many robots

In my last post I promised a report on the stuff I got. So here goes:

• Royal Robbins Nox Jeans - I actually like these as jeans. They have an interesting wash, they fit me all right and I like the feel of the fabric. What seems to have happened though when they made the fabric is that adding the coolmax or whatever they used to make them more breathable made them warmer than any pair of jeans I've owned. Since it was pretty warm when I wore them in Tokyo I was hotter in them than the more travel-oriented pants I took. I'm going to keep wearing them but for how much bulkier they are than my other pants I don't think they've earned a permanent place in my bag.
  


• Platypus 1L water bottle - Since I went to a place where there's either a vending machine or convenience store within 30 feet of any location I didn't use it much in town but I did enjoy it in the airport on both ends. The 1L size was hard to get any more than halfway full using a drinking fountain or bathroom sink so I might trade down to the 500mL version.
  
  
• Joby Gorillapod - This one was kind of a wash. I didn't use it much. The pictures I took with it [examples coming soon] are good enough but there's a few issues with it. First of all it's tough to get the camera straight. Second, the act of pushing the shutter release usually does oe or both of the following things:
  
  
  1. Moves the camera, either skewing or tilting it a little bit.
  
  
  2. Makes the camera vibrate, thereby eliminating the advantage of using the tripod functionality.
  
  
  I wanted to like this thing, I really did. I just found it difficult to frame shots and difficult to take them. I think I'm going to give it another shot though, it seems like with some adjustment it could work quite well.



• Sleep gear for the plane - A total bust. I'll admit I was slightly more comfortable than other times I've flown but I got maybe 3 hours of sleep total in 19 hours of flying and for the bulk [especially of the pillow which is fairly big even when deflated] it's just not worth it for me.

The best new thing I used on that trip was actually something I bought there which is a AC-to-USB charging device I bought at Yodobashi Camera in Akihabara. With the addition of a couple handy cables I'll be able to charge my iPod, DS and phone anywhere in the world using only one charger and a couple cheap plug adaptors. They had one with 2 ports also, I kind of wish I'd bought it instead. Maybe I'll look for it on eBay.

Labels: gear, Tokyo, travel