Small Space Radio: CC Radio Shortwave

I have been all over the fact that I listen to the radio all day. There is so much going on out there with radio right now — with satellite radio and HD digital radio. So what about good old fashion radio, shortwave?

I’m not sure that most people are even aware of shortwave radio, but it’s all over the world. It is possible to hear radio shows from all over the world. I am aware of Internet options for the BBC and the like, but shortwave has something romantically nostalgic about it.

A great starter radio for listening is the CC Radio-SW. If you are unfamiliar with C. Crane,, lets just say they are the source for radios and repair. They also make some high quality products, like the CC Radio-SW.

The CC Radio-SW is a super shortwave for starting your listening around the world experience. Loaded with all the bells and whistles, it makes for a very functional radio for around $150.

Shortwave radios are great fun; you will be surprised at the assortment of shows out there on the airwaves. It’s also a great way to listen to foreign languages if you are trying to pick one up.

Small Space Hydration: Lifesaver Bottle.

>

At one time I was quite into hiking. I would take off for weekends and just walk away from everything. But years and other factors have taken away my adventure edge.

I was always striving for lightweight gear to minimize what I needed to be haul. Hydration, as always, was a heavy or risky component to any long hike. The Holy Grail of hydration has forever been a self-contained filter container combination.

Well the Grail has been found. The Lifesaver Bottle by Lifesaver Systems is a remarkable piece of technology. This little wonder takes suspect water in one end and provides clean tasteless drinking water out the other end.

The Lifesaver removes all bacteria, parasites, fungi, and other microbiological waterborne pathogens. And it does it all without chemicals. To make the Lifesaver totally foolproof, it will also shut off the filtering cartridge when it can no longer function to prevent possible contamination.

Not inexpensive at near $400, but for hiking or as a disaster kit option it’s a great deal.

Small Space Pen: Fisher Space Pen

I’m not sure how, but I’ve managed to hold on to an ink pen for 10 years. I always seem to be misplacing lesser pens, but I have somehow been able to keep tabs on my Fisher Space Pen for a decade.

I bought my Fisher Space Pen, the “Chrome Bullet with Stylus”, to use with a PDA I use to own. The PDA is long gone, but the pen is still kicking. Space Pens are great little writing instruments — they are solid, heavy and stylish. They are called Space Pens because they were designed with a gas pressurized ink cartridge that allows them to write at odd angles, upside-down and yes, in space. NASA has been taking the Space Pen into space since 1968.

Well I’ve never used it in space, but I’ve had it in my pocket through three jobs, countless weekends, vacation trips and its still kicking.

Small Space Accommodations: The Pod Hotel

Traveling can be expensive. Paying a premium for spacious hotel rooms never made much sense to me. Most of the time when I’ve traveled it was to see some location other than the inside of a hotel room.

The Pod Hotel is changing the way we think about hotels in America. The Pod Hotel has been quite successful in Europe and now it’s catching on in the US. The first American Pod Hotel is located in Manhattan. It is not uncommon for a average New York hotel room to top $300 a night. The Pod Hotel has rooms as low as $89 with average prices around $180.

What’s the big deal with The Pod? The big deal is well small. If you stay in The Pod Hotel you will be staying in a room that is significantly smaller than major hotel chain’s rooms. The rooms are small, clean and well appointed. There are iPod docks and flat screen televisions. The smallest and least expensive rooms have shared bathrooms.

If you are traveling to New York this summer, check it out. If The Pod Hotel continues to be successful, there may be one coming to a city near you very soon.

Small Space Solar Solutions: Brunton Portable Solar Power

One of the origins of my small space living interest is backpacking. If you have ever gone backpacking you quickly realize the need to minimize everything. Everything you carry adds weight, weight that you have to carry.

With the prevalence of gadgets in our everyday lives, they have inedibility found their way into many hikers packs. It’s not unusual to see iPods, GPS, radios, cell phones and more in the backcountry. All that gadgetry requires quite a bit of juice — which brings us to power.

Brunton has been producing a line of solar backcountry products for some time now. The product line has been getting more and more refined. As these products become more refined, they also become more capable. Several products recently featured on bb Gadgets include the Brunton Solo 15 and the Brunton Solaris 52.

The Solaris 52 is the largest most powerful portable folding solar panel. The Solaris 52 is capable of charging most gadgets, including laptops. It is also capable of powering many devices like small televisions or an air compressor — quite an amazing feat for such a small device.

