Tell me that you haven’t been bothered when it came time to pack for a trip, and you didn’t have an organized and protective way to carry your cables, chargers, and miscellaneous gear. I’ll tell you what I usually do with mine – charging cables get put in the side pocket of my carry-on, syncing/charging cables go into my laptop bag, and camera chargers and other items that don’t get put in my laptop bag usually get shuffled into the cracks and crevices of my carry-on. This arrangement works fine for the most part, but I have accepted that anytime I do this I am going to forget something – for instance it was my miniUSB cable when I went to CES. This wouldn’t have been that big of a deal, but I needed it to transfer photos to my laptop. Okay, it was a big deal. This could have been avoided if I had a better system of organizing my cables and smaller gear when traveling — or even when at home, for that matter. And that’s where the completely redesigned Cable Stable DLX from Skooba Design comes in.
The case, which looks and opens like a book, features a grid of elastic hold-downs in different sizes and orientations. The elastic strips “float” freely under reinforced retention strips, so they can easily stretch and contract to accommodate a nearly limitless assortment of portable gadgets, cords, adapters, and other accessories. According to Skooba spokesperson Lorri Diggory, “It’s not at all unusual to travel with a laptop, phone, music/media device, digital camera or compact video camera, and more. That means bringing along at least a half-dozen cords, adapters, media cards, extra batteries, and other ‘support gear.’
It seems like packing chargers and cables in this would be much more effective, if for no other reason than because you could get an immediate view of what was present and what was missing. And who says you can only use it for tech gear? Lori Diggory from Skooba Design says the Stable Cable DLX is also handy for “using as a netbook case, cosmetic/toiletry kit, and even a storage case for kids’ travel distractions.” Not a bad idea, and they can be had for $39.95.
Then there’s the Skooba Wrap, which comes in three sizes and that can be “wrapped and self-secured around virtually any suitable object, from a compact camera in the small wrap, to a compact laptop in the large one.” This looks like the perfect solution for wrapping items like Kindles, nooks, netbooks, and the upcoming iPads.
About the Wrap, Skooba Design says “it’s like always having a supply of bubble wrap with you, only thinner, easier to use, more durable, and a heck of a lot better looking.” I definitely agree on that last point. SkoobaWraps come in 3 sizes and retail from $12.95 – $17.95.
Skooba Design says that 2010 will be “the most significant year of new product introductions in its 10-year history.” I like what I am seeing so far, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!
These both look great. The Cable DLX would be perfect for carrying all of the cables. It doesn’t matter if the device is portable, those cables need to go somewhere. Thanks for the heads up. I’m heading over to the Skooba site to check both of the products out.