Review: Pad & Quill Luxury Travel Kit

[HoosBruce]

I am fairly new to the Apple Watch scene (2 months in), and I am loving it so far. One of my favorite aspects of owning an Apple Watch is the ability to accessorize and customize the watch experience in so many ways. I have wanted a charging/docking stand for the watch since day 1, but wanted to find the most practical solution. Being someone who travels quite often, I knew that I wanted something that was durable, versatile, and easily packable. The Luxury Travel Kit from Pad & Quill ended up being my first choice, and I am extremely pleased that it was.

The kit comes with a handmade hardwood Pocket Stand for the Apple Watch and a luxurious American Full Grain leather roll up case that can house the stand, a cable, and an extra set of watch bands. The stand looks and feels high quality (because it is), and is highly practical. Cable management is simplistic, and it is extremely easy to transform from travel mode to its normal setup. It does a decent job of keeping the cable out of the way, but the cable is still more visible than I would like in a perfect world. I was unsure if it would be compatible with Nightstand Mode, but it seems to hold the watch securely in that orientation, and I have not run into any issues with it so far. The stand is quite light, and I was hoping for it to be a little heavier to cause it to be more secure while sitting there, but the lightweight stand is perfect for weightless travel.

The leather case is fantastic, and may be my favorite part of the whole kit. The handcrafted Full Grain American leather case is as beautiful as it is practical. The leather looks slightly aged when you first receive it, and I expect that it will only become better and better as time goes on. The linen interior is highly durable and rugged, and feels like it could survive heavy duty travel and abuse. The stand, power cord, and an extra set of bands fits perfectly inside and is held securely by a closure strap that is also leather. You could also use this case as a travel kit for just the Apple Watch and another band if you chose to do so. The versatility, practicality, and quality of this travel/storage case really surprised me, and makes me proud to own.

I would certainly recommend this to anyone who enjoys high quality wooden and leather accessories for their Apple products, or just in general. These can be purchased together as a kit, or separately if you only need one or the other. Upgrade your Apple Watch charging, travel, and storage experience with the Luxury Travel Kit from Pad & Quill.

 

[Zimmy68]

Still falls victim to the BYOC problem.
I don't want to spend $60 - $120 for a product that supposed to charge my device, but yet asks me to lug around and hook up my own cable and plug.
Must be nice to not have to engineer a nice clean charger plug attachment.

No thanks.

 

[HoosBruce]

Still falls victim to the BYOC problem.
I don't want to spend $60 - $120 for a product that supposed to charge my device, but yet asks me to lug around and hook up my own cable and plug.
Must be nice to not have to engineer a nice clean charger plug attachment.

No thanks.

Fair comment about BYOC, but what exactly are you looking for from a product like this? As far as I know, Apple is the only one that provides a cable with their watch stand. Is that what you're referencing?

 

[jasie02]

Still falls victim to the BYOC problem.
I don't want to spend $60 - $120 for a product that supposed to charge my device, but yet asks me to lug around and hook up my own cable and plug.
Must be nice to not have to engineer a nice clean charger plug attachment.

No thanks.

I assume you don't have to pull out charging cable to charge iPhone or Mac during travel also, since they both required same or more effort than AW charger?

When I travel, all cables go out on the desk/night stand in hotel, and there is no different between pull out 2 cables vs 3 cables.

 

[HoosBruce]

I assume you don't have to pull out charging cable to charge iPhone or Mac during travel also, since they both required same or more effort than AW charger?

When I travel, all cables go out on the desk/night stand in hotel, and there is no different between pull out 2 cables vs 3 cables.

Exactly. I don't see the big deal. Enjoy a great product when it comes along!

 

[deany]

If I travelled I know which one I'd get:

http://www.senacases.com/product/watch-case/

skip the first minute of video. Setup could be much quicker this guy is in no rush & _no one_ would leave their watch in the case to 'rattle about' in transit.

cheers

 

[maflynn]

Seems kind of bulky and unnecessary. I just go back from an extended weekend trip and I found it no problem at all packing my charging cable and a/c adapter for both my watch and phone. I'd rather have a couple of small cables in my bag then something like that dock. Less is more

 

[Bulldog Dave]

Very nice but a bit pricey.Pad and quill makes some nice stuff but expensive. I have a cuff strap from them in black leather and it is definitely quality. Was thinking about buying this kit myself. Thanks for the pictures and the revue.

