Week In Review ~ 15 June

Welcome to the Week In Review where we’re scoping out a brand that’s all about simplicity and looking at carry for getting active in nature. There’s also a pack for kids without ears or a happy animal face in sight, plus a classy way to keep your ties from throttling each other during your travels…

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A clean approach to carry

While some brands take the approach of adding bells and whistles to their carry products, cleaneverything takes the opposite approach. Focused on minimalist design, their bag and wallet items do not have zippers, linings, pockets, ornamentation or even stitching. The carry products are constructed from Italian leather by Romanian craftsmen through a process of leather folding and moulding, with the use of studs for closures and strap attachments.

Too cool for school

If that bright-orange dinosaur pack or luminescent pink Barbie bag just doesn’t cut it with your kid, perhaps they’d prefer the more upmarket approach to kids’ carry provided by this Toscanella canvas and Italian leather knapsack. Part of the Toscanella Baby collection, this pack has an interior zipped pocket and an exterior snap pocket. It’s not heavy but by no means the lightest kids’ backpack you’ll come across (0.37 kg) and certainly not cheap ($279) but it should hold up to the abuse children can hurl at their bags a lot better than cheap packs.

Hill hauling

From children’s backpacks to adult carry, Black Diamond have a new pack offering in the form of the Sonar pack. With a volume of 26 liters the Sonar can haul all your gear for a day of adventuring in the outdoors (or alternatively can serve as a travel bag). The pack includes Black Diamond’s reACTIV suspension, OpenAir back panel designed to keep you cooler during hot days, loads of pockets (including a fleece-lined pocket for more fragile items) and a hipbelt to assist with load distribution. As a related side note, Black Diamond have put together a video that demonstrates how to fit their packs properly.

The water bottle that fits in your pocket

If you are deciding to hit the hills at some point (or just want a compact water carrier for trips to the gym and the like), the Vapur Eclipse Anti-Bottle may find its way into your carry for your next trip. This foldable bottle can be scrunched pretty small and comes in a smaller 0.7-liter size and larger 1-liter size. Inexpensive and reusable (it’s designed to last three to four years), this is a cool little bit of water carry.

Classy carry for the gentleman traveler

The discerning gentleman does not merely toss his ties and bowties into his luggage and hope for the best. No, sir. He probably carries them in something like this Leather Tie and Bowtie Travel Case Holder from the Buffalo Jackson Trading Co. Constructed out of cow leather with a pigskin lining, this case has three straps on either side that shut with metal snap buttons. It is designed to hold six neckties or eight bowties, so you won’t run out of a selection of dapper accessories on your travels.