Glow and Reflect

Glow in the Dark Gaffers Tape - This tape is awesome for it’s ability to stick, remove cleanly, and glow in the dark! I use this tape to mark my gas cans with the date and fuel mix to make them easy to locate in a power outage and to know when the fuel needs to be used by. I also add them to my long term water storage containers for a similar purpose.

A blue container labeled Wurx Containers features a handwritten note stating Filtered May 21, 2025.Two illuminated vertical panels display lists of numbers and text against a dark background.Red fuel cans are arranged on a shelf, with labels indicating contents and dates.A label with the text Filtered May 21, 2025 is glowing in the dark.

Gear AID Tenacious Tape Reflective Roll - Like the glow in the dark Gaffer tape above, this tape is super versatile and can be cut in very thin (5mm x 750mm) strips or moderately wide strips (300mm x 750mm). One cool idea I saw was to use those thin strips around your tent zippers as pull tabs to make finding the exit at night super easy. I also use them on my first aid bags and other stuff sacks to make finding gear in my pack quick and easy.

A red bag with a reflective rectangular patch is placed on a table alongside a few strips of reflective material.A red Sea to Summit bag is positioned on a dark surface next to five small white strips.

#EDC

Today’s vibe:

Xteink X4 E-Reader

The Xteink X4 E-Reader has recently become a very popular e-reader for it’s 5.5mm thin form factor, 4.3" 220ppi resolution screen, USB-C port, and hackability. It’s not the most sophisticated device on the market, but at the low price point of around $60 USD, it’s an attractive alternative to the closed commercial e-readers out there like Amazon’s Kindle or Barnes & Noble’s Nook.

A collection of motivational words and phrases is displayed on a textured surface, featuring terms like MINIMALISM, BRAVE, CONFIDENCE, and PURE.Seven colored rectangular trays are arranged in a grid pattern, with varying colors including green, blue, red, and a textured black.

Super slim back case for the Xtenik X4 reader on Makerworld

Flip cover case for the Xteink X4 reader on Makerworld

Crosspoint Open Firmware for the Xteink X4 is very well documented, flexible, and easy to flash over wifi directly to your device.

ReadMe Club for community resources, tips, and tricks.

AliExpress US is where you can typically find one of these readers for around $50-65 USD if you don’t want to purchase directly on that top link.

#Reading 📚

Travel Writing Kit

When I travel, one of the small things I enjoy is taking a brief moment to stop and pen a short postcard or letter to friends and family. It’s exciting to get something in the mail from someone you know unexpectedly that is traveling somewhere unfamiliar and new, whether that’s a half the world away or just a few towns over.

A collection of stationery items including a notebook, two pens, envelopes with stamps, and two fabric pouches are arranged on a surface.A colorful pouch with a pink TOPO Designs label and a zipper featuring a yellow pull tab is positioned on a dark surface.

Topo Designs Small Accessory Bag - 8.5" x 5.5" zipper bag made out of Cordura 1000D, so it’s super durable and fits everything pictured above that I need to write and post short letters while on the go.

LAMY 2000 Rollerball Pen - I missed my chance to purchase a MontBlanc M rollerball pen years ago because I just couldn’t justify the cost. While this pen does not have a magnetic cap, it does have the bold black lines and crisp appearance that I was after.

Diplomat Aero Fountain Pen - Funky - #6 JoWo silver stainless steel nib in Medium. I like big nibs and I can not lie. The ink flows extremely well out of this pen, it looks great, and the body size is perfect for travel.

Rickshaw Bags Pen Sleeve - a San Francisco shop that makes lots of creative pen cases and sleeves. I own several of these in various lengths for two and three pen for my fountain, ballpoint, and rollerball pens.

Clairefontaine 8642C Classic Wirebound Notebook in 5x5 Graph - 80 sheets of incredibly smooth 90GSM paper made in France. Exceptionally well suited for fountains, gel, and pencils. This might be a little tricky to find on the internet. The A5 size would be the next closest standard size to try and find, but may not fit into the Topo Design accessory bag. It is micro-perforated, making it very easy to remove for mailing.

5 1/2 bar Baronial Envelope - approximately 4.375" x 5.75" which is also be fairly close to an A5 sized envelope.

Local Postage - Within the USA, I like to pick out unique or seldom seen Forever Stamps from the USPS Website. While traveling I try to make it a point to stop by at a local post office and purchase local stamps.

So how about you? Do you like to write while out adventuring?

Topo Designs referral link

#Travel #Correspondance #Writing ✈️

Olight Gober 2 Smart Signal Light

The Olight Gober 2 Smart Signal Light has recently become one of my favorite multi-color LED beacons.

A hand turns on a small blue and green flashlight labeled Olight, emitting a bright green light.Two red LED lights and a blue keychain with a metal carabiner are arranged on a black surface.Two green LED lights and a blue object with a carabiner are arranged on a dark surface.Two blue LED lights and a blue keychain with a metal carabiner are arranged against a dark background.Two LED lights and a blue plastic carabiner with a bottle opener attachment are placed on a dark surface.Two round lights, one blue and one red, are placed above a blue carabiner, resembling a face on a dark surface.
  • Wireless sync flash with other units!
  • Internal slot for an Apple Airtag
  • USB-C Charging
  • Magnetic base
  • Over 12-hours of runtime

Clip the case with the included carabiner with both lights onto your backpack or tent, share with a friend while out hiking, or sync up with an entire group of people.

Olight Affiliate link

#Flashlight 🔦