.KEYWORD podcase
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Upward and onward with The Pod
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY On his summer vacation, Steve Niles took along a cool little bag designed to carry all manner of electronic gadgets. In this review, you’ll see how well the bag did at keeping his Palm handheld secure on a trip to New York’s Adirondacks.
.AUTHOR Steve Niles
In September, my wife and I went on vacation to the Adirondacks in upstate New York. We would be away for a week, tenting for two nights and renting a cabin for the remaining period. I knew we’d be doing a lot of hiking and walking around on various tours during that time, so I used the opportunity to field test a cool little bag from RoadWired called The Pod. You can find it at http://www.roadwired.com/store/Product.cfm?Productid=57, and it’s pictured in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A Shoulder your electronics with The Pod.
The Pod is designed as a carryall for your Palm handheld, camera, digital media and/or film, cords and adapters, batteries, mobile phone, and what have you. The main pocket measures 4 inches by 3.5 inches around and 6.5 inches deep. On three sides, you’ll find the "winged" outer pocket configuration. Each pocket interior features elasticized media/accessory organizers, flap pockets, bungee keepers for cable or lens caps, and other nooks and crannies. There are over 20 sub-pockets and compartments amid the various sections, including a "secret pocket" for hiding emergency cash, keys, etc.
The bag can either be carried using the removable shoulder strap or be strapped to a belt, as shown in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B The Pod can be worn on your belt.
There are actually dual-height loops on the back panel, so you can wear the Pod as either a waist pack or a belt pack. Behind the loops you’ll find a padded, moisture-wicking mesh panel.
.H1 RoadWired, road tested
I have a travel charger that utilizes a 9-volt battery, but since I knew I’d be staying in a cabin with electricity for most of the week, I decided to take my entire HotSync cradle, just to be safe. The Pod’s large main pocket was just big enough to fit the cradle and the large plug. The lid fit down snuggly, securing with both Velcro and a plastic clip.
In the three side pockets, I carried my Palm handheld, my wallet, a pocketknife, and a couple of pens. I ran out of things to carry before I ran out of pockets to put them in. However, I wasn’t able to fit my cell phone in any of the side pockets, and the main compartment was now packed. I own an Ericsson cell phone that’s certainly not the smallest on the market. I would imagine that most smaller, clamshell designed phones would fit easily. Something the size of a Treo, for example, would be a perfect fit.
We stayed at Sheltered Lakes Adirondack Cabins and Cottages (at http://www.shelteredlakes.com). Once we reached our cabin, pictured in Figure C, I was able to empty the pod of the HotSync cradle and plug, freeing the main compartment.
.FIGPAIR C Our lakeside cabin had all the comforts of home.
Into that space, I then placed my cell phone and 35mm camera. I also added bug spray and mini-binoculars to the side pockets to equip myself for our next adventure: a climb up Black Mountain.
.H1 Upward mobility
Not far from our cabin was the knobby peak of Black Mountain, pictured in Figure D.
.FIGPAIR D Black Mountain rises above the tiny town of Clemons, New York.
This wasn’t one of those mountain climbs requiring ropes and pitons. There was a rocky trail that zigzagged its way up and around to the peak. Even so, it was a difficult hike, but the view from the top made it more than worth it, as you can see in Figure E.
.FIGPAIR E Here’s the view from Black Mountain looks out over Lake George.
During the climb, I started out wearing The Pod on my belt. However, I didn’t find this to be the ideal method. By virtue of its shape, when I wore it on my hip, it felt awkward, as my arm would constantly bump against it. I didn’t want to wear it on the back of my pants, though, as it would too much resemble a fanny pack. Nothing against those who choose the particular fashion statement that is the fanny pack, but I prefer to disassociate myself with anything that has the word "fanny" in its name.
So, I switched to the shoulder strap, which I found more to my liking. The strap can be doubled-up and worn over one shoulder, but besides feeling too much like a purse, it has a tendency to slip off. I preferred to fully extend the strap and wear it across the chest. It’s the most secure and least obtrusive way to wear any bag, in my opinion.
.H1 An excellent companion
One quirk I noticed is that when the main compartment is closed, it also blocks access to the front "wing" pocket, as the Velcro and snap close over it. This is a minor point, though. You can easily just keep whatever you may need frequent access to, such as your Palm handheld, in one of the other two wings.
Overall, The Pod was an excellent companion on my vacation. I was able to keep all my gadgets and supplies close at hand, which was extremely handy when I needed to grab my camera quickly in order to snap pictures of the beautiful scenery or disturbing images like the one shown in Figure F.
.FIGPAIR F Santa Claus, Paul Bunyan, and Uncle Sam loom outside the supremely creepy Magic Forest.
.BEGIN_KEEP
The Pod is a cool, uniquely designed, and dare I say, cute, little bag. It’s priced at $49.95 and comes in a variety of colors, as shown in Figure G.
.FIGPAIR G The Pod comes in a variety of colors.
If you’re in the market for a new travel bag for your electronic gadgets, The Pod is well worth looking into.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on The Pod from RoadWired, visit http://www.roadwired.com/store/Product.cfm?Productid=57.
For more information on Sheltered Lakes Adirondack Cabins and Cottages, visit http://www.shelteredlakes.com.
For more information on Palm handhelds, visit http://www.palm.com.
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.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
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.END_KEEP
