Essential Items for a Perfect Road Trip

On September 24, 2020September 24, 2020 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Travel TipsLeave a comment

We receive a small incentive for any purchases, but these items are ones that we would recommend.

As people slowly start to travel once again, one of the most popular ways to get around is buy car. Taking a road trip is a great way to get out and see new places without necessarily exposing yourself to large crowds. Most places are open for dining with limited seating, but any travel is better than no travel. When traveling by car, especially with limited options of places to stop, there are plenty of items that can make the trip a greater success. In no particular order, here are some of the things that you should consider packing on your next road trip.

Packing Cubes: Organizing your clothes so that you can group outfits together or separating out clothes makes every stop along your way easier to get back on the road more quickly. It can also be a great way to separate out clean clothes from dirty clothes. In addition, especially with rolling, you will likely fit more clothes into smaller bags taking up less room in your car.

Collapsible Water Bottle: Staying hydrated while traveling is always important, but taking a bunch of disposable water bottles is not only not environmentally friendly, but just takes up room. Even better than a plain old water refillable water bottle is one that collapses when not in use. It is easy to toss into a bag and then pull it out when you reach your destination and decide to go for a hike.

Personal Water Filter: Having a water bottle is only half of the equation. Having a personal water filter allows you to have fresh water even when you’re on the road or perhaps a trail. Whether filtering tap water or water from a stream or lake, it can be an essential item when hitting the road for multiple days.

Laundry Sheets: We have used these many times during our travels and take them on every trip with us whether internationally or taking a road trip. Whether you want to reduce the amount of clothes you are packing or just be prepared for life’s unexpected messes, having these strips to wash your clothes is extremely handy. The thin strips contain enough soap to wash at least a couple of clothing items and the entire container sits in the palm of your hand.

Hand Sanitizer Sheets: While hand sanitizers have become an every day essential item, they can be even more important when hitting the road. These hand washing strips that don’t require water are also small enough to fit easily in your pocket or glove box and can be great to wipe your hands clean wherever you are.

Emergency Road Side Kit: An emergency road side kit with Jump Cables, First Aid Kit, Tow Rope, Safety Hammer, Reflective Warning Triangle, Reflective Safety Vest, Tire Pressure Gauge, Safety Gloves, Mechanical Flashlight, Tire Repair Tools, Utility Knife, Screwdriver, Rain Coat, PVC Tape and Cables Ties provides more than just the knowledge that you are prepared in the event that something goes wrong during your road trip.

First Aid Kit: If you’re not going to go the length of buying an emergency road side kit or want to create one of your own, having a first aid kit with you is an absolute must. Obviously no one expects something to happen, but being prepared just in case is well worth the little effort that it takes to make sure it is with you on the road.

Road Atlas: Although most people rely on the apps on their smart phones, there are times when you don’t have connectivity and you don’t want to find yourself getting lost. Sometimes old school without technology is just the safest back-up to have at your disposal.

Portable Trash Can: Whether grabbing snacks from a cooler or stopping at a fast food restaurant to get a bite to eat while on the road, having someplace to put your trash is something that most people don’t consider. When you spend hours in your vehicle going from one location to another, the last thing that you want is to have a bunch of trash at your feet. It might be a simple comfort, but the impact is surprising.

For Those Who Are Traveling With Pets

Dog Harness: Just like you wouldn’t travel without putting on your seatbelt, having a harness for you furry family member is also a must. Not only will it keep them safe, it will keep them from wandering around the vehicle. It also can provide a sense of calm for dogs who get anxious when traveling in a car.

Travel Bags For Dogs: Organize all of your furry best friend’s essentials in one central place! This dog bag is perfect for dogs of all sizes. It comes with a front magnetic sleeve pocket, a water bottle holder, a zippered side pocket, an internal zippered mesh pocket, and a removable internal divider to hold everything in place.

First Aid Kit For Dogs and Cats: Just like having a first aid kit for yourself is a good idea, having one for your pet family members is an equally good idea. Always better to be prepared just in case.

Water Bottle For Pets: Having a water bottle specifically designed for your pets is perfect for traveling on the road or hiking on a trail. Your pets need to stay as hydrated during travel as you do.

Products That We Always Travel With

On October 7, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Product ReviewsLeave a comment

The following post contains links to products that we have used. We get a small commission for any sales if you purchase through the links and there is no additional cost to you. All of the photos and opinions are our own.

