Great gear: Don’t leave home without it
LAS VEGAS At the recent International Travel Goods Show, in Las Vegas, my guiding principle was: Things I Never Knew Existed but Now Can’t Travel Without. Roaming the palatial convention centre hall, I wondered how I had survived so long without a face pillow on an adjustable pole, a doughnut-scented backpack and a luggage tag that sends the hardly subliminal message, “Upgrade me.” With 500 brands on display, I knew that I couldn’t adopt all of these newfound essentials; I had to make some tough-love decisions. These three items have won a place in my heart and, space in my bag home.
GSI Outdoors’ Glacier Stainless Nesting Red Wine Glass is a stainless-steel drinking vessel rugged enough to take on a camping trip. But what happens if a bear interrupts your wine-and-cheese party after a hike and you still have a few sips left in the goblet? You don’t want to chug it, nor do you want to toss the precious liquid on the ground. Instead, unscrew the stem, flip it upside down and snap the bottom over the opening of the glass. You now have a spillresistant cup that will allow you to run for your life and toast your survival with the remaining vino. (Available in Canada from Mountain Equipment Co-op; mec.ca.)
I wasn’t brave enough to volunteer my iPhone for submersion, so a bolder tester stepped up with her gadget to demonstrate the powers of Lewis N. Clark’s WaterSeals Magnetic Waterproof Phone Pouch. She placed the valuable item into the clear, waterproof sleeve and I heard the two bands of automatic magnetic closures click shut like a prison door. Then she dropped the package into a tank of water and proceeded to operate her phone as if it were still a land-dweller. The product claims to protect phones at depths up to 100 feet (30.5 metres), so you can take a selfie with a deepsea creature or get the digits of the dashing scuba diver in the nearby coral reef. (Available in Canada from amazon.ca)
Walter + Ray’s BendyMan Flashlight + Table Stand is the perfect travel companion: He illuminates via lights that shine through his eyes and is very flexible. His body parts move like Gumby’s; with a tug on the arm and a bend in the waist, he becomes a stand for smaller electronics and reading material. (See walterandray.com for retailers)