where they are made (China). Instead they're the cheapest in a country known for being god-awful expensive: Japan. Although they are certainly not fashionable, they are most expensive in the city of fashion: Paris.

Pick Some Good Traveling Shoes

A lot of people have no problem picking out a backpack, then filling it with the right clothes and travel gear. Then they get to the shoe decisions and have a panic attack. You can't stuff six pairs of shoes in a pack for a long journey where you're carrying everything around yourself. But there are so many situations to prepare for!

One-trick ponies aren't going to cut it: you need shoes that perform well under a variety of conditions. I've been trying out a pair of Tecnica Escape OXT shoes and I wish I'd had a pair of these babies when I was doing year-long jaunts around the world. They're very light, like a sneaker or trainer, so they won't weight you down in the pack or on your feet. But they feel sturdy and supportive, partly because there's a nylon cord system that runs from the laces through the midsole.

They look slightly pleather-ish, but that's because they are...waterproof! So if you're sloshing through Bombay during rainy season or hiking up a muddy path through the Andes, your feet won't be soaking wet after step one. Through the wonders of technology they're breathable though, so you won't drive everyone out of the guesthouse when you take them off at night. They perform like a sneaker too, so you could use these for walking, running, or a spin on the treadmill.

The Tecnica Escape OXT comes in men's and women's versions and lists for $85. Find them at your local travel gear store, or go directly to TecnicaUSA.com.

Flip-flops with a Bottle Opener - Sweeeettt

I don't get a whole lot of things in the mail that I get really excited about, but when my new set of Fanning Reef Sandals arrived in a box the other day, I was downright giddy. It may be winter outside, but I shed my socks and slipped into my new flip-flops, comfy and complete with a bottle opener on the bottom. I'm ready to go out and buy a six-pack just so I can try them out. Talk about a double-duty item!

Ever since I went to a party this past summer and saw a guy nonchalantly open his beer bottle on the bottom of his sandal, I've been wanting a pair of these. So last week when Backcountry.com's Steep and Cheap site had some on sale for less than $20, I pounced. In two weeks I'm going to be at a beach in Mexico, so I'll give them a good workout. And will be making other people eye my green flip-flops while getting green with envy.

The cheeky tag that came with them has an illustrated demo in four steps. A man takes off his sandal, pops open a beer, drinks it, and then saunters off with a babe on his arm. A note at the bottom says, "We can only guarantee steps #1-3."


Reef Fanning Supreme Sandal at Backcountry

Reef Leather Fanning Sandal with Bottle Opener at RockCreek.com