Comments on: Do I Need A Floating Camera Strap?

By: Earl

Earl — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 14:03:33 +0000

Hey Dina – That’s an amusing image of Ryan removing the items that you just put into your basket! He’s probably saved you hundreds of dollars in the end.

Such things as the compact, quick dry towel clearly have their uses and I can understand buying such an item, but if you were carrying around that banana holder, I’d be a bit disappointed!

By: Dina

Dina — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:29:10 +0000

I love going to REI! Where I lived in Canada, we don’t really have big traveling store like that. There’s a small-medium size one 1-2 hours away. We happened to go to US a lot half year before we left, so I visited REI bunch of times (in different cities).

Now, I know how you feel about buying vs not buying. My shopping drive made my basket filled up easily, and Ryan helped me taking out most of the stuffs from the basket Yeah, there are a lot of things there that look very attractive, but in the second thought, you can live without. Or, you rather live without.

Instead of water bottle, we just reuse soft drink bottle that we occasionally buy. Banana case… for a single banana… I’m not sure how it will be useful enough for me to sacrifice precious space in my pack Floating camera strap, I assume the camera needs to be waterproof anyway? Well, I guess I don’t remember the occasion I drop my camera to water (I always attach it to my wrist), except for my waterproof one, for fun

But I did by a lot of stuff from them (or other similar traveling store). Many of my light and quick dry clothes for example. Packing cubes and ultra light sacks, tiny quick dry towel that actually save so much space.
.-= Dina´s last blog ..Top 3 Temples by Travelers Around the World =-.

By: Earl

Earl — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:32:46 +0000

I have no doubt that many baby store products would be similar in ‘usefulness’ to REI’s offerings. They look so worthwhile until you get home and realize that it was a waste of money or more hassle than you care to deal with!

I can’t even imagine what bizarre gadgets and items you must have come across over the years. A baby wipes heater is certainly bizarre enough!

By: Earl

Earl — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:24:59 +0000

Moving certainly works. Even when I’m about to travel to a different country I always empty out my backpack completely and then donate whatever I no longer need. There is no sense it keeping anything that is just taking up space and nothing else!

By: Bucksome Boomer

Bucksome Boomer — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:48:22 +0000

Your experience at REI sounds like me in the baby store. I raised my kids fine without a baby wipes heater. .-= Bucksome Boomer´s last blog ..Blog Income: My First Check =-.

By: Jennifer Barry

Jennifer Barry — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:06:21 +0000

Since you have to carry anything you buy on your trip, I’m sure that keeps your stuff to a minimum. Other than that, another great way to keep the accumulation of stuff down is to move. We found a bunch of things we didn’t need when we were packing to move across town last year. Why pack it if you can give it away?
.-= Jennifer Barry´s last blog ..How to Take College Classes for Free =-.

By: Earl

Earl — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 15:28:52 +0000

That’s always a great idea Jennifer! Donating to charity is the best possible way to get rid of the excess ‘stuff’ that we collect over time and which we no longer need.

And to me, one of the best things about how I travel, is that I don’t have to worry much about my belongings. Apart from my laptop, I wouldn’t be too bothered if anything else went missing, or if all of it went missing for that matter. If I added a bunch of nifty (and expensive) gadgets, I’d sure be worrying a lot more often as well. But like you said, it doesn’t hurt to do some window shopping every now and then!

By: Jennifer Barry

Jennifer Barry — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:20:53 +0000

I love window shopping for all that fancy gear too. Then I think about losing it, or finding a place in my house for it, and I generally skip buying anything. My husband and I have scaled down to a smaller apartment and we are slowly going through our stuff and making a pile of things we aren’t using. There are quite a few local charities who are grateful for them!
.-= Jennifer Barry´s last blog ..Eat Locally, Wherever You Are =-.

By: Earl

Earl — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:30:31 +0000

Hey Floreta – There is no doubt that REI’s products are a little pricey and I think their strength is in creating ‘needs’ instead of fulfilling actual ‘needs’. For example, a nifty-looking, unbreakable, self-cooling water bottle seemed worth the $35 investment until I realized that I normally just buy one plastic water bottle upon landing in a country and then re-fill it over and over again throughout my stay. And that system works perfectly, so why worry about losing a $35 bottle? The same goes for most of the items I found in the store.

And I didn’t even know that REI offered travel adventure tours as well, although I’m not surprised that they are quite expensive!

By: Earl

Earl — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:06:34 +0000

Hey Andi – Is Flight001 the shop that sells all of the things that airline passengers leave behind uncollected? I have a good friend from Alabama who has mentioned a store like that and I believe it was called Flight001. He said they had their main shop somewhere around where he grew up.

And great decision on your part as well to donate and sell off some of your things! Just make sure you don’t accidentally give away your backpack.