QTVan personal caravanThis looks like the ultimate niche product, the perfect solution for the solo camper who likes a few mobile home comforts: a personal caravan.
Promoters ETA seem to have thought of everything from the built-in 19” TV to optional extras such as solar panels, satellite dish or perhaps the choice of a bespoke paint job if you wanted to pimp-your-QTV.
At 2m by 0.75m (approx 6.5ft by 2.5ft) it’d be strictly for the loner or a couple with no personal space issues. Of course, those of us who ever had to bunk in a Rathmines bedsit back in our student days would be well used to the idea of having to sleep with our head in a sink and feet out the door.
You can have a good poke around its interior on the ETA site and there’s a cute little video showing off its petite charms. Even their price tag at £5,000 (€5,612) seems not implausible. And yet, we come to the speed. The QTVan is apparently for the mobility scooter market and so you can expect a top speed to your destination of about 8km/h.
Turns out the QTVan is in fact very well thought through, but as a marketing ploy, not a personal caravan. It’s a viral to engage us with ETA’s real products: insurance for mobility scooters. Yet amazing just how many gizmo sites have swallowed it whole.
Costn/a, see video at eta.co.uk
Bow-Peep cycling glovesDesigned by Anna Glowinski, these Bow-Peep cycling gloves are part of her Ananichoola range of gear for female bikers. Reflecting her passion for two wheels, she brings a practical eye for detail to interesting, cool, bikeable fashion and accessories.
So the Bow-Peep gloves have a kitchy, crochety back and ribbon bow detailing, but with reassuringly padded palms that are ideal for the casual cyclista. You won’t be taking on the Giro d’Italia with them, but they combine a cute aesthetic with a tested functionality. There’s a gender gag in there somewhere, but I’m going to let it go.
Instead I’ll leave the last word to Anna: “We don’t want to apologise for who we are, or hide our ponytails under our helmets; feminine style doesn’t mean kissing goodbye to performance.”
Machine washable, in three sizes and two colours.
Cost£24.99 (€28), from ananichoola.co.uk
Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival KitIf you immediately thought of baby food when you saw the word Gerber and conjured up visions of an emergency sachet of mushy apricot for the shopping mall, you may not need to read any further.
This survival kit comes from the Gerber, which has the subtitle “Legendary Blades” and makes a whole range of macho cutting, chopping, dicing-slicing tools for the wild outdoors. For rubbidy men, as a hillwalker friend once extemporised.
Raw eyeball-eating, dung-drinking, cockroach-munching über rubbidy man Bear Grylls has put his name to this kit, which is effectively a boy scout’s ultimate wish list. (And yeah, I’d love it.)
The expected are in here, such as a multi-tool, mini-light, survival blanket and so on, but also snare wire and fishing gear, and instructions for a land to air rescue. And plenty more for your inner Bear. Even a booklet of survival tips from the grisly gourmand himself.
And, as you’d expect from the home of Legendary Blades, it’s all properly tough and well-made. You could probably even whip up a berry purée with it if you were caught short . . .
Cost£47.95 (€54), from thebushcraftstore.co.uk