Review: Clipa Handbag Hanger

Do you ever go into a public restroom or a bar and have no place to put your purse? You could put it on the floor, but A) there are disgusting germs that you don’t want to end up taking with you and B) someone could easily snatch it up and run away with it. It would sure make you sad if you either lost all your money and other important stuff or you ended up with some yuck disease.

I found myself in three public restrooms in two days last week that that didn’t have a purse hanger on the door and one that had the fold-down shelf that worked badly. I’m sure you’ve tried to hold it on your lap or keep it on your shoulder. How awkward was that? Really awkward, right? If you never want to have that issue again, then you’ll want to get a Clipa. 

This heavy duty hanger hangs your purse on any table, counter and most doors. Hang it on purse until you need to use it and you’re set. It’s particularly great when traveling and your only choices are to hang your bag on the back of your chair (easy for thieves to steal out of and outright), in your lap (super awkward when you’re trying to eat) or on the floor by your feet (tripping hazard and also easy for thieves to access). Know exactly where your bag is, but keep it out of the way by using Clipa.

The great thing about this purse hanger is that it can hold up an average of 45 lbs, though it has been tested at over double that, so if you have a heavy non-rolling carry-on bag with you when you travel, or a diaper bag, it will hold that, too. In fact, I used it on my table with my small roller bag just to show you how well it works.

The Clipa has padding on both ends, so it won’t mar any surface you use it on. It also comes in a bunch of fun colors, including this year’s it color Radiant Orchid, so you can match it to your bag if you want. It’s pretty, too. It would look great as a bangle, meaning it doubles as an accessory and that’s one less thing you need to pack!

Okay, so now you want one of those awesome Clipas, but while you’re on their site, you can pick up something just as cool and useful. I’m not sure why nobody else ever thought of it. The No Chip Clip is a key ring – that comes in a set of 3 – that has a starter tang that allows you to put your key on and slide it right onto the ring without having to snap your nail off or use a pen or a coin or a paperclip to try to get it open.

They are so easy to use and work just as well as normal key rings – your keys won’t figure out how to fall off – and your won’t ever need to put your nails near the ring. I mean, I have just left keys on my rings before, just because they were so hard to get off again and hurt my fingers. Am I the only one? No? Well then, like me, you are probably going to buy a bunch of packs of these to replace all your key rings…and then tell all your friends about them.

More information on Clipa:

How big is it? Clipa: 3” diameter | No Chip Clip: 1” diameter

Where can you buy it? Clipa website

How much is it? Clipa: $14.99+ | No Chip Clip: $1.99 for 3-pack

Colors it comes in: Black, Silver and a rainbow of other colors

Like the coolness of Clipa? Follow them on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclosure: I was provided with a Clipa Bag Hanger and key rings for the purpose of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Review: Trakdot Luggage Tracker

Almost everyone’s had that experience where they get to their destination and head to the carousel, only to wait and wait and never see their bag show up. If they’re lucky, their luggage has just been diverted and will arrive shortly, but if they’re not, it can be lost forever. Where do those bags go? Probably the same place where one-off socks go when they don’t come out of the dryer again. 

There are many things that can go wrong at the airport where your bag may not leave, may be routed to the wrong place, may be delayed or whatever else and you hear, “We’ll contact you if it shows up.” That isn’t really all that reassuring, especially if you just arrived at your destination and most of your stuff is in that missing bag. This is exactly why Trakdot was invented. Track your own bag and know if the bag made it to your destination, stayed in your previous one or went somewhere totally different.

I picked up a Trakdot at the Travel Goods Show to review and was able to use it on my trip back home and didn’t turn it off right away, so it tracked the bag even after I was home. Pretty cool, right? While it won’t tell you exactly where it is – like that it was in my driveway in my trunk – it will tell you the general vicinity. In fact, it will let you know when you are within 30 feet of your bag!

