What's in My Bag? 3 Essential Essentials

GRAYL

The GRAYL (fairly holy in my book) is arguably the most essential item I carry.  It works like a french press, and in roughly 15-25 seconds, you can have safe, clean water. Filters last roughly 2 months, though it depends on the mineral content of the water you're using, and how heavy a user you are (I'm a pretty heavy user).

There are a lot of water purifier systems on the market, but this is the only one I ever want to own. It's sleek, simple, and eliminates 99.9999% of viruses, bacteria and protozoan friends. Also, I never worry about running out of drinking water at night, brushing my teeth in countries without potable water, or using public water foundations. Want one? Buy it here. Tell Brett I say Hi.

 

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones

I didn't actually know you could buy peace of mind. After I bit the bullet and bought these headphones (which retail for $249) I spent a month telling people exactly that. These are amazing. If I lost them, I would immediately buy another pair. It takes about 5 minutes to get accustomed to the noise cancellation frequency, and then the world gets quiet. On the subway, you can't hear the train. On the airplane, you can't hear the plane. In my mother's kitchen, I can't hear her yelling at the internet. 

They are amazing. A little pricey, but invaluable. They come with different size ear buds (I am a tiny person) and they stay in while I workout. Want a pair? Buy them here. You're Welcome. 

 

AeroPress

I am a serious caffeine addict, with some serious standards. I'm basically not functional if I don't have caffeine within the first few hours I'm awake.  This has put me at a serious disadvantage when traveling - trying to track down acceptable coffee to maintain my happy, peppy demeanor.

I contemplated traveling with a pour over or french press, but then I heard about the Aeropress. The Aeropress has a bit of a learning curve, but now I love it.  It's light, it's easy to clean, hard to break, and makes fantastic coffee. More importantly, as long as I can boil water, I can always have a fantastic cup of coffee, anywhere, any time. 

For the Record, no one is paying me to promote these products. I just happen to love them so much.