I can’t help but tell everyone I know about things I love. It makes being a missionary easier, to be sure. There are also some great, relatively inexpensive things I own that I want the world to know about. These items are so well designed they can’t help but bring a smile to your face when they actually do what they’re supposed to do.
I’ve gone through a plethora of different water bottles (mostly because I lose them). I drink a ton of water, I’d guess nearly 100 oz a day (so yes, I pee constantly). So since I go to the well so often, I want to have a good canister.
My favorite is the Contigo 24oz Water Bottle. It’s brother, the Contigo Travel Mug, gets a shout-out shortly, but what’s awesome about Contigo products is that they just don’t spill. I owned a CamelBack water bottle (that I lost), and on hot days when the pressure would build up, it shot water at me like I was a clown at a carnival game. I could never throw it in my backpack because my papers would come out like they just took a sponge bath. The Contigo has an AutoSeal™ that rocks. It also has a plastic caribiner-type clip if you want to awkwardly hook it to your pants (or more practically, to your backpack).
Contigo Travel Mug – ~$18 (or for the nerds, Contigo 16-Ounce Double Wall Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Tumbler)
The Contigo Travel Mug is equally as impressive as the water bottle. It keeps liquids warm for a solid few hours, doesn’t spill, and it looks like something an astronaut would drink out of. I’ve owned enough travel mugs to know that most of them are awful (I’m looking at you, Starbucks anti-travel mugs) and spill coffee on you. This one doesn’t.
I don’t drink milk or sugar in my coffee, but if you do, make sure you wash the top out really well, really quickly or it forms a nasty primordial goo that you’ll never get rid of. If you’re forgetful, drink your coffee black.
I have the black/gunmetal color, but I recommend the stainless steel color. All of the mugs are painted with a stainless steel base, so if it gets nicked or scraped, you’ll notice on a colored version.
Pilot G2 Pens (12 Pack) – ~$17
These pens are amazing. They are the crème de la crème of the writing world for their price. You can snag a 12-pack for less than $1.50 a pen and you’ll wonder how you ever wrote with Bics. I’m partial to the .5mm, the Extra Fine point, and black is my go-to color of choice.
I’m so serious about these pens we just imported a pack from America. I’m not even a little ashamed of being a pen snob.
InCase Campus Pack Backpack – ~$40
I used to have a monster Swiss Gear backpack that limped through my college career like a featherweight in a heavyweight fight, but I’ve since upgraded to the ever-slim-but-compartment-rich InCase backpack. It has a padded compartment for your laptop, a spot for an iPad (or inferior tablet), two inner pockets (great for a cell phone, notecards, or small notebooks), specially fitted spaces for two Pilot G2s, and two outer pockets as well. It’s got everything you need and it probably weighs less than a pound empty. Even though it’s slim, you can still pack a good amount of junk you don’t need important stuff in it.
It’s a bit pricey on InCase’s website (but as you can see above, Amazon has it for less), but InCase seems to have sales every few months, so keep an eye on their Facebook page. I snagged mine for 40% off (around $35, I think) with free shipping. The InCase website also has more color options.
Money Clip – ~$20
I converted to the money clip in high school, and everyone is still amazed by it, like these slender money holders haven’t existed for practically as long as the wallet. You have to limit yourself to 5 or 6 cards, but what are you doing with a 5-inch wallet in your back pocket, bro? You don’t have to worry about getting some weird back injury because your wallet is overstuffed with Chick-fil-a coupons, Taco Bell receipts and Gander Mountain gift cards, and everyone will ogle your minimalism.
My next money holder purchase will likely be the even slimmer Supr Slim Wallet, which isn’t on sale yet.
EarPods – ~$27
My last set of Apple headphones went through the wash, and even though they still worked, they looked like a giant, white Arby’s curly fry, and it annoyed the crap out of slightly agitated me. My wonderful wife picked up a pair of Apple’s latest iteration of the most-poorly-named headphones, the EarPods, for me for Christmas. They fit much better in my ears than the EarBuds did, they have a bigger control to adjust volume, change tracks, or activate Siri. They come with a really slick carrying case that fits perfectly into any pocket of the InCase backpack (see how this all comes together?).
They aren’t the most impressive in volume or sound quality, but for the build quality, the travel case and price, they are tough to beat.