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.

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.

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.

Vibrating Alarm Watches from Vibe

If you don't want to carry an alarm clock in your travels a watch with a built-in alarm can be useful. For some heavy sleepers though, that wimpy little beep isn't going to help them catch the 6 a.m. train to Budapest. This VibraLite 8 watch I've been trying out has the wimpy beep, but it gives you the option of something more novel: a vibrating watch that buzzes your arm.

While our brains may be conditioned to ignoring minor noises when we're in a deep sleep (especially if our arm is buried under the pillow), it's hard to sleep through the feeling of someone putting electrodes next to your skin and shocking you. No, that's not what this does---it is really like a small vibrating cell phone stuck onto your arm---but it's a strange sensation. Either you'll wake up and start getting ready or you'll keep dozing and have dreams about being prodded and tested in an asylum. There's a built-in light too, so you can check the time in the dark while you're groggy.

As always seems to be the case with these watches that come with pages of tiny type instructions for functions you will never use, it takes some time and effort to get everything set up. On my third try I finally got the alarm to work. Apparently setting it isn't enough: you then have to go to a separate function mode and switch the sound from off to on. Or go to an entirely different one to turn on the buzzer. If you are the type that salivates over being able to run your whole life with a wristwatch though, you can use this to remind yourself of appointments, time a race, set multiple alarms, keep track of two time zones, and count down to a specific event.

The main reason I'm not too bummed about sending this review copy back, however, is that for something I learned about from a site called SeekingDesigners, most of the watches in the Vibe line are far from stylish. It's hard to make a digital display watch look great, but it can be done, just ask Swatch or Tati. The one I tested (pictured at the top) is a little heavier than a cheapo digital watch from a kiosk at the mall, but does the vibrator make this mostly plastic watch worth $70? If you like the concept but are looking for something more attractive, check their whole line at the company website.

Get it at Amazon

Timex Rugged Field Expedition Watch

Looking for a rugged watch that can take most of what you throw at it, but one that still looks nice enough to wear with a dress shirt? This
Timex Expedition Rugged Field Watch nicely straddles the line between an adventure travel timepiece and something you could wear out at night.

I always seem to have a half-dozen watches on my dresser (half of them needing new batteries usually), but I don't really wear them all that much. With a cell phone always in the pocket and a clock in the car, a watch doesn't seem as necessary as it used to be.

When I travel, however, I always wear a watch. First of all, time requirements are more rigid. Your significant other may not mind too much if you're twenty minutes late for happy hour. The plane or train schedule is not so forgiving though. Second, traveling with a cell phone abroad is annoying and expensive, so most of the time I don't have the phone on me if I'm out of the country.

The Expedition line from Timex is a great place to start when looking for a travel watch that won't break the bank. This one is at the higher range of the scale ($120 list) but it feels hefty and well-made and has some nice features. It's shock resistant, has a leather strap that is treated to be water resistant, and the watch itself is water resistant to 100 meters. I haven't gone to 100 meters, but I did get it soaking wet and submerged a few times on a canoe trip and it came out fine.

If you're an exercise freak or need to time things for other reasons, there are three chronographs inside the watch face: one for minutes, one for seconds, and one for 1/20 of a second. There's also a large second hand on the main face that only comes on when you want it to and a calendar date window---handy when you've been on vacation and have lost track of the days.

As with most Expedition watches, this one has the cool Indiglo feature that allows you to check the time in the dark at the push of a button.

I've been trying this out for weeks now and have taken it on two trips. It feels great and though the Timex warranty is a skimpy one year, I get the sense that I'll still be using this Rugged Field watch a decade from now whenever I'm going hiking or biking.

Related posts:
Timex Expedition e-Compass Titanium
Tati Yes Watch

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Timex Expedition E-compass Titanium Watch

The Timex Expedition line of watches is a favorite with adventurers and casual travelers alike. They're rugged and comfortable, yet are priced at a level that's affordable to most anyone. You won't get in a fight with a mugger to hold onto your watch and you don't have to worry about being a theft target.

