Gadget Guru’s magic box

GaGu has been tempted to leave Guru Towers this month for another of his worldwide self-finding jaunts, but only if he’s armed with the proper kit. Sadly for the rest of his family, the amazing-looking D3 Traveller ($985/£755) is made in tiny quantities and only available on pre-order at the time of writing, so Guru will be staying put for now. It’s waterproof, the right size to be used as carry-on luggage, completely non-branded, and made of Dyneema, a material supposedly twice as strong as Kevlar. It’s also double-layered, with the outer looser than the inner, so even when it’s stuffed-full with pants, it won’t appear so. Bag-nabbers won’t even show a slight interest. Guru would also take with him a nice handheld GPS to use in those all-too-frequent moments when he’s thrown out of a moving vehicle onto a mysterious country road. As tempting as it might be to opt for an alternative, there’s no sense in moving away from the Garmin ecosystem – they’re the strongest out there, and maps bought for one device can later be transferred to an upgrade. The £459 Garmin Montana 680 it is, then: a nice four-inch sunlight-readable colour screen, a worldwide basemap, a compass and an altimeter. Everything one needs to find civilisation. Given that Guru only ever travels in cargo shorts and a T-shirt – weather be damned – accessorising properly is a must. Visibility is the key: particularly making yourself so visible that enterprising tathawkers will be forced to look for another sap. DeFeet’s Aireator Tall Hi-Vis Socks (£10) are available in your choice of eye-searing hues, and are guaranteed to set off (or set fire to) any handsome brogues. Finally, no self-respecting adventurer would be without some hidden alcohol. Top marks to Ted Baker for the As Good As Gold flask (£40, below), which comes nestled in its own hideaway book, but Guru is convinced the classics are the best. With that in mind, he’s filling up his brasseagle-topped Brandy Smuggler cane ($130/ £100) with moonshine. Then he’ll be ready to hit the road – and the local urchins, of course.