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The North Face Recon Holds Up After 3 Years Of Wear Without Tear

by Anil Polat | Apr 13, 2021 | Luggage, Money, Pictures and Video | 2

It’s been 3 years since I originally reviewed the unassuming The North Face Recon backpack. Those of you who follow my Road Tested! series know though the review doesn’t stop once the camera turns off and the article is posted. The North Face Recon is no different and having used this backpack for the past 36 months, it’s impressed me with its physical durability. The design though, still isn’t for everyone.

You can watch my full review in the video above or read on.

Hold Up Better Than Well

Typically on a backpack the parts that wear most the those that have contact with the wearer. Especially the straps around the shoulders and the lower part of the backpack since both tend to move most when you’re walking. Against all of that friction the Recon’s spongy mesh holds its bounce and hardly shows its age.

The North Face Recon TNF Black One Size

Threading remains threaded without any stray fibers dangling around like a dog’s tongue our a car window. Even the nylon exterior is only as dirty as you are lazy to simply wipe it off with your hand. Given that this backpack costs less than $100, from a durability perspective, you certainly get your money’s worth.

No Changes In Design

Physical durability is one aspect of a products longevity but so is the original design when compared to the newer additions to the backpack market. The North Face Recon still holds its own because it has such a study and straightforward design. On the bigger side of 22 liters, the big front bucket pocket is flexible. You can pack in clothes, books, or electronics or any combination of that or whatever else that fits.

A large casual open pocket on the front is good for an extra sweater to stuff in but the laptop compartment does eat from some of the usable space inside. The somewhat even design shows what that the Recon is a small backpack made for short day trips but is big enough for minimalist travelers too.

Getting The Best From The Recon

The North Face’s has made a tough turtle shell of a backpack that’s great for school, office, or hiking trips. You can see the Recon was an inadvertent part of the first wave of one bag travel backpacks but that category has passed it by now. Still, if you’re looking for a solid backpack that’s big enough for a weekend trip and solid enough to last years, The North Face Recon is great choice to consider.

Save Money On Timbuk2 Bags With This Checkout Trick

by Anil Polat | Apr 8, 2021 | Luggage, Money | 0

A well throughout design and impressive durability, Timbuk2 bags earn their premium price tags. You can however save money on most Timbuk2 purchases by using a discount trick that requires a little patience.

How To Save 10-15% On Timbuk2

First, head over to the Timbuk2 website. Shop around for the products you like and you choose the bag for you, add them it your cart. Then, begin the checkout process and be sure to add your email address when it asks. Keep going until you get to the part where you enter in payment details.

Don’t enter your payment details on this page. Rather, close it and wait.

You might get a popup offering you a discount before the site lets you close the webpage but if you wait up to 24 hours, Timbuk2 will send you the offer again – which might be even more – up to 15% off.

Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag, Pennant, Medium

Not The Only Site

Timbuk2 isn’t the only seller to send email discounts to hook potential customers. Many will offer you a popup discount if you try to leave at the payment page but if you’re not in a rush, you might get an email discount in a day or two. Otherwise you can try corporate discounts or Honey but with the latter, be sure to check their privacy policy first. REI stores in the U.S. also tend to sell various brand bags at a discount, so be sure to compare with their online shop as well to get the best deal.

Logitech’s MX Anywhere 2s Shows Impressive Durability After 2 Years Of Use

by Anil Polat | Apr 6, 2021 | Pictures and Video, Tech | 0

One of the biggest questions about Logitech’s MX Anywhere 2s mouse when it was released was how durable is it? When comparing it to its predecessor 2, the 2s is lighter, slimmer, and feels a little less sturdy. After the first year as part of my Road Tested! series, the 2s showed signs of wear and the limitations of its design.

Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse Use On Any Surface,...

A travel mouse with that level of wear might be concerning but in year 2 you can see in the video above the Anywhere 2s has shown it will be worth the investment. The battery life has deteriorated but can still be measured in weeks and the buttons maintain a respectable click. Despite its durable shell, travelers might find the 2s limiting is in particular aspects of its design. So, if you’re looking for a portable mouse for travel, be sure to watch the video above for the most comprehensive review of the 2s you’ll find anywhere.

Pack A Dryer Sheet In Your Luggage So Clothes Smell Fresh Upon Arrival

by Anil Polat | Apr 1, 2021 | Advice, Luggage | 0

Stuffing your clothes into a cramped suitcase and flying halfway around the planet doesn’t make for the best scent conditions. Fortunately, it’s easy enough to combat stale smells after a long journey by packing in an extra item: a single dryer sheet.

Obviously you’ll want to start a trip with all of your clothes washed before packing but often times we’re left having to mix clean with worn clothes. Being in such close quarters over an extended period of time can transfer dank smells over to anything that was smelling nice, giving you double laundry at your next destination (or worse, making you the smelling one at that arrival party).