This E-compass Titanium version has been on my wrist the past few weeks--without getting in the way. It has a wide, easy-to-read face, but is slim and attractive, with a black watch face on the inside and metal hands with glow-in-the-dark accents. It has the Indiglo function too, which means you can check the time in complete darkness, whether that's while hiking through the forest or checking how long the damn commercials have been running while you sit in the movie theater.

The defining feature of this particular model is the electronic compass, which is nifty but not something to bet your life on. If you just need to know which general direction is north or south it works fine. The watch instructions come with some rather complicated steps for calibrating it to "true north" but it takes a lot of tweaking. Plus there's a warning not to calibrate it or use it around electronics, so I had to walk out into the middle of my yard to set it up. Still, even without tweaking it should get you out of the woods or tell you if you're walking in the wrong direction in a city, which is enough for most needs. The compass only comes on when you press a button too, so it's not whirling around all day as you walk down the sidewalk.

The "titanium" in the name comes from the bevel part of the case, which is crafted from this very tough metal and seems quite resistant to scratches and bangs. It is also water resistant to 100 meters/300 feet, so you can wear it into the pool or on a rainy hike with no fear of it fogging up. Battery life is estimated at three years. There's also a second hand and a date function, but refreshingly it stops there. You only need to get to know two buttons.

The Timex Expedition E-compass Titanium watch lists for $175, but you can generally find it for sale in the $130 to $150 range. Try here, for example:

Timex T49211dh Expedition E-compass Mens Watch at Buy.com

Tati Yes Watch Keeps You in Sync as You Travel

I have only been home three days in the past month, so I have been trying out the abilities of this TATI version of the Yes Watch as I moved through different latitudes and time zones.

The Yes Watch company marries the wonders of computer chips with the solar and moon cycles we've seen above us since the dawn of man. The new with the old, the unseen with the obvious. Their whole line of watches visually displays the daylight time and the moon cycle time, wherever you happen to be. You click through an alphabetical menu (using two of the four buttons) and pick your home city and away city out of 500+ cities around the world. Then you see when the sun will rise and when it will set, plus the time you will see the moon and what it will look like.

More on that later, but first a bit on this specific model, the "tati." I have the wrists of a musician rather than the wrists of a construction manager or a fat executive, so those huge Swiss chronographs you see splashed all over GQ and Best Life aren't going to look very good on me most of the time. This watch is mounted on a leather strap, so you can tighten it to fit and it doesn't look like you're trying to say, "Hey everybody, look at my watch!" It's attractive in a more subtle way but still has some heft and the feel of fine workmanship. (It even comes in a pretty velvet box.) It's small enough to be unisex, with five strap color choices that switch out easily.

I found myself looking at the sunrise and sunset displays on this watch frequently as I moved through Portland, Seattle, British Columbia, Alberta, and then the east coast of the U.S. Not only was the novelty of it interesting (as in sunset at close to 10 p.m. and sunrise before 5 a.m. in parts of Canada), but it helped me as a parent figure out when I could hope to get my kid in bed and whether we needed to draw the hotel blackout curtains. The moonscape part was interesting too, seeing the cycles and noticing when the moon would be visible during daylight hours.

As with any watch with multiple functions, you need to keep the instruction manual handy. After a while I got the hang of changing cities easily as I moved around the hemisphere and after a while I could light up the display in the dark without hitting the wrong button. I had to look up how to set the alarm each time though. It's not all that loud--better as a backup if you're a heavy sleeper--but there is a snooze function. If you're so inclined, you can also take advantage of any of these functions: 24-hour stopwatch with laptime, a 99 minute timer with alarm, a past and future date time calculator and a 999 day countdown/up.

The tati watch from Yes lists for $395-$445 is programmed through 2099, so unless you were born yesterday it should last a lifetime.

Items for the Fit Traveler

I’m not the kind of guy who puts a lot of thought into exercising each day while traveling, but some people care because it’s their passion. Others care because they’re business travelers who would soon turn into rotund blobs if they didn’t work out while on the road. So here are a few items from fitness company Sportsline that are good for the fit traveler or runner.

