Favorite things in 2022

As has become my habit over the past few years, I’m once more looking back at the year that has past, and the things that have made that year. Your mileage may vary, but these have all become very useful to me.

• ReMarkable
  • As I wrote in my review of the ReMarkable back in 2019, it is a decidedly niche product, and I freely admit that I fell out of the habit of using it a while after writing the review. This year, I found myself in a position where I needed to bring hundreds of pages with me for a series of meetings out of town, and decided to pick it back up.
  • I am happy to report that I am now using it more often, and more actively, than ever before. It’s become a great tool for my day to day notes, and has replaced a number of notebooks, as well as most of the things I would normally print. What will be really interesting is whether or not I keep it up in 2023.
• Peak Design Everyday Mobile Case and accessories
  • I’ve written several reviews of Peak Design bags. When I saw they’d launched a series of mobile phone cases with accessories, I knew I wanted to check it out. Having done so, I promptly picked up a case and several of the accessories, such as the tripod, the charging dock, and the bike mount.
  • The case is sturdy and wears well – even with my borderline abusive use of it. The most useful accessory has been the tripod, which I’ve used many, many times this year.
• Bolt action pens
  • I love pens, and think them a very neat and useful accessory. At the same time, most pens are one of three: capped, screw opening, or clicker. A while back, a fourth alternative came to the market; the bolt action pen.
  • My favorite has become the Big Idea Designs Slim bolt action pen, which accepts an impressive number of refills – including my favorite, the Schneider Gelion.
• Osprey backpack
  • This summer, I took my kids on a number of hikes, including one up to the top of Gaustatoppen – a 6,5 km hike, at the end of which they (and I) were simply exhausted. It’s been a great way to spend quality time with my daughters, and I’m looking forward to more hikes in years to come.
  • My backpack of choice for these hikes has been the Osprey Talon 22 liter with a 2.5 liter water bladder. It’s lightweight, has tons of room, and sits very comfortably indeed on my back.

There it is; four things that have made my year better, each in their own way.