Video of the Day – Cloud surfing over Australia

by Stephen Greenwood on


If you’ve taken a ride in a commercial airplane and longed to get even closer to the clouds, then microlight aviation may be the hobby you’ve been dreaming of. In this gorgeous Video of the Day, photographer Sascha Unger was able to capture some rare cloud formations nearly 10,000 feet above Western Australia’s well-reputed Ningaloo Reef.

With the help of a friend that runs a microlight flight school, Unger rode in the back of an Australian-made two person “trike” with an open cockpit and a wing that resembles a hang glider. Shooting with a Canon 5D Mark II, he was able to share what it feels like to cut through cloud formations and get a rare, crisp view of Australia’s largest fringing reef.

Have you flown an ultralight or microlight craft? Did you capture your view? We want to see it! Share it with us in the comments below, or our Flickr Pool and it could be the next Photo / Video of the Day.

EcoSmart Bedbug Killer: A better bedbug repellent

by Pam Mandel on
Let’s face it, bedbugs are disgusting. If you’ve ever had the misfortune of staying in a bedbug ridden hostel, you know of what I speak. I woke up in a hill town guest house covered in red welts, the place was crawling with the little monsters, but there was a certain “back country off the grid isn’t this picturesque” aspect to my newly textured skin. There’s no way I’d bring that kind of amusement to an overnight stay at an international chain — or any situation — again. Manhattan topped the list for bedbugs, they’re still a big problem.

There are ways to protect yourself from bedbugs — for starters, don’t stay at the hotel that has the “bedbug infested” box checked on the review sites. There’s nasty chemical stuff you can take with you to fumigate your room upon arrival. It’s not very appealing. In addition to the toxic avenger kind of treatments, there’s also a product called EcoSmart Organic Bedbug Repellent. According to the EcoSmart site:

It kills bugs fast and repels for hours without any synthetic toxins or harmful residues.

Reading the instructions on how to stay bedbug free when traveling made me feel a weird combination of paranoid, obsessive, and grossed out. Also from the EcoSmart site:

Upon entering your hotel room, do NOT put your suitcase on the bed or the floor. Bed bugs can and will jump to your suitcase without your knowledge. Instead, set your luggage on the luggage rack and barricade them from entering by spraying repellent around the legs of the luggage carrier and the perimeter of your suitcase.

Look for bed bugs – or signs of them – in the seams of the mattress. Pull back the bedding and look at the mattress. Check the seams (looks like a ribbon or cord around the perimeter of the mattress). Check in and around any buttons or ribbing. You may not be able to see the bed bugs (they’re the size of an apple seed), but you may see reddish spots (blood smears) or brownish spots (bed bug poop).

Seriously? Ick.

You might to have to give up your sunscreen — or something — to make space for it in your carry-on, but EcoSmart does come in a TSA friendly 2.75 ounce spray bottle. The primary ingredients listed are peppermint and rosemary oil, it smells kind of like toothpaste or mouthwash. It’s pleasant enough, not so strong that it’s irritating when you spray it in your sleeping area. I made my lab assistant take a blind nose full too — the verdict? “Is that Tiger Balm?”

As for if it truly works… I can’t say for sure. My test lab is blissfully free of bedbugs.

Gadling gear review: SteriPEN Sidewinder

by Kraig Becker on

SteriPEN is a company that has built its reputation on providing products that ensure hikers, backpackers, and travelers safe drinking water no matter where they go. Their products, including the SteriPEN Traveler, which we reviewed here, use ultraviolet (UV) light to kill off 99.9% of all bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and other harmful elements that can find their way into our water. But most of their purifiers are powered by batteries, which can be difficult to come by when traveling through remote areas, and have a penchant for going dead when you need them the most. The company has found a way around that however, in the form of the Sidewinder, a purification system that is powered by a hand crank, and never requires batteries of any kind.

The first thing you’ll notice when you remove the Sidewinder from its box is that it is large, especially when compared to SteriPEN’s other products. That is due in part to the fact that it comes with a 32 oz (1 liter) BPA-free bottle, but the hand crank system is not especially small either. Prior to beginning the purification process, the bottle is filled with water. and then clicked into position on the Sidewinder itself, with the UV light completely immersed in the water. The entire unit is then flipped over, and you’re all set to begin making clean drinking water.

