GRID-IT Is My New Travel Buddy

We visited our daughter at camp this past weekend.  It’s a performing arts camp, and there are performances at the end of each 3-week session.  She is attending for 9 weeks, so including the trip to drive her there, that means four round-trips this summer.  (Two down, two to go.)

It’s about a 3-hour drive each way, and since we are among those uncool types who play an iPod full of show tunes and sing along, the time passes quickly.  But in addition to the iPod, I need to bring along a cord to connect the iPod to the rental car’s sound system, as well as a way to recharge the iPod so that it has enough juice to last both ways.  I also need to bring along my EZ Pass so that we can easily navigate the tolls.  (Not to mention our camera and Flip video to capture my daughter’s circus routines!)

That adds up to a lot of devices.  It has taken the first two trips for me to get a complete handle on exactly what we needed to bring.  So naturally I was reluctant to put everything away when we got home, since I’ll just have to get it all out again in a few weeks.

Then I remembered my GRID-IT.  Thanks to the generosity of manufacturer Cocoon Innovations, I received a GRID-IT when I attended the Organizers’ conference earlier this year.  As their web site explains, GRID-IT is “a unique weave of rubberized elastic bands made specifically to hold personal objects firmly in place.”   It comes in multiple sizes, and you can implement a myriad of configurations.

Here is how I’ve assembled my GRID-IT for the items I’ll need in the car.  The GRID-IT is stiff so it will stand up in my tote bag, and the items won’t fall out because the rubberized bands “stick” to the items.

Let me tell you about another great product, which is shown in the bottom left corner of my GRID-IT.  It’s the Fuel Tank, made by Callpod.   The Fuel Tank enables you to charge up your devices on the go.  (Mine is actually a Fuel Tank Duo, so I can charge two devices at once!)   When we get to camp, I plug the iPod into the Fuel Tank and leave it in the glove compartment.   By the time we start the drive home, my iPod is fully charged again and ready to entertain us for the return trip.  The small connector to the right of the Fuel Tank connects the iPod to the Fuel Tank.  You can use the Fuel Tank to charge any brand of cell phone by purchasing the appropriate connector from the Callpod web site.

Now that I’ve recharged my iPod and my Fuel Tank, I can put the GRID-IT away in the closet until the next trip.  All I have to do is grab it and put it in my bag.   If I need any of these items in the meantime, they can easily be accessed and returned to the GRID-IT.

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