Whenever I travel, I’m always looking for ways to make everything flow a bit more smoothly. With each new trip, I come up against new problems that slow me down or make my travels more difficult. One problem in particular that I have come across multiple times is a lack of space to hang my things at hostels, hotels, AirBnBs, public bathrooms, mass transit, and pretty much anywhere else I go.
A few years ago, I was standing in the checkout line at REI and saw the the HeroClip carabiner. It instantly caught my eye because I had come up with this concept in my head a number of times while traveling but now it was a real product sitting on the shelf in front of me.
Little did I know at the time that this product would change my travel gear forever.
HeroClip Carabiner
A piece of gear I have wanted for a long time is a carabiner that I can clip onto my bag somewhat permanently and also use to hang on something temporarily like a ladder rung or in a closet. I recently found the Nite Ize G Clip carabiner which has been an amazing addition to my everyday travel gear but they’re too small for hanging my travel pack and other larger pieces of gear.
I needed something for larger applications like hanging my entire travel pack. When I came across the HeroClip carabiner for securing larger pieces of gear, I finally found something that solves my specific problem.
With the HeroClip carabiner, I can finally hang my gear both temporarily while traveling or for more long term storage while I am at my destination with a single carabiner.
Note: The HeroClip carabiner is NOT suitable to be used for rock climbing.
The HeroClip Hook
The single most important feature of the HeroClip carabiner is the hook. Without the hook feature, the HeroClip is nothing more than a standard carabiner. With the hook, you can hang your gear a lot more places than without it. Here are some of the most useful places that I have used my HeroClip to hang my travel gear.
One of the most common places that I seem to use my HeroClip carabiner is when I need to hang my travel bag over the back of a bathroom stall door or maybe just on the rim of a door so that I can change a nappy during a random train transfer in the midst of enjoying Norway In A Nutshell.
Simply having the HeroClip carabiner attached to my bag at all times opens up the option to hang it a lot of places that I wouldn’t be able to hang it otherwise.
The HeroClip 360 Swivel
The second most important feature of the Hero Clip carabiner is the 360 degree swivel. This enables me to hang my gear against something flat like on the back of a door or rotate it to hang in a closet. I have even used it to hang my personal effects on the back of a seat on a train. I use my HeroClip almost everywhere I stay because there’s not one single place to hang your stuff and the 360 swivel makes it much more adaptable than if the hook was fixed. I use mine daily at home as well as on my travels around the world in a lifetime.
Once you find a few key places to use it, the HeroClip becomes one of your most important pieces of travel gear.
4 Different Sizes Of HeroClip
The HeroClip carabiner comes in 4 sizes but I only own a single size. I could definitely see myself doing some experimenting with all of the sizes with different pieces of travel gear. I think the smallest one would be useful on just about every small bag like a purse or small backpack. I think the largest sizes could be useful for hanging a bicycle in a garage or some golf bags on the wall.
I will eventually own all different sizes because I truly believe that the HeroClip is one of the most simple and versatile pieces of travel gear that I have ever owned.
Now, I almost exclusively use it to hang my smaller bags up in my hostel but I find that I hang multiple items up on it while I am home. I think the smallest size might be a better fit for most of my everyday uses but I am not sure that it’s big enough to fit over every closet clothing rod. I will have to try it out and see on future travels.
Ways I Have Used The HeroClip
One of the more obvious ways that I use the HeroClip on a regular basis is to hang up various pieces of my travel gear while I am at home. I tend to use them mostly for hanging my backpacks but I have also found that they can be used for hanging smaller items like my toiletry bag while I am in the shower at a hostel.
One recent application that I found it to be incredibly useful on the fly was while moving a bunch of my bags with multiple carts across London Heathrow Airport. I just attached my wagon to one of their courtesy carts and was able to move things MUCH more efficiently without having to constantly go back and forth between both of my carts. I was just able to attach the wagon to my cart and push on through the airport.
Final Thoughts
Since I am an REI member, I get 10% of my annual spendings back at the end of the year in the form of a dividend gift card. With annual spendings on random travel goods of just $100-200, I only get like $10-20 back at the end of any given year. I usually just buy a GoPro mount, a new Sea To Summit gadget, or any number of small retention clips near the cash registers but as soon as I discovered the HeroClip Carabiner, I absolutely had to have one.
When I first bought the HeroClip, it was obvious that it would become a permanent piece of my travel gear. I had wanted this product since before I knew that it existed. Now that I’ve found it, I can’t imagine traveling without one. Having a small open-ended hook attached to a carabiner is one of the most powerful additions to both my daily life as well as my travel gear. If you ever travel where there might be a place to hang your stuff, then the HeroClip carabiner is for you.
