The Latest Gear you might not have heard of before!

On this post I want to bring you any cool kit I might come across that might be of interest to you, my readers.

I'm subscribed to many newsletters that cover a wide variety of products relevant to Top Travel Gear, and every once in a while, something sparks an interest, mainly because it combines many functions in a more compact and economical way, or is super tough, just what is needed for the discerning adventurer/traveler.

Please return often for updates and special offers.

The Worlds first camera to come with WiFi Bluetooth and Geo-tagging capabilities the Samsung ST1000
One day, I think most cameras will come with Geo-tagging, a great way for travelers to share exactly where they took there pics, anywhere in the world.
Software that comes with the camera, can log your pics by time and date, giving you an instant map of your trip! 

Landrover S1 Mobile Phone
About the toughest mobile phone you will ever come across, key features include a 2MP Camera with Flash - Built-in GPS with SIRF - Torch Light - FM Radio - Sonim Applications - MSD Card Slot (up to 2 GB) - J2ME Java Development toolkit and a 3 year unconditional guarantee
This is the first mobile phone rugged enough to be called a Land Rover and is recommended by Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

Unfortunately it's "Orange locked", but is free with an Orange contract, check it out at Amazon










Olympus Mju Tough 8000
This is one seriously tough digital camera! It's perfect for those really wanting to take things to the limit: waterproof to 10m, shockproofed against falls of a height up to 2m, freezeproof down to temperatures as low as -10°C and crushproof to withstand weights of up to 100kg, so whether your on the beach, piste, jungle trail, or whitewater rafting and snorkeling, it can take a veritable beating and still return excellent results.

Check out the Olympus Mju Tough 8000 here














Eye-Fi Home Video 4GB Wireless SDHC Memory Card
These SD cards have the unique feature of being able to upload your photos directly from your camera to your PC wirelessly.

You might think "well, I can use a cable or card reader for that!", and of course you can, but then that is more to carry on your trips, and how often have you rushed out with your camera and forgotten to put the card back in?

Keep the card in the camera at all times, which also keeps the dirt out, and simply turn the camera on when near your wireless conection, the card automatically uploads the pics to a designated folder on your PC, how easy is that?


There are 4 versions available, Home, Share Video, Explore Video and Pro, each have different feature sets, the Pro doing everything from video, RAW files, Geotagging, Hotspot access and Ad Hoc transfers, this comes at a cost of course, so choose carefully!

Eye-Fi Home Video 4GB available at Amazon










LED Lenser torches
Torches have come a long way since Cree LED's came on the scene, and if you haven't seen one in action yet....do!, you will be amazed at how much power comes out of such a compact torch!

I have been giving the LED Lenser T7
a going over these past few months, and it has done all I have asked and more! A mere 135mm x 37mm at it's widest (29mm main barrel), it blows the competition away with build quality, size and power. Rated at 170 lumen's, a range of over 700 feet (full power), and 130 hour battery life from 4 AAA's, on the lower power setting.
Built from aircraft grade Aluminium, it is built to last and will probably outlive it's user, it has a one hand focusing feature, plus the Cree LED's last for over 100,000 hours! Waterproof of course, and with a three position button on the end of the barrel, supplied with a lanyard and heavy duty canvas pouch for fitting to your belt or pack, this really is a serious piece of kit.

LED Lenser Police Tech Focus Torch
This is another fine torch in the LED Lenser series of compact torches, but without the lower power setting, still focusable, uses 3 AAA batteries, and as such, is selling for £27.99 inc p&p, it has great reviews, so grab one while you can!








Solar Powered Travel Bag
We all need to charge our mobile phones and Mp3 players etc. these days, wherever we are, so why not do it on the go with this 36 X 25 X 8cm travel bag which is available from Maplin. It comes with 1 x connecting cable 1 x USB adaptor and 3 x mobile phone adaptors (for Nokia, Samsung and Sony-Ericsson), the solar panel is situated on the flap and the charging can be done safely on the inside, roughly 5 hours for a full charge of most mobiles.

This simple idea could be a life saver, especially if you get lost in the outback or a jungle somewhere, and as we all know, your mobile always seems to be low on battery when we need it most!
I'm sure we will see this technology implemented in many more products in the future, as solar panels and batteries become smaller and more efficient, the top flap of a rucksack would be a good start!
Discontinued!!







