Rocket Bag by Bill Amberg
I love the contrast between the aluminum handle with the vegetable tanned leather in this briefcase by Bill Amberg. The Rocket Bag is large enough to hold your laptop and other daily office essentials, has internal pocketing for a mobile phone and wallet, and a padded base to help protect the internals from accidental drops. It's gorgeous now but the leather is only going to look better as it develops its own patina and character over time.
Billykirk Passport Wallet
Made by the beloved Billy Kirk, this passport wallet features beautiful hand-stitched details, hand-oiled leather, and looks that will only improve with time. The interior pocket has a loop closure to keep cash, tickets, and other ephemera in place. I'm certain I would prefer the black to the natural vegetable-tanned pictured above, but what a beauty!
Etymotic ER-4S Sealed Headphone
With the popularity of the iPod and our ever increasingly noisy urban environments, the chances of suffering from hearing loss seem greater then ever. I know from personal experience as I suffer with a permanent mild ringing in my ears from years of being a working musician. Now that I live in one of the noisiest places on earth where noise pollution seems to be worshiped I seldom have the opportunity to listen to music unless in one of those rare quiet spots for fear of going deaf. The Etymotic ER-4S sealed headphones (inear) are a great solution offering 23db of isolation.
The Etymotic ER-4S provide excellent sound quality while being small enough for traveling ease. The chances of hearing damage are actually lessened with the Etys because of their amazing isolation--you don't need to turn them up as loud to overcome ambient noise. They come with two types of earpieces: black foam tips and white flanged rubber tips. The ER-4S also include a shirt clip that serves dual functions: to keep tension from the cord off the ears, and to deaden microphonic sound (sound made by contact with the cable). The Etys are terminated to a mini with a 5-ft. cord, and come in a nice, plastic maintenance case that contains the following: 3 pairs of white flanged rubber tips; 5 pairs of black foam tips; 2 green filters; a changing tool; a shirt clip; a carrying pouch; and a 1/4 inch adapter.
Etymotic ER-4S Sealed Headphone
A Book case for the iPad
I don't usually like these concepts, I quickly grew tired of all the envelope metaphors for the Macbook Air, but somehow Nedrelow's Book for iPad seems a far more fitting choice. I love it.
Hand-crafted to order in a small Minnesota studio from sustainable, durable materials, the Book is a hard case that takes the form of a hard cover book with a linen book cloth outer surface and a wool felt sleeve tailored to the iPad on the inside. Currently there are three exterior cover variations , one with the Book logo on the cover, another with no text, and the last with Not a book on the spine. For an extra five dollars you can add your own text to the spine and cover.
Book for iPad - A case for the iPad
Cyclus Pangolin Backpack
Fantastic design for this aggressive looking backpack by cyclus. Handmade with recycled truck tire inner tubes the bag's form takes its' inspiration from the protective scales on the back of an animal called the pangolin. Thankfully unlike the pangolin the protective scales on this bag are not razor sharp. Using the bag is intuitive with the pieces retracting inside one another when opened, with the opposite occurring when closed. The bag is held closed by magnetic closures. The bag is large with plenty of pockets on the inside for your various analog and digital gadgets.
Great concept but the end product may be, like many products that use rubber as their base material, heavier than you are accustomed to.
Old School Lap Desk
Though perhaps impractical for air travel the Old School Lap Desk is an elegant and useful solution for working and studying away from your desk. Beautifully designed, the desk features richly stained cherry finish and a grooved pencil ledge for keeping pens and pencil handy. With a hinged lid the top opens to reveal space for storing stationaries and other accessories. The inside is lined to protect your documents and to disallow a great deal of movement inside. The bottom has a comfortable pillow for use on your lap. A classic, and though there is room for an iPhone or two, this will appeal to those who prefer to work with non-digital tools when they travel.
Billykirk Laptop Flight Bag
The stylish Billykirk Laptop Flight Bag is made of waxed canvas and leather, features padding for your laptop, an interior pocket for stashing your gadgets or chargers, and adjustable shoulder straps. Handmade by Amish leather makers, this and all of Billykirks work are the epitome of quality craftsmanship. It doesn't get much better at this or any price.
Bushnell Backtrack
Never get lost again. The Bushnell Backtrack performs one simple task. You enter in a starting point (it accepts up to three) by pushing a button and the Backtrack will guide you back to it later. Very useful for locating your car in a vast mall parking lot or if like me useful for getting back on track when doing some serious urban exploring. Sure I may have a fancy mobile phone with gps but many times a simple device like this works far better.
Belstaff Colonial shoulder bag
This cotton canvas bag from Belstaff is reminicent of the type of bag I used to love years ago (with much better detailing to what I could afford then) but impractical for the type of bag I use today. I always seem in a rush to get things in and out of my bags. The main features of this bag are its' materials and craftsmanship - the bag is made from English cotton canvas that's been woven on an "original loom" to replicate the original irregularity of the fabric. They cheat (I think it's cheating) by giving the fabric a "special" washing to help give the bag a well used look and feel. Great leather trim and tons of pockets. I love the look.
Belstaff has been making great technical gear since their founding in 1924 -- I do love their new hero jacket. If only I could afford it.
Belstaff Colonial shoulder bag
Tapestry Lunchbox
Designer Frederique Morrel makes me feel embarrased for using a ziplock bag. These quirky lunchboxes made from vintage tapestries have to be one most unique ways to carry lunch I have ever seen. " Based on the convenient format of a well known meal container for kids available at fast-food restaurants. Folds flat. Each product is one-of-a-kind". Beautiful.
I Make My Case
I Make My Case by Case-Mate gives iPhone, iPod Touch and Blackberry owners the ability to customize their cases by choosing and customizing work from a wide array of artists. Once you have had some fun customizing the look of your case, it's printed and shipped to your door. The cases themselves are created with a strong and light plastic that allows for direct embedding of the ink into the case, making your work scratch and abrasion resistant. Fun.
Filson Rucksack
Durable and conservatively styled this Filson bag features extremely durable materials comprised of oil finished rugged twill, paraffin treated for maximum water repellency and genuine Bridle Leather straps.
