While no two trips are alike, there are a few, stalwart items that I can’t live without on the road. Some are expected (noise canceling headphones), but some, like the one I’ll share today, are not. Today, that item is: carabiners.I’ve been a fan of carabiners since middle school, when it was “cool” to clip all your keys to the belt loop on your jeans with a carabiner. Though I no longer wear my keys as an accessory (was that ever really cool?), my affinity for carabiners has only blossomed.
My carabiner collection grew exponentially when I took on indoor rock climbing as a hobby, which had the added bonus of helping me feeling less like a poser for owning so many. Shortly thereafter, I would learn the true value of carabiners as a travel accessory.
Here are six ways I’ve used carabiners while traveling:
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Hanging on to my wet shoes that I didn’t want to put into my bag
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Keeping my headphones accessible
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Making my keys easy to find inside my bag
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Securing hats that I don’t want to crush in my suitcase
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Keeping my camera gear secure in the water
I typically have 1-2 small carabiners and at least two big ones (sometimes more) clipped to my bags when I travel. And the one time I mysteriously forgot them? I needed them more than ever.
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- Keeping those wet, sandy extra flip flops out of my bag. Thanks, carabiners
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- Travel pillow? Clipped. Trucker hat that I don’t want to crush? Also clipped!
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- Hat and visor stay handy without tying up my hands!
Luckily, carabiners are SUPER easy to find and range in price from a few dollars to over $20 a piece. I like to get mine from an outdoor store, as those tend to be of higher quality.
Here are a couple of links to searches at REI and Amazon to get you started on your collection:
Happy climbing…errr…traveling!
jz
