Product review: Baggallini Teenee wallet purse

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One thing about women: our clothes don’t always come with pockets. Or if they do, they’re small and more for aesthetic purposes. Unless you wear cargo pants with huge pockets, chances are, you carry a purse in order to keep your wallet, phone, and other items near you. But what if you don’t want to carry around a purse all the time? The product I’ll review today is the Baggallini Teenee wallet purse.


The Baggallini Teenee wallet purse.

The Teenee is a simple flap-based wallet with multiple pockets and a detachable adjustable strap that lets you carry it as an across-the-shoulder purse or as a belt bag. As wallets go, the Teenee isn’t tiny. Unless you have really big pockets, you probably won’t be able to tuck this into a pocket easily.

This wallet is deceptively simple. Before you even open the wallet, you can see that it has a zippered pocket in the front flap. It’s not huge, but it’s big enough to hold credit cards, change, bills, and so on. So let’s take a look inside.


The Teenee when you open its main flap to reveal the inner pockets.

The flap snaps shut with a little magnetic button. There’s convenience to that, since you don’t have to fuss to get the snap parts to match exactly in order for this to shut. The down side however, is when you have your Teenee stuffed to the gills so the magnets don’t quite touch.

I told you the inside was deceptively simple, yes? Let’s take a look at the actual pockets.


The transparent ID card holder.

First, there is the transparent ID card holder on the flap itself. The holder fits a standard driver’s license or credit card. You can choose to have your ID card faced up or down depending on how you’d like to show your ID to whomever you’re showing it to. I personally prefer to keep my ID in there so that the top of the ID is near the magnet. Since I wear my Teenee with the flap side out, when I open the flap to get to my money, all I have to do is present the flap to the cashier without flipping the flap or turning it around.

You can actually fit a few cards in the transparent window, so if you have things you like to get to easily, like an ATM card, the window may be a convenient place for you.

Note the little pen holder. Most retractable pens should fit in it just fine, with a couple of caveats:

  • The elastic loop is quite loose, so if you have a very narrow pen, it may slip out.
  • The elastic loop is centered on the wallet, so if the pen’s clip is short, you will need to slide it in considerably in order to clip it to the loop.

In my case, I use a Pilot G2 mini pen, as its clip seems to be at the right place to be able to clip onto the loop. I’ve never lost a pen this way yet.

Now let’s take a look at the pockets.


The internal pockets in a Teenee.

Hopefully you can see all the layers of pockets in the photo above. The very front pocket, where my pink cell phone is, is gusseted. It means you can fit items that are thicker. Cell phones certainly work, as do MP3 players. I’ve tested an iPhone in the gusseted pocket, and it fits just fine. If you have a thin digital camera, you may even get those to fit as well.

The pocket layer right behind the cell phone, if you look carefully, is the layer where I keep my money. I fold the bills in half and they fit just fine. I normally keep my change in there as well but be aware that because that particular pocket has no zipper, you might risk occasionally losing some change. I’ve gotten into the habit of taking out my change every few days to keep the wallet light, and it’s also one way to prevent loose change. There is a zippered pocket (we’ll get there in a moment) you can use to stash your change as well.

It’s really hard to see, but behind the pocket with the bills is another unzippered pocket layer. In my case, this is where I keep a tiny notebook (if you care, it’s a Moleskine Volant Mini extra-small softcover notebook). These are perfect for jotting down notes. It’s too small that you can’t see it in the photo, but you could also use a small Post-It notepad or something similar as well.


The back zippered pocket is large enough to easily fit a passport.

Finally, there is the zippered pocket at the very back. There is a ton of room back there, and for travelers, the most relevant is the fact that you can fit a standard-sized passport in that pocket. Because you can zip it up, it provides a little extra security as you hide it away. By the way, the zipper hides pockets on both the main body and the flap. I rarely use the flap side, since I’d hate to unzip the pocket and have whatever I’ve got stashed in the flap side fall out, but it’s additional space if you need to keep important things somewhere.

If you think we’re done, you’re wrong! We haven’t looked at the back of this thing.


The back of the Teenee has its own zippered pocket.

As you can see in this photo, the back of the wallet has an additional zippered pocket. This is very convenient if you need to keep something in your wallet that you want to get to relatively easily. Maybe you can keep your change there?

Now, let’s look at the rest of the back of this thing. There’s so much going on, I’ve actually labeled the parts for you:


The back of the Teenee wallet, with parts labeled.

In addition to the zipper you see running across the back for the pocket I just mentioned, there is a super-secret unnoticeable card slot right in front of the zipper. If you didn’t know it was there, you’d assume it was just the hem for the zipper! The clever thing is that this little card slot is sized to fit a credit card. Once I realized the convenience of this little card slot pocket, I’ve used it to stash BART (train) tickets and bus tranfers. Visiting a casino? I stash my loyalty card and hotel key in there. Visiting a Disney theme park? I put my Fastpass tickets in there. The Teenee would’ve been a full-featured wallet with everything else; there was no need for Baggallini to add this little card slot, but they did, and it’s quite handy (not to mention clever)!

