I wanted to make several reviews of travel goods that I order from Aliexpress and from online stores in Moscow, but first, let it be just a short and general overview of everything that is useful that I have now. And further I will add the same post and supplement from time to time.
I hope you find at least something useful from my list. I would be glad if you, in turn, would also advise something in the comments. Well, and if suddenly something of the above will be needed «survey» in detail, then write too, I will do.
The content of the article
For travelers
I remind those who are interested in various kinds of cashbacks. Buying on Ali, you can also get a refund of up to 11%. I told everything in detail in a post about cashback with Aliexpress.
Travel charging
To start with travel charging for gadgets. While this is of course not quite the correct name, these are just chargers with multiple USB ports. However, it is during travel that there is a problem with sockets and, accordingly, charging. I sometimes have the feeling that those who design electrical wiring in hotels came from the moon. How can you make 1 (one, Karl!) Outlet in a room and make it almost under the ceiling? There you are live example. I agree, this is not the case everywhere, but sometimes even in good and expensive hotels / apartments there are simply stupidly lacking sockets. After all, modern people now have a lot of gadgets. You come like this after a long day of walking and you immediately need to charge: your phone, power bank, camera, tablet, and also turn on your laptop somewhere. In addition, there may also be an action camera., quadcopter, second camera, second phone, fitness bracelet. And if there are two, three, four of you and everyone has the same set?
There is a way out - to carry with you a pilot extension cord for 5-6 sockets. I do this sometimes, but nevertheless it is extra weight in my luggage, plus you then have to carry 3-4 more charges with you. Therefore, after returning from the last Thailand, the first thing I ordered on Aliexpress was two charges at once. Then I tested them and realized that I needed 5 USB ports to have a stock, and ordered more with 5 ports too.
Charging Aukey 5 USB (QC 3.0) - $ 22
Aukey 3 USB (QC 3.0) - $ 19
Aukey 3 USB (QC 2.0) - $ 14
Blitzwolf 2 USB (QC 2.0) - $ 10
There is Quick Charge Qualcomm 2.0 or 3.0 (different models) - fast charging for phones that support this technology. Also chose those that give 2A per port, and not in total with other ports.
Left to right: regular Samsung, Deppa (broke), Blitzwolf 2 USB, Aukey 3 USB
Travel charger Aukey 5 USB
Powerbank - external battery
Honestly, I can't imagine how I used to drive without a power bank. I remember always looking for sockets at the airport, charging in cafes from a laptop, while planting the laptop itself. It won't do. Now the power bank is always with me, whether at home or on travel, I charge from it, then the phone, then the camera. IMHO, it is best to buy them now on Ali, the prices are low there. All the same, their stores are ordered in China, and then here in Russia they are resold in the tridoroga. Read the reviews, choose, there are a lot of them already checked.
For 10.000 mah for $ 15 - this one is very convenient for me
For 10.000 mah for 17 $
Travel wallet
I know that not all supporters put all documents, money and cards in one place, but I have a different opinion on this matter, I even wrote a whole post on this topic. Therefore, I was very happy when I found an inexpensive wallet for traveling to Ali. Outwardly, it looks like a branded one, as it is made of very high quality.
$ 13 wallet
Travel document wallet
Mug for car and for home
I bought myself a thermo mug with a valve, cool thing. Until you press the button, nothing pours out of it. It is positioned as a mug for a car, such as carrying coffee to work, but perfect for freelancers who cannot wean themselves from the habit of drinking tea or other drinks near a laptop. I confess, I myself am. Therefore, at home now I drink only from such a cup. If someone drops it, as it already happened (the child spilled tea on the MacBook), now it's not scary. Well, travel is also a handy thing, it can be used both in a car and simply as a small thermos.
Mug from Contigo, I have a West Loop model - 2500r
I don’t know how they differ there, but I’m very happy with mine, I wanted to make a whole review. In my model, they made the valve to others a little, so that it was convenient to wash. The mug is not budgetary, but perhaps there are some analogues on Aliexpress.
Thermo mug Contigo for work and travel
For car travelers
Car charger
In the car I have the same trouble, very often I need to have 2-3 ports, all the time something else is being charged besides the phone. Especially when traveling, when the phone acts as a navigator and constantly occupies one USB port. This charging supports Quick Charge Qualcomm 2.0 fast charging, with it the phone is charged, and not slowly sits down, as is often the case if 4G and the navigator are turned on, and the second port does not suffer, it also supplies the required current.
Aukey 2 USB (QC 2.0) - $ 11
Aukey 2 USB (QC 3.0) - 13-19 $ depending on the cable
Phone mount
Yes, you will say trivial, but for me it was a whole problem to find a holder that would suit me. I have already changed 10 pieces before settling on this one. Those with long barbells always loosened after a month, others began to fail the clamp. Velcro fastening, when the phone sticks to the sticky surface every time, could not hold my phone.