 

[HoosBruce]

Seems kind of bulky and unnecessary. I just go back from an extended weekend trip and I found it no problem at all packing my charging cable and a/c adapter for both my watch and phone. I'd rather have a couple of small cables in my bag then something like that dock. Less is more

This is not for someone who isn't in the market for a stand. A lot of stands are not very travel friendly, but this one is. So, if you're someone who wants a stand for the Apple Watch, and would take it with you while traveling, then this is worth a look.

 

[HoosBruce]

If I travelled I know which one I'd get:

http://www.senacases.com/product/watch-case/

skip the first minute of video. Setup could be much quicker this guy is in no rush & _no one_ would leave their watch in the case to 'rattle about' in transit.

cheers

I do like that, and would love to give it a try. I've seen mixed reviews about Sena products and their quality, but it certainly looks promising.

 

[Mac2me]

I had a red leather quilted iPhone case/cover by Sena for maybe it was my iPhone 4S that was SO nice and I got tons of compliments on it too. I almost hated upgrading my phone because they didn't make the same case any longer. Just loved that accessory. I find that Sena has some really nice quality products and that they are pretty well thought out. I've seen that travel case on another thread and like that it is round (like other traditional travel watch cases), takes up little room in a suitcase and protects the watch and the charger cable while looking nice too. Very elegant, high end look to it. That being said not everyone is into that kind of look.

The Pad and Quill is an interesting design in that it folds. Rather clever. I'm not at all partial to wooden stands, but this is all a matter of personal taste. The finishing on the wood looks well done. I don't care for how the cabling needs to be wrapped around the wood or taken out every time. Kind of messy looking and on the bulky side. Without buying the optional leather pouch I don't think your cabling is well protected and the stand alone doesn't offer a place to store your watch should you be in an area you don't want to have it on your wrist.

Since we're all not the same, thank goodness, it's nice to see a variety of products out there at least and I know from photos on this site that there is a contingent of people who appreciate wooden accessories. Nice review of it BTW.

I really do like their Deep Blue and French Gray Classic Leather Apple Watch bands though so could see ordering from them possibly. Like that they offer some decent picture of it on models too. More I look at the classic slimmer band in those colors the more I may just order. Hard to choose which color though! I wasn't aware of them before this thread, so thanks.

 

[HoosBruce]

I had a red leather quilted iPhone case/cover by Sena for maybe it was my iPhone 4S that was SO nice and I got tons of compliments on it too. I almost hated upgrading my phone because they didn't make the same case any longer. Just loved that accessory. I find that Sena has some really nice quality products and that they are pretty well thought out. I've seen that travel case on another thread and like that it is round (like other traditional travel watch cases), takes up little room in a suitcase and protects the watch and the charger cable while looking nice too. Very elegant, high end look to it. That being said not everyone is into that kind of look.

The Pad and Quill is an interesting design in that it folds. Rather clever. I'm not at all partial to wooden stands, but this is all a matter of personal taste. The finishing on the wood looks well done. I don't care for how the cabling needs to be wrapped around the wood or taken out every time. Kind of messy looking and on the bulky side. Without buying the optional leather pouch I don't think your cabling is well protected and the stand alone doesn't offer a place to store your watch should you be in an area you don't want to have it on your wrist.

Since we're all not the same, thank goodness, it's nice to see a variety of products out there at least and I know from photos on this site that there is a contingent of people who appreciate wooden accessories. Nice review of it BTW.

I really do like their Deep Blue and French Gray Classic Leather Apple Watch bands though so could see ordering from them possibly. Like that they offer some decent picture of it on models too. More I look at the classic slimmer band in those colors the more I may just order. Hard to choose which color though! I wasn't aware of them before this thread, so thanks.

I would absolutely love to have one of their Classic Bands. Maybe one day.

Anyways, excellent point about the cable management of this stand. I noticed this as well after a little while, as it had become a hassle to use it that way and seemed that if I kept wrapping it that way during charging that the cable may deteriorate. I ended up just doing it this way that I have shown in these newer photos. It's much simpler, and I can quickly fold the stand up, wrap the cable around it, and I'm off.

 

[TheBacklash]

Looks nice, but bulky..
I traveled over Christmas and took my Orzly nightstand, worked perfect.

 

[maflynn]

This is not for someone who isn't in the market for a stand.

I want a stand but this model is large and unwieldy. There's plenty of more elegant solutions out there, then a large wouldn't block that you need to pack, heck even the leather case that you pack everything in, shows how large and ungainly it is. Just my $.02 but I'm not willing to deal with something that large when I travel. Space savings for me goes hand in hand with convenience.