Finally, let’s look at how you carry this thing. Each Teenee comes with a very thin adjustable strap made of the same color and fabric as your wallet. For most people, if you wore it across the chest with the strap fully extended, it will reach your thighs. The strap is that long. If you shortened it as tight as it would go, you would wind up with a tiny over-the-shoulder purse that lands around your elbow level.

If you want to carry this as a sling of any sort, you will want to put the strap on the D-rings on the top. If you want to shorten the strap and wear loosely around your waist, you will want to snap the straps onto the lower set of D-rings. Actually, you could really snap the strap on either set; it would be a matter of personal preference whether you want the wallet riding higher or lower on your waist.

If you are slender, you will find that the strap (even adjusted as short as it’ll go) is still too long for you to wear the Teenee straight across your waist. You will likely wind up wearing it on a slant. And if you’re very slender, you will need to make sure the strap doesn’t fall down past your hips. If this is the case, there are a couple of tricks you can use; the easiest being that you can just tie a knot into your strap to take up the extra length.

See that pair of vertical strapping you see going down the back of the wallet? Those are actually belt loops. So you can go without the strap altogether, and just loop your belt through it and wear it as a true belt bag. Obviously you won’t be able to access the back pockets easily, but wearing it this way (especially if you wear your shirt and jacket over it) would provide some added security.

Finally, since the strap is completely detachable, you could carry this wallet as a real wallet if you have a larger purse to put it in. It’s still smaller than some wallets I’ve seen, full of bulk and taking up a ton of space in the purse. If you want to switch between using it as a wallet-in-your-purse and carrying it as its own little wallet purse, I suggest you always keep the strap and wallet together. In my opinion, the best place for it is that back zippered pocket. It will add a little bulk to your wallet, but that way you will never lose the strap.

This wallet comes in a myriad of colors.


Promotional photo from Baggallini showing all the different colors available for the Teenee.

You could really have your pick of what color you want. There are some pretty neutral travel-friendly colors like black, brown, and khaki. There are some very springlike pastels, robust fall colors, as well as some fashionable colors like that bright red you see in the front. Regardless of the color you pick, all the zipper pulls, D-rings and other components use a brushed silver-toned metal, making these wallets nice enough for going out with. OK so it may not work for the most formal of parties or dinners (although you could probably easily replace the strap with your own wrist chain strap to get it “all dooded up” for a fancy event).

This particular wallet has been in the Baggallini line-up for quite some time. Periodically, they will introduce new fabrics and new colors. The ones they’ve offered in the past (and which you may still find some remaining stock online or in some travel stores) are microfiber, ripstop nylon, and an eco-labeled one that used a couple of plastic bottles each to make. The current fabric with the largest color offering is “crinkle nylon” (that’s the one you see in these photos).


Deborah wears a Teenee across the shoulder (the design is a harder-to-find giraffe print).

With all of these great pockets and features, though, I do have two very specific druthers:

#1: I am not pleased with the placement of the top set of D-rings on the back. I know why they did it. They wanted the short (quarter-inch long) strap that connects the top D-rings to be aligned with the belt loops below for aesthetic purposes. But I’ve actually taken the top D-ring straps apart (all in the name of research!), and there is no actual connection between those D-ring straps and the belt loops. The problem I have is that the top D-rings are very close together. When you wear the wallet across your chest, the straps look “cross-eyed” (for want of a better term) because they are knock-kneed and too close together. I would really prefer that they splinter off from trying to align the D-rings with the belt loops, and simply sew them at the very top of the wallet right into the exterior piping along the edges.

#2: As much as it can hold, it’s still a wallet and not a purse. I really wish they had a slightly larger size that would fit slightly larger digital cameras or a small Moleskine notebook. I’m thinking just an extra half-inch in width would do a lot to open things up, and still have it be small enough to be considered a wallet. [Hey folks at Baggallini, how’s about a slightly larger version to augment your existing model?]

All in all, this is a wonderful little wallet for women. It’s great for everyday use, you can wear it as its own wallet-purse or stick it in a larger purse. Wear it at work so you don’t have to worry about leaving your wallet in your purse as it sits unsecured under your desk. Or tuck your passport in there and head out the door for some hands-free travel.

Guys could even use this as a belt bag. After all, guys often wind up with a wallet in the back pocket, spare change in the front, and cell phone in another pocket or clipped to the belt. You could use a neutral-colored Teenee to keep all of that in one place!

Best of all, you can buy the Teenee at most places for under $20. Whether that’s a special treat splurge or cheap enough for you to buy several different colors to match your outfit, I give the Teenee a huge “way to go” for designing so much creativity and practicality into such a “Teenee” tiny package!

Baggallini Teenee online at a glance:

Are You a “Just In Case” Packer? 10 Reasons Why You Want to Travel Lightly

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Are you are the type to always travel with check-in luggage? Do you always take along a few extra things just in case? Do you feel insecure when you don’t have everything in your packing list included in your luggage?

