I don’t mean to brag, but I am a fantastic packer. I can pack 10 days worth of clothes into a small suitcase that could pass for carry-on (very important these days, what with baggage fees being so outrageous). As amazing a packer as I am, even I sometimes fall victim to the perils of overpacking. The funny thing is, I tend to overpack when I’m just staying for the weekend versus a long trip. I don’t know what it is, but the shorter the trip the more likely I am to jam 17 shirts into my bag before debating whether to bring my entire movie collection.
I feel the worst overpacking happens when going to the beach because you actually might need all of the things you’ve packed. Sunscreen? Necessary. Sunglasses? Necessary. Book? Necessary. Music? Necessary. Towel? Ultra necessary. Too bad that your towel takes up the most space or else you’d totally be able to get by with just one small beach bag, right? The Pocket Towel (Latest Buy, $22.95) makes packing for the beach easy with a magical towel that is small enough to fit in your pocket. Inside its handy little pouch is a nearly full-size bath towel made of ultrafine microfibre that can absorb three times its weight in water! You could probably fit at least two dozen of these super absorbent pocket towels into the same space as a regular beach towel. Plus, instead of putting a soggy towel back into your bag just so it can soak everything else inside, you can simply fold it and put it back in its storage pouch.
A towel like this might also be helpful when you find yourself caught in a torrential downpour (like the ones we’ve been experiencing lately) without an umbrella or poncho.
4 out 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 3.5″ x 3.5″ x 2.2″ (folded); 48″ x 24″ (unfolded)
-Weight: 3.9oz
-Full size towel in convenient travel form
-Absorbs 3 times its weight in water
-Neoprene storage pouch included
-Available in blue, green, or red
-Made of ultrafine woven microfibre
Do you have a dog? I don’t, at least I haven’t had one for quite a few years. Pets can be a lot of fun, dogs in particular because they’re so lovable in an incredibly interactive kind of ways that cats are not. The downside to owning a dog is the cleanup. Sure, with cats you have to deal with a litterbox which isn’t any picnic either, but with dogs you actually have to stand around waiting for them to poop so you can pick it up. It’s just a touch humbling, isn’t it?
Unless you’re one of those law-breaking jerks who doesn’t pick up after your dog, you probably make sure you have a nice stash of plastic bags before you and your dog take a stroll around the block. What if, instead of slowing killing the environment with your ever-abundant plastic bag stockpile, you used a biodegradable bag like the Flushable Doodie Bags (ThinkGeek, $8.99) to pick up your dog’s business? These bags are made strong enough to withstand a stroll with your pup, yet fragile enough to dissolve in water. Safe for most septic and sewer systems, you can flush your dog’s fecal matter in the toilet – bag and all! The bags themselves are made of Polyvinyl Alcohol film that melts away when flushed, so they’re as safe to flush as wet wipes. If you’re not cool with flushing your dog’s deposits every time they go for a walk, these bags will also dissipate quickly in landfills (much faster than a standard plastic bag).
These bags probably won’t help you feel less ridiculous picking up your dog’s doodie, but at least you know you’ll be helping the environment. Isn’t that all that matters?
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Biodegradable dog doo bags
-Includes 3 pocket sized packs of 20 bags each (60 bags total)
-Bags dissolve in water
-Safe for most septic and sewer systems
-Works even with low flow toilets and older plumbing
-Bags also dissolve quickly in landfills
I recently went camping again after at least a decade long absence and let me tell you, it was a bit of a culture shock. As much as you might think you’re prepared for spending an extended period of time being one with the outdoors, let me assure you that you have grossly underestimated Mother Nature. She is a fickle creature, one minute creating a sweltering hot summer day and the next drenching you with nonstop rain. If you’re going camping, you’d better arm yourself to the teeth.
The Wearable Tent (Hammacher Schlemmer, $249.95) is the epitome of skillful camping because you’re basically wearing your sleeping arrangements. There’s no need to waste time setting up your tent for later because you can just pull the shelter over your head to form a wedge that protects you from the elements when you’re ready to call it a night. A sleeping bag pulls down from the jacket and features a mosquito net to deter hungry insects. Each of these features is stowed in separate zippered pouches within the waterproof jacket, making it easy to access them at a moment’s notice. Now, I’m not saying that you’ll be able to withstand a snowstorm or anything on that participatory level, but this three-season shelter is high on the list of essentials.
You know what else you don’t want to forget on a camping trip? A can opener. Do you have any idea how hard it is to bash a can of beans open without one? I’ll tell you, it’s pretty hard.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Weight: 3.5 lbs
-Jacket converts to wearable sleeping bag and shelter
-Sleeping bag and shelter stowed in separate zippered pouches within jacket
-Three season sleeping bag and shelter
-Attached mosquito net
-Zippered underarm vents
-Integrated hood and collar
-Storm flaps over pockets and zippers
-Available in small, medium, large, and extra large
-Waterproof
If your dad is anything like mine, he spends most of his free time tinkering on outside projects. Whether it’s tending to a rose garden or building a brand new koi pond filtration system, it’s a fair bet that your dad is the outdoorsy type. The biggest problem with spending most of your time outdoors is the unpredictable weather that threatens to ruin tools, iPods, and precious blueprints.
I can’t help you with the first two, but if your dad wants to make sure his notes are intact then he should check out the Rite in the Rain (Firebox, £7.99 – £17.99) notebooks. Using 100% recyclable paper, these notebooks are chock full of all-weather writing paper. What that means is that your dad can scribble away and not have to worry about the pages getting wet and ruined. All he needs is a traditional pencil (or a fancy all-weather pen) to write his notes with and he’s all set. Available in either journal or field formats, each notebook is outfitted with a Polydura cover. The main difference between the two formats is that the journal has 64 basic ruled pages while the field notebook’s 160 pages are in a graphing format.
I guess there notebooks would be good for shower notations, too.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-All weather writing paper
-100% recyclable paper
-Use traditional pencil or all weather pen
-Available in Journal or Field
Journal:
-Dimensions: 4 7/8″ x 7″
-Side wire spiral binding
-Polydura yellow cover
-64 pages (32 sheets)
Field:
-Dimensions: 4 3/4″ x 7 1/2″
-Sewn binding
-Heavy Polydura yellow cover
-160 pages (80 sheets)
I’m pretty sure I have the tiniest bladder in the world. I must get up to go to the bathroom at least four or five times a night. The worst thing about getting up in the middle of the night, besides being ripped from your sleep and cozy bed, is that you have to stagger to the bathroom in complete darkness. Some people are lucky enough to have a bathroom right inside their bedroom, but even that won’t keep you from stubbing your toe or, worse yet, failing to notice a lifted toilet seat.
Who needs to turn on a light when you have the Glow in the Dark Loo Roll (Firebox, £4.12)? You can pee in obscurity by the glow of the toilet paper roll because it uses energy from a sufficient light source during the day to power itself at night. Now, I’m not saying it’ll be like you have a couple of floodlights in your bathroom, but it should be enough to make out the toilet bowl and any other immediate obstacles.
Great Scott!
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 9cm diameter
-Glows in the dark
-No batteries required
-Glows thru contact with sufficient light source during the day
-Illuminates immediate area only