Fabric softener, or dryer sheets, combat unpleasant odors which can be present from your luggage itself. (When was the last time you washed your suitcase?) For placement, pack a dryer sheet in between any dirty clothes or if everything is fresh already – in the center-bottom of your bag. This way, you’ll get the most benefit from a single dryer sheet but if you’ve packed shoes as well, it’s worth putting in a sheet in each shoe as well.

Bounce Dryer Sheets, Outdoor Fresh, 240 Count Laundry Fabric...

To further fight backpack odors you can throw in and keep a silica bag (those little packets that come with all of your electronics) which do an excellent job of absorbing moisture and preventing the growth of mold. Of course travel enough and you’ll end up with smelly socks at some point which might make for a good ad-hoc mosquito trap.

Washington DC In Wide Angle, Photos During Lockdown

by Anil Polat | Mar 30, 2021 | Green, Pictures and Video, Tech, Travel | 0

The streets around the National Mall in the United States capital Washington D.C. are extraordinarily quiet these days, even over sunny spring weekends with warm temperatures. Museums are closed, the Capitol Building fenced off, and the general state of the pandemic has reduced tourism in the city by 87 percent.

Large open spaces and few crowds made for good conditions to test out the Tamron 17-28mm ultra-wide angle lens. Here photos from the National Mall, in a unique state of springtime calm.

The lack of tourists is easy to see for most but for locals, the conspicuous few joggers, picnics, and games of soccer along the Mall is an unusual sight for a warm Sunday.

Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD for Sony Mirrorless Full...

Remnants of the events of January 6, 2021, barriers now stand blocks away from the U.S. Capitol Building. A stark contrast to this view.

Mostly gone virtual, museums that line the National Mall have become their own outdoor exhibit, like the National Museum of the American Indian.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture, closed for 6 months and counting, has also put a number of its exhibits online while waiting to open their doors again.

These streets aren’t closed but it’s hard to tell from the photo above.

What was once a wall of food trucks, only the occasional one remains with its window open and food for sale.

Although the insides are closed, the open spaces of the National Mall around landmarks like the Washington Monument make for good socially-distance-acceptable exercise and fresh air. When Washington D.C. does reopen though be sure not to miss this Chinese restaurant with a secret menu and take a drive out to the area’s other, lesser known space museum.

How NFTs Could Change Travel

by Anil Polat | Mar 18, 2021 | Air, Lodging, Money, Tech, Travel | 0

The digital photo above sold for $69.3 million dollars. It’s called Everydays: The First 5000 Days by the artist Beeple and although the digital art was auctioned off at Christie’s, you can see I was able to easily copy and paste it above. That does not mean though I’m the owner of the NFT, a concept that may revolutionize how we travel.

What Are NFTs

NFT stands for non-fungible token, in other words something that is unique and can’t be duplicated. NFTs are in a sense akin to rare baseball cards like a 1952 Mickey Mantle that sold for 5.2 million USD. A baseball card is something tangible however, you can hold it in your hands, you buy it and it’s yours. With NFTs the digital file like the image aboven can still be copied like any other file except the NFT, like a public certificate of authenticity, belongs only to one individual.

To get more detailed: the only way to own an NFT is to buy it through a transaction that’s recorded on the blockchain. Blockchain is a way of publicly documented translations. The person who bought Beeple’s artwork above has a public record of that transaction. You can listen to a more thorough explanation of NFTs on the foXnoMad Podcast but your two main takeaways should be: NFTs establish authenticity and chain of ownership.

Wild West Of NFT Trading

Imagine your favorite musician minting songs from their new albums to sell as NFTs. Everyone can still listen to the music but only one person will own the NFT. Think of it as sort of an autograph: you can get the album anywhere but there’s only one Britney Spears signed limited edition.

The same concept can be applied to a driver’s license or passport. Fakes are possible but when you check the authenticity of the document against the records of the government who issued them, the frauds become evident. Right now, NFTs are making headlines with high price sales of NBA video clips selling for $240,000 and the grumpy cat meme selling for $83,000.

So why would anyone want to buy one? Well, NFTs have made it possible for specific digital assets to be rare – a rarity people are so far, willing to pay for. The market for NFTs is a rapidly evolving on sure to make even more expensive headlines but aside from the art trade, it has implications for travelers.

True Digital Passports?

Given how digital everything is these days, it does seem a bit odd to carry around a paper book you get stamped when entering a new country. Of course those paper passports are authenticated through centralized computer systems but NFTs could solve that middleman process. Being one of a kind authenticated digital assets that are publicly documented could mean an eventual end to paper passports.

An NFT-based passport and visas would be much, much more difficult to forge and if you lose the device containing your NFT passport, regenerating one through a digital portal is a lot faster than today’s snail mail methods. Of course, how this will all look (an app on your phone?) isn’t clear since it’s the very early days of NFT popularity. The reach into the travel industry for NFTs though is wide from everything to plane and event tickets to yes, maybe your passport too.

About Anil Polat

Hi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More