Today, let’s look at some basics of traveling light.* Even if you might not be ready to shed all your extra bags, you can incorporate some of these into your philosophy for a less stressful way to travel.

Most travelers I’ve encountered seem to fall into two categories: The “bring everything you might need” traveload camp, and the “bring only what you use” travelite camp. I’ve talked extensively with those that fall into Group 1 to try to find out why they like to take everything. Oftentimes, it is because they like to be prepared for all types of situations. I can think of a few. How about losing your luggage? Or having your luggage broken into? How about having to go to the airport earlier than the traveliter, or having to wait around the luggage carousel long after the traveliter has caught a cab (or better yet–the swift train system for a fraction of the cost) to town?

What most people don’t realize is that a seasoned traveliter is just as prepared for most situations as the “traveloader.” For example, a trip to New Orleans to visit my in-laws a few years ago included attending a wedding I did not know I was attending. Instead of going out and buying a new outfit, I simply wore a set of black coordinates that I accented with a pretty scarf and I fit right in!

Reason #10: Nobody can steal your luggage

Don’t have to worry about someone stealing your checked luggage when your bag is always in your possession. Every so often we hear stories about checked luggage that is ransacked by airport personnel. Although you still have to put your carry-on through a security check, it will always be within your sight.

Reason #9: Be independent

By being light on your feet, you can get around everywhere on your own without trying to find luggage carts or someone to help you. Traveling lightly means being independent.

Reason #8: More time to get to the airport

These days, you can print out your e-ticket and boarding pass from home. And if you don’t need to wait in line to check in your luggage, you can save yourself as much as an extra hour before you have to head off to the airport. This is true going home, too. Enjoy the extra time soaking in the last hour of your tropical vacation instead of rushing off to the airport.

Reason #7: Volunteer to be bumped

Your flight is full, and the gate agents start asking for volunteers to be bumped. Maybe you’re on a connecting flight and you can only assume your checked luggage is already on this flight (since checked luggage doesn’t always travel on the same aircraft as the passenger), but are you eager to be bumped? If you just had your carry-ons with you, you can quickly hop over to the gate agent and let them know you’ll gladly wait for the next flight (even if it’s the next day).

Reason #6: Catch public transportation

You reach San Francisco International Airport and if it’s just you and your carry-on, you can easily walk over to the BART station connected to the international terminal, and before you know it, you’ll be checking in to your downtown hotel, and hopping on a cable car to visit Ghirardelli Square. OK, so BART will allow you to take your luggage… but do you really want to lug around all your check-ins and stick out like a sore thumb? Or maybe you’re going to Waikiki. You can take your carry-on from your arrival gate at Honolulu International Airport and walk outside to the hop on The Bus. And The Bus doesn’t let you take big luggage, so you’d have to catch a cab for $20 when that could be going towards paying for your mai tai.

Reason #5: Don’t wait

You know what I’m talking about. You get to the airport and you wait in line to check in your bag. Depending on the day of the week and time of day, this line could get massively long while you enviously eye those people who can just check in electronically from the automated machines nearby. To add insult to injury, when you arrive at your destination, do you get to immediately hit the BART station? No. You get to go to the luggage carousels, where you wait. And wait. And wait. Is your check-in a black rolling upright? Then you combine the wait with checking to make sure it’s your bag and not someone else’s. This could easily add yet another hour to your trip.

Reason #4: Avoid tipping

When you don’t have to check in your luggage, you can save on tips all over the place. You don’t have to tip a porter at the airport. You don’t have to tip the cab driver when he takes your luggage from the trunk of the cab. You don’t have to pay the bellman when he carries your luggage to your room. If you’re pinching pennies and being careful where all your vacation money goes, avoid taking check-ins.

Reason #3: Be environmental

Believe it or not, traveling with just your carry-on is actually being environmental. By traveling lighter, the airplane doesn’t use as much fuel. Same with the cab (or rather than catching a cab, by taking the city bus that runs anyway, you’re really saving on fuel). If everyone starts to travel lighter, just think about the lighter load on an aircraft.

Reason #2: Avoid fees

These days, airlines have been charging fees for a lot of different things. But charging for the privilege of checking in luggage (some airlines, for even just a single check-in) seems to really rile people. Now, trying to avoid check-ins by forcing your too-big carry-on onto the airplane is not the solution. The thing to do is to learn to travel without your check-in luggage. What a way to stick it to those airlines! By traveling lightly, a person can easily save $40 or more.

Reason #1: “Lost Luggage”

For some, this phrase evokes nervous smiles and sympathetic nods. For others, it’s no laughing matter. The thing is, this doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of air travel. If you don’t ever give your bags over to the airlines, you aren’t giving them the chance to lose your bags. You stay in control.