So, this mount is perfect for my car for several reasons. His suction cup is glued not only to the glass, but also to the dashboard, plus it is compact. And in the end, I decided to mount it not on the glass, but on the tidy, so it turned out to be very close to the hand and did not need to reach, although before that I had not considered this type of mounts at all. I even took him to Israel with me 🙂
Holder - 4 $
Car phone holder
Recorder in the car
Also a very useful thing when traveling and at home. At first, I bought the usual most registrar in a store in Moscow, which died safely six months later. After that, I reviewed a bunch of reviews and realized that almost all inexpensive recorders will be like this - with poor video quality and with a short lifespan. And if you take a normal one, then you will have to pay about 10-15 thousand rubles. This is why I decided to take the Xiaomi Yi DVR. I thought at first action camera xiaomi use it, it has a loop recording mode, but I need it periodically and in the world too, I didn't want to unhook it every time.
Recorder Xiaomi Yi 1080P Car WiFi DVR - 56 $ if without a flash drive
I ordered the Chinese version with a suction cup (there is a Velcro double-sided tape). Then I asked for it in English, but you don't have to, because there are clear icons and a minimalistic menu, everything is clear even in Chinese. You ask why I took it without a radar, but because I was not ready to overpay for it, I practically do not violate.
Xiaomi Yi 1080P Car WiFi DVR Chinese Version
Child seat table
I really liked the idea of a soft table for a child's seat, the child can put toys on it, sculpt plasticine, you can feed him there in the end so that he does not do anything around. Then I did not use Ali yet, and it was made to order for us at the fair of craftsmen (expensive). However, for a penny, similar ones are now sold on Ali.
Child seat table - $ 9
I read reviews there. People are strange, they write: «horror-horror, the table bends, drawing is not possible». No, well, how else is it possible, this is done for safety, not to put plastic. And to draw, you can just buy a hardcover album and the problem is solved.
Child seat table
For children
Electronic thermometer
I had a whole epic with electronic thermometers, because I wanted to find one that would be comparable to mercury in accuracy. Utopian, but still. As a result, there are now 4 of them at home, ranging from cheap ones for 300 rubles, ending with expensive ones for 2500 rubles, it's time to write a whole review on them. The thing is actually useful when traveling, so it won't break in your luggage in any way. But it is also useful at home, because it is quite difficult to measure the temperature for an active child, he can freeze literally for a couple of seconds no more, or, if you need to take a measurement at night.
The shape of the pistol turned out to be very convenient in practice. Measures in a second. But the most important thing is that there is a calibration, that is, you can correct it in any direction. Although, in general, measuring on the forehead, it is such a thing in itself. Different parts of the forehead show different temperatures, plus there is a difference whether the forehead is wet or not, whether, for example, a hat was worn or not. Even the vaunted German Medisana (2 copies!), Also for the forehead, lies with changes
Thermometer gun 1 - $ 13
Thermometer gun 2 - $ 13
Only a small child will wear a thermometer on his hand, but he needs it. The most important feature is the connection to the phone via Bluetooth, you can configure at what temperature threshold the phone will beep and wake up the parent to give an antipyretic. The price is overpriced, but in Russia they are sold in general 2 times more expensive, calling it iTherm.
Hand thermometer - $ 25
Electronic thermometer for baby
Soft and warm rug
When we came with a child to Europe or Tai, we constantly came across a tiled floor in a hotel or rented apartment. He has 2 minuses, he is such an infection - cold and very hard. You can't put a small child on it to play; you will have to build a mini-playpen on the bed or sofa. But you can take a rug that folds perfectly so that it fits into a large suitcase, right under the lid. At the same time, it is light and decent in size. We already have this third in a row. The first died in six months of very active use, 2 are still alive (one is almost new). In principle, if you do not put stools or furniture on it, then it will live much longer..
Soft rug for a child - from $ 10 depending on the size
Soft mat for baby
For photographers
Mini tripod
Once I bought a light tripod weighing 1 kg and realized after a while that it is still too heavy and cumbersome to carry around all the time. However, a tripod can be very necessary to put the camera at the right angle at dusk or for selfies. All kinds of parapets and stones / covers came to the rescue, which I put under the lens to set the angle. There is a much simpler solution - a mini tripod for constant wear. And leave 1-2-3 kg tripods only for those cases when you will probably be shooting something serious, such as the starry sky.
Mini tripod analog Manfrotto - $ 9
Really sturdy and high quality. A large DSLR will not hold, but a mirrorless with a not too large lens is quite.
Mini tripod tripod with Aliexpress
Camera mount
When traveling, I always and everywhere with a camera. And I have already tried, it seems to me, almost all options, ranging from photo sling backpack, ending belt bag. However, everything is somehow inconvenient. I would like the camera to be always at hand (on the neck), but not get in the way. I don’t know if anyone’s okay, but I don’t even want to put it in my bag every time, let alone a photo backpack, and just hanging around my neck, it bothers me. Although, in principle, with the transition to a mirrorless camera, the burden on the neck became much less noticeable. Nevertheless, I ordered a platform (like a tripod) that can be screwed onto any belt, and into which a camera is inserted in a second.
Holder platform - $ 17
Clothespin for Go Pro - $ 6
Camera holder
P.S. I will periodically update the post and add something new or remove the old.
P.P.S. I also have a circular time-lapse timer for the camera, a fitness bracelet from Xiaomi, I need to tell you briefly?
