Being in a rock band might seem like a dream. How cool would it be to go on road trips and get to play on stage in front of many people? I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty cool. Since I go on frequent road trips with my band, I’ve gotta have tech to keep me going while I’m not playing. I’ve already had my first edition of this series, and it’s time for volume 2!
#5 – Vomelon 3-in-1 Smartphone Car Mount
Starting things off, we have one of the most versatile products on this list. The Vomelon 3-in-1 car mount is extremely flexible, offering three different ways of mounting your phone in your car. You are given the choice of mounting the phone to your dashboard, windshield, or air vent. The product features a design that allows you to switch out mounting accessories on the mounting plate. The windshield and air vent options work as expected, but I was disappointed to learn that the dashboard option requires you to stick adhesive to your car. This makes perfect sense from a design standpoint, but I’m personally not comfortable sticking adhesive to my car’s dashboard. Before you write a comment, no – I don’t own a car yet – but if I did, I wouldn’t stick adhesive to my dashboard. Regardless of which option you choose, this mount gives you three different choices, and they all work perfectly.
As a YouTuber and filmmaker, I eat storage. I mean it. That’s why I carry my Seagate Backup Plus 4TB external drive with my everywhere. It’s a balance of portability and storage. While it’s not as thin as the lower storage models (below 2TB), it’s a worthy trade-off in my opinion. It’s still very portable, and it still fits perfectly in to my Case Logic protective case. With USB 3.0 capabilities, this drive runs nice and fast. It’s 5400RPM, and it’s not SSD, so it won’t be lightning fast, but definitely fast enough to store your data files.
#3 – Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell 2.0
Music makes the world go ’round, and that’s why you need a portable speaker! I’ve already featured headphones in my first edition of this series, but what if you want to share the music with others? Or maybe you want some tunes while you sleep and don’t want the uncomfortable experience using earbuds while sleeping (it’s not fun!). No matter what the occasion is, the Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell 2.0 has you covered! Featuring 2 speakers in a compact “shell,” the speaker is loud (it can get up to 96db), durable, and water resistant! I don’t recommend a single product without testing it’s claims, so I’ve tested this guy in the shower with no issues! When it gets wet, it gets muffled, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend it as a shower speaker (although the water is no problem at all to the speaker). The speaker features a great mix of highs, mids, and lows, being slightly lacking in the lows in my opinion. It’s certainly not a deal breaker, and this is one solid speaker. The battery has an insane 16-hour battery life (which is very accurate in my tests). The range on it is great, at right around 30 feet. The Bluetooth connection is strong, with absolutely no skips or interruptions in the music. It’s a bit pricey, at $80, but I grabbed it on sale for $25. Keep an eye out on Outdoor Tech’s site, as they do regular sales.
#2 – Logitech Keys-to-Go Keyboard
I’ve already talked about this keyboard in-depth in a previous article, so if you want all of the details, you can read that here. For the scaled down version, here’s what you need to know: this is a compact, durable, waterproof, Bluetooth keyboard for your iPad, or Mac (also available in a Windows/Android version). I’ve tested it by dropping it and spilling water on it, with no problems. It’s very affordable, and it feels amazing to type on. To demonstrate that I don’t recommend an item I don’t love, I am happily typing this entire article on my Keys-to-Go keyboard!
As with the previous item, I already have a dedicated article on this item. I featured it in this list because I think it’s an outstanding product. It’s a mini external battery with a built in cable and a Micro SD card slot. It features a 1500mAh battery and is available in both Lightning and Micro USB versions. I have the Micro USB version, but a life hack I’ve discovered is to carry an Apple Lighting to Micro USB adapter, and that allows me to use my Micro USB QIUB to charge my iPad and other Apple products. The QIUB doesn’t offer anything fancy like Quick Charge, but it’s 1.2A output charges my phone at an acceptable speed. The QIUB only boosts my phone about 35%, so it won’t be your main power bank. It’s great for when you’re in a pinch and you need fast, portable power. If you want a little more juice, 2 of my favorite batteries to check out are the Outdoor Tech Kodiak Mini and the Anker PowerCore+ 10050.
What Are Your Essential Travel Items?
That’s a wrap for volume 2! I love doing this series, so I’m interested in knowing what your favorite travel tech items are. Please drop a comment down below, and it just may be featured in the next edition!
