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Posted: March 27, 2018 |
My hope is that after reading today’s post, you’ll never have to check a bag again, either. Continue reading to learn just how easy (and fast!) packing light can be.Here’s another fun fact: I never pack more than a week’s worth of clothing, even when I’m traveling for a month of more. Reason being, I’ve never been anywhere I can’t get my laundry done at least once a week. Clothing tends to take up the most space in luggage, so by limiting the amount of clothes you bring, you greatly decrease the overall size and weight of your baggage.Obviously, the first item will be more or less, depending on what time of year you travel. This week I’ll be heading to Alberta, where autumn is very much setting in, so I’ll be packing a pair of thermal underwear, a hoodie, a couple sweaters and beanies, a rain jacket, SmartWool thermals and a warm jacket, in addition to the clothing I usually bring with me on a trip, which you’ll find explained in greater detail at the bottom of this section. As far as my gadgets are concerned, I bring: My laptop and its charger; my camera body, two spare camera batteries and chargers and, currently, three lenses; my tripod; my iPhone; a pair of earbuds; my electric toothbrush and beard trimmer; a universal power adapter; and a power bank.My typical “week of clothing” consists of the following: 3-4 t-shirts; 3-4 button-down shirts; 1-2 tank tops (sweaters during the cold months); 2-3 bottoms (shorts and jeans during the summer; jeans and chinos the rest of the year); 1 pair of “gym clothes”; 1-2 pairs of sunglasses; and as many pairs of socks and underwear as possible. I utilize a thingamajig called the Hoboroll to keep my clothing organized within my bag.My toiletry kit, for which I purchased some extra 100ml bottles, includes the following: Face wash, exfoliant, lotion and undereye cream (all from Aveda); toothpaste; deodorant; a contact lens case, solution and several pairs of spare contacts; shampoo, conditioner and leave-in conditioner; a comb; lip balm; sunblock; dental floss; and personal lubricant (sorry if that’s TMI!).Many readers assume I travel around the world with one huge backpack but in fact, I travel with two bags: A small backpack (currently this one ) and this “weekender”-sized duffel bag . There are a few seasons for this. First and foremost, both of these bags are considered carry-ons by all but the world’s most terrible airlines. Secondly, in the event that I do need to let one bag out of my sight, it can be the duffel bag, into which I pack my clothing and shoes. Important items, to be sure, but not as essential as the contents of my backpack, where I store my electronics, travel documents, financial instruments, toiletries and medications.One thing readers who take advantage of my Travel Coaching service are eager to know is if I have any items on my packing list they might not think of. You know, the types of things you only realize you need when you’re hundreds of miles from the nearest 7-11. Here’s what I tell them.First and foremost, bring some activated charcoal tablets with you, and take one the moment you start feeling sick to your stomach—this will stop food poisoning in its tracks. Secondly, carry an extra credit card with a totally open credit line and keep it in a hidden part of your bag. Thirdly, bring a photocopy of your passport, in case the original (or your phone, where I recommend you store a digital image of your passport) gets stolen. Finally, bring a pen—I can’t believe how many people forget this one! Packing light is great and all, but if you want to completely eliminate your stress over packing, you also need to learn to pack—and unpack—quickly. The best way to do this, in my experience, is to get in the habit of unpacking every time you’ll be staying somewhere for longer than a night, with the obvious exception of shared hostel dorms.Beyond increasing the speed and precision with which you pack, unpacking every night allows you to air out your clothing (which is essential between laundry days) and also, to take inventory of all your things. You’ll not only be sure you have everything you started out with, but you’ll gain an awareness of things you aren’t using much or at all, which in turn allows you to pack more efficiently for your next trip.When it comes to gift-giving, it’s always the thought that counts. But some people put in more thought than others. So to help prevent your loved ones from turning into re-gifters, we’ve channeled all the tech testing and research we’ve done in the last year to help you find the right gadgets for the right people in your life. As a bonus, all of them cost less than $100, so you’ll save some cash in addition to being considerate. Here are a few things we like.
