…where I used the multitool to close the door after I folded my sunglasses and dropped them into my jacket pocket. I sat at a table, where I balanced the hanger on the edge so I could hang my bag and jacket on it. After I had a glass of wine, I tapped the multitool on the waitstaff’s screen to pay the tab. All this convenience for less than forty dollars!
Let’s break it down:
- Bag hanger
Public spaces like airports, grocery stores, and restaurants rarely have a good place to set down your bag, and if they do, they’re usually not very secure or clean.
With a Clipa2 Bag Hanger, you’ll be able to hang your bag or coat off of any table or chair; way better than putting it on the dirty floor or in your lap (where the nicer your bag or jacket is, the greater the chance you will dribble pasta sauce on it—trust me).
The Clipa2 looks like a metal ring, but it’s actually a hook, thanks to the spring-loaded hinge in the middle and rubber feet on the ends. It’s easy to use: twist it open, set one end on any edge/ledge/rail/opening, and hang your bag or coat off the other end. The whole process takes less time than it would to drape your jacket and bag over the back of a chair, and is a lot more secure as well.
In addition to keeping my jacket and bag safe from pickpockets and bag snatchers when I travel, mine has kept my bag off a restroom floor and my backpack off the ground at the tennis court.
The Clipa2 isn’t just for bags. The hook can hold over 30 pounds, so you can use it to hang a diaper bag off a shopping cart, a winter coat off a bar, or a backpack off your luggage handle. When you’re done, just let the ring snap shut around your bag strap, so you’ll have it the next time you need it.
The Clipa2 is available in a variety of finishes—matte/polished gold, silver, and hematite (gray), plus polished copper/rose gold. At less than $16, you may want to get one for all of the bags you regularly carry.
- Foldable sunglasses
Twenty bucks is a good price for a pair of polarized, well-balanced sunglasses made from lightweight plastic. It’s a great price for a pair that can fold up like origami to fit more easily in a jacket pocket, bag, or glove box.
While most glasses have two hinges, Easy Carry Polarized Folding Sunglasses have five, making them ideal inexpensive shades for travelers.
I tried the Tortoise Frame with Tea (brown) lens. The unique folding design aside, I was impressed with the clarity of the lenses; it exceeded almost any pair of cheap sunglasses I’ve ever worn. And the hinges have stood up to repeated wearings, despite rough treatment (that is, being tossed into my tote or car’s center console).
The frame shape reminds me of Ray-ban’s Wayfarer. Polarized lens are available in the aforementioned tea (brown), as well as gray, blue gradient, green, purple mirror, silver flash, and blue mirror. Frames come in tortoise, black, or clear.
Also included are a soft bag, faux leather carrying case, and lens cleaning cloth. At this price, you can keep a pair in your car and your travel bag as back-ups for those times when you’ve forgotten or *coughs* lost your pricier pair.
- Keychain multitool
Slip this six-dollar multitool onto your keyring and forget about it—until the next time you need a screwdriver or bottle opener, or want to avoid touching publicly-used surfaces like ATM screens, elevator buttons, and door handles.
Don’t let its size fool you; the Gerber Shard keychain multitool boasts six functions: small flat screwdriver, medium flat screwdriver, Philips head screwdriver, wire stripper, pry bar, and bottle opener.
Thanks to its hooked design, you can also use the Gerber Shard as a point-of-contact tool to open doors, press buttons, and pull levers, keeping your hands clean. The lanyard hole makes it easy to attach to your keyring, and it’s made of stainless steel coated with titanium coating, so it won’t rust.
At less than three inches long and about six ounces, the Gerber Shard is shorter than a house key and only weighs a little more. It’s TSA-approved, so you don’t have to worry about bringing it on an airplane. Choose between two finishes: black ($8) and silver ($6).
Twist’s Take: This cheap bag/coat hanger, foldable sunglasses, and a keychain multitool make life easier.
