What's New, What's Hot: July 2018

|

Dock and Bay Beach Towels: According to the manufacturer, its unique microfiber blend of 80% polyester and 20% polyamide makes these towels soft to the touch, extremely absorbent, sand-resistant and three times quicker to dry than an equivalent cotton towel. Compact and light weight, the towels are travel ready: fold it up and it is no bigger than a hard-cover novel. Other attributes range from an elastic hook to it out to dry to its own carry pouch. The beach towels are available in large (63 by 31 inches) to XL (78 by 35 inches) and in colors and designs too numerous to mention. $16 to $25; www.dockandbayonline.com/all

Give us your feedback!

Ever tried a product from a What's New, What's Hot column? Hit the comments below to tell us what you bought and what you thought of it.

Tesalate Beach Towels: Let the towel wars begin. These beach towels, which measure 63 by 31 inches, also come in a variety of colors and striking designs. Fast-drying, light weight and staying virtually sand free, the products are super absorbent: According to the manufacturer, a Tesalate beach towel can absorb up to 34 ounces of water. As for being travel friendly, the towel can be rolled up and fit in an accompanying compact bag. $59; www.tesalate.com

The Rincon Backpack: Although you can use it as an overnighter, this tote by any other name works and looks great as a classy beach bag, what with its Ethiopian premium leather accents and heavy-duty canvas body. The backpack's spacious, unlined interior compartment is roomy enough to handle a beach blanket or two. Exterior straps make it easy to carry and an interior Swiss-made Riri zipper pocket provides a degree of security. The Rincon, which measures 15.5 by 8 by 16 inches, comes in white, with brown leather accents, or green, with rust brown leather accents. Parker Clay, the company responsible for this product, appears to be culturally supportive and ethically attuned to its Ethiopia-based infrastructure, which is worth noting. $218; https://www.parkerclay.com

Alchemi Labs River Hat: Presumably it takes a full-scale laboratory, with white-coated technicians attending to test tubes and beakers, to come up with what Alchemi immodestly describes as the "ultimate sun-protecting line of hats." Among them is the River Hat, which like all of the brand's hats, boasts "radiant barrier technology from the space industry!" that blocks 99.8% of skin-damaging UV rays and reflects as much as 80% of the sun's heat waves. The River Hat, one of four unisex styles available, also has a moisture-wicking sweatband and expansive ventilation to aid in helping cool heads prevail as well as an asymmetrical, shapeable brim, adjustable sizing and chin strap. Colors: dark olive green, khaki. $32 to $39; www.alchemilabs.com

Tranverz Small Suitcase: Despite its khaki camouflage print garb and ballistics-grade nylon exterior construction, this soft-shell carryon from Eastpak is very much at peace with the idea of overnight travel. The bag, which can be carried (it has padded side and top handles) or easily maneuvered on its two-wheeled base, features a zip-fastened front pocket, adjustable clip-fastened compression straps, internal zippered pockets and a double zip-around closure with a TSA-friendly combination-lock fastening. The Tranverz Small, which measures 12.8 by 20 by 9.5 inches, weighs only 5.5 pounds. (The bag is also available in two larger sizes.) $120; https://www.eastpak.com

Alpha Keeper Money Belt: This boon to travelers can be worn hidden under your clothing or externally as a discouraging-to-thieves fanny pack. Made of waterproof, machine-washable repo-stock nylon, the Alpha Keeper has an adjustable elastic waist band with a snap clip that can extend to 47 inches when unfurled. The money belt's virtues include a large secret pack on its back side, two front pockets, six identity-protecting RFID-blocking sleeves for shielding credit cards and one RFID-blocking sleeve that can hold and protect as many as three passports. Available in beige, black and brown, the money belt, which has an aluminum zipper and a plastic closure, cannot be detected by a metal detector. $19.38; https://alpha-keeper.com

From Our Partners


From Our Partners

Unveiling Oceania Cruises’ New Voyages, Plus Caribbean Getaways
Unveiling Oceania Cruises’ New Voyages, Plus Caribbean Getaways
Register Now
TTC Tour Brands — How We Lead: What Tour Directors Know About Leadership
TTC Tour Brands — How We Lead: What Tour Directors Know About Leadership
Read More
Destinations on a Plate: Culinary Tourism
Destinations on a Plate: Culinary Tourism
Register Now

JDS Travel News JDS Viewpoints JDS Africa/MI