The on-ear version of the Bose SoundTrue is just a well-rounded pair of mainstream headphones. They sound good, they look good, they aren’t terribly expensive these days, and, more than anything else, they’re fantastically soft and comfy on your head. Everyone could use some good cans, and while there are obviously better options for audiophiles, frequent commuters, and exercise types, the SoundTrue are a great catch-all that anyone can listen to for hours at a time.If you or a loved one is ready to make good on that whole "living healthier" thing, committing to a fitness tracker is an effective way to keep yourself honest. For now, the best of these little tools still belong to Fitbit, and its almost-entry-level Fitbit One is a reliable choice for anyone curious to see if this kind of device is right for them.It tracks the basics — steps, calories burned, distance traveled, stairs climbed, simple sleep metrics — with solid accuracy, its clip-on style means you don’t have to wear a weird black bangle around all day, and its silent alarm is one of those things you’ll wish you started using years ago. Crucially, it also gets you into Fitbit’s handy fitness-tracking apps. It can’t do as much as pricier trackers like the Fitbit Charge HR, but if you’re not going heavy on the training, the One is still plenty useful for a wide swath of people.Whether you’re a road warrior or just really bored all the time, chances are you’ve experienced the panic of having a near-dead smartphone with no outlet nearby. A portable battery makes that panic much harder to come by, and, as we’ve said before, Anker’s new PowerCore packs are consistently reassuring. They’re strong, speedy, and small for their sizes, yet they also manage to be good values for the amount of power they hold.Actually flying them around might get a little more annoying, but fooling around with a good drone is still plenty of fun. The upper echelon of quadcopters push into four figures, but you don’t have to spend a tenth of that if you just want something to play with in the backyard.The best of that bunch is the Blade Nano QX. It’s as tiny as its name suggests, but it’s eminently easy to pick up and fly, and fairly tough to boot. Mess around with it for a few weeks and it won’t be long before you’re capable of taking high-in-the-sky shots with something like a DJI Phantom. Multiplayer is the new black in the gaming world, so if you’re going to spend your free time trash-talking strangers, you might as well be comfortable while doing so. The Kingston HyperX Cloud makes that happen over long sessions, all while being built well and having a clear, expansive sound. It also doesn’t look like it was designed by a Doritos executive. There’s no 7.1 surround sound, and the mic here is just alright, but as PCGamer, IGN, and The Wirecutter concur, the Cloud is pretty clearly the best gaming headset you can find for less than $100.Here’s something nobody’s ever said: "Hey, you know, I just love my cable subscription." People are leaving in droves — or simply never signing up in the first place — opting to cut the cord, save cash, and get by with media streamers instead. If you’re looking to ditch the channel bundles for the new year, too, the best value among these boxes remains the Roku 2.It isn’t the best streamer outright — that’d be the Roku 4 in general, the Apple TV for iTunes users, or the Amazon Fire TV for Prime subscribers — but it’s the smartest purchase for the most people. It’s far more affordable than those top-tier devices, yet it’s still plenty fast, and it’s fitted with a simple, customizable UI that has all the major apps and doesn’t aggressively favor one content provider over another. It gets you where you want without inconvenience, and it doesn’t cost much in the process.
Smartphones and streaming services have made the average music library bigger and more bountiful than ever, but they’ve helped wreck the actual quality of that music in the process. Believe it or not, going back to the old vinyl-and-turntable setup isn’t just a style move — it has legitimate technical benefits, too. If you’re thinking of starting your own collection, the Audio-Technica AT-LP60 is a simple, well-received introduction to the turntable concept. It sounds great, it cleans up nicely, and using it is as easy as plugging in, popping in a record, and hitting start. You really have no choice but to pay up for a higher-end player if you want something more featured and closer to "audiophile" sound quality, but for casual listening, the LP60 will do fine.Still, you’re probably going to go back to streaming from your smartphone or laptop sooner or later. Instead of dealing with the typically terrible speakers on those devices, though, you can make everything sound better with a good Bluetooth speaker. As it stands now, our favorite speaker in the sub-$100 range is the JBL Flip 3. It’s not big, it’s water-resistant, it’s colorful, and its battery lasts a good 10-12 hours per charge. Most importantly, it sounds powerful and smooth, with lively mids and legitimate bass presence. It’ll immediately liven up your next shower or (small) house party.What do you use your tablet for? If it’s just the occasional web browsing or Netflix binge, you may not have to pay more than $50 to get all you need. That’s the going price for Amazon’s new 7-inch Fire tablet, which won’t wow you in any one area, but is consistently capable for very cheap. It’s a tablet for people who know they won’t live on their tablets. If you can wait a few more days, just know that Amazon plans to discount it even further as we approach Black Friday.If you can supply your own monitor, keyboard, and mouse, though, you can get much more than what the Fire provides without breaking the $100 barrier. The inFocus Kangaroo is about the size of a large smartphone, but inside it packs a full-fledged Windows 10 PC.
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