A new use for the 3-1-1 baggie on RyanAir?

Maybe so. The Irish budget airline’s CEO told the BBC this morning that the carrier is considering installing a one pound coin slot on lavatory doors. Say it ain’t so Ryan!

And RyanAir has other ways of parting travelers from their money:

The carrier charges £30 to check in a bag, £10 to pay for flights with a debit or credit card (excluding Visa Electron), £60 to check in sports or music equipment, £15 for each kilo of excess baggage, £50 to change a flight and £100 to change the name on a ticket.

Last month, Telegraph Travel reported that Ryanair would receive £650 million in baggage charges and booking fees this year.

The airline has since introduced mobile phone use on 20 of its aircraft - at a cost of £3 per minute for calls and at least 40p per text - and proposed the removal of all check-in desks. - UK Telegraph

Budget netbook

If you’re toying with the idea of a toy-sized netbook, price is no longer a barrier. Amazon’s HP Mini Note 8.9 stripper model won’t break even a recession/depression-era bank account at $279. At 2.25 pounds it won’t break you back either. I looked at these before buyng my Samsung and was impressed with the display and keyboard, if not the battery life.

Pix & packing info added to "Shootout"

I’ve added Till’s pictures to the “Shoulder bag shootout” and he’s added some packing notes by way of comments. A more detailed review of these bags is not to be found.

A note: Squarespace uses a Java platform for displaying full-size images (after you click on the thumbnails) which does not display sliders in most browsers. You may still navigate the pictures by using your keyboard’s arrow keys. 

Netbook demo - just for fun

You can tell by the shades in February that my grandson is ready to travel! Actually, my excuse for posting this is to show that my Samsung NC-10 has a not-bad built-in camera. By the way, the little Samsung is probably the reason I’ve been posting a lot more lately - it’s just that much more convenient. The keyboard is quite good (has all-important full-size SHIFT keys), though the touchpad and peripheral keys take some getting used to. Warning about grandsons: they often cause you to have goofy facial expressions.

Reader review - Shoulder bag shootout!

Thanks to OBOW reader Till for a learned and careful comparison of three high-quality carry-on shoulder bags (photos and links to come).

In my never-ending quest for the perfect carry-on “sans wheels” I have now bought three bags practically at the same time. I can justify this because my car’s trunk is of such a stupid shape that four standard-size carry-on cases are the best way to load it optimally. Good thing I don’t need to justify my expenses otherwise…

You can check out my review of what I consider the perfect, wheeled business carry-on here.

The “King’s” only downfall is that it is indeed a bit on the heavy side even when empty. These literal carry pieces discussed here are obviously much lighter. The review will follow the same system as the Travelpro Platinum 5 review so that we can compare things in the same format.

The bags are:

Briggs and Riley 235x Expandable Suiter Tote $209 incl. S/H

Easygoing Carry-on $185 + around $15 S/H

Pathfinder TX2 Expandable Carry-on $62.50 incl. S/H (discount. Otherwise in the same price range as the competitors or even more) - link to Overstock.com - good for limited time

B&R 235X

EASYGOING CARRYON

PATHFINDER TX2

Click to read more ...

First look at TB Tristar

Here’s a teaser photo of the Tom Bihn Tristar - an undersized three-compartment carryon. It’s dimensions are 20 x 13 x 8 (505 x 330 x 205mm), falling between the Western Flyer and Aeronaut. Read more about Tom’s soon-to-come bags here.

Bargain Trip'r - my new favorite shirt

IT’S NOT GRAY, IT’S PEBBLE!I stopped by my local Gander Mountain outdoor store tonight on a whim and - SCORE - found an ExOfficio Trip’r for $40 (marked down from $70). I haven’t seen them online for less than $55. It’s made of the same super-light fabic as the Air Strip Lite shirts but doesn’t look like a fishing shirt. In fact it looks much better than I would have guessed. It’s definitely going on the plane. Gray (pebble) was all they had. I’d prefer white but gray works - I like to wear gray with khaki or brown. My wife doesn’t like my color palette, but I guess that’s the price she’ll have to pay for my carrying her bag all the time. I’ll post some pictures soon. Unfortunately the Trip’r is only available for men but I believe ExOfficio makes several womens’ shirts in the same fabric.

Fabric	Dryflylite — 80% Nylon / 20% Polyester. 2.5 oz/sq yd Imported.
Product Details	With its soft peach finish and wrinkle resistance, you can dress this shirt up 30+ UPF sun protection to keep away sunburns with back yoke ventilation and roll-up sleeve tabs for those hot days Moisture wicking and quick drying to keep you comfortable Locker loop; security zip pockets for your peace of mind Sizes: S-XXL

Millimeter wave - a virtual strip search by any other name...

