Canon PowerShot D20, Snap Folding Skateboard and Eiger Field Jacket
Shockingly good camera
Don’t let the powder blue detail fool you: this is one seriously tough compact. Waterproof. Shockproof. Dustproof. There’s plenty of camera packed in the contoured body too, with a 5x zoom (that’s equivalent to 28-140mm in a 35mm model), image stabiliser and even a custom underwater mode if you want to make the most of its impressive 10m waterproofing.
Canon’s build quality is evident all around, with easy-to-use buttons mostly rear mounted and quick access shooting. It comes with all manner of picture modes and has GPS tagging built-in. There’s HD video, of course, and an HDMI connection so your holiday slideshow can entertain victims in the crispest quality also. As toughies go, the D20 is about as sensitive as you’ll get.
12 megapixel sensor Canon PowerShot D20, €399 from camera stores.
Fold up your skateboard and go
One suspects there are more skateboarder parents than practitioners reading this, so this may have to filed under potential pressie rather than must-have travel gadget. This is the world’s first folding skateboard, a niche claim perhaps, but it’s been pulled off with some considerable design style.
The deck is made from aircraft grade aluminium (seems like the only grade that’s ever used) giving it a Marc Newson touch. Skateboards have to withstand significant forces – and not just when a middle-aged bloke risks his wrists on one – and so the folding part has to be particularly resilient.
Latches underneath let the kicktails fold up, revealing a set of reassuring interlocking pins that give the joints rigidity. The trucks and wheels are standard.
Snap Folding Skateboard $120 (€96, though currently out of stock); snapskateboard.com
Anoraks just got cool
The traditional, austere, tailored look of the Eiger belies the high-spec construction that lets this straddle technical outdoor wear and the everyday wardrobe. It’s made out of a hi-tech waterproof, breathable fabric called c-change (think Bowie track).
However, the outer is wool-faced, so its robust weather protection isn’t obvious. This is about as sharp and smart as an “anorak” can get – if that isn’t to put the Eiger down. Probably parka is more appropriate.
Seam taping all over, an adjustable hood and enough hidden zippers to keep the nerdiest of pocketophiles content, it comes from San Francisco-based label, Mission Workshop who specialise in premium cycling accessories.
Eiger Field Jacket $695 (€556) from missionworkshop.com