Travel Gear: 5 sure-fire gifts for travellers

Cocoon Grid-It
An idea so simple, you might fancy improvising your own Blue Peter-style. The Grid-It has a criss-cross web of elasticated straps to keep all your luggage flotsam and jetsam organised. Gadgets, cables, passports, chargers, and toiletries can all find a home. €20 upwards at apple.com and good gadget stores

Silk sleeping bag liner
Whether for a few extra degrees of cosiness or a shield from goodness-knows-what in a far-flung hostel, a small silk sleeper is a lightweight luxury. This one has been treated to repel bed bugs and is anti-bacterial. EX3 Silk Sleeper, €73, greatoutdoors.ie and good outdoors stores

Joby Gorillapod

There are cheaper versions of flexible tripods and arms, but Joby is probably still the go-to name if you’re going to hang your shiny new camera off a pole somewhere exotic. Well-engineered, it has a family of sizes and mounts. €15 upwards from connscameras.ie and good camera shops

Merino baselayers

Merino wool is extraordinary for outdoors life. It’s a wonder fabric: odour-resistant, breathable and an amazing insulator. For a baselayer, it’s hard to beat. Brands like Patagonia and Icebreaker in stores, from €30

Packing cubes

You need to be vaguely organised to get into using them, but they make for better packing and bizarrely, you can actually get more in. Eagle Creek from €13 at basecamp.ie and good luggage outlets

Tom Kelly @tomtomkelly