Top 5 | Best Travel Accessory

Our Best Travel Accessory category celebrates the smaller gear that makes a big difference when we’re adventuring. And as you’ll see in our top 5 finalists, these pieces can range vastly in design and purpose, from keeping our essentials charged to helping us stay dry. Each finalist has earned its spot thanks to its well-considered, practical design that makes it genuinely useful to travel with. But which one really nails its intended purpose with ease of carry? Choose your top contender below…

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Hydro Flask Trail Series

Who It Suits

Anybody who wants to shed those grams while maintaining the performance expected from an insulated bottle. The Trail Series is also available in unique colors, some exclusive to the line, so it’s another way to differentiate yourself from everyone else with a bottle in the office.

The Lowdown

It wouldn’t be hyperbole to say Hydro Flask has dominated the hydration bottle game for years now. Plenty of bottles offer excellent performance or aesthetics, but the Bend, Oregon-based company has innovated year after year in not just their bottle designs but also branching out to food storage and transport and solutions for your camp kitchen. Speaking of continually improving, the Trail Series is the most advanced bottle they produce.

Offering a weight savings of 25% compared to a similarly sized bottle, the Trail Series is made from the same 18/8 stainless steel as its counterpart while still offering all the performance that matters. That includes the ability to keep drinks cold for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12 hours, utilizing their TempShield double-wall vacuum insulation. The wide-mouth 32 oz has a slightly narrower opening which is still high flow while keeping the stream more consistent and predictable. It has also been stretched out a tad, making it a taller and slimmer package. Hydro Flask also tossed on a flexible perforated strap and aluminum pivots to minimize weight.  When closed, the Trail Series remains leakproof, and the threading fits most backcountry water filters. 

Strengths

– Narrower and taller bottles for easier transport and fitment in bottle pockets

– Lightweight without sacrificing performance

– BPA and toxin-free, slick interior to prevent flavor transfer

– Perforated flexible strap for easy grab and carrying

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Matador Speed Stash

Who It Suits

Fans of organization and workflow optimization would find the Speed Stash an ideal traveling companion. If you pre-plan your TSA security walkthrough and believe every item should have a home, this is the product you’ve been looking for.

The Lowdown

Matador has a unique talent for creating items that we all find invaluable in our travels but have never realized to ask a company to make. The Speed Stash is a universal strap pocket designed to attach to the front of the shoulder straps on your backpack. Two panels in the back wrap around your shoulder straps with velcro for a secure fit. It uses locking bars to trap sternum strap hardware, preventing vertical movement. 

It measures 4 inches wide and 7 inches tall and can expand to a depth of 2 inches. It’s made of, what else, Bluesign-approved 420D nylon with a PU coating for water resistance. The overall package is straightforward and streamlined. It has one main pocket with access to the full interior dimension accessed via a lone YKK zipper. The front nylon powermesh exterior pocket gives access to items you need to reach quickly and frequently.  It fits cell phones, GPS devices, wallets, passports, and snacks. For me, this is the ideal place to stash my phone, wallet, keys, and boarding pass when I am headed through security. The whole thing can detach in seconds and be tossed into your bag when you’re done using it. 

Strengths

– Simple, streamlined organization

– Fits everything you’d need quick access to in transit or everyday

– Made from Bluesign-approved fabric

– Installs on right or left shoulder strap; optionally uses lock bars to anchor to sternum straps for added stability 

– Front stash pocket is easy to access, expandable, and keeps things secure with powermesh.

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Weatherman Collapsible Umbrella

Who It Suits

Those who have often find themselves in inclement weather, especially atmospheric rivers, high winds, and torrential rains. Commuters who want to arrive at their destination dry. Those that have experienced having an umbrella invert from strong winds during a rainstorm and vowed it would be the last time!

The Lowdown

Fifteen years ago, I decided to meet my friend in Chicago while he was there on a work trip. We traveled separately, and when I arrived, I took the metro from the airport to my hotel downtown. I knew of the Windy City nickname and had checked the weather beforehand, so I was prepared with my faithful umbrella from home. I stepped off the train at 11 in the morning, but the skies were so overcast and gray that I knew I was in trouble. My umbrella immediately inverted, and I couldn’t fix it while simultaneously dragging my suitcase down the street to the hotel. I just gave up and tossed the thing, walking into the hotel lobby dripping wet.