Just last week, a good friend of mine traveled to the Midwest, but his check-in luggage didn’t make it. He was very lucky; the airline found his bag just 5 hours after he landed. Even then, he had to wait for his luggage at the luggage carousel, file paperwork, phone the airlines, etc. He was on a business trip, he had to do this in addition to whatever work he flew there to do. Then, when they found his bag, he had to travel back to the airport to retrieve it. The airline may have given him the option to deliver it to his hotel room, but he may not have trusted the extra time that may have taken.

I’ve had other friends whose luggage has been lost, and they have not been so lucky. They lost their luggage on their way to their destination, and their luggage was not found for a couple of days. This can be extremely inconvenient when the checked in bag contains all the things you hope to use on your trip. In one friend’s case, she wound up going to the hotel gift shop and nearby convenience store to buy all the basics, and she was able to live on those for the few days until her bag showed up. By then, she was almost ready to go home.

If there is a best-case scenario for lost luggage, it’s when they lose your bag on your way home. Maybe it’s wintertime and your lost bag only contained tropicalwear from your Caribbean trip. So the airline takes five days to get your bag back to you; who cares, right?

But what if they never find your luggage?

*The basis of this blog post is one of my original introductions to my Travelite FAQ site here.

Be nice to the travel agent, or your luggage may get “lost”!

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Travel guru Chris Elliott posted a link to the following article at the AOL Travel site, called “Confessions of a ticket agent.”

In essence, it was a first-hand account of some of the more amusing and interesting stories about life as an airline ticketing agent. For Travelite readers, though, one section, titled “Payback for rude customers” is notable. In it, the agent writes:

Most customers are pretty pleasant, but there are passengers who are pretty demanding. They think the world revolves around them — those type A personalities — and there’s nothing you can say or do to satisfy them.

In the check in process, if someone’s being rude or mean, or just not cooperating with the necessary procedures, we can send them through an additional screening process which will require them to open every piece of luggage and have it inspected, thoroughly.

And I can recall situations where bags have ended up in different destinations on purpose when a passenger has been difficult—they might be going to South Bend, but their bag will get tagged to Singapore because they were really rude. Or Manchester, England, instead of Madison, Wisconsin. Yes, it happens.

There are two very obvious lessons here:

  • Don’t be rude to other people, including the “little people” in life who can help make or break your day.
  • Don’t check in any luggage

Every so often, I witness a person acting extremely boorish. They lose their temper, behave like little children, insult strangers to their face, or yell in public at people who are not their immediate family members. It’s hard for me to have much respect for someone who has so little control over themselves, but here is a great example of how someone can make sure you pay for your behavior.

So… the ticketing agent might still decide to assign you a middle seat between two oversized people, but at least if you don’t have any check-in luggage, you won’t be left stranded in a faraway city trying to buy clothes at the overpriced hotel gift shop because your bag is missing—or is being returned to you when you get home.

Clear Pass Going Bye-Bye

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In case you hadn’t heard, the Clear Pass system (which I’ve mentioned before) is going bye-bye. If you go to FlyClear.com right now, you see the following message:

Clear Lanes Are No Longer Available.

At 11:00 p.m. PST on June 22, 2009, Clear will cease operations. Clear’s parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc. has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations.

Although some people weren’t comfortable with giving up so much personal data, a lot of frequent flyers liked the ease that the Clear pass provided.

Product Review: Travel Dog Tags

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If you’ve served in the military or know anyone who does, you’re probably familiar with military dog tags. They are 2-inch-long thin pieces of oval metal that have important information embossed onto them, which you wear on a bead chain around your neck.

There are companies that will make these dog tags for civilians, and these days you can even order them online. One company, however, has come up with a clever way to market them: As luggage tags.

TravelDogTags.com is a very simple site, and they don’t sell a lot of different products. In fact, they really only sell the dog tags, plus the accoutrements that you use the dog tags with.

In my view, the real clever part of what they sell is their “luggage wires.” They are 6-inch-long plastic-coated stainless steel-stranded wire. The ends come together with a little metal twist connector, making these very difficult to accidentally remove.


A Travel Dog Tag in the center is surrounded by a long and short bead chain, luggage wire, and three plastic silencers.

In addition to the luggage wires, you can order your luggage tag sets to include plastic silencers in your choice of color, as well as bead chains. The silencers are rubbery, and you pull them around the edge of the dog tags so that they don’t clang together. The bead chains they sell are like the type you get with a military dog tag (that is, you string the shorter chain through the dog tag, then you string the long chain through the loop you just made with the shorter chain).


You can easily hang your dog tag anywhere on your bag, including on zippers.

There’s a couple of reasons I really like this idea:

Durable – These things are extremely durable. Made of stainless steel, they don’t rust, stain, or corrode, and the letters don’t fade in the sun and you don’t have to worry about the ink running if it gets wet.

Subtle – If you want to avoid the big and bright luggage tags, or the smaller leather ones that scream “I’m traveling!” then this is unusual enough that I think it’s a really good option. Most people wouldn’t look at these and immediately assume they are your luggage tag.

