Compiled by
TOM KELLY
Carvor Razor and Mirror
Given the economic indicators are that we’re not giving our credit cards much action these days, here’s something useful to stick in your wallet instead. The Carzor is a card-sized razor and mirror for impromptu grooming on the go.
The razor handle simply pops out of the card and clicks into the blade cartridge, a pair of which are stored at the back of the mirror. The U-shaped mirror itself is hardly Hubble Telescope reflective, but you can certainly make a fist of getting rid of that stubble without excessive bloodshed.
Of course, there was a time when a razor only had one blade, but even a credit-card-sized one has three nowadays. And a scented strip. You can choose from the usual mint, lemon, ocean smells, or the slightly more unexpected option “sandal”. What next? Gym socks? Eau d’armpit? I haven’t got a nose of it yet, but hopefully it’s actually sandalwood. Travelling light just got a little lighter.
Cost $12 from infmetry.com
Stuffitts Shoe Savers
Whether you’re an inveterate walker, regular hiker, runner or you simply spend a lot of time on your feet, Stuffitts could give your footwear a new lease of life. Not to mention a new whiff of freshness.
Simple yet smart, Stuffitts are foot-shaped soft forms that you stuff in your shoes and that are incredibly efficient at absorbing any moisture in there. Their outside layer is a dual-wick fabric (draws moisture one way) and the insides are made from 100 per cent natural Eastern red cedar. So no chemicals, no sprays, no powders needed for them work.
Footwear left to dry in the air will still retain up to half their moisture after 24 hours, whereas a pair of Stuffitts claims to remove 98 per cent of it in the same timescale. In fact, they say the job’s nearly done in just an hour. And no moisture means no comfortable home for nasty bacteria to hang out and breed in. Your shoes will deteriorate less and smell a lot better. Not that we’re suggesting anything, you understand.
Stuffitts come with a strap that keeps them together like a pair of kid’s gloves and also makes for an easy way to carry boots or runners if you’re hauling them around for some activity.
Available in a range of colours and sizes.
Cost$24.99 from stuffitts.com
Crank Brothers Multi 17 Tool
Crank Brothers are serious bike guys. And girls. This Californian outfit has been a constant innovator in cycling technology, and although this isn’t a revolutionary product – like, say, the same manufacturer’s egg-beater pedal – it’s a single multi-tool that will let you give most bikes a complete service on the side of the road if that’s what’s required.
At a saddle-bag friendly 168g, it packs a lot of tool into a small space. Seventeen different ones, as the name suggests (there’s a 19 model, too, right down to a pared-back five-tool version). This one has a chain tool, spoke, hex and open wrenches, as well as torx (star), Phillips and flatheads, all exquisitely engineered in high-tensile steel with an aluminium body.
It comes with a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects. And for the design police out there, there a choice of dark grey or gold (below) for those who like their multi-tool bling.
Cost£18 from wiggle.co.uk (who sometimes offer free international delivery)