From there, you simply begin turning the crank to generate the power necessary to illuminate the ultraviolet light, and in theory, 90 seconds later you have water that can be safely consumed. I say in theory because it takes a bit of practice before you get the hang of the process, as you must turn the crank at the proper speed in order to get the UV lights working properly. Fortunately, SteriPEN included a pair of red LED’s on the Sidewinder which illuminate when you’re turning the crank too slowly. When the lights are off, you’re doing just fine, and you’ll know you’re finished when the UV lights turn green as well. It is a simple process, but one that requires some practice before putting the device to use in the field.

Once you get the hang of it, the Sidewinder has the potential to provide plenty of drinking water for an indefinite backpacking trip through just about any part of the world. But just because the water is free from harmful bacteria doesn’t mean that it necessarily tastes any better. SteriPEN has helped to address that issue as well by including a pre-filter to help remove particulates from the water prior to purification. The filter fits on to the top of the bottle and is a much appreciated addition to the package and further indicates that SteriPEN has a good understanding of their customers needs.

While the Sidewinder is a well designed and built products, it does come with a few caveats for anyone considering it for their next adventure. For starters, as I mentioned above, it is quite large, which makes it a less than ideal option for those looking to travel light. I personally found it a bit too bulky for my pack, much preferring the smaller Journey LCD, which I carried with me through Nepal last year. It also requires a good deal of physical work to actually purify the water, asking its user to turn the crank for 90 seconds, at a rather brisk pace, for each liter of water cleaned. Considering you’ll need several liters of water per day, possibly more depending on your destination, you may end up getting quite a workout while you’re on the go.

So just how good are the SteriPEN purification systems? In my personal use of their devices, I have yet to contract any kind of water borne illness or suffer any ill effects, even while traveling through locations where several of my companions fell victim to a variety of maladies. The UV light seems to work as advertised, although it is impossible to prove a negative, and perhaps I’ve simply been fortunate. I highly doubt that however, and a SteriPEN purifier of some type will be mandatory gear for all future travels to remote areas across the globe.

Which SteriPEN I take with me is a bit open for discussion however. While I appreciate the eco-friendly nature of the battery-free Sidewinder, its larger size poses a bit of a problem when lugging it around on longer treks. But if you’re going to be camped in one place for an extended period of time, it is a fantastic option for sure. For those requiring a more compact and lighter weight purification system, I’d give the nod to the aforementioned Journey LCD or Traveler however. Either way, you can bet you’ll have safe drinking water no matter which device you use.

The Sidewinder comes with a $99.95 MSRP, which is more expensive than iodine tablets or other similar purification options. But on the other hand, SteriPEN’s approach is also much more reliable and safe as well. Having used both options, I’ll stick with the UV solution for my future water purification needs.

GPS devices on flights? Maybe

by Chris Owen on
Is it even possible to use a GPS device on a commercial aircraft? That’s the question being asked by many who would just like to see where they are from time to time, on a device they are familiar with.

“Of the 10 airlines who responded to my query, only two (Delta and Southwest Airlines) gave an outright yes about GPS devices being allowed during flights. Three (Continental, JetBlue and United) said it’s at the discretion of the pilot. The other five said no, but then added that the pilot may permit use. Those five include Alaska and American” says Ann Tatko-Peterson of the
Contra Costa Times.

So it might be worth a try, but will it even work? Most sources say yes which is good news for travelers who may have tried iPhone apps that vary by quality from good as in FlightTrackPro to bad for WindowSeat.

“It might be okay, depending on several factors. Remember, at all times you must obey crew member instructions. On some airlines it is in their policies to not allow GPS receivers to be used while onboard the aircraft. On other airlines there might not be a policy against it, in which case it is up to the crew. If they tell you not to use it, you don’t use it, end of story” says GPSreview.net adding “Additionally, some GPS devices carry transmitters of some sort such as the Rino series from Garmin as well as Bluetooth GPS receivers. Since transmitter devices are not allowed on commercial flight this will also ground those types of GPS receivers from being used. In the end it is rare for all of the stars to align properly to allow the use of GPS onboard a commercial aircraft and I imagine it will only become more difficult with today’s security threats.”

Gadling has covered GPS gear for quite some time and noted the limitations of the technology before.

Our Kraig Becker found out “Despite some of these drawbacks to the use of a hand held GPS, they can be quite a powerful addition to anyone’s mandatory gear list. They are an excellent navigational tool, as long as the person using it is familiar with both the strengths and limitations of such a device. Finding our way in the backcountry has never been so easy, and we’re definitely safer than ever while on the trail.