Double-duty – My favorite reason to use this is that it also serves as a regular dog tag when you aren’t traveling. Consider wearing it with the bead chain around your neck (or secured on a shoe string) when you go out for a jog or go out on a hike. If you are in an accident and you can’t easily communicate, they will quickly be able to find out who you are.


The same dog tag that served as a luggage tag a moment ago, is now a regular dog tag on a neck chain.

By the way, the size is small enough that it would work pretty nicely as a real dog tag for dogs, too.

There are a couple of caveats:

Due to the size of the block letters and the size of the dog tags, you are restricted to about 15 characters per line. You can get up to 5 lines, but if you have a long name or long address, you need to figure out how you can shorten things and still have the information be understandable. Although it can handle the “@” sign, most email addresses will be too long to get on a single line.

Also, because the letters are embossed right onto the metal tag, the information is permanent. If you move or change phone numbers, you will need to order a new one.

That said, a luggage tag set is only $5.95. A bargain in this day and age. You can buy kits for everyone in your family and have change to spare.

Product Web site: TravelDogTags.com

Good travel-related customer service in this day and age?

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If you read travel guru Christopher Elliott‘s writings as I do, you would think that the entire travel-related industry is going to hell in a handbasket when it comes to customer service, be it airlines that routinely institute new fees, or hotels that regularly overbook and then send unwary customers to lower-grade motels (if at all).

You would think that in these tough times, businesses would be bending over backwards to provide good customer service, to maintain a good reputation, retain loyalty, and reap long-term benefits, yes?

Well, it turns out that there are some bag/luggage manufacturers that fall into this category. Today, let me showcase Tom Bihn Bags.

Tom Bihn Bags

Based out of Seattle, Washington, this small bag manufacturer still makes all of its products in the USA. If you’re American and you prefer to purchase products that are made in-country, Tom Bihn bags are a keeper. All of the products they make are heavy duty and hold up well to everyday use.

What makes them a standout in the customer service realm, however, is their direct interactivity with customers:

  • Blog: You can expect new blog entries on an almost daily basis, and they include everything from reader-submitted videos to information about new inventory. If you use an RSS feed reader like Bloglines or Google Reader, it’s a great way to see what’s going on in the world of Tom Bihn.
  • Twitter: These days it feels like every company (and celebrity) has a Twitter account, and Tom Bihn is no exception. You’ll get updates when they post a blog, but they also follow their own subscribers, and they will actually respond to your queries on Twitter! Talk about feedback.
  • Forums: Finally, they have a active discussion board at their Web site. They use vBulletin, a bulletin board system familiar to many. Here, people can post photos of their own Tom Bihn bags, ask questions, discuss the merits or problems with products, and so on. The membership hovers just below 3,000, which, while not huge, means there is a very loyal core following that has direct input into product design and redesign.

What’s impressive is how much direct feedback the people at Tom Bihn actually take into account in this interactive environment. It is not uncommon for company staff to post a teaser about an upcoming product or ask people for opinions about specific features about upcoming items, with a photo or two. At that point, the loyal readers respond with honest feedback, and there can be a lively exchange over the merits of various features, until the designs are tweaked to better meet customer requests.

A good example of this is in the board thread entitled, “TriStar day!!!!” where a reader was disappointed that the photos of this new pre-production travel bag indicated zipper pulls that were cords instead of metal tabs. After some back-and-forth exchange, company rep Darcy announced a change to metal tabs, with a package of cord pulls for people who prefer the latter. How many companies do you know that work so closely with their customers to hone their product design, and actually respond to them?

Many manufacturers simply hire out marketing researchers or leave it to their own staff for opinions, but by listening to their own customers, the folks at Tom Bihn can introduce new products that actually fit the bill for their market. What a concept!

For a small company, they are constantly working on research and development, coming up with new products or tweaking their existing line. They are adding new colors and new sizes and so on, and they try to coordinate products, so that small internal packs fit in large bags, colors match, and whatnot.

Listening to customer feedback? Seems like it!

Updated Must-Have Resources

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Regular readers of my site may already be familiar with the basics of traveling light, but if you’re new and happen to find this place, you may be wondering where you can find all that information.

The stuff is all stashed away in the link labeled “ARCHIVE SITE” above. It’s there because the information, for the most part, is pre-9/11; many articles are a decade old!

Instead of trying to comb through and revising each article, I thought it would be easier to freeze them in time and properly label them so you would see that the articles are not current. That said, there’s a lot of good stuff in there worth sharing still today. So periodically, I’ll run one of my older articles, revised where appropriate. I’ll make sure to let you know it originally ran in the past. Good, yes? So let’s get started!

[The following is an all-new updated blast from the past from the Travelite archives.]

Must-Have Resources for Every Traveliter

“If you don’t read any further at this Web site, just go to the following sites and you’ll be a smarter traveler and travel shopper.”