Now playing Tulsa but coming soon to a TSA checkpoint screen near you - your virtually naked body:

The scanners aim to close a loophole by finding non-metallic weapons such as plastic and liquid explosives, which the TSA considers a major threat. The machines raise privacy concerns because their images reveal outlines of private body parts.

“We’re getting closer and closer to a required strip-search to board an airplane,” said Barry Steinhardt of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Privacy advocate Melissa Ngo fears that passengers won’t understand that the scanners take vivid images that screeners view. - USA Today 

The random travelers selected for the scans in Tulsa  can opt out - for now - but the option is a human pat-down. 

My better half - guest poster

The following won’t break any new ground for experienced light travelers but it does represent good packing sense that could be helpful for any novice traveler. In fact, novices are the audience - it’s composed by my wife and appears on a blog we do for those who go on our group trips. We certainly don’t try to convert them all to carry-on travelers, but advice like this might cut down on the number of 60-pound (really) suitcases:

Here are some general packing tips for the trip to Europe:

Lay out everything on the bed. Put half of it back. Seriously! You should start thinking now about what you can do without. First, you will have to carry your luggage up and down hotel stairs and to and from the bus, which most likely won’t be parked at the front door. Second, you need to save space for any souvenirs you may choose to buy. Third, who wants to worry about luggage when there is so much to see and do? Simplify!

Think seriously about the size of everything you carry. Do you really need a whole bottle of shampoo and a whole bottle of conditioner for 11 days? Of course not. Buy the 99¢ sample bottles. Do you really need a hair dryer, a curling iron, and a straightener? Do you really need a razor? Remember that you are in Europe, and no one there knows you anyway, so why worry about the hair style? Pull it into a ponytail or pack it under a hat, and go! Grow a beard (men only)! Remember that we will be ending the day late and starting the day early, so you don’t really want to have to get up 2 hours early to fix your hair! Start working now on a low-maintenance style that you can wear throughout the trip. Cut down the appliances, which can be major headaches to pack and carry. Another option is to work with your roommates, if you don’t mind sharing – one person brings the hair dryer, another brings the curling iron, another brings the straightener.

Blue jeans are so American, but blue jeans are HEAVY! Could you get by with khakis or some other style of pants or shorts that weigh less? Every pound counts! Check out some of the travel gear made of lightweight fabric. In addition to being less weighty, they also tend to be fast drying, so you might get by with less simply because you can wash and hang-dry a pair of pants or a shirt o’nite. If you can cut out two or three items of clothing, your suitcase has loads of extra room, your shoulders ache less, and you are a happier traveler!

One of the best ways to avoid having to pack coats for cool weather is to layer. Pack a couple of loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts for cool days, and layer them over more seasonal clothing. Forget the jackets. If you look at the average temperatures noted on the blog, you will see that we aren’t expecting any cold weather. Still, a long-sleeved shirt and rain gear are advised. My preference is a lightweight raincoat that folds into itself rather than an umbrella, which can be cumbersome to pack and carry.

Paris Hilton - the anti-OBOWer

Last week I found myself at the Virgin Atlantic check-in desk next to Paris Hilton. 

What was striking about her was not the fact that she was attempting to travel incognito on a winter Saturday morning wearing big sunglasses and her head buried inside a hoody top (though she was sporting a Paris Hilton t-shirt!) No, the bizarre thing was that she had 16 separate pieces of luggage. Like, er, 16 - as she might say: Hello?

What in god’s name could you have that would need 16 bags? (Mostly rubbish bags too - not a Louis Vuitton to be seen.) - from TravelMail - the Daily Mail of London’s travel section

A file photo of the woman’s luggage habits (from US magazine):

US Magazine

Flickr pools for packers

Thanks to Kit for reminding me of some interesting pools on Flickr: Lightweight travel, Do you pack light?, What’s in your bag?, and - last but not least - the Hey, what’s in your bag? pool. Here’s Kit’s photo (click on it to find a link to her packing list with weights):

http://www.flickr.com/people/compactmanifold/

10 pounds is tough

The 13-3-10 Experiment is going to be a toughie. My netbook, AC adapters, and chargers will total about four pounds. Add at least two pounds for the bag, four pounds of clothes, and my minimal personal item requirements and, well, you get the picture. I’m shirt shopping at the moment. The REI Adventures pants are to be my second pair; it’s hard to go much lighter.

US Airways joins the 45" club

Fifty one no more: US Airways now requires carryons to measure no greater than 45”. They had been the last to adhere to the old 51” standard. Will monetary considerations win out and drive the standards to be more restrictive (for more checked bag fee $) or can we expect the 45” standard to hang around for a few more years? I don’t expect much size constriction but weight and piece limits (no personal item/1 carryon) are another matter. They’re already here in some case and should propagate.

