An Ode to the Handy Little Thing

[kemote]

In anticipation of the HLTs being restocked next week, I wanted to write a love letter to my favorite, new TB accessory in the hopes I could convince those on the fence to try it out!

I have struggled over the years to find a small pouch that could wrangle my cables and other accessories in an organized, logical fashion for when I'm on a plane or traveling. I only take the cables and charging accessories that I actually need and do not subscribe to redundancy or "just in case" items. In my searching, most pouches I came across were just too large or were just a dumping ground with no organization. I also need this pouch to fit into tight spaces such as when my Synapse, Western Flyer, or Tri-Star are packed out.
I tried the Side Effect: too big for what I need, Snake Charmer: no organization and too big, offerings from other companies, etc. Nothing worked for me. Enter the Handy Little Thing 1 in beautiful solaris.

This thing is a marvel and I am glad there are two sizes as the HLT 2 is again, too large for my needs. The HLT has organization galore and it can fit into any of my bags with an incredibly small footprint. I love the thoughtfulness of the layout of this pouch and I absolutely love the "hidden" section under the mesh pocket. Genius! This is going to be my cable pouch for the forseeable future and it is now one of my favorite TB things that I own. If you are on the fence about buying a HLT, I would not hesistate to buy one to see if it works for you like it did for me.

[bartleby]

Great pics, you really captured the golden shimmer of Solaris very well! I am also a huge fan of the HLT, awesome organizer!

[moriond]

These are great pics! I recognize both the influence of bartleby’s suggested use profile for the HLT 1, and the brilliant tones of Solaris. Because I have a number of accessories in the older Solar (most recently posted example, the Clear Quarter Packing Cube that is being retired, that I showed inside a Pick-Up Truck, that is unfortunately, also being retired, despite its November 2019 debut and popularity, as part of the restructuring of manufacturing post-Covid-19 pause in normal operations), I held off on ordering these to let other users get to experience this color for the first time in new products. But I’ve been signed up for quite a while to get a Solaris HLT 1 when it comes back in stock.

I love the way that you show how the Apple Pencil fits into this Handy Little Thing, along with the other accessories. I was puzzling through a few items, but then I realized that you labeled most of these in your video post of how you packed your Synik 30 for a 5-day trip. So are these the Anker power bank in the mesh zippered pocket and lightning cable for iPhone, magnetic charging cable for Apple Watch, and USB-C cable for iPad Pro in the webbing loops, along with the iPad charging plug under the mesh zippered pocket?

And, did you use to carry these in your Everyday Cubelet? Do you now pack the HLT 1 in the Synik 30 zippered side pocket where you used to pack the Everyday Cubelet? Sorry for the excessive curiosity, but i’m just trying to anticipate the questions others will have on viewing your great pics!

moriond

[kemote]

Yes, most of what was in that video is what you are seeing here. Here is the breakdown of my HLT's contents:

Left side: Lightning cable, 2nd gen Apple Pencil, Apple Watch cable, USB-C cable

Right side: Anker battery bank, iPhone/iPad charging brick (under mesh pocket)

I also carry my AirPods Pro and the two double carabiners in the outside zippered pocket. Everything I need for travel and nothing I don't.


I will point out that I have the 2nd generation Apple Pencil which is shorter than the 1st generation. I suspect the 1st generation will not fit in the HLT 1 but if it does it would be an incredibly tight fit and you would risk breaking the tip of the pencil. I no longer have my Synik or Everyday Cubelet (the HLT actually replaced it!) but in my Synapse 25 it goes in the front left side zippered pocket and I also store it in the left side of the zippered divided compartement of my Western Flyer and Tri-Star where it fits with ease.