All posts tagged: Accessory Reviews

BougeRV water heater review: hot showers to go

BougeRV water heater review: hot showers to go

Published by Webster

Hot water is like internet connectivity for most Verge readers: you just expect it to be there. But that’s unlikely to be the case this summer when tent camping at a music festival or road-tripping into the great unknown. That’s where BougeRV’s battery-powered shower comes in. The $310 “Portable Propane Outdoor Camping Water Heater” from BougeRV is not only optimized for search engine discovery, it also delivers a luxurious spray of hot steaming water to the unwashed, be they human, canine, or stubborn pots and pans. Charge up the battery, attach a propane canister, drop the pump into a jug of water, and you’re ready to get sudsing. It’s so useful and flexible that I’ve ditched my plans to install a permanent shower cabin and expensive hot water system inside my adventure van, even if I don’t completely trust it. $310 The Good Battery-powered portability Temperature control Adjustable flow to save water Lots of safety features The Bad Lots of hoses and cables to snag Weak shower head holder No bag to carry all the …

Adidas’ 3D-printed sneaker review: What are those!?

Adidas’ 3D-printed sneaker review: What are those!?

Published by Webster

A shoe engineered to be made entirely from additive manufacturing will be polarizing in the first quarter of the 21st century. That’s certainly been my experience wearing Adidas’ new 3D-printed Climacool sneakers on the beach, trail, or in the city. I felt more eyes on my footwear than normal, with a determined flick upward to see who was brave enough, dumb enough, or fantastic enough to wear such a shoe. I’ve been a fan of Adidas’ 3D-printed kicks ever since I purchased a pair of its 4D running shoes a few years ago. But those are traditional multi-material sneakers with 3D printing limited to the midsoles. Adidas is taking things to the next level with Climacool — a single-piece shoe that’s 100 percent 3D printed. They were teased late last year with a limited drop, but now anyone can buy them. The rubbery lattice structure varies in density from the sole (where it’s high) to the upper (low) to provide the right balance of cushion and flex. Adidas calls the shoe lightweight, but at 416 …

EcoFlow Wave 3 review: a portable air conditioner and heater that’s better in every way

EcoFlow Wave 3 review: a portable air conditioner and heater that’s better in every way

Published by Webster

I’ve been testing the EcoFlow Wave 3, a follow-up to the all-in-one battery-powered air conditioner, heater, and fan I reviewed last summer. EcoFlow has dialed back its absurd marketing with a more powerful unit that can be recharged through several methods, including the sun. Only now it can automatically (try to) maintain a set temperature range and act as a dedicated dehumidifier, too. I was grateful to have EcoFlow’s Wave 2 with me last summer while vanlifing around Portugal and Spain. That less powerful A/C helped to offset daytime temps hitting 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degree Fahrenheit) and made 25C (77F) nights comfortable enough to sleep. But it only worked in small spaces and under just the right circumstances. The third-generation portable heat pump from EcoFlow can’t perform miracles. We’re still only talking 6100BTU (1800W) of cooling and 6800BTU (2000W) of heating. And placement is limited by bulky intake and exhaust hoses, and the space needed for a receptacle to collect any drained water. But if you own a van, surf shack, work shed, roof-top …

Kuxiu’s semisolid state power bank costs a little more but lasts much longer

Kuxiu’s semisolid state power bank costs a little more but lasts much longer

Published by Webster

Solid-state batteries are the future. They’re more powerful, compact, safe, and sustainable than Lithium-ion alternatives, but true all-solid state batteries can’t be mass-produced cost-effectively. That’s why Kuxiu has gone semi-solid state for what it calls the “world’s safest” power bank, while calling dibs on it being a world first. Kuxiu’s $79.99 S2 Qi2 5000mAh MagSafe Solid-State Power Bank supports Qi2 for 15W wireless charging. And with a 5,000mAh (19Wh) capacity, it holds enough energy to easily charge the latest iPhone 16 models — with batteries ranging from 3,561mAh to 4,685mAh — from zero to full at least once. And despite using the truncated “solid state” in the S2 name and product page, the company confirmed to me that it’s built around a semi-solid state battery and that distinction matters. I’ve been carrying the Kuxiu S2 for the past few weeks. While I didn’t hammer, pierce, or tear the battery apart or expose it to fire like Kuxiu did, I can at least confirm that it otherwise works as expected. “Solid state” ambiguity It’s not just …