The handy ThinQ is billed as “the world’s thinnest pedometer,” so it got my attention as an item that won’t be hard to pack. More like a credit card than the usual pager-type pedometer, it’s only a few millimeters thick. It’s dead easy to use too. You just measure off your strides, set your stride length, and then start walking (or running). You’ll find out if those 5 miles you thought you walked were really 2 and if you’re in training for something, you can accurately check your distance. If you punch a few more keys, it’ll guess how many calories you’ve burned as well. The ThinQ is available at sports and gear stores and lists for $30. It works while stowed in any pocket and there is nothing to strap on.

The $40 Trail Tracker is a simple solution to a common problem while running, biking, or inline skating—staying hydrated. The Trail Tracker buckles around your waist and holds a large (included) water bottle. It has pockets for your keys or money. Sportsline isn’t happy with a low-tech item like this though, so no need to get this and a ThinQ. It has its own pedometer. So if you are the type who likes to hike the Alps or Andes with walking poles in each hand, this item will let you carry your water bottle easily and tell you how far you've walked that day.

The last item we tried out, the Solo 960 Sport Watch, didn’t go over so well, suffering from the ole “feature creep” problem. Like the proverbial Christmas present that takes all afternoon to get working, “the world’s only heart rate watch and accelerometer combination” is a bit too much of a good thing: heart monitor, pedometer, watch, alarm, and chronograph, with multiple functions to choose from for each aspect. If you’re the type that knows how to use one of those scientific calculators with 48 buttons then you might have better luck than I did getting it set up and programmed in under an hour.

I was mostly interested in this because it is a heart monitor without the chest strap, in theory much less annoying. My personal trainer wife says it’ll work best for runners though as it was way too sensitive and button-riddled for anyone riding a bike or doing some kind of gym workout. Note that the monitoring is not always on—you have to press a button each time you want to check your heart rate. To me this seems like no big deal, but to her it was a major letdown.

Pick this up if you’ll mainly use it for long distance training and you’re a computer programmer at heart. List price $100.

How's it Hanging?

When it comes to practical travel gear, this Hangtimer Watch doesn't apply. But it's oddball and quirky enough that I thought somebody reading this might think it's the coolest thing ever.

Here's what it does: you snowboard, skateboard, or go flying off a ramp with your BMX bike and this watch will tell you what your hang time is in the air. As in how long you are up in the air. I'm no physicist and I haven't taken this out for a test, so we'll both have to take it on faith. But I can just imagine that if I were a hard-core snowboarder, this would be at the top of my gift list.

Check out all the options at the Hangtimer site.

Indiglo Watches - A Good Match for Travelers

An article in paper a few weeks ago noted that casual wristwatch sales were down 10 to 15 percent last year. The reason? People carry their cell phone everywhere and the time is always correct, so a watch becomes less important. This is especially true with youngsters, who are starting to see a watch as some anachronism from their parent's generation. "That's all it does--tell time. Can you believe that?!" In a world where an electronic device is expected to multi-task out of the box, this humble little thing seems terribly unambitious.

If you're traveling through developing countries however, riding a bus along a cliff in the Andes, for instance, that cell phone you're carrying might as well be a paperweight in your pocket. If you're out camping in the wild, anything that relies on a signal to give you the time isn't going to work.

If you're a traveler, a watch is still useful. My favorite wrist companion is a Timex Indiglo. I've been through a few now, so I guess I can't say a long life is their strength. However, you can buy one for less than $40, so it's not going to ruin your day if one gives out after a few years.

These things are rugged and they light up at night. That's all they do, but it's a good trick. When you're bumping along on a sleeper train trying to figure out how much time until daybreak, a button lights up the watch face, no fumbling for a light source required. When you're trying to figure out how many minutes of annoying commercials you've sat through at the movie theater, no need to have that cell phone on. The light can even be, well, a light. I've used it to locate a set of keys or a wall light switch.

Search through some Indiglo watches here.