The Hoboroll from Gobi Gear.
For college students on the go — or just trying to find some extra space in a cramped dorm room — the Hoboroll from Gobi Gear is one easy way to add some extra cubic inches to your crowded life. The Hoboroll* is a packing and compression system that allows you to stuff anything from socks and sweatshirts to water bottles and shoes into its honeycombed compartments; then you cinch the straps and voila, the packed volume decreases dramatically. Obviously, the amount of compression will differ from one packed item to another. A t-shirt will compress much more than a pair of shoes; while an aluminum water bottle will just be taking up valuable compression space.
Gobi Gear’s Hoboroll saves a lot of packing space.
In a dorm room or apartment, you can use the Hoboroll to free up room in a closet, drawers or even under the bed. Use the strap to hang it over the bar in your closet. It’s not a bad way to get those out-of season clothes, like hats, gloves and mittens, out of the way and out of mind until you need them again.
When it comes time for that spring break road trip or semester abroad, the Hoboroll can save not only space, but money. On car trips, you can use the Hoboroll to save space inside other luggage. Or you can use the Hoboroll as your luggage. One of the company’s founders actually put the Hoboroll to the test when she used it as her only bag on an extended trek through Asia.
The Hoboroll from Gobi Gear can be used as a stand-alone travel bag.
With airline baggage fees almost as out of control as college tuition, the Hoboroll is a money saver. It frees up space so you don’t have to check extra bags or, if you’re lucky, any bags at all. My only gripe about the bag is that it adds a little more weight than I would like. If I am using it for backpacking purposes, I would like to see a few ounces less of gear weight. Otherwise, I think the Hoboroll is a pretty cool design.
* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Hoboroll for free from GobiGear as coordinated by Deep Creek PR an Outdoor Retailer Public Relations Company in consideration for review publication.