During our travels, we have come across a few products that we find indispensable. Because we travel light and try to only take a carry-on bag, every item that we take on a trip has to provide value to us or we wouldn’t take it with us. There are obvious items like our camera, tablet, and other items, but these are some that perhaps you haven’t thought about.

GETIHU Power Bank – Finding an outlet that can charge your USB devices when traveling can often be difficult to impossible. Especially when going to some out of the way places, like an ecolodge in the jungle, make having a portable power supply to charge devices an absolute must. It doesn’t have to be the jungle, though, it could be an airport, certain flights, or needing to charge more than one item and having a single power converter. We carry this lightweight item with us even when we’re not traveling, just in case we find that we have a sudden need.
Portable Charger
Lenovo USB C Hub – Because we often want to share some photographs during our travels, having a multiport USB hub is a necessity for us. It allows us to transfer photographs from cameras and phones to our tablets in order to share the data. We also use it at home to store photographs on an external hard drive with large storage capacity. It is also convenient to charge multiple devices using a single outlet, which also comes in handy. As you can tell, keeping our phones and other devices charged during our travels is something we find important.
Multiport USB Hub
Osprey UltraLight 3 Dry Sack – It would be nice if every day of a trip was sunny and clear, but obviously sometimes it rains. This lightweight dry sack allows us to protect our camera and other electronic items when out and about during a rainy day. It rolls up into a tight little ball, about the size of a bracelet, making it easy to toss into our backpack when not needed.
Dry Sack Rolled Up
eBags Classic Small/Medium Packing Cubes – Being able to organize cloths in our carry-on bags is extremely useful, especially when a trip is made up of several different stops. It also makes it convenient to separate clean clothes from dirty clothes as the trip goes along. They don’t take up any additional space and also don’t add any additional weight to the bags.
Packing Cubes
Travelon Laundry Soap Sheets – With the limited number of clothing items that can be packed into a carry-on bag, we often can’t take enough clothes to wear something different over a two week period. Instead, we take these laundry sheets that are extremely small, but quite effective to wash a pair of pants or a couple of shirts and hang them in the hotel bathroom to dry. We also usually take clothes that dry quickly, both for ease of washing as well of getting caught in the occasional rain storm.
Laundry Sheets

All of these items are worth the space that they take in our luggage as we travel.

E-Bag Products that are Perfect for Every Traveler

On August 14, 2018June 10, 2019 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Product Reviews4 Comments

This is a sponsored post on behalf of E-Bags. All opinions are our own.

If you travel with any consistency, you are always looking for products that will make your travel better. E-Bags is a company that provides a variety of products that any traveler should consider. From travel handbags, luggage, and backpacks to products like packing cubes. We had the opportunity to try a variety of products and found all of them to be ones that we will continue use on all of our upcoming trips. Not only are they great for taking with you as you travel, but we also found them to be easy to collapse and store when not in use. Another thing that all travelers are looking for in products they purchase.

The TLS Motherlode Weekend is not only perfect for a quick weekend getaway, but also versatile enough to take as a small suitcase on any trip. Like a lot of people these days, we try to limit ourselves to carry on bags when flying and this is a perfect bag as it meets most airline standards. It has many different, zippered compartments allowing you to pack your clothes, shoes, electronics, and bath supplies in a convenient and organized manner. It can be worn as a traditional backpack, but also comes with a shoulder strap that allows you to take it as a traditional suitcase.

Another product that we tried was the Anti-Theft Crossbody Handbag. Having a bag that has slash resistant straps and RFID protection is an absolute must for anyone who travels, whether internationally or locally. This particular bag is made of lightweight nylon and has plenty of compartments to store phones, credit cards, passports, and all of the personal items that you need. It is even perfect for everyday use as well as for when you are traveling.

Packing Cubes are an ideal way to stay organized when you travel. We tried a 4-piece set, which was an ideal pairing to the Weekend Convertible Backpack. When traveling for a couple of days or even a week, using packing cubes to separate clothes or put outfits together works out perfectly. The cubes are thin and lightweight, so they don’t add any bulk to your bag and, if you roll your clothes, they work even better.

E-Bags has a wonderful variety of products, all specially designed for travelers. We believe that they are a perfect resource for anyone who travels, whether for business or pleasure.