Into that space, I then placed my cell phone and 35mm camera. I also added bug spray and mini-binoculars to the side pockets to equip myself for our next adventure: a climb up Black Mountain.

Upward mobility
Not far from our cabin was the knobby peak of Black Mountain, pictured in Figure D.

FIGURE D


Black Mountain rises above the tiny town of Clemons, New York. Roll over picture for a larger image.

This wasn't one of those mountain climbs requiring ropes and pitons. There was a rocky trail that zigzagged its way up and around to the peak. Even so, it was a difficult hike, but the view from the top made it more than worth it, as you can see in Figure E.

FIGURE E


Here's the view from Black Mountain looks out over Lake George. Roll over picture for a larger image.

During the climb, I started out wearing The Pod on my belt. However, I didn't find this to be the ideal method. By virtue of its shape, when I wore it on my hip, it felt awkward, as my arm would constantly bump against it. I didn't want to wear it on the back of my pants, though, as it would too much resemble a fanny pack. Nothing against those who choose the particular fashion statement that is the fanny pack, but I prefer to disassociate myself with anything that has the word "fanny" in its name.

So, I switched to the shoulder strap, which I found more to my liking. The strap can be doubled-up and worn over one shoulder, but besides feeling too much like a purse, it has a tendency to slip off. I preferred to fully extend the strap and wear it across the chest. It's the most secure and least obtrusive way to wear any bag, in my opinion.

An excellent companion
One quirk I noticed is that when the main compartment is closed, it also blocks access to the front "wing" pocket, as the Velcro and snap close over it. This is a minor point, though. You can easily just keep whatever you may need frequent access to, such as your Palm handheld, in one of the other two wings.

Overall, The Pod was an excellent companion on my vacation. I was able to keep all my gadgets and supplies close at hand, which was extremely handy when I needed to grab my camera quickly in order to snap pictures of the beautiful scenery or disturbing images like the one shown in Figure F.

FIGURE F


Santa Claus, Paul Bunyan, and Uncle Sam loom outside the supremely creepy Magic Forest. Roll over picture for a larger image.

The Pod is a cool, uniquely designed, and dare I say, cute, little bag. It's priced at $49.95 and comes in a variety of colors, as shown in Figure G.

FIGURE G


The Pod comes in a variety of colors. Roll over picture for a larger image.

If you're in the market for a new travel bag for your electronic gadgets, The Pod is well worth looking into.

David Gewirtz is the author of How To Save Jobs and Where Have All The Emails Gone? For more than 20 years, he has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com and you can follow him at http://www.twitter.com/DavidGewirtz.