BougeRV’s electric wagon is the uphill king and downhill menace

BougeRV’s electric wagon is the uphill king and downhill menace

Published by Webster

Not to brag, but I’m somewhat of an expert in folding wagons. Huge flex, I know. But I’ve never tested one with a motor like BougeRV’s new Electric Foldable Wagon. I have a little surf shack that sits almost exactly 1km (0.6 miles) from the parking lot, where I regularly carry supplies and sports gear back and forth. I’ve used lots of folding carts, with prices starting around $40 for something that will only last a few months, $250 for something from a reputable brand, and closer to $800 for top-of-the-line merch. Nothing I’ve tried can make hauling 200kg (about 440 pounds) over steep inclines as effortless as the new BougeRV electric wagon. Yeah, it’s $399.99, and not without its quirks, but boy is it worth it if you regularly carry large heavy loads over hills. $400 The Good Flattens steep hills Huge carrying capacity Folds for easy transport Good range The Bad Terrible display Electronic brake and throttle useless on downhills Expensive Company offers vague assurance against rain BougeRV — the company behind that …

Aurzen Zip tri-fold projector review: mirror anything (without DRM)

Aurzen Zip tri-fold projector review: mirror anything (without DRM)

Published by Webster

Tri-folds are having a moment. There’s that impressive Huawei device, my favorite 3-in-1 Apple charger, and now this: the Zip tri-fold projector from a company called Aurzen. It’s the most gadgety gadget I’ve tested in a long time. The Zip’s heft, texture, and hinge stiffness evokes quality at first touch and it’s impressively bright for a compact battery-powered projector that initially costs $249. Using it is also a joy. It connects quickly to iPhones over AirPlay and to Android devices over Miracast, Smart View, or similar using Wi-Fi Direct — no hotspot required. It then automatically focuses and aligns the image on any available flat surface including walls, t-shirts, and pillows. It works in both landscape and portrait modes and pairs with Bluetooth headsets for private audio or Bluetooth speakers for a shared experience. The built-in rechargeable battery lasts about 80 minutes in my real-world testing, but you can always plug it into a powerbank or wall jack to extend that. Using it sucks, however, if you’re trying to stream from services like Netflix and …

Powerplay 2: Logitech made its magic mousepad cheaper instead of better

Powerplay 2: Logitech made its magic mousepad cheaper instead of better

Published by Webster

I’ve never reviewed a perfect product, but Logitech’s Powerplay Wireless Charging System comes close. For over three years and counting, I’ve never even had to think about charging my wireless mouse. It’s so dead simple, it feels like magic, and it’s shame that most people probably can’t afford it at $120. The good news: Logitech is releasing a new $100 version in March, called the Powerplay 2, and it’s just as easy to set up. Plug in mousepad, snap a magnetic “Charging Coin” into the base of your mouse, then put mouse on mousepad to continuously charge. The bad news: It’s only $20 cheaper, yet it feels like Logitech made its mousepad more than $20 cheaper to hit that goal. The mousepad does come with improvements. Logitech boasts it has a 15 percent wider charging area and is thinner at just 3.5mm, and that’s what I see with my review unit. Now, as long as the entirety of my G502 Lightspeed mouse is resting within any corner of the mousepad, the charging indicator lights up, …

My water filtration kit for good times and the very bad

My water filtration kit for good times and the very bad

Published by Webster

Access to water is always a concern when heading off the grid in my van — not when I’m home in Amsterdam, a city surrounded by the stuff. That certainty changed recently when government ministers began quietly prodding citizens to stock up on emergency supplies due to an increased risk of armed conflict and other regional unpleasantries. One recommendation, of many, is to have three liters (almost one gallon) of water per person per day on hand, or 15 liters per day for my five-person household. That means 105 liters for just one week or 450 liters each month! I don’t have space for that. Who does? So, I started thinking: why not augment my emergency freshwater stores with a filtration and purification kit that can adapt to all the water sources around me? And since I’m a budding vanlifer and chronic adventurer, let’s make it portable so I can take it anywhere. A double-tap of the Dometic Go faucet produces clean drinking water from the LifeStraw filter snapped into the Go jug. I came …