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Holiday News

25 travel gadgets for Christmas

[ Saturday, 1st Dec 2007 ]

Some brilliant ideas for presents, taken from the weekly Good Gear feature in The Sunday Times Travel section.
Jonathan Futrell

DAYS OUT

1. VACUUM LUNCH JUG

Many of us want something more substantial than hot soup on a day out. Primus’s latest screw-top jugs have necks wide enough for a stew, a jacket potato or even a rolled-up pizza. In 0.35 and 0.5litre sizes.
Price: from £12.50 Stockist: 023 9252 8711, www.rosker.co.uk

2. CAFETIERE MUG

The other Conran designer, Sebastian, is behind this collection of knockabout cafetière mugs. Just the job for a blast of real coffee in the great outdoors, they come in six tasty colours.
Price: £4.99. Stockist: 0870 160 1319, www.smartcafe.co.uk

3. WIRELESS BIKE LIGHTS

Bicygnals are direction indicators and lights rolled into one. They are controlled by a front panel and will clip onto virtually any bike.
Price: £40. Stockist: 01903 872946, www.kit2?t.com

4. SAT NAV

Don’t argue with the back-seat driver when you could be telling your GPS unit where to go. Blaupunkt’s voice-activated TravelPilot Lucca 5.3 has speed-camera warnings and maps for 40 European countries preloaded. There’s an optional reversing camera, too.
Price: £350 (reversing camera kit £170). Stockist: 01895 838880, www.blaupunkt.com

WEEKENDS AWAY

5. TRAVEL TOILETRIES

Weekend Washbags, for men and women, include all the bathroom essentials in carry-on-suitable 10ml containers.
Price: £6. Stockist: 0870 224 2660, www.aplaceforeverything.co.uk

6. CARRY-ON BAG

Ideal for a short break, JanSport’s Weekaway is a soft-sided carry-on that works as a case, a shoulder bag and even a rucksack. It measures 50cm x 30cm x 21cm, and has a useful 40 litres of space, yet it weighs just 400g.
Price: £50. Stockist: 0845 603 1930, www.jansport.com

7. BAGGAGE TAGS

There’s no fear of missing your luggage on the airport carousel with these vibrant bag tags, in several show-stopping multicoloured designs, from Tepper Jackson. The range also includes matching passport cases and roll-up wash bags.
Price: £9.95 each. Stockist: 01903 872946, www.kit2?t.com

CLOTHING/WINTERSPORTS GEAR


8. PAUL SMITH SNOW GEAR

Dapper snowboarders rejoice: Paul Smith has teamed up with Burton Snowboards to create a snowproof check hacking jacket, skinny trousers and trench coat. At home on the slopes or in the club, they have taped seams, waterproo? ng and magnetic pocket closures.
Price: £275-£675. Stockist: 020 7379 7133, www.paulsmith.co.uk

9. SNOWBOARD CARRIER

Carry your board hands-free with Boardweb. The nylon web attaches to the bindings and is held securely with Velcro. Compact, safe and simple.
Price: £13. Stockist: 029 2089 0800 www.skiweb.uk.com

10. REINFORCED WOOLLY HAT

Stay warm and safe with Ribcap, a woollen beanie with shock-absorption pads. Beneath that cosy exterior are polyurethane foam panels to take the pain out of banging your head if you tumble on the snow and ice.
Price: from £49.50 Stockist: 01903 872946, www.kit2?t.com

11. EXERCISE KIT

For men who ?ing open the hotel curtains and, in a burst of energy, head for a blast in the park or a work-out in the gym, Gore-Tex has devised an all-in-one ?tness-wear pack called Timezone. Inside are a jacket with detachable sleeves, a shirt and shorts that can be extended into leggings for those frosty starts.
Price: £230. Stockist: 0800 833357, www.gorerunningwear.com

WALKING, HIKING

12. RUCKSACK WITH SPINE

If you’re a biking, skiing, high-impact, outdoorsy type, Deuter’s latest backpack will help keep you in one piece. In 10-and 14-litre sizes, the Venom’s shield system provides body padding, protective hip ? ns and a secure harness.
Price: from £75 Stockist: 0191 296 0212, www.deuter.com

