Last year we ran our Dorm Essentials along with our Back to School Guide. We ended up getting so many great products this year that we opted to do a mini-guide this year with all of the essentials. All of the products below are perfect for college students, but many of them will also work for people living in areas with limited space!
Boogie Board Paperless Writing Tablet
The great thing about the Boogie Board Paperless Writing Tablet is that you can use it for a number of purposes and it takes up close to zero space. If you need to leave notes or reminders for yourself or your roommate the Boogie Board is a great solution and it cuts down on paper waste. The Boogie Board is inexpensive ($35 at Brookstone) and lasts for at least 50,000 deletes, which should be at least one school year if not many more. Just leave your messages or doodles and then when you’re done with them just click delete to clear your screen. This is perfect for dorm rooms, near the phone for messages, or for younger kids that like to draw and need something to occupy them.
Check out our complete review!
Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Headphones
Every college student needs a good pair of headphones. By good I mean stereo quality. Even more than that, concert quality wouldn’t be a bad thing. Beats by Dre are headphones that will give new meaning to your music. You can use these on campus with your phone (you can answer calls with them, too), at your computer or with your stereo. Basically, if you have something that plays music and it has a headphone port, then you can use Beats by Dre. The sound is the most pure sound I have found in a headphone. Other things that will appeal to the college crowd include the comfort factor (you could easily wear these on campus all day with no problem) and the fashion aspect (the design is flashy as well as functional). Meanwhile, mom’s will like the fact that the sound quality is excellent at lower levels so the kids won’t have to go deaf to enjoy their headphones. Beats by Dre headphones are expensive (generally over or around $300), but they are worth every penny.
Check out our complete review!
Rolling Office Organizer
If you have a big class load with plenty of books and a laptop you know how important a good bag is going to be for college. Brookstone’s Rolling Office Organizer is not only perfect for class it’s big enough that you could use it as a carry-on bag! There is a spot for your laptop and another large spot for books, clothes, or other necessities. Beyond that there are spots for school supplies, cell phones, wallets, and other smaller items. Just hit the button and the lever extends to allow you to roll your bag if it’s heavy. Of course, you can always carry it if you wish. In any case, this bag is well made, offers tons of space and is practically a necessity for any college student taking a full class load.
Video Spy Pen
When we originally decided to look at this Video Spy Pen it was because I thought it would be great for people with disabilities. Having the chance to sit a pen on your desk and capture everything that your professor says offers some major benefits. We’ve played with it a few times and while we admit, the video can be hard to master (unless you’re truly spying) the audio is spot on and works perfectly for note taking, audio reminders, notes and other things you might need to catch on audio while you’re on the go. This alone makes it worth the $100 price tag at Brookstone. However, prior to being in class the thing that really caught my eye was the pen. It’s thick, comfortable to write with and it always writes. If you’re a sucker for an executive style pen you’ll love the Video Spy Pen!
Aroma Home Cow Hot Socks & Monkey Hot Hug
When we were getting ready to move into our apartment I wanted to make sure that I had all the necessities, but I also wanted to make sure I had my own personal necessities. I am a huge comfort person. I can live just about anywhere (in any safe situation) as long as I have some comfy pajamas, some good lounge pants, and other basic essentials. So, when I learned about Aroma Home I was thrilled! Aroma Home offers some cuddly stuffed animals that warm up so you can snuggle and have them double as a heat pack! We got the monkey and I love him. He’s cute and keeps me perfectly warm and if I’m dealing with any back pain he helps get rid of it. The other product that we received from them was the Hot Socks. Fashioned in cow print, these socks include warmers that you can heat up to keep your feet toasty in the winter. Aroma Home offers some great products at fair prices that will fit great in any home, apartment, or dorm room.
Beehive – Black and White Demask Lamp
I am almost ashamed to admit it, but one of the things we almost forgot to buy when moving into our new apartment was a new lamp. Luckily for me, Beehive was there to offer me a lamp for this guide. While we use our lamp in our new bedroom, I feel it’s worth noting that Beehive offers plenty of other products that would work well in dorm rooms including pillows, picture frames, wall decorations, and yes, lamps, too. Beehive products are fairly priced and stylish enough to spruce up any small space. This alone makes them worth a look. All dorm rooms and apartments need lamps and other decorative furnishings and Beehive can certainly help with that.
Kangaroom Bathroom Caddy/Mesh Total Tote
While we are not in a dorm room, having an apartment bathroom can be a struggle whether you’re in college or not. I have to admit, the Kangaroom Bathroom Caddy looked somewhat small on the computer when I was looking at it. Well, looks apparently are deceiving. We have three extra large bottles in there now, along with smaller bottles of body wash, razors, and other toiletries. Kangaroom also offers other essential dorm gear ranging from things like pop up hampers to hanging media organizers for your keys, cell phones, and other goodies. If you’re looking for an inexpensive solution to keep your things in order Kangaroom is definitely a good option for you.