Since I originally published this article a decade ago, the Internet has exploded. Any store or company worth its salt seems to have a Web site, and many of them have gone from plain-looking sites (many without the ability to purchase items online) to really fancy, with tools like wish lists and customer support live chat, that make Internet shopping as convenient as possible.

The sites I recommend here have been around for a while, and although there are other Web sites that sell similar items at similar (or even lower) cost, these sites are different, because I believe they are travelers who sell travel-related products, and not just business people who happen to sell travel-related products among their vast inventory. What that means is that the stuff they sell have been tried and tested; they aren’t just fancy, but practical. The products feel right.

I wholeheartedly recommend these sites, not only for their products, but for their customer service. These sites also understand our desire to travel lightly, and offer you most of what you’d want when packing your things for your trips.

The following are those that I feel all readers should at least take a look at. Disclaimer: I produce this FAQ for free. I have not been paid by any of the following for their inclusion here, nor do I get any commercial gain from this listing.

If you decide to contact any of these places, please do me a favor by mentioning that you read about them here on the Travelite FAQ! Thanks!

In the process of becoming a traveliter, I believe everyone should try to get their hands on the following:

Magellan’s: For More Comfortable, Safe and Rewarding Travel

Address: 110 W. Sola Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 U.S.A
Voice: 800-962-4943; 805-568-5400
Fax: 800-962-4940; 805-568-5406
Email: sales@magellans.com
URL: http://www.magellans.com

Originally a mail order catalog company, Magellan’s went online, secured its own domain web site (it’s hard to believe, looking back now, how many businesses didn’t have their own vanity name Web addreses!). They were relatively early in the orders shopping game, and their online catalog back then was as comprehensive as their print catalog. Those who like to pore over the print catalog and mark up items while daydreaming about their vacation trip will find a perfect harmony here; Magellan’s still maintains that balance of online and print catalog nicely.

You may have travel-related stores in your nearest mall, but Magellan’s, in my opinion, is the king of mail-order travel merchandise. I’ve never seen any other place with more or better travel “stuff” than these guys. They’ve got everything from money belts and travelpacks to collapsible water bottles and toiletry kits. They also specialize in electrical adapters and converters.

I have shopped with Magellan’s these last few years, and their customer service (both mail order and in person) are incredible (to a level I thought was basically non-existent in the ’90s). Drop by their store if you’re ever in Santa Barbara. I was a bit surprised at the small size of their store, but it made perfect sense since they specialize in minimal packing.

TravelSmith: Outfitting Guide and Catalog from TravelSmith

Address: 60 Leveroni Court, Novato, CA 94949
Voice: 800-950-1600 (US); 415-455-8050 (International)
Fax: 415.455.0329
Email: service@travelsmith.com
URL: http://www.travelsmith.com

What Magellan’s is to travel “stuff” TravelSmith is to travel clothing. The folks at TravelSmith call themselves “the Gurus of Travel Wear,” and I have to admit their products are both unique and impressive. For example, many of their outfits (for both women and men) are lightweight and wrinkle-resistant. Their prices are a bit on the higher side if you’re used to other mail order firms like L.L. Bean and Lands’ End, but TravelSmith outfits seem tailored for traveliters. Note that there is some merchandise overlap between Magellan’s and TravelSmith, although it is minimal.

The iconic product that Travelsmith sells is what they call “The Indispensable Black Travel Dress.” Originally introduced almost a decade ago, the simple dress was a combination of product development and marketing genius. Made of a soft and stretchy fabric that didn’t require ironing or dry cleaning, the dress had no zippers, buttons, or snaps. The high empress/princess waistline camouflaged belly pooch and gave an A-cup wearer the feel of having a more curvy figure on top. Travelsmith slowly began expanding their line by introducing various lengths, different sleeve lengths, necklines, and colors. Over the years they probably sold about 20 variations on this dress. The nice thing is that the basic product is still available today.

Most of the clothing they sell are their own brand. They regularly introduce new items, so if you see something you like, you might consider picking it up right away. Conversely, they also need to shed their older inventory regularly, which means you can find some incredible bargains in their sale section. If you live in Northern California, you can get on their mailing list so you can be notified when they have one of their huge warehouse sales. Great prices, but bring your comfy shoes, because you’ll need to scour the racks to find the right sizes and such.

In addition to these original two recommendations, let me also suggest the following:

Norm Thompson

Address: PO Box 126, Jessup, PA 18434 U.S.A
Orders: 1-800-547-1160 (24 hours)
Customer service toll free: 1-877-718-7899
Fax toll free: 1-800-821-1282
Email: Via online form (link)
URL: http://www.normthompson.com

Norm Thompson offers travel-friendly products but is not completely travel-centric like Magellan’s and Travelsmith is. You’ll find some nice items there, but if you want to buy travel clothing, be very mindful that what you are buying will work for you. Check to see if an item is specifically marked as machine (or hand) washable, or that it resists wrinkles.

