I'm one of those people who always finds a way to lose pens, no matter what I do. I'll leave one in a specific spot, only to find that it was somehow magicked away the next time I need it. The Move Pen is a Kickstarter project that might help me out a little. With a built-in attachment point for keychains and/or…
When I go on trips that last a few days or longer, I typically just throw my dirty clothes back into the suitcase, but on the opposite side from my clean clothes. I know I can't be the only one who does this, but that doesn't make it okay. The Outlier Doublebag might solve this problem. It's essentially two bags in one,…
Coffee and camping are two things that go together very well, but I feel like a lot of brewing equipment is too delicate for the outdoors. As much as I like my Hario V60, I'm not sure the ceramic would hold up well in my bag. The Snow Peak Coffee Dripper, another pour-over brewer, may be a solution to this problem. It…
Before the coffee geeks cry out with indignation: yes, I realize I am linking to a Nespresso product and Nespresso is a blight on the coffee-making world, but this is not one of their wasteful coffee pod contraptions. No, the Aeroccino 3 – no relation to the AeroPress – is merely a milk frothing machine, and a good one at that. It…
The folks at Pad & Quill are renowned for their quality leather device cases, such as the Little Pocket Book for iPhone. Now they've unveiled a new lineup of gorgeous bags and device sleeves for pre-order that will surely make great gifts for the holidays. All of the items listed below are comprised of full-grain cowhide leather, twill-woven waxed canvas, and parachute-grade…
The Slate Mobile AirDesk is a Kickstarter project for a small, portable "desk" that sits on your lap. Cut from a block of premium bamboo and large enough to fit 13"-17" laptops, the Slate sports several rows of ventilation holes in the section where your laptop sits and the bamboo absorbs any remaining heat, so your legs stay cool during use. The…
JOBY, makers of the popular GorillaPod tripod, have teamed up with GoPro to develop some cool new tripods and mounts, which they've dubbed the Action Series. There are four items in this series: GorillaPod Action Tripod: Essentially the same as the normal GorillaPod – meaning the sturdy-but-flexible legs can be wrapped around objects – but specifically designed to hold a GoPro, Contour,…
Some photographers like to lug a ton of their gear around in a big fancy camera bag, but I typically only carry my DSLR and a single lens, so a bag like that would be overkill. I can just toss my camera into a bag with my other stuff, but it would be nice to have some kind of divider to keep…
Podcasting is something I've been considering getting into lately, but I primarily work on-the-go from my iPad and most of the setups I've read about are designed with a stationary Mac in mind. Now, thanks to a recent blog post by Fraser Speirs – co-host of the Out of School podcast with Bradley Chambers – I've been made aware of the Samson…
Speaking of travel, the Hudson Laptop Briefcase by Timbuk2 looks like a very nice option for anyone toting an up-to-15" laptop through airport security. It unzips flat so that the entire bag can be sent through a TSA scanner — no laptop-removal necessary. It also has two other gadget compartments, one for an iPad and the other for a power brick and/or…
I wish I'd known about the Bellroy Passport Sleeve Wallet before the cruise I went on recently. A wallet that can hold my passport, boarding pass, credit cards, and a tiny pen would have been tremendously helpful at the time. Alas, I only found out about it this morning, but perhaps a Tools & Toys reader might find it useful for an…
If you travel a lot, there may be times when you won't want to carry a full-on messenger bag or backpack full of gear — you just want something to carry some essentials for getting work done. For those times, the E. Holmes Laptop Case is a fair choice. Slim enough to hold a laptop, some paperwork, and a charger, this case…
Before I describe the Encounter Collection itself, I should mention that the main reason I wanted to talk about these items on T&T was this incredible video that was filmed to promote the collection. With its gorgeous cinematography and a story centered around a father's heartfelt letter to his son, it's something worth watching whether or not you even want to buy…
The new BookBook Travel Journal from Twelve South allows you to carry an iPad and additional gear around without looking like that's what it's doing. What appears to be vintage leather hardcover book on the outside is actually a clever, hi-quality case with internal storage for your iPad, USB drives, stylus, power adapters, and even large headphones (provided they fold flat). $99…
In early 2012 ,the original Capture Camera Clip System became an interesting and very popular alternative to wearing a camera strap. The company behind the project, Peak Design, has taken their success and ingenuity and poured them into creating a new version of the product: the Capture Camera Clip System v2. Like the original model, the Capture is a two-piece system: A…
The Impress Coffee Brewer is a combination coffee press and travel mug that aims to make the brewing process a breeze. Put some freshly ground coffee in the press, pour in some hot water and let it brew for a few minutes, then insert the "cup" piece and push down all the way. It's a lot like brewing with an AeroPress, except…
I've often heard good things about the bags sold by Topo Designs, but to be honest, I never could get into their design aesthetic. Thankfully, they recently partnered up with the people at Woolrich (one of the oldest flannel companies around) and together they've produced a line of awesome-looking bags that are definitely more my style. These are essentially the same bags…
The Killspencer Daypack is a handsome backpack made from premium materials and capable of carrying just about everything you might need on a daily basis. The exterior of each Daypack sports a suede bottom, with the upper exterior being made from either leather or waxed canvas depending on which model you choose (each with matching, foam-padded strap material). The interior is equipped…
The battery life on my iPad 4 is fairly respectable, but not so amazing that it can last through even a one-day road trip when one of us is reading ebooks in the passenger seat. We also use my iPhone 4s to play podcasts during these drives, which of course can suck the battery dry in a matter of hours. This is…
The Garmin Head-Up Display is an interesting little gadget. It mounts on your car's dashboard and pairs with your smartphone via Bluetooth, then projects a HUD interface onto a transparent piece of film you apply to your windshield. This display gives you information about your drive, including turn-by-turn navigation (with an indicator to let you know what lane to be in), current…