Learn More at Kangaroom Storage
Sylvania SuperSaver Light Bulbs
I have had the chance to review Sylvania light bulbs before, so naturally I was thrilled when they offered to send us some more for this dorm guide. They were nice enough to send some standard bulbs and some of the halogen bulbs that are newer to the market. These new Sylvania light bulbs use less energy, last longer, and are better for the environment. Naturally, our son is always trying to get us to buy them. We were skeptical at first because they can be a bit more expensive, but after using them I noticed that they last a considerable amount of time longer and end up being worth the money that you spend for them. These Sylvania light bulbs come in two packs and are available just about everywhere light bulbs are sold. Whether you are choosing to go the route of the halogen or you want to pick up the standard LEDs you should definitely consider Sylvania as they are some of the best available.
Motorola Talkabout MR350R Two-Way Radios
With two of us living on campus and only one cell phone between us, a great way to stay in touch is with a pair of Motorola Talkabout Two-Way Radios. When we received the Motorola radios I was thrilled to learn that they are supposed to work as far as 35 miles apart. We tested these out and ours did not take us that far apart, but when I am in our apartment and Dom is on campus, a mile or two away, we can easily communicate. I took them as far as ten miles apart and found that we could communicate without a problem. Anything further did not work for us, but that could have been due to a number of factors. If you are living in a dorm and want to keep tabs on your roommate or easily stay in touch with friends these Motorola radios will definitely get the job done. If you’re worried about your cell phone costs this will also help cut down on them, as well. You can pick these Motorola Talkabout Radios up at stores like Amazon, where these retail for around $80, or other stores where Motorola products are sold. When you purchase these you receive two radios, a charging unit and any cords that are required for charging the unit. You can also get custom face plates to spruce your radios up to match your style!
Joy Mangano’s Huggable Hangers
The thing I love about Huggable Hangers is that they keep your clothes neat and clean on your hangers and they don’t slip! These hangers are soft and shaped the way they should be to ensure that your clothes will not be damaged and that they will stay in better shape. We received two sizes of Huggable Hangers and the only thing wrong with them is that I didn’t have enough to replace all my hangers! That being said, these are well worth the purchase whether you’re going to be living in a dorm room or you need them in any type of living situation. You can buy these hangers online in a number of places including Amazon.com. You can also find them at your local discount stores and on the television through the home shopping channels. At $20 for 20 hangers they are a bit more expensive than your traditional hangers but they will respect your clothes and help them to last longer. They will also rid you of that annoying slip that often occurs with other hangers.
Ionic Bulb
With allergies being what they are these days and so many air pathogens causing problems for so many people, things like the Ionic Bulb can be a true life saver. Dom has horrific allergies. He takes something for them, but even with the medication he has serious issues with dust, pollen, and especially smoke. So, I was excited to try the Ionic Bulb. You see, the Ionic Bulb removes these nasty things from the air while lighting your room in a soft, comfortable light. We’ve been using the Ionic Bulb for a couple of weeks now. According to the website, these bulbs also help save on your electric bill. We haven’t received one to see the difference, so we cannot make a claim on that. We can say that Dom has had less allergy issues since using the bulb though and that makes it well worth the $20 price tag for two bulbs.
Cirago Bluetooth 3.0 Adapter
If you’re a college student in this day and age you’re probably gadget obsessed. That’s okay, most of us are! That also probably means that you have at least a couple Bluetooth capable devices. Cirago is great because you can hook them up to your laptops or desktop computers and connect with all of your devices without going through the hassle of dealing with the wires or having everything in the same room. We never had any issues with range and when we had our adapter hooked up we found our devices and many others in the area, so finding your gadgets shouldn’t be a problem. At under $30 the Cirago Adapter does just what it you need it to do without problems.
Built Laptop Porter
When it comes to school, there is one thing that I never leave home without and that’s my laptop. Of course, until recently I did not have a bag that would be suitable to carry my laptop. After watching what happened to my brother’s I was pretty sure I needed to find one for school. The Built Laptop Porter is stylish, sleek and is a perfect fit for your laptop and any required cords that you would need. My laptop is a 16 inch and it fit snugly and provided a secure space for it when I wasn’t using it. Built offers a variety of laptop sleeves and bags suitable for laptops and netbooks of various sizes. Prices range, but are fair for what you receive. The only thing I would change about the Laptop Porter is to give it more space for other school items beyond the laptop. There is minimal space available, but not too much. Still, if you’re looking for something to keep your laptop safe the Built Laptop Porter is just what you’re looking for!
Technorati Tags: Dorm Essentials, Back to School, Mini-Guide, Bluetooth, Cirago, Huggable Hangers, Built Laptop Porter, Ionic Bulb, Sylvania Super Savers, Beats by Dre
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
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It’s great to see four Brookstone products on your list. I put a link back to this post on the Brookstone Facebook page. http://bit.ly/aXaLro
-Brookstone
Thanks
We love Brookstone products (or at least all of the ones that we have reviewed thus far) and hope to work with you on our Holiday guide, too!