13. HIKING POLES

Brasher has devised the PowerLock system, which allows you to collapse its poles without removing your gloves. Its ProVolution range is made from 100% carbon, too, so the poles are lighter – only 183g apiece, nearly a third less than aluminium versions.
Price: £100 per pair. Stockist: 0191 516 5780, www.brasher.co.uk

14. COMPACT WALKING POLE

This aircraft-grade aluminium pole is just the job for slippery autumn hikes, and will fold down from 98cm to 52cm, just poking out of the top of most day sacks.
Price: £10. Stockist: 0870 220 6601, www.craghoppers.com

15. CLIP-ON ALTIMETER

Oregon Scienti? c’s altimeter has a clip, so you can attach it to the outside of your backpack, rather than having to search for it in the depths. Other features include a compass, a temperature gauge and a weather forecaster.
Price: £50. Stockist: 01455 883147, www.oregonscienti?c.co.uk

16. HEATED FOOTBEDS

Scarpa’s Grizu heated footbeds for hiking boots have a built-in lithium battery (takes about 7hr to charge) and can be switched on or off by remote control, keeping your toes toasty on those wintry walks.
Price: £140. Stockist: 0191 296 0212

17. PAMPERING KIT

Millets’s Hard Work Hands & Feet Treat contains a range of soothing products for that after-yomp soak.
Price: £13. Stockist: 0800 389 5861 www.millets.co.uk

18. WOMEN’S HIKING BOOTS

It’s true, women do walk differently from men – and Merrell’s Chameleon Arc footwear range is built to take that into account. It uses Q-Form technology to reduce “overcorrection” and increase support.
Price: from £70 (Mid Waterproof, pictured, £85). Stockist: 0117 963 6363, www.merrell.com

19. SLEEP SUIT

Because slipping out of a sleeping bag in the dead of night is often harder than putting up the tent, the German company Selk has devised a wearable sleeping bag – ideal for late-night trips to the loo or chilly camp-site breakfasts. In green or yellow, the Selk Bag will keep you snug at temperatures down to -8C.
Price: £90. Stockist: 0870 241 1066, www.iwantoneofthose.com

FAMILY TRAVEL

20. FOLDING PUSHCHAIR

Collapsing some pushchairs is like folding a deckchair with one hand. The Take Off stroller makes life easier and folds down to the size of a compact wheelie trolley.
Price: from £155. Stockist: 0844 484 7844, www.leebruss.eu

21. EXTENDING SLEEPING BAG

Ajungilak’s Little Viking is a sleeping bag that grows with your child. The stuff-sack into which it ? ts is insulated, so, when your nipper gets too tall for the 105cm main bag, you can zip the sack on the end to add 35cm.
Price: £50. Stockist: 01625 508218, www.ajungilak.no

PHOTOGRAPHY/RADIOS

22. CLASSIC CAMERA

The Leica M series is still iconic after 50 years – and, with the gorgeous M8, the world’s most coveted range? nder camera joins the digital age. It offers the same precision engineering and virtually silent controls, but comes with a 10.3megapixel sensor.
Price: £3,390 (body only). Stockist: 01908 256400, www.leica-camera.co.uk

23. DIGITAL CAMERA

Canon takes compact digitals to another level with the PowerShot G9. The key elements are a traditional-style range? nder and a huge 3in LCD screen. It has 12.1 megapixels and a RAW mode for professional-quality shots.
Price: £429 Stockist: www.canon.co.uk

24. MARINE RADIO

Marine Electronic Services’ President PM-2010 is the world’s smallest marine VHF radio. Measuring 95mm x 60mm x 20mm and weighing 25g, it has a transmission range of up to 10 miles and is waterproof to a depth of 5ft for 30 minutes – the ideal way for yachtsmen, canoeists, windsurfers and other watersports enthusiasts to keep in touch.
Price: £130. Stockist: 0870 122 1099, www.mesltd.co.uk

25. DIGITAL PHOTO STORE

Keep up to 40,000 photos on hand with Polaroid’s robust, bargain-priced Media Backup. The 40GB drive connects to any PC (no software needed) and automatically ? nds and downloads any new pictures. A lot easier than messing about burning CDs.
Price: £90. Stockist: 0845 070 8090, www.polaroid.com

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