Recently a representative for Speck (maker of durable cases for a number of digital devices) reached out to me. With intriguing videos of phones being dropped from odd and often high places (see the 2000 foot drop video below) I accepted their offer to send me two samples, one of which we are giving away here (see below). The Review We set aside one case for testing - building the courage to drop our iPhone on the hard rug (while enclosed in … [Read more...]
TravelWise 3-piece Packing Cube Set
Have you been throwing things in bags all your life when packing? Loosely throwing items into a suitcase or a backpack? Enter "packing by organization" - the TravelWise 3-piece Packing Cube Set. This set is great for organizing your items based on size. It comes in five colors and includes three lightweight pieces. Each piece comes with a double pull zipper and breathable mesh inserts. Great for toiletries, medical needs or simply use … [Read more...]
Alegria Mens Shoe Collection
Alegria Shoes (Updated May 2013) Alegria has historically been recognized for their women's shoes but earlier this year they released a new Men's Collection for 2013 - featuring shoes for both professionals as well as casual footwear. These shoes are fashionable yet highly durable - they are certainly built to last. The sole is both cork, latex and memory foam and provides excellent comfort. Great with jeans. In our case, great for … [Read more...]
Bluffworks Travel & Work Pants
Pants, Bluff Works (Reviewed February 2013) Recently we were approached by an independent clothing company, Bluff Works, which boasted versatile pants that look good in an office yet hold up to the rigors of outdoor activities. These pants were the brainchild of founder Stefan Loble who wanted a solution to the constant ironing and washing of his work clothes. These sharp looking *wrinkle free* pants are ideal for the urban stylist - looking … [Read more...]
Sprout Eco Friendly Watch
Sprout Watch (Reviewed January 2013) Affordable and Eco-friendly do not always match up in the same sentence - but they do when referring to Sprout watches. Sprout brings watchmaking into the current century for the environmentally conscious generation - their watches are biodegradable. The adventure watch we tested is contained in a case made of corn resin, the material behind the dial is natural bamboo, the strap is organic cotton and the … [Read more...]
Parrot Learning Digital Audio Pen Reader
Parrot Learning Digital Audio Pen Reader (Reviewed: Oct 2012) Who would have thought a talking pen could help make learning a language easier! Introducing the "Chinese Talking Travel Guidebook" from Parrot Learning. We have taken a number of trips to either Hong Kong or mainland China and in advance of another trip to the mainland - we've been using this guidebook in anticipation of our trip. Chinese, like other Asian languages is a tonal … [Read more...]
Power Bar 4200
Power Bar 4200 (Reviewed: Sep 2012) is the latest product by by FatCatGear - this tiny battery pack uses the latest in ultra-thin lithium polymer technology. It is small but it packs a punch as far as battery life - advertised as typically more than twice the charge of a normal smart phone battery. This we had to test out - the battery life on our iPhone is less than desirable. We drained our iPhone to below the 10% warning - charged and … [Read more...]
Olympus Tough TG1 Camera
Olympus Tough TG1 Camera - A Dave's Featured Travel Product for 2012 (Reviewed: July 2012) We recently purchased the Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS to take on an upcoming International trip; we played around with it a day prior to leaving. It's images makes the mundane look magical. With twelve creative settings ranging from "miniature" to "dramatic" we were quickly able to turn our garden into an ethereal "world", akin to something out of Lord of the … [Read more...]
Rick Steves Rolling Backpack
Rick Steves Rolling Backpack (Reviewed: Jul 2012) Leave it to Rick Steves to combine the simplicity of backpack with the convenience of a roll a board. Roll the "Rolling Backpack" around for ease at the airport or at your hotel but shoulder it in situations where its better on your back then on the ground (crowds, nasty sidewalks etc). After sitting around for a month or two we were itching to put this to the road test. A trip to Thailand, Japan … [Read more...]
P^Cubed Pants
P^Cubed - A Dave's Featured Travel Product for 2012 (Reviewed: April 2012) was developed as a Pick-Pocket proof solution to give travelers peace of mind when traveling and remove the need for money belts. These heavy-duty pants allow travelers to select the level of security based on their surroundings. Nice! For example front pocket guards are retractable, rear pockets have anti-theft zippers and cut resistant fabric and behind the left rear … [Read more...]