Travel gear

Flint laces

Okay, so we're vaguely wandering into Bear Grylls territory here, but who knows when you just might have to get a fire going in the wild beyonds without a Bic to hand. No need to start rubbing sticks together if your boots are tied up with these flint laces. Their tips are rubber-coated Ferro rods which will strike a light with a blade edge. Just peel off the outer layer and get sparking. Luckily they come in brown or black, as you wouldn't want to commit a fashion faux pas, and the laces are made from super tough and useful 550 Paracord. $14 from rattlerstrap.com

Train Reaction luggage wheeler

It’s a simple idea but does the trick, letting you wheel two cases with one hand, while keeping the other one free to wave your passport or tickets around.

Indeed, surprisingly, it actually seems to balance up your luggage load with two pieces better than wrangling one. You just loop the Train Reaction strap over the handle of one case and through the handle of the other and hook it back on itself. Then tilt the cases to find the centre of gravity and wheel away. $20 from trainreaction.com

Pocket rig

Something of a prosumer camera accessory this, for the serious hobbyist or aspiring guerrilla film-maker. Its makers, Edelkrone, call it the smallest DSLR rig in the world and certainly it's only about half the size of a regular DSLR camera body. Hidden within it you'll find a stabilisation stick with a chest pad to give a firm camera position even on the move and a pair of 15mm industry-standard rods for fitting handles or a matt box. The stabilisation stick can also neatly clip to a belt to improvise a tripod. And while the rig won't fit in your jeans pocket, it'll slip into the corner of any decent camera bag. €220 from edelkrone.com

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