Weatherman was created by Rick Reichmuth, who is, what else, a nationally recognized meteorologist. The Collapsible is the second smallest model, with a closed length of 19.5 inches. It opens up to a large 42 inches in diameter, which is more than enough for one person and could probably squeeze in two friendly companions under its canopy. It features a consistent and deliberate auto-open mechanism triggered via a large button on the handle. It uses industrial-strength fiberglass to defend against breaking and (the dreaded) inverting. It’s paired with water-repellent fabric to keep you dry and vented canopies can withstand winds up to 55 mph by allowing the umbrella to act as a pass-through rather than a wall providing resistance.

With a wrist strap for easy carrying, 360-degree reflective trim for high visibility, and available in an array of attractive colors, the Weatherman Collapsible umbrella is the faithful companion you’ll rely on season after season.

Strengths

– Large open canopy for maximum coverage

– Available in a number of attractive colors and, more importantly, unique ones to distinguish yours from other umbrellas in the bin

– Comfortable ergonomic handle with a large button for auto open

– Designed not to break or invert

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Rolling Square TAU Power Bank

Who It Suits

Those who often find themselves running out of power during the day (probably through too much screen time or excessive photo taking ) or with phones dying just before the evening is over and need to eke out just a few more hours of use.

The Lowdown

We have all seen and used power banks by now, but as the adage goes: the best tool is the one you have with you. The TAU Power Bank by Rolling Square really takes that to heart with its thoughtful design and feature set. It’s minimal for a power bank, measuring just 2.32 by 1.77 inches and weighing just 1.4 oz. It packs a capacity of 1400 mAh, which doesn’t sound like much but keep in mind that it’ll give an iPhone 14 Pro juiced up from 0 to 40%, which is probably plenty for you to call an Uber home. 

The TAU is designed to be small enough to fit on a keychain, and it does so through a metal loop. It has a set of built-in flexible USC-B, Micro USB, and Lightning connectors, so you don’t have to worry about packing the right cord. It is also mobile platform agnostic so that you can share a charge with a friend. 

It also includes a dock which is meant to be wall mounted and acts as a convenient key holder by the door. The dock also functions as a base station, charging the TAU while mounted, so it’s always juiced up whenever you need to take it out for the day. 

Strengths

– Three built-in charging connector means everyone’s covered

– Small and lightweight makes it an ideal keychain companion while still providing a surprising amount of emergency battery backup

– Included dock serves as a base station but also charges up the TAU when parked

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Prometheus Design Werx ATP Pouches

Who It Suits

If you’re an adventurer at heart who loves to stay organised, these pouches are for you. Made from recycled materials, fully waterproof, and available in three sizes, these pouches can step up your organisation game while keeping all your goodies safe!

The Lowdown

 Prometheus Design Werx are all about getting you outside. They are focused on living a life full of adventure and providing the best tools for it. From backpacks all the way through to patches, their products speak of nature and giving every person the right equipment to enjoy it. Their backpacks are excellent, their clothing and apparel adored, and their accessories are second to none. 

The ATP Pouches are the elite of adventure organisation. Coming in three sizes (1, 2, & 3), there is a pouch for your needs. All three pouches feature the same 600D recycled RPET (recycled water bottles) that is robust and lightweight, while sturdy enough to hold its own shape. Each pouch also features PDW’s MCA (MOLLE compatible array) so that the pouches can be integrated with an existing system, either via their own HAL1 straps or your own rigging.

The pouches feature a full-sized translucent window on one side (apart from the largest ATP3 which has a zippered pocket instead), allowing a clear view of what’s inside. This proved to be useful during testing, particularly when the pouches aren’t attached by the MCA and you’re grabbing quickly on the move.

Arguably the biggest draw of the ATP pouches is their waterproofness. Featuring a TruZip® watertight zipper, these pouches will keep your contents safe and dry. From electronic EDC items, food goods, IFAK, and more–your items are safe inside an ATP. As a trio these pouches have worked well for camera equipment (ATP1), IFAK (ATP2), and EDC organization (ATP3). The ATP 3 is also configured with Velcro loops internally, so that you can use PDW’s 6×6 organizer, providing excellent EDC options. While these aren’t the most glamorous item that PDW sells, the ATP pouches are the epitome of their functional design philosophy.

Strengths

– Recycled 600D RPET material

– Waterproof Zippers

– Three sizes

– MOLLE compatible

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[VOTING CLOSES APRIL 2ND]