My general impression is that Norm Thompson sells a better, more stylish selection of menswear than the previous two, but so much of that is up to each individual taste.

If you are a fan of Baggallini purses, Norm Thompson is the place to go. They offer a very comprehensive line of their products.

Campmor

Address: 400 Corporate Dr, PO Box 680, Mahwah, NJ 07430 U.S.A.
Store: 810 Route 17 North, Paramus, NJ 07652
Voice: (800) 525-4784
Fax: 800-962-4940; 805-568-5406
Email: Via online form (link). Live chat available.
URL: http://www.campmor.com

Campmor gets a nod here for being the bargain hunter’s dream. If you are looking more for adventure travel gear, or you’re on a budget, take a look here before you go to some of the other retailers like REI. I usually look to Campmor for things like layers for winter travel.

The only thing to be mindful of is that they are usually limited in their inventory, so you need to see if they actually have things in your size. Most of the products there are on sale because they are a clearance house. But hey, it’s cheap cheap cheap, and if you’re minding your wallet, Campmor can be a great buddy!

Rick Steves

Address:130 4th Ave N, PO Box 2009, Edmonds, WA 98020-2009 U.S.A.
Voice: 425-771-8303
Fax: 425-771-0833
Email: Via online form (link)
URL: http://www.ricksteves.com

What can I say about Rick Steves? He is my personal travel role model, my travel guru. He originally introduced me to the carry-on-only concept in his “Europe Through the Back Door” TV series on PBS, and he continues to share his knowledge and nudge hesitant Americans to travel overseas.

Visit his Web site. It is a wonderful melange of stuff that often reminds me of a big train station, full of hustle and bustle. He continues to sell some really fine travel products, including his classic carry-on travelpack. He offers guided tours to a huge array of European destinations. He has free podcasts of his radio shows, as well as some walking tours (my husband and I listened to his Paris podcast and had a great time listening to him explain some things about the Notre Dame as we sat across the street and marveled at the great cathedral).

He has written hundreds of articles over the years, all available to read there. And then there is the Graffiti Wall. It’s not a typical bulletin board so much as a collection of advice from Europe Through the Back Door travelers, in the form of a huge long list. Find your topic of interest and click on its link. There, you will hear from other travelers about what pickpocket scams to look out for, or what walking shoes are the most comfortable to walk in all day.

Happy travel shopping!

Good news: Ellington Leather updates its backpack tote purse

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Some fantastic news for fans of Ellington Leather’s original Sussex travel tote. Some years back, mail order retailer Norm Thompson used to carry a smaller version of Ellington’s Sussex travel tote:


The Ellington Stella tote. Image from Ellington Leather.

The beauty in this bag was its simplicity; it was a simple purse with straps that, when pulled outward, would cinch the top and convert the bag into a backpack. It was great as a smart purse that you could quickly convert to a backpack at the airport if you needed your hands free, or you needed to manage your kids on the go.

The only catch with this bag was that they did away with the popular small size, and only had the larger tote bag size for quite a while. The converted backpack was about the size of a bookpack instead of a smaller purse, and too large if you just wanted a regular-sized purse.


A simple diagram showing how to convert a purse to a backpack. Image from Lazar’s Luggage Superstore.

Ellington did sell a leather version in the smaller size, but the material meant it weighed more, and it was considerably more expensive (usually retailing for over $150.00).

For 2009, however, Ellington has introduced its new “Lightweight Travel” line, which includes a revamped version of this popular bag!


Ellington’s new Lightweight Travel Tote/Pack. Image from LuggageOnline.com.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the Lightweight Travel Tote/Pack has a straighter silhouette and is more angular. The center drops down a little more, to create a more flattering shape when you wear this as a backpack. They’ve also changed the fabric from nylon to microfiber, which while a bit stiffer and not as squishable as the nylon, is very travel-friendly and will stand up to a lot of wear. The smarter silhouette means you can probably use this for business travel as well.

Finally, they’ve fixed the main problem that plagued the original small Sussex bag: This newer version now has a zipper that runs the full length of the main opening, making this much more secure than its predecessor.

This new Lightweight Travel Tote/Pack is available in four travel-friendly colors (black, grey, red, and periwinkle). You can find it at a few online retailers such as LuggageOnline as well as from Ellington Leather directly, but your best deal right now is at eBags.com, where the retail price of $66 has been reduced to $52.80. Not sure how long that sale will be going on for (they are currently having a Spring sale), but even at $66 it’s not a bad deal.

A quick note about the Timbuk2 Metro: Reader Tom left a comment in my previous entry, that he was told by Timbuk2 staff that they plan to phase out of the Metro altogether and replace it with the new Click. Both Tom and I agree that the Metro is a better deal; if you’d like a Metro but haven’t gotten one yet, now may be a good time. There are still plenty of inventory in a rainbow of colors; don’t wait too long!

Jansport sale at Campmor, Timbuk2 update, and more

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Hey look, it’s Lani crawling out of her cave! [Is it spring yet?]