Flickr photo by alvxyz

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Road testing men’s outfitter The Trunk Club

by Grant Martin on

The first time that John Flowerton came into my life was during a dinner party at my flat in Chicago. An underweight, lanky man non unlike myself, John is one of the smartest people that I know — a trader by vocation and a man fiercely dedicated to his work — so much that he rarely spends time worrying over what he wears or why he wears it. His parter, Alina, just deposits clothing in his wardrobe and the pieces that he likes end up on his shoulders.

For people like John, the Trunk Club, a new service created by the founder of Bonobos might be the perfect match. The Trunk Club works like a remote personal shopper. The client first interfaces with a real-life style consultant, whether on the phone, Skype or over email to detail his style and fit. A series of customized outfits is then sent over in a “trunk,” and the client can keep (and purchase) whatever components that he sees fit. He then applies the included return label to the package and everything else is returned free of charge.

Based in Chicago, the Trunk Club is employs a dozen or so style consultants just northwest of the Loop in a lofty, artistic part of town. When Gadling Labs stopped by the space earlier this year, the office was still humming at 7PM, with young consultants eagerly helping clients over the phone and racing through rows of clothing, darting between fabrics and piecing together customized trunks.

Their head style consultant, Mike Barkin sat me down for a discussion on fit. What shirts usually fit the best? How tight did I like my jeans? What colors did I usually wear? Everything went into his table, a host of data collected from which future clothing styles would feed.

Some of the clients ask for specific wardrobes – a wedding in Florida where slacks and a pink shirt would be appropriate, or a meeting in New York where a blazer and jeans might work as well. Others leave the door open. They might like to layer and need outfits for the lake house, for example, or maybe need to impress a date on a night out on the town. Each style consultant takes time to weigh the target fit and style options against the chosen itinerary and put together a few suitable outfits.

And they don’t always work either – occasionally a shirt won’t fit right or jeans will be too large or small. That’s why the consultants encourage you to feed back to the mother ship as soon as the trunk is received. Honing the Trunk Club database on what brands and what sizes work best for one’s fit and style is part of the process, and as the third or fourth trunk is received, most outfits should look like they came straight out of the client’s home closet.

Where the service is particularly useful is for quick turn travelers. One can leave the office with a toothbrush and extra pair of boxers and have trunks meet them on waypoints throughout a week of destinations. Alternatively, cold weather clothing can meet the businessman in one corner of the country early in the week while warm weather gear could round out the trip in the California at week’s end.

Gadling Labs gave that very program a trial last month at the Trump SoHo in New York City. Four days prior to departure, a quick phone call to Mr. Barkin laid out the plan for our weekend trip, what sort of outfits might work and the location of our hotel. On arrival, a bell hop brought up the trunk, a 2′ x 2′ x 18″ cardboard crate with the Trunk Club elephant logo emblazoned on the front. Inside, three custom outfits with jeans, slacks, corduroys, oxfords and sweaters were laid out, some collated to show the obvious overlap and others left separate for creative use. The Jeremy Argyle button down shirts? A refreshingly good fit. The Ben Sherman sweaters? A bit too short. Bonobo slacks? Really great pants, but a bit out of our price range. We ended up sticking with a red and blue Jeremy Argyle shirt, tucking the rest of the clothing back into the trunk and moving on with the weekend. At checkout, we dropped the package off at Trump SoHo’s reception and they took care of the rest.

And that’s how the Trunk Club is supposed to work. It’s low maintenance – you make a phone call, direct your consultant and give them a destination. The product shows up quietly, has your gear laid out and makes it easy to pick out your wardrobe. Five minutes later it’s buttoned back up and headed towards the front desk while you’ve got something unique to wear for the next few days.

The only considerations? The Trunk Club’s shopping profile and their respective partners fit into a fairly specific price and style range. Shirts in the Gadling Labs trunk ranged from $70 to just under $200, while pants were as high as $150. They also don’t necessarily go on sale – the consumer is pinned to the shelf-price for the product which can add up pretty quickly.

But these considerations are the worries of a person tightly dedicated to frugality and highly selective of his wardrobe – and that’s not necessarily the demographic that perfectly matches up with the Trunk Club clientele. For me? I’m too picky about what I wear and its heritage to let someone do my shopping. But John Flowerton’s life may never be the same.