Five on Friday: Traveling Essentials

by Jacob Gordon. 

There’s nothing quite like the last bits of summer. If you’re anything like me, the last half of July to the first half of September are usually packed with as many trips as I can stuff in those weeks. Not even elaborate trips to England or Japan, but trips to another state or the nearest biggest city can suffice. It just seems as summer comes to a close, I try to get as much traveling done as possible.

With each unique trip, it seems like something new is always learned. How can I make the traveling a little easier on me? How can I pack as much in my bag as possible? Is there any way to minimize wrinkles in my clothes? How can I travel more securely?

Thankfully, Eagle Creek designs products for the traveling spirit and answers a lot of the aforementioned questions. Rather than just spew five random items Eagle Creek can offer the traveler, I thought it would be best to break down their product lines to see how each is unique and impacts a traveler. You certainly don’t need products from each of these categories to have a fun, memorable trip, but these products are sure to help take your trip to the next level.

1. Versatile and Durable Bag

Let’s start simple. Going somewhere? You’ll need a bag. Depending on your trip, a simple tote bag or duffel bag might suffice; you just need something to stuff your belongings in for a weekend. Eagle Creek offers a variety of duffels and totes, some which can even pack down to the size of a digital camera, making them great tag-along pieces.

However, if you’re planning on a more extended trip, having a bag with wheels can help take the pressure off of your shoulders, and the Flip Switch Wheeled Backpack from Eagle Creek is just the ticket. You can use the Flip Switch as a backpack during lighter, shorter trips and a wheeled bag during longer trips where you’ve packed a ton of stuff. Versatility in its true form!

 

2. Travel Organization Pieces

Once you have a bag picked out for your trip, it’s time to think about how you’ll pack that bag. Enter Eagle Creek’s Pack-It line, designed solely to help organize your packed bag. The brightly colored packing cubes come in a variety of sizes, perfect for anything from underwear and socks to toiletries and personal documents. If you grab different colors for each cube, you can easily color code your bag to ensure you know exactly where everything is located.

My personal favorite Pack-It product is the Garment Folder. I’m absolutely horrible at folding shirts; I can never fold two shirts exactly the same. And packing shirts? Try as I might, I can’t pack them without ensuring a solid 20 minutes of ironing once they’re unpacked. All these problems are solved with the Garment Folder. It comes with easy folding instructions that make it easy for uniform folding, and the shirts just fold up into the folder itself. This means no matter how much my bag shifts around, the shirts are right where I placed them. Sure, they might have a few creases from the folds, but compared to the thousands of wrinkles I was dealing with in the past, I’ll happily take this.

 

3. Travel Safety and Security Pieces

Open a guidebook to any big city, and no matter the location, each book is sure to warn against pickpockets. Eagle Creek’s Undercover line is designed to keep pickpockets out of your pockets. Depending on where you’d like your cash stashed, you can opt for the Hidden Pocket, Leg Wallet, or Neck Wallet. With these items, you can keep your cash and smaller belongings close to you and hidden out of sight from shifty pickpockets. Having one of these sure beats keeping a hand awkwardly placed on your wallet or purse.



4. Comfort Pieces

If you have the pleasure of traveling via plane or someone else driving, you might be able to sneak a few ZZZs here and there. Eagle Creek offers a few products aimed at making you a bit more comfy and relaxed as you reach your destination. You won’t have to worry about using the airline’s pillow or blanket because you’ll have your own Travel Pillow and Cat Nap Blanket. For those times where your fellow hostel mates come in late at night, you’ll appreciate the Travel Ear Plug Set which keeps the sound out and you sleeping.

 

5. Convenience Pieces

When you’re traveling, you want to make sure all the little things are taken care of, and that’s just where Eagle Creek’s Maxwell Courier Bag comes in. You can have all of your tech pieces easily protected, or, if you’re traveling lighter, you can have your important documents and belongings safe, secure, and always at the ready. It’s messenger bag construction makes it easy to access all of the compartments, so you’re belongings are always at the ready.

If you’re traveling abroad and still want to charge your smartphone or use your blow dryer, think about picking up Dual Wattage International Converter Set. Not only does the converter ensure you’re getting the right amount of wattage, the set comes with plugs for Southern and Northern Europe, New Zealand, Ireland, Great Britain, Japan, Fiji, Hong Kong, and so many more countries. Having this set with you ensures you’ll be able to plug-in wherever you are.

***To help ignite your traveling spirit, Appalachian Outdoors is offering 20% off your next order of $50 or more on Eagle Creek gear. Just use the promo code EAGLE14 to receive the discount. Promo code is valid on all regularly priced Eagle Creek products.***