What's New What's Hot is Travel Weekly's look at useful and fun travel gadgets, edited by Joe Rosen. Click here or on the image to open the slideshow of all of the featured products for September.
Samsonite Computer Travel Kit. The perfect accessory for a traveler with a laptop in tow, this five-piece kit (all the products fit in a zippered pouch) makes mobile computing easy and efficient. It contains a number keypad, a rubberized mouse, an earphone with a retractable cable and built-in microphone, a four-port USB hub and a multi-card reader/adapter for SDHC support. $50;
www.samsonite.com.
Grab Guard. The name says it all: The Grab Guard is a 2.5-inch-wide circular lock with a retractable wire cable that is designed to secure your laptop bag, purse, backpack, briefcase, camera bag or luggage around any relatively immobile object, such as a chair, desk or table leg or a shopping cart handle. No key is required; this personal anti-theft device has a two-digit combination lock that releases with the touch of a button when you are ready to grab your gear and move on. The Grab Guard offers up to 50 pounds of pull strength yet is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand when the cable is retracted into the unit. This product can be a trip saver for the inattentive and distracted traveler -- and doesn't that describe all of us at one time or another? $19.99;
www.grabguard.com.
Lug Hula Hoop Messenger Bag. This all-purpose bag can be everything for everyone. For the traveling parent with a tot in tow, it acquits itself admirably as a diaper bag, what with its draw-string bag, change pad, two water bottle holders that can double securing baby bottles, and stroller straps that tuck away when not in use. For the road warriors among us, the Lug Hula Hoop functions as a personal carryall, with an easy-access cellphone pocket, a large main compartment, a padded and adjustable shoulder strap, accessory pockets, pen holders, a detachable key fob, a ventilated storage pocket and a water-repellent exterior. It is available in nine colors. $102;
www.luglife.com.
Journey Gym. This portable fitness system can be used in a hotel room, an office, a ship's cabin or an RV. Packed into a briefcase, the Journey Gym includes a stepping platform, resistance bands that offer five to 75 pounds of progressive resistance from each side of the platform, handles that adjust to any user's height or range of motion, a training DVD and online tracking capability. Through the use of retractable legs, the Journey Gym turns into a commercial-grade stair stepper to provide a cardiovascular workout for the heart and lungs. Designed to include circuit training of alternating one-minute sets of strength and cardio workouts as well as longer training sessions, the Journey Gym can accommodate users weighing up to 350 pounds or a couple for a simultaneous session. One caveat: The thing weighs 14 pounds, so lugging it around is a workout in itself. $245;
www.journeygym.com.
Compass 2 Wheeled Carry On Tote. Just right for short-haul business trips, this ultra-lightweight bag from Atlantic Luggage, a Travelpro company, tips the scales at only five pounds. It features a telescoping handle with two stops, and a large, zippered front pocket that provides handy access to your travel documents, wallet and portable electronics. Built close to the ground (it is only a foot high by 16 inches in length and 8.5 inches in width), this practical carry-on features a rugged polyester exterior, skid guards, wheel housings and corner guards. It is available in cranberry and black. $67.99;
www.atlanticluggage.com.
Got something for What's New, What's Hot? Email Joe Rosen at jrosen@travelweekly.com.