Just a heads-up that Campmor is having a slew of Jansport bags on sale, including a few items that I think Travelite readers may want to consider:

Jansport Euro Sak Travel Conversion Pack

Regular Price: $145.00
Campmor Price: $49.97
Savings: $95.03

This traditional convertible backpack bag is a maximum-sized carry-on with stowaway backpack straps and a removable shoulder strap.
JanSport Half Pint Daypack

Campmor price: $12.99

This is one of those small “backpacks” that are more like small purses. Nothing fancy here, except that they offer this model in an amazingly large assortment of colors and patterns. Plus, at $12.99 how can you go wrong?
JanSport Fifth Ave. II

Campmor price: $9.99

Available in black, navy, and lavender (shown here), this item is a no-frills belt bag/fanny pack. If you like to use one of these as your little day bag while you toodle around Disneyland or something, $9.99 is an amazing bargain.

They have a full page worth of bags at that URL, including a wheeled bag (just a tad too bit to carry on), computer cases, soft-sided briefcases, external frame backpacks and standard school backpacks. I’ll personally try to pick up one of those Half Pints. As soon as I can decide what pattern I like.

Timbuk2 Stowaway Update

Last month, I told you about the Timbuk2 Stowaway. Since then, I’ve been testing it out, and I can offer some comments for you:

Stiff fabric: Timbuk2 is known for really rugged fabric, and the Stowaway is no exception. It is definitely very rugged, and I’ll never have to worry about the hems coming apart. That said, one issue with such stiff fabric is that when you have this bag set up to fold in the center, the folded part tends not to lay flat… especially if you have more than the minimal amount of stuff in the bag. That is, the “flap” (the top half the bag) sticks out a bit. I found that wearing the flap part against my body helped a bit, but unless I run this through the wash several times I don’t think it will get floppy at all.

D-rings: I’m accustomed to D-shaped rings on my Timbuk2 Metro, so I was a little surprised to find that the metal rings on this bag are very shiny, very thick, and very angular. In fact, I wouldn’t even call them D-rings; I’d call them rectangles. Maybe they were trying to go for an angular look to match the cut of the bag, but personally I don’t think the look of those rectangles is very flattering, and the angles make the straps a little harder to put on and off.

Strap: Speaking of the strap, the buckle ends are also the same shiny metal as the rectangles. Plus, they are also very stiff, meaning it actually takes a bit of force to remove and latch them onto the rectangles. If you’re used to the easier snap-on/snap-off of their quick release straps, you’re in for a surprise.

Conclusion


The good: This bag is best when you latch your strap onto the top ends and unfold the middle, and use it like a bigger bag. You can fit quite a bit in there, and it manages not to stick out too far because of the way it’s cut. It’s a simple bag with no dividers on the inside, so you can pack whatever you want and still manage to look relatively stylish.

The bad: The buckles on the strap are a pain to change. The metal is way too shiny (matte would’ve been so much better… or a smaller version of the curved D-rings from the Metro would’ve been so much better). If you’re the type to put a lot of smaller stuff in your bag (oh, let’s say a couple of pocket Moleskine notebooks, some pens, sunglasses case, cell phone, an iPod, and so on), be prepared to have to spend time trying to figure out where things are by touch. Even if you are wearing the bag folded, you have to reach in from the tall opening and reach deeeep into the chasm of the bag. The yellow version of this bag may make that an easier task, but the fabric is so thick I’m not sure how much more light you’d have to work with.

If given another opportunity to obtain this bag, I think I’d give it a pass, personally.

Speaking of Timbuk2…

I checked out their newest little Metro cousin, the Click.


An updated version of their popular extra-small Metro bag. Image from Timbuk2.

The thing is adorably cute, but if you are a Metro fan like me, you need to be aware of a couple of things:

  • The strap is nonremovable! This was a huge disappointment for me, because I am a huge fan of their quick-adjust shoulder strap. And the reason the strap doesn’t come off is because…
  • There is no hand-carrying handle on the top of this bag, something you get in the Metro. And the reason you probably don’t get the hand handle is because…
  • There is no buckle release on the flap. Instead, you get a little pull-tab and you close the bag with Velcro. And without the 100% security of a buckled in flap, that Velcro will not likely keep the flap shut should you try to carry this with a carrying handle that’s only attached to the flap.

Don’t get me wrong. This is definitely very streamlined. It’s the same size as the Metro, and it’s really quite cute. I actually ordered that same one in the photo and was all excited to use it, until I noticed that the strap was sewn on there tight.

I wound up returning mine. Oh well, ya can’t win ’em all.

Timbuk2 Stowaway Update

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Well hallelujah. Timbuk2 now offers those nifty Stowaway bags is a more traveler-friendly black.

Time to order mine.


The Timbuk2 Stowaway in plain black. Image from Timbuk2.

While you’re there, you might want to look through their travel section. They’re selling all green bags for 25%. And no, not the green as in environmental, but as in St. Patrick’s Day green.