The Gadling gift guide for the lightweight traveler

by Scott Carmichael on

Traveling light is a challenge – I’ll admit that it is the kind of challenge I usually avoid, but with rising luggage costs and more exotic destinations, people are starting to pack as lightly as possible.

In this list, you’ll find a couple of gifts that can reduce your luggage load, and help make your trip more enjoyable.

Of course, every lightweight and “one bag” traveler has different needs, so if you have a great tip for a lightweight travel item, let us know and leave a comment below!

Don’t forget to check out our other gift guides:

Gift guide for the iPod and iPhone
Gift guide for famlily travel and kids
The top ten travel products of 2009

Joey Totes

Earlier this year, I took a look at the Joey Totes – and was really impressed at how convenient they are. Joey Totes are bags made from parachute style nylon, that can fold into themselves, AND each other. End result is a 4 ounce pouch of three super strong waterproof bags. They are perfect for carrying up to 40 lbs in excess stuff, or as a backup if your main luggage abandons you.

Price: $20 for three bags
Product page: Joey Totes

Eagle Creek HC2 Hovercraft Upright 22″

Before you bombard me with complaints about lightweight travelers and rolling luggage – I know that hardcore one-bag lightweight travelers hate rolling bags – but there are still plenty of us that are always on the lookout for the newest piece of luggage that won’t add to your overall weight.

The Eagle Creek HC2 Hovercraft is such a bag. At just three kilos (just over 6 lbs), it is the first ultra-light bag I’ve seen that does not make all kinds of compromises. It has a massive front pocket large enough for a laptop, it expands, it features a side-mounted water bottle pocket, inner compression straps and handles on the top and side. In every possible way, this is a normal rugged rolling suitcase, just a very light one.

To make a great bag even better, the HC 2 Hovercraft comes with a “no matter what” lifetime warranty.

Price: $250
Product page: Eagle Creek HC2 Hovercraft upright

SCOTTEVEST Pack Windbreaker

SCOTTEVEST has long been a personal favorite, and not just because the owner shares my first name. SCOTTEVEST products are the ultimate travel garment, something fellow Gadling Blogger Annie recently discovered.

Imagine a windbreaker with 17 pockets and an interlinked cable routing system. Now imagine that same windbreaker turning into a travel pillow, all by folding it into itself and closing a zipper on the back. With all those pockets, you can indeed turn your jacket into your third carry-on bag, without the airline even noticing.

Price: $75
Product page: SCOTTEVEST Pack Windbreaker

Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with GPS

I’m pretty sure I don’t have to tell any lightweight travelers about the advantages of a netbook. But I’ll explain it anyway – lightweight, decent power and great battery life all make the netbook a travelers best friend. And the Dell Inspiron Mini 10 with GPS adds one more great feature for travelers – GPS. The GPS receiver is an optional extra on the Mini 10, and the option comes complete with a full navigation package. Of course, with a machine equipped with GPS, you can also do other neat tricks, like photo geotagging and Twitter location updates.

The GPS chip inside the Mini 10 is actually a tad smarter than many other receivers, because it takes advantage of WiFi signals in addition to regular GPS satellites. Of course, the

Price: From $299 + $70 option for GPS
Product page: Dell Inspiron Mini 10

Humangear GoToob travel bottles

Back in July we took a closer look at the GoToob lineup of silicone bottles. These things are ideal for the few remaining toiletries you still want to carry, plus they are the right size for the TSA. The larger of the bottles comes with an integrated suction cup, making them ideal for holding shampoo, and sticking to the shower wall.

Price: from $6 each
Product page: Humangear GoToob

Patagonia Men’s Capilene® 2 Crew

I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to travel – for example, I’ll never go anywhere that requires large amounts of thermal underwear. That said, several of my fellow Gadling team members swear by the Patagonia Capilene Baselayer. This is an extremely lightweight garment, but provides excellent insulation and built in odor control.

Price: $40
Product page: Patagonia

Gadling gear review – humangear GoToob

by Scott Carmichael on

Regular readers will know that I’m a sucker for a good gadget. Granted, most of the stuff that grabs my attention is battery operated, and has at least one button.

So, it takes a pretty smart gadget to impress me if it doesn’t beep, buzz or blend.

The humangear GoToob is such a gadget. This little tube is designed to hold your liquids when you are on the road. Sure, the concept may sound really simple, but humangear did an amazing job of such a simple task.

The GoToob bottles are available in 1.08oz and 2oz sizes and are made of silicone rubber. The bottles feature a wide opening, which means you can fill them from a larger bottle, without spilling expensive products all over your sink. Since they use silicone in the bottle, they are BPA free (a big issue nowadays) and they are even FDA approved for food use. When placed in a correct baggie, they are also TSA approved.

The innovation doesn’t end there – each bottle features a special no-drip valve, similar to what you’ll find in some plastic ketchup bottles. The 2oz GoToob even comes with a suction cup integrated in the bottle, which means you can stick it on the shower wall and use it as a shampoo dispenser.

But wait – there is more! The bottles feature a nifty ID window, making it easy to determine whether you picked up the shampoo or the conditioner. The window has markings for shampoo, conditioner, soap, sunscreen, lotion and “…” if you bring something else.

The bottles cost just under $6 for the small and $7 for the medium. As I said – it usually takes a lot to impress me in a gadget, but the GoToob is just too smart to ignore. I used to buy travel size toiletries all the time (Target must love me!) but now I’m going to switch to GoToob’s and simply fill them with “real” products from home.

You’ll find GoToobs at Amazon.com or through one of the retailers listed at humangear.com.