Travel Gear: space pen, blow-up sailing dinghy and mozzie repeller

Fisher Space Bullet with Stylus
The legend has it that whereas America spent millions developing a pen to work in space's low gravity, the Russians merely used a pencil. All I can say is I still get a kick out of my original Fisher Space Bullet, with its pressurised ink cartridge – meaning it can write upside down and even under water. Oh, and I tested that, of course. This is its Space Bullet with a silicon conductive stylus tip to use with your touchscreen tablet or smartphone. $22 from NASA via amazon.com

Tidal 3.2 Inflatable Dinghy
Tidal claims this the first high-performance inflatable sailing dinghy. A little over 3m (10.5ft) in length, it packs away into a pair of bags – for the hull and the sails – in about 20 minutes. Just throw them in the boot and you're ready to go. Able to take two adults or an adult with two kids, Tiwal's Dinghy adds a water sports option to any driving holiday. Some 50kg, it can put up to 7sq m of sail. Don't forget a pump, unless the kids could puff it up... From €5,500, see tiwal.com

Thermacell Repellent Camp Lantern
The downside of any al fresco dining at night whether camping or renting on the Med is the dastardly mosquito. Thermacell's water-resistant Camp Lantern doesn't just throw out up to 300 lumens of light, it also repels mozzies. The trick is a powerful bug repellent it heats to disperse at the same time, creating a 20sq m safe zone. $60 from thermacell.com

Tom Kelly is on Twitter @tomtomkelly