The Trakdot is super easy to use. You register your unit online, put two AA batteries in it, turn it on and watch it show up on your account. You can name it whatever you want – I called mine my name – and then add your mobile number and/or email address to your account, so it knows who to notify. Want more people to know your bag arrived? Add multiple email addresses or phone numbers to one Trakdot device.

The unit itself is small, and fits anywhere in your bag. It fits in the palm of your hand and isn’t much bigger than a cell phone. I put it in the front pocket of my roller bag, but you can slip it in any free space you have: inside a shoe, wrapped in your clothes, in a corner crevice. It’s really convenient and won’t waste valuable space you need.

Wherever you have cell service, the Trakdot works. The only places it won’t work are in South Korea and Japan. Turn the device on before slipping it into your bag and checking it. The battery lasts for 250 hours, so even if you have a transcontinental flight or several days of travel, it won’t run down. Each time you turn the device on it gives you a battery status, so you know if you need to replace them or not.

When you get to your destination(s) and turn your phone back on, you’ll immediately receive a text (or email if you chose that method) letting you know where your bag is. Above is a picture of the my original text when I registered my Trakdot and the second when I arrived back in Portland. Luckily, my bag showed up where I did. The president of Trakdot arrived in Phoenix and two of his bags didn’t. He was able to see that his bags were still in L.A. and he could rest easy knowing that they would probably arrive the next day. Of course, he would know when they made it to Phoenix, too.

The Trakdot is one of those items that is invaluable if you find yourself checking bags when you travel. The purchase price includes one year of service and then you pay just $12.99 annually, which is not that much for your peace of mind and is a lot cheaper than having to replace your necessities (at the very least) when you arrive without your belongings. Why wouldn’t you buy one if that sounds like you? I sometimes check a bag on my way home, because of my purchases, and this is perfect for that, too. It would suck to get home and lose all my souvenirs, because the airline “misplaced” my bag.

More information:

How big is it? Really small! 3” x 2.25” x .75”

Where can you buy it? Trakdot website or Amazon 

How much is it? $89.99 (includes first year of service) + $12.99 annual service fee.

Like the coolness of Trakdot? Follow them on Facebook | Twitter

Disclosure: I was provided with a Trakdot Luggage Tracker for the purpose of this review, but all opinions are 100% my own.

Are You Ready For More Innovative Travel?

I think we all are. the time has passed when we have to pack all our travel clothes in a big box with wheels or carrying a messenger bag that is a pain to get anything out of. Last week I had the opportunity to go to the Travel Goods Show in Phoenix and meet with a ton of companies. While there were a lot of brands there with traditional luggage. Sure they were fun new colors, patterns or fabrics, but at the end of the day they were the same expensive bags that you can buy everywhere. Travel has changed a lot over the years and for companies to not keep up just seems crazy to me.

Luckily, there were tons of brands there that are looking to change with travelers and travel and want to give customers more innovative products. I was excited to meet with these kinds of companies, including Travelon, whom I have a long-standing relationship with. Though a lot of products at the show were not available for the market yet (think May, June and July), I was able to get a sneak peek of what's coming to travel stores and online shopping soon.

Many more companies are including helpful features to their products: padded compartments for all your electronics, more pockets, rip-stop and self-repairing zippers, TSA-friendly laptop compartments, configurable bags, breathable fabrics, dual purpose bags and, the thing I feel most designers forget about, the slip pocket that will attach a bag to your rolling carry-on. 

I picked up a bunch of cool samples at the show and have more on the way, so over the next few weeks and months, you'll be seeing a lot of reviews of bags and gadgets so you have the chance to pick up new useful stuff before your upcoming trips this year. This was my first trip to the Travel Goods Show, but I hope it won't be my last. Not only was I able to get some fantastic contacts, but I got to enjoy some Arizona sunshine and am now able to bring you some of the best new products as soon as they are available.

What kinds of products are you most interested in seeing this year?