Bushnell BackTrack
The Bushnell BackTrack is a simple device that uses GPS to ensure you can return to one of 3 specified locations with ease!.
What use is that? I hear you ask! well, I can think of quite a few!

Imagine you have arrived in a foreign city, your taxi takes you to your hotel/hostel/backpacker, you check-in, and want to take a walk into town, before you leave where your staying, go outside to get a better signal, press one of the BackTracks buttons for a few seconds to save your position, and go for your walk without having to worry about remembering the directions back!

When you wish to return, look at your BackTrack, and it will give you the direction and distance back to your lodgings, simple!

Use it on trails, in the jungle, at festivals, finding your car in big car parks or at shows, dive sites, basically, pinpoint any location you wish to return to!This is GPS in it's basic form, it's as easy as 1-2-3, mark it, leave it, and get back!
Compact and easy to carry(75 x 90 x 19), the Bushnell BackTrack stores and locates up to three locations at any one time, utilizes the latest digital technology, with high sensitivity SiRF Star III GPS receiver, self calibrating digital compass, works in meters or yards (99.9 max in both), is weather resistant, operates on 2 AAA Batteries (not Included), and is supplied with lanyard for ease of carrying, plus it wont break the bank!








Waterproof Fold-Drybag
We all have occasions when we need to keep things dry, well this great value set of 4 Drybags by Exped might be just the answer!XS (3 litres), S (5 litres), M (8 litres) and L (13 litres) covers most items from clothing and sleeping bags, to mobile phones and cameras, taped seems all around, soft but durable PU coated taffeta nylon, with a Hydrostatic head of 10 000mm.
Waterproof Fold-Drybag 4 Pack £19.99







FlareSafe Personal Safety Device
I came across this little item recently, a handy LED torch with 3 settings, full beam, half beam, and strobing, with a visibility of over 2km, but also comes with a built in personal/smoke alarm.

Built from water-resistant and shockproof military-grade plastics, this lightweight tool could be a lifesaver!

The distress and smoke alarm has a 120db Piezo-type sounder that can be heard up to 500mt away, and uses 2 AA batteries, plus a small lithium one that takes over for emergencies if the AA's run out.
Advanced software lets you know when the lithium is running low, so you always know when you are protected!

Ideal for any traveler who wishes to have a little personal reassurance in a dangerous environment, and think that the standard smoke detectors in the hotel/hostel/backpacker you are staying in (if any!) are not up to standard.
FlareSafe £41.40 at Amazon








Howsar Temporary Door Lock
While were on the subject of security, here is a small, simple, award winning and cheap device to lock most doors, anywhere you go!

The Howsar Temporary Door lock is made of 2 pieces of strong nylon, attached together with a cord so you don't lose either, it simply hooks into the door recess in the door frame, where the latch fits, then close the door and slide the curved wedge into the slotted receiver, simple!









Lets face it, we have all needed a device like this at one time or another, at home or abroad, even if the locks seem to work on the hotel room door, this can still be used for that extra piece of mind, or the backpackers toilet or shower room for a bit more privacy! (yes, we've all been there!)




Howsar Temporary Door Lock £4.99 at Pack Your Bags












Swiss World Travel Mains Adapter With USB Port - Covers More than 150 Countries

Self explanatory really, we all need travel adapters for a variety of electrical devices, this one even has a USB Port!

I've seen these available at over twice the price at airports, so why leave it till then?

£10.95 at Amazon










Katadyn Water Purification
Katadyn is a Swiss company and the global Number One when it comes to individualized water purification systems and products. Katadyn have been developing water filters, and other water purification products for travel, outdoor, camping and marine applications since 1928.

Plastic bottles are a major source of rubbish these days, filling up huge areas in landfill sites around the world, plus there are many scare stories and studies done, that tell of the dangers of re-using certain types of plastic bottles, just do a search on Google, and you will see what I mean!

Why not do your bit for the environment, and use local tap or clean river water, purified in one of of Katadyn's filtration bottles?




Katadyn Exstream Water Purifier Bottle £35.99








Katadyn Hiker Water Filter £43.99








Katadyn Mini Ceramic Water Filter £61.99