Travel Gear: Patagonia’s wetsuit revolution and a stylish activity tracker

Patagonia Yulex Wetsuits Thanks to a powerful environmental mission at its heart, Patagonia has been working to find an eco-friendly alternative to neoprene, the go-to material for wetsuits, but a non-renewable, energy intensive one to produce. Now Patagonia's full range of 21 wetsuits is going neoprene-free thanks to Yulex, a natural rubber it's developed that reduces CO2 emissions by up to 80 per cent when compared with neoprene. It's sharing its new know-how with the wetsuit community to inspire an industry-wide move from non-renewables. From €175, see eu.patagonia.com

Misfit Ray Since watch brand Fossil bought fitness tracker Misfit it was only a matter of time before its design nous permeated its acquisition's technology. The swimproof Ray hasn't much new hardware, but it does have a big tick in the fashion box. It doesn't look like a tracker, so it may be a more appealing wear for those already sporting a favourite watch. It counts steps, measures distances and all the usual sensors. No screen means analysis via your smartphone, but a clever LED display uses different colours to relay alerts and notifications. €100, see misfit.com

Bragi Dash Wearable tech is reaching into every corner, even our ears. Bragi's Dash are wireless smart earphones with audio, communication and fitness tracking combined. They charge in the case they come with, and controls are by swipes and taps, no buttons. Waterproof to a metre, so swimmers can length with them in, they pair with your phone for calls and can monitor all the usual activity metrics. And even carry up to a 1,000 tunes on their internal memory as well as accessing your device playlists. €299 from bragi.com

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