New Travel Gear for Spring 2012

Mark Pawlak    ash, Travel Gear     jackets, multitools, Outdoor gear, rucksacks, travel equipment, travel gear, travel kit, trekking holidays

Spring is a great time to be on the lookout for new travel gear. You’ve got discounts on winter gear and last year’s ranges all over the shops; summer stuff just coming out; and now blessed with longer days, it’s time to get planning and prepping for holidays and more active weekends.

Steady on! Clever multitool from Gerber

If, like us, you are always tempted by the latest gadget, gizmo or innovation, you’re probably not going to find it here… That’s because we’re not featuring new travel gear just because it’s new, we’ve included it here because we think it’s good.

Here’s a quick round-up of the products we’ve seen recently that match innovation with practicality and have us flexing our credit cards.

Gerber Steady

Gerber has a great reputation for well-made multitools and knives – and had it long before it adopted Bear Grills as its mascot. The Gerber Steady is an odd product, but a clever one. Mixed in with 12 tools and components is a neat bi-pod, which when extended turns the tool into a tri-pod for your camera. Could also be a stand from which you could watch back movies off a smartphone maybe…?

Gram Series from Haglöfs - Gram Comp 25

Haglöfs Gram Series

Great for spring. This range of packs is all set up for the lightweight, fast and active types – which we like. With all light gear you face the inevitable trade-off between weight and strength. By using polyester ripstop fabric (from recycled plastic bottles) there’s no compromise. Integrated hydration pouch is expected in this kind of daysack, quick drying back and clever access has us interested. And overall, it looks well thought out and technical enough for ultra-types. Our favourite: Gram Comp 25

Steri-Pen Traveller

We previously featured these, in their former, fatter incarnation – but never received the test product (hint). Absolutely vital if trekking in Nepal and other more remote regions. Cleans up half a litre of water in less than a minute and can do this 3,000 times before needing replacing. But can it get rid of that horrible brown colour?

'Retro' or 'Oh, no', you decide

Pan Am Travel Bags

All about the style really. So you’ll either love these or hate them. Secret agent model is all set up to handle laptops and media items – so not as dated as it looks.

The North Face Jammu Jacket

Forget brittle, birdwatcher waterproofs, new materials are helping manufacturers make jackets that are both soft and waterproof.

The latest example here from The North Face has a helmet-fitted hood and those all-important ‘pit’ zips to help you vent off when the heat builds.

The North Face Jammu: Softshell and fully waterproof?

Using a fully waterproof and breathable fabric called Neoshell – from Polartech – you should be getting the best of all worlds.

By taking design cues first trialled on the sides of a mountain and passing them on, albeit in its most expensive products, they’re tempting us to empty our pockets for an all-weather, all-rounder. Be good to see this tested in heavy rain, though.

About the author

Mark Pawlak wrote 232 articles on this blog.

Editor at Adventure Sports Holidays, Mark's love affair with travel and the challenges of adventure sports continues... "You could save all year for a two-week, all-inclusive, doss by the pool, booze and buffet binge. Or, with a little planning and some good equipment, get off your arse and plan an adventure!"

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