Travel-size trouble

I’ve noticed those wire bins full of travel size products at discount stores are a seasonal phenomenon. I’m guessing they are only out or fully-stocked from late spring through summer. That can cause stress when you need your favorite anti-perspirant for a winter trip. There’s always Minimus I guess. Or try some of the excellent suggestions from this recent post.

Update on February 17, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

And here’s Bootsnall post on solid alternatives.

Plugging away

Whatplug.info is a tremendous resource for choosing the right AC plug adapter no matter where in the world you’re headed. Whatplug’s helpful wizards make it nearly impossible to go wrong. And here’s a terrific vendor for adapter plugs. I’ve corresponded with the owner by e-mail and he was quite helpful. Some of the plug types are available in a version which allows three US-type plugs to be inserted at once.

Kindle cases coming

Slender cases for Amazon’s second gen reader - the Kindle 2 - are on their way. Gear Diary has the rundown.

A personal (item) take

Here are tips from OBOW poster Paula on beating the liquid rules, personal items - and more:

I have managed to replace all my liquid/gel toiletries / make up with solids, so no need to show these items at security:

• Shampoo / laundry liquid = I now use chemical free soap (ordered fromwww.clearwatersoapworks.com (BC Canada).

• Liquid mascara = La Femme cake mascara (through amazon.com)

• Face foundation/liquid eye liner etc = Lauren Hutton’s Face Disc. (I love this all in one compact with brushes, eyes, lips and face are accounted for in this neat, travel friendly disc. (Bought through the Shopping Channel)

• Hair styling gels or sprays = Alberto VO5 Hair Clay (bought in Boots the Chemist, UK)
   
• Perfume or body spray = (this was tip from Rick Steve’s graffiti wall), take some cotton wool balls and spray them liberally with your favourite perfume or scent, pack them in a small screw lid pot. No longer a liquid but last a good while that you can rub your skin with them to apply the scent.

• Hand lotion = In a pinch I use Nivea lip seal as a hand and cuticle moisturiser.

Other helpful items:

Metal nail file = replaced by The Body Shop matchbook emery boards.

A microfibre towel is excellent when handwashing clothes, after rinsing and wringing them out, roll them up in the towel and wring it further, it soaks up excess water and the clothes dry that much more quickly. I wished I’d taken two towels with me last trip….they are great on wet hair as well.

One serious tip. If you are going to handwash stuff, for pete’s sake take a sink stopper. For some inexplicable reason some hotels and apartments (especially in the UK) do not supply sink plugs. Last trip, out apartment kitchen and bathroom sinks didn’t have these which made washing clothes / dishes quite frustrating. If you haven’t got one and you come by a plastic tub lid, use that, it’s quite effective.

Any Indys out there?

If you’re more Indiana Jones than Starbucks hipster, the USA-made bags from Occidental Leather just may appeal to you. This Adventure Series Dispatch Bag ($230) from rossroadbags.com is 15 x 6 x 12 and weighs 3.8 pounds which is not bad for a natural fiber-and-leather bag. Occidental makes mostly tool belts and bags so durability shouldn’t be an issue. I have a carpenter buddy who swears by the stuff. Of course, there always Saddleback Leather if weight (and money) is no object.

No more heavy books: pencil-thin Kindle

I love a well-printed, well-bound book but let’s face it - books are heavy. The new Kindle 2 reading device from Amazon might be a way of shedding several pounds from your typical load. At $359 it costs about the same as a netbook and it weighs only 10.2 ounces. It uses 3G networks to download content. Battery life is said to be about 4 days (probably not continuous). Release date is Feb. 24.

Update on February 10, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Re: non-Amazon content:

Personal Documents

Kindle makes it easy to take your personal documents with you, eliminating the need to print. Each Kindle has a unique and customizable e-mail address. You can set your unique email address on your Manage Your Kindle page. This allows you and your approved contacts to e-mail Word, PDF documents, and pictures wirelessly to your Kindle for a small per document fee—currently only 10¢ per document. Kindle supports wireless delivery of unprotected Microsoft Word, PDF, HTML, TXT, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PRC and MOBI files.

You can email your PDFs wirelessly to your Kindle. Due to PDF’s fixed layout format, some complex PDF files may not format correctly on your Kindle.

If you are not in a wireless area or would like to avoid the fee, you can send attachments to “name”@free.kindle.com to be converted and e-mailed to your computer at the e-mail address associated with your Amazon.com account login. You can then transfer the document to your Kindle using your USB connection. For example, if your Kindle email address is Jay@Kindle.com, send your attachments to Jay@free.kindle.com. 

Update on February 10, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Update on February 10, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

And Engadget weighs in. And Gizmodo.

A world of info on AC plugs

This Wiki page has more than you ever wanted to know about the world of AC power, plugs, voltage, etc.