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Author Archive for Lorie

Berry-licious Yogurt Parfaits

Posted by Lorie 
· July 9, 2017 
· No Comments

You can make these easy breakfast parfaits ahead of time at home, then take them on the road in your campervan’s fridge or cooler, or make them in camp!

Ingredients:
(makes two individual servings)

  • Greek yogurt, 1 cup
  • honey, 1/4 cup
  • fresh fruit or berries, 1 cup
  • granola, 1/2 cup

Directions:

In two 16-ounce glass Mason jars or similar sealable serving containers, add 1/2 cup Greek yogurt to each jar, followed by a drizzle of honey, and a layer of your favorite fresh fruit or berries. Top with a handful of granola (the fruit will help keep the granola high and dry so it doesn’t get soggy). Be sure to leave a bit of headroom in the jars, so whenever you decide to enjoy your parfait, you have space to mix it all up first!


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Categories : Happy Camping, Kitchen
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Product Review: Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 4G LTE Tablet, 12.2-Inch 32GB

Posted by Lorie 
· April 15, 2017 
· No Comments

A versatile tablet well suited to travel: compact, durable, lightweight, with an elegant flip-hinge design.

Features

  • 12.2-inch 2560×1600 WQXGA Display
  • Android 4.4 Kit Kat OS, 1.9GHz Samsung Exynos 5 Octa processor
  • 32 GB Flash Memory, 3 GB RAM
  • MicroSD slot which allows up to 64GB of additional storage
  • Includes Hancom Office, Multi Window (up to 4), Magazine UX, Remote PC, Sidesync

Get the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 4G LTE 12.2″ Tablet here

If you need to mix pleasure with work while you travel, this is the tablet for you. The Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2″ is designed with business people in mind, and it comes with a lot of productivity software; Samsung Meeting, Samsung Know, and Samsung E-Meeting software installed. Because this is the Note Pro version of the tablet, it comes with a decent S-Pen stylus and software. That said, it is great for pleasure viewing and gaming during down time.

First Impressions

This a large tablet, eliminating the need for a bulky and heavy laptop while van-camping and travelling. The performance is outstanding with all kinds of use. The 12.2 inch screen is just gorgeous, with a very high 2560 x 1600 resolution, it’s beautiful. Watching streaming video like Netflix, HULU or HBOGO on the Note Pro is a truly pleasurable experience.

The display is easily viewed from almost any angle, so more than one person can watch and still enjoy the view. It has dual stereo speakers, which have good sound quality. It also comes with Android OS Kit Kat 4.4. This is a great tablet, powerful and well-built, with a ton of power, and with the Samsung Touch Wiz, you have a lot of options with this device.

Offering brilliant color on the crystal-clear 12.2″ HD display with over 4 million pixels packed inside, it’s also astonishingly lightweight at just 1.7 pounds, yet delivers an unrivaled reading, editing and viewing experience and incredible responsiveness—all powered by the 1.9 Ghz Samsung Exynos Octa processor. Intuitive S Pen and enhanced multitasking, which allows you to use up to four different applications side-by-side.

On The Road or In Camp

When I purchase any tablet, I want to make sure I can just put my SIM card in it for connectivity. Since this is a GSM LTE tablet, I can easily take my SIM card from my phone and get connected to the web. This is a huge money saver in the long run, as there’s no need to pay for tethering or an extra data plan. Use the one you have.

This is a big tablet, but if you are looking for something as powerful as a PC, that allows for multitasking, video and gaming capability, this is a great option.

The battery life for a tablet this size is excellent, so no need to keep it charging all the time during use. It also comes with a non-removable 9,500mAh battery. I get about 12 hours of steady usage out of it, about 8 hours with video viewing. It can take a long time to charge because of the battery size. I suggest purchasing a matching USB 3.0 car charger, for road trips and charging while driving to new destinations.

You can also use a Bluetooth mouse with the tablet, which is great if you want to get some work done and are not a big fan of touchpads. You can use it pretty much like any mouse on a conventional PC.  I’m using a Bluetooth optical mini wireless mouse for Android tablets.

You can also pair a keyboard with the device. The Logitech Pro protective case with keyboard for Samsung Galaxy Note Pro works well, is very compact and protects the tablet when stored or charging.

In the Long Run

The Samsung Galaxy Note Pro is a fantastic tablet for van travel and camping, and provides me the flexibility to work on the road and to enjoy media in my down time. It can take photos, but is a bit large to use for photos regularly. It allows for multitasking, email and social media.

