Product review – PowerPax battery organizer

by Scott Carmichael on

In this short review I’m going to introduce a product I came across last week. The PowerPax battery clip organizer does exactly what the name implies; it organizes your batteries.

If you are like me when you travel, you’ll have several gadgets that still require regular (AA, AAA or 9V) cells to operate, and I’ve usually had to carry a small plastic case or Ziploc bag for them.

The PowerPax battery organizer is surprisingly simple, and the version I’m reviewing today (the A9 caddy) holds 4 AAA’s, 4 AA’s and 1 9 volt battery. The batteries are all held in place with small plastic clips, and can be removed by pushing them up out of the caddy.

It’s all very simple, but another of those “why didn’t I think of that” items. At just 6.95 it’s also a real bargain. The A9 caddy is one of 10 different versions available and each caddy comes in several colors, including “glow in the dark”.

The caddy is made of very hard plastic, and there are no rough or sharp edges to be found. The batteries lock in place quite well and the whole thing just feels well made.

Like many convenient travel products, the PowerPax battery caddies were developed by a pilot who was fed up with loose batteries in his cockpit, so he set out to find his own solution. The PowerPax battery organizers all comply with DOT regulations, so they can be carried in your bag onto the plane.

Muji Chronotebook: Right for the Road?

by Mike Barish on

I’ve never been one to plan my trips down to the minute. I’d rather have a list of sites and activities that I want to check out and then figure out the timing of it all once I hit the ground. Schedules and agendas remind me too much of the office. Trips are supposed to help me break out of my cubicle and live my life untethered. But the Muji Chronotebook may be the day planner that changes my mind about how I organize trips.

Rather than being a linear day planner like the old-school Filofax, the Chronotebook lets you plan your day around a small circular “clock” in the middle of the page. The left side is for AM and the right is PM. The circles are large enough that you can recognize what time you are assigning to an activity but small enough to have most of the page left for notes, addresses, comments and other details you want to write down as you are out and about on your travels.

What I like about the Chronotebook is that it can be both a planner and a notebook. I don’t want to carry any more than I need to when I travel, but having a notebook to jot down my thoughts or ideas is key. And with the Chronotebook being a planner first and foremost, it could help you maximize your trip without feeling like you’re being too rigid with your leisure time.

I could definitely see myself in my vrbo apartment at night, planning my next day’s activties in my Chronotebook, adding details such as what trams to take and what market my favorite guidebook recommends and then going to sleep content in the knowledge that the following day in some exotic city is going to be totally rad.*

* It’s my daydream so I get to say “rad.”

[Via psfk]

The Car Entertainment Organizer Keeps Your Stuff Organized

by Willy Volk on

I always begin every road trip with the best intentions: magazines go here, maps go there, the cooler goes in that spot over there. However, after only a few hours — faster, maybe, if we’re traveling with our dog — the car’s a mess, and nothing is where it’s supposed to be. If you’re like me (God help you!), then maybe you need a car entertainment organizer.

Essentially an open-faced suitcase that straps to the rear of a car seat, the organizer features 7 mesh pockets, including a dedicated space for tissue; small, mesh pockets for storing easily-lost items (crayons, dog treats, and lottery tickets); and larger pockets (for stuffing CD cases, maps, or candy bars). Made from reinforced 600 denier pack cloth, the organizer runs an affordable $15.

If only it would repel dog hair…