The Solo 15 is basically a portable battery. It can be charged from any of the Brunton solar panels or it can be charged from an AC power source. Once it is charged, the Solo 15 can be used to power and or charge other devices. It is not really a great choice for standard backpacking — at four pounds it is light for a high capacity battery, but I would not want to lug it.

These pieces together extend the long term off grid possibility for all sorts of off grid activities. They would be perfect for a small space off grid cabin. So whether you are trekking or just preparing for a post-apocalyptic world where just you and your iPod live Brunton has what you need to keep the juice flowing.

Picnic Perfect

I love trunks of all kinds, especially large steamer trunks. There is something romantic and nostalgic about trunks. They remind me how even mundane things, like travel, use to be more elegant.

I also love picnics. So when I saw The Picnic Trunk by Pinel & Pinel, I of course fell in love with it. It is a rather large 37.4 inches high and it weighs a hefty 88lbs. It does have wheels to facilitate easier travel. The small space connection here is the amazing organization of the Picnic Trunk. It’s simply perfect utilization of space.

The Picnic Trunk comes fully equipped with everything you would need for a perfect picnic. I do mean everything: plates, silverware, ice bucket and even a truffle slicer. The trunk lid becomes a table and there are stylish folding chairs contained within.

This amazing trunk has it all and when your done it neatly stores all your picnic gear until you need it again. The only thing I can see that is missing would be someone to serve the food.

Small Space Camcorder

So camcorders are somewhat essential pieces of our digital lives. With You Tube being so prevalent, videos are powerful tool. The right video could direct millions of views to the site of its creator. We like to watch stuff — it’s true. However, having a camcorder with you everywhere is not always practical. Well now it can be.

There have been several variants of pocket-sized camcorders. The Flip Video by Pure Digital has clearly established itself as the market leader in the tiny camcorder market. These little wonders are not going to be used to film the new Indian Jones Movie — or anything of the kind — but for most casual users, they should fit the bill nicely.

The newest model, the Flip Video Ultra has been upgraded to include some nice features. There is a better quality LCD screen so you can see what you are filming. There is also a one-touch button to upload video straight to You Tube and AOL Video. The Ultra is also Mac compatible.

Its small size does have drawbacks. The Flip Video Ultra records in MPEG-4 — a more compressed video than the MPEG-2 format recorded by more full sized camcorders. The zoom is less than speculator and there is no expansion slot for additional memory.

For the $150 price tag, the Flip Video Ultra is a contender. It’s a great little camcorder for the not so technologically inclined. You mother or grandmother could be filming in no time.

Small Space Nomad

There is something romantic about the thought of a nomadic existence. Traveling around the world, seeing the sights and bringing home with you! We have all seen Airstreams and various other travel trailer options. This is something totally different. The TerraCross “Home on Wheels” manufactured buy UNICAT has it all.

These are some of the most remarkable living and traveling options I have seen. The exterior looks a bit like a European delivery truck or perhaps a military vehicle. But the inside is a marvel of small design; they remind me of high-end yachts. Not sure I exactly want to know what the price tag is.

Pacsafe Dailysafe Backpack

If you’re like me, you have stuff. Ok I’m unabashedly a gadget guy. I have it all — Laptop, iPod, GPS and so much more. I don’t often travel with it all, but sometimes I need stuff. So the problem when you travel: how do you bring all your stuff and not worry about who is doing what with it in the hotel room.

Pacsafe has solutions for all your travel needs. They make a complete line of travel friendly, slash proof, lockable and snatch proof bags. The dailysafe is one such bag. It is small enough to be easily carried and large enough to stash quite a bit gear. It is not possible to easily cut through the Xomesh panels that protect your stuff. It also has a snatch proof teather that allows you anchor the bag to objects in your hotel room like the bed frame or pluming fixtures. With such features, it nearly impossible to heist your valuables.

If you travel — or even if you live with unsavory roommates — it’s a great way to protect your investments.

Small Space Travel

I have always loved Airstream travel trailers. They are an American classic; they conjure up images of 1950’s family vacations. The sleek aluminum lines have always looked futuristic to me like some sort of torpedo on wheels roaming the highways.

Now just to make us lust after them even more, Airstream has teamed up with Design Within Reach to design a 16-foot tribute to modern design. Designer Chris Deam has put together a fantastic piece of classic Americana. It can all be yours for just under $50,000, but oh the places you could go.