Travel

News, Travel

Aligata Leather Releases New Premium Leather Products to Protect Your Gear in Style

One of the best things about being involved in this blogging community is that you never know who you are going to meet along the way. That is certainly the case with our friend Tom from Aligata leather. Shortly after the iPad was released, I did a review of a number of iPad folio cases. Shortly thereafter we received an email from Tom. He told us he was designing a simple but premium leather folio for the iPad, and he wanted to know if we wanted to take a look. Shortly thereafter Judie and I received sample of them. We…

Reviews, Travel

SCOTTEVEST SeV Sport Coat Review

When I first heard that SCOTTEVEST was releasing a sport coat, I didn’t know what to think. I did, however, know that I wanted one. There’s no big surprise there, considering the fact that I wear something from the company pretty much each and every day. I’m grateful to SeV’s Scott Jordan for giving me the opportunity to review one of their new SeV sport coats! I have worn the review sample at various times for the last 2 1/2 weeks. I’ve worn it with jeans and boots one day and with dress pants and a tie another. I did…

Reviews, Travel

VinniBag Review

I am not a wine connoisseur at all.  However, back in the day I was into drinking good beers.  I remember one trip where I visited a Rock Bottom Brewery restaurant where I had some of the best beer I have ever tasted.  They had beer that I could have taken home in bottles, but because I flew into Denver and was flying out the next day, I could not take any home with me.  If I had the VinniBag it would have been a piece of cake! VinniBag is a wine bottle-shaped bag that has a few interesting features.  First, it…

Editorials, Travel

The Five Stages of Smartphone Withdrawal

Regular readers of Gear Diary may remember I got married earlier this month. We just returned from our honeymoon, a fabulous week on beautiful San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. It’s absolutely gorgeous; white sandy beaches, sun, drinks, food…what more do you need? Well, in my case, the one thing missing from the island (and the one thing that had Sarah practically doing cartwheels of joy) was the distinct lack of internet service. Yes, I had to go an entire week without a smartphone. Just like the five stages of grief, I went through five stages of connectivity withdrawal. It’s…

News, Travel

Skooba Gear Introduces Their New Ultralight Bag Collection, Techlife

Get ready for something special from Skooba Design! They are in the process of rolling out Techlife, a  collection of  sporty, casual, and Ultra-super-seriously-lightweight bags. Shown above is the Techlife Digital Daypack, which will retail for $99.95. According to Michael Hess, this collection includes … Updated versions of our iPad/Netbook bag and neo-skin, a slick new backpack in 2 sizes, a compact laptop messenger (for MacBook 13 and similar), a slim laptop case, and my personal favorite “big story,” which is… drum roll… The Weekend Warrior Duffel [$119.95] — nothing else like it on the market. A solution for “single-bag,…

News, Travel

Balanzza Intros Mini Luggage Scale to Help Avoid Added Luggage Fees

Airline luggage fees have been on my mind this week ever since I spoke to Scott Jordan about his dealing’s with Delta Sky magazine. (Heck, Scott even announced a new product, the Carry-On Coat to take things to the next level.) The fees for bags and extra weight keep growing and the free allotments keep diminishing. In a travel environment like this it is more important than ever to make sure your luggage doesn’t go over the weight limit. A new product makes it easier than ever. The Balanzza Mini, the lightest digital scale in the market, weighs less than…

News, Travel

TravelTeq’s TRIP Will Pack You, Seat You, Carry You and Rock You

… and it will cost you. 😉 Nothing is more tiring than the journey anymore; getting to airports hours early, waiting in long lines, being herded like cattle through security only to find that there are no seats left for your oversold flight at the already over-packed gate … ugh! But the ends justify the means, right? And whether it is for vacation or business, we continue to endure the pitfalls of modern day travel. With that in mind, I found this product interesting when it landed in my email this morning; the TRIP is a carry-on suitcase that carries…

News, Travel

Delta to SCOTTEVEST- “Sorry but Carry-On Revenue > Ad Revenue in Delta Sky Magazine”

Ever wonder if those fees airlines are now charging for carry-on items actually bring in serious revenue? Well, thanks to Scott Jordan and SCOTTEVEST we now know the answer — they bring in TONS of cash. Turns out that while SCOTTEVEST clothing appears in the SkyMall Magazine in the pouch in front of each seat on each Delta flight, a recent ad the travel and gadget clothing company wanted to run that reminded people they can beat the ridiculous new carry-on baggage fees with the right garment hit a bit too close to Delta’s pocketbook. Delta rejected the full-page ad,…

News, Travel

An Exclusive First Look at the Newest SCOTTEVEST Women’s Items: the Women’s Lightweight Vest and the Go2 Jacket

You know how you can see the most gorgeous ball gown on a hanger, and while you’re able to appreciate the materials used and the workmanship that went into the garment, there’s just no way to know how fabulous it could look until you finally put it on? That’s kind of how I felt when I opened a package containing prototypes of the two new Fall 2010 SCOTTEVEST women’s products — the Lightweight Vest (in a large) and the Go2 Jacket (in medium). I received a box containing both products in early July. I was told up front that the garments…

News, Travel

An Exclusive Look at the SCOTTEVEST Fall 2010 Men’s Line; Much Ado About Something

I know that you all have been chomping at the bit to get more info on the upcoming SCOTTEVEST Men’s Fall coats, and guess what? In July I received a box full of them! I only had a few days to check them out and try them on, but that was long enough to know that this will not only be a very good fall season for women who have been waiting for their new SeV styles, it will be a very good SeV season for men as well. The designs that I received were just about finalized, but there is a…

Travel

Paper shampoo avoids carry on baggage hassles when traveling

Last year when I was on a business trip I tried avoiding an extra charge for overweight luggage by taking out some of my heavier shampoo and other toiletries and putting them in my carry on (which had no weight limit). Of course airline regulations forbid carrying anything liquid (over a certain size). Turns out I forfeited half of what I tried to carry. Due to my aversion to the nasty hotel shampoo bottles I was forced to make a hasty 1am shopping trip to pick up shampoo when I reached my destination. Had I brought along some of these…

Travel

New York City Automatic Toilet: $ 110,000 for a Wet Seat?

Yesterday we made a trip into New York City. Finding a (clean) bathroom when in the city can be a challenge. In January of 2008 the City of NY unveiled a fully automatic bathroom that cleans itself after each use. Well, I just had to check it out. And I made a YouTube video to show you the high and low points of my experience.