The large bright colorful crisp screen is great for watching movies, and it has dual speakers for superior sound. I would highly recommend this tablet.

If you’re unsure which device to bring along on your trip, this tablet strikes a good balance between a heavy, bulky laptop and a too-small phone, and does everything you need it to do and then some!

Hits: huge 12.2 screen, Micro SD slot for extra storage, long battery life, front and rear cameras, easy multi-tasking

Misses: charging is fairly slow, a bit pricey

Get the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 4G LTE 12.2″ Tablet here

What do you think? Leave a question or comment below, and use the social links to share with friends!

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Categories : Product Reviews, Travel Electronics
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Product Review: ZeroLemon SolarJuice Dual-USB Portable Charger

Posted by Lorie 
· August 20, 2016 
· 2 Comments

A compact, rugged solar USB charger for maintaining portable electronics & digital devices while on the go

Modern road-trippers now travel with more and more digital devices: smartphones, handheld GPS units, tablets and laptop computers, and more.

And all these devices require frequent charging to provide their valuable functions and features. But if your travels often take you off the beaten path, it can be hard to find convenient power sources for charging.

Does the ZeroLemon USB Solar Charger provide an easy, portable, off-the-grid solution to keep all your travel electronics topped up?

Specifications

  • Content: 20000mAh Battery Pack / Clip
  • MicroUSB charging cable
  • The world’s largest capacity rain resistant & shockproof portable solar charger on the planet
  • Shock-proof design for rough handling and drops.LED flashlight
  • Top Grade A cell, Built-in 20000mAh Lithium Polymer battery which charges via a powerful 1.2W mono-crystalline solar panel
  • Dual 2.1A & 1A output allows for simultaneous charging of your devices at high speed
  • 1000+ recharge cycles over the life of the battery.
  • 36 month Guarantee

ZeroLemon-Solar-Charger-portsWhen you are taking the road less traveled, this is the charger you are going to want on board. It is small, durable, compact, and powerful.

Get the ZeroLemon SolarJuice Charger here

First Impressions

This is a nicely built battery: solid and durable, admittedly a bit heavy, but so compact that it matters little when car- or van-camping.

The case is well made, and doesn’t flex at all. It has two USB ports and one mini USB port for charging, so you can charge two devices at once. The power LEDs light up if you are charging via the USB.  There are four power level LEDs. They are labeled 100%, 75%, 50%, 25% to show how much charge it has left. A nice feature so you know when you are running low on juice.

On The Road or In Camp

ZeroLemon-Solar-Charger-backThe ZeroLemon SolarJuice works great. It charged my husband’s Samsung Note 2 and my LG Optimus in less than 2 hours. It is very rugged, so if you drop it you don’t have to worry about damaging it—I know from experience! You can charge it via solar, but this will take several hours in full sunlight. We have plugged in our phones and other devices and left the unit in the sun to charge for a few hours, and it worked well. (I recommend covering the phones and other devices with a towel, etc. so they are not in direct sunlight.)

We often charge the ZeroLemon SolarJuice via the USB cable powered by our dashboard power ports <link>, but we generally leave the unit laying on the Vanagon dashboard to take advantage of free solar charging. Or utilize the solar-charging feature by leaving it on the dashboard or campsite table in full sunlight while we go for a hike, walk the beach, visit a museum, etc..

In The Long Run

ZeroLemon-Solar-Charger-water-resistantAfter using the ZeroLemon a few times, I have to say we have been impressed with its charging ability. We easily charged our devices using both ports pretty fast. You will need to turn the battery on for it to charge, or else it won’t charge. To turn the battery on, you have to hold the button for three seconds. To turn the battery off, you hold the button for three seconds. It charges from the sun, meaning you can recharge it anywhere. It is easy to use and does the job. For the price, this is great device.

The durable rugged ‘outdoors’ design, and dual-charging capability of the ZeroLemon SolarJuice make it a versatile device for van-campers and other road-trippers!

Hits:
Large capacity battery
Compact design
Good Construction, built to take it
Continued, simultaneous device charge cycles while on the go
Flashlight

Misses:
Heavy (but to be expected for a large capacity battery)
Flashlight minimally useful
Long solar charging times

Get the ZeroLemon SolarJuice Charger here

What do you think? Leave a question or comment below, and use the social links to share with friends!

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Categories : Product Reviews, Travel Electronics
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