Travel Gear: gadgets for on the go

Monkii Bars

No opportunity to work out or keep in condition is to be forgone these days; travelling is certainly no excuse. Monkii Bars are another portable gym option for the fitness fan.

They come as a pair of pleasingly tactile maple bars with a hollow aluminium core. Pop off the end plugs and find a lightweight but super-strong Spectra cord which you can attach to your hotel door hook or sling over a tree. Adjust for height and your exercise and you’ve got yourself a set of workout bars.

$119 from monkiibars.com

World Desk Clock

This deceptively simple-looking clock may be just the gadget for a travelista’s desk.

With a regular analogue face, its world clock functionality is hinted at with the 24 cities listed around the outside of the cylindrical body. Set the clock to your local time and put it with this time zone to the top. To read the time in another city, just roll the clock so wherever you want to check is on top instead.

The clock’s hands rotate to display the time over there and then it rolls back to the local setting again.

$49 from dwell.com

AirBac Backpack

AirBac has patented its air cushion technology, but it seems like an idea that might also find its way on to other backpacks without frames. Not that I’m encouraging copyright fraud, I hasten to add.

Its innovation is to add an inflatable pocket, like a pillow, low to the back of the rucksacks. This pushes the body of the bag away, thus straightening up posture. The air cushion allows the backpack’s weight to sit above the waistline, so there’s less inclination to hunch forward. There is a range of styles and sizes; the Airtech is a midsize pack for carry-on.

$90 for Airtech Backpack from airbacathletics.com

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