Compiled by TOM KELLY
Topeak BikamperAdmittedly at first glance, this does look like a bike that has crashed into a tent. Indeed, its name looks not unlike that too, a couple of nouns having clattered into each other.
The Bikamper is a one-person tent that uses the front forks of a 26” mountain bike or a 700c road wheel model to keep it up. The rest of the tent follows more conventional form, being made out of 45D water-resistant ripstop nylon and a flysheet of 70D waterproof taffeta nylon with a couple of mesh panel windows to ventilate.
Given the Bikamper’s poles are your bike frame, just this fabric makes for a super-lightweight solution, coming in at just 1.35kg (under 3lb). And it bundles up into its own little 26cm x 14cm sack which you can attach to the handle bars.
Cost€190, from firebox.com
Levi's 511 Commuter JeansFrom back in ancient times when a pair of 501s was the denim du jour, here's a brand you don't hear a great deal about now. This is an interesting venture into the semi-technical arena with a pair of jeans specially designed for the commuter cyclist.
They’ve taken a standard, and added a whole raft of bike-positive features. For a start these 511s are stretchy and made with a water-repellent, Nano-sphere material. They’ll actually throw off a light shower. Moreover, being impregnated with antimicrobial properties, they won’t start to pong after a day’s urban biking.
There are reflective strips revealed on the turn-ups and a utility waistband that takes a U-lock. So the bizarre skinniness apart, all good news – except, they’re not releasing them in Europe just yet. Honestly.
Cost$78 (€57), see levis.com
Bellerby Desk GlobesThe smooth spinning action on Google Earth's virtual globe is pretty addictive when you first try it. Who can resist giving the planet a few Olympian fingertip rotations? UK-based Bellerby has realised there's a market for an analogue version: an old-fashioned globe – olde-worlde even – that invites a spin or two.
Set up as recently as 2008 when the founder became frustrated searching for a really good, traditional-style globe for his naval architect dad’s 80th. Bellerby now has a range of precision-crafted globes, designed, manufactured and painted by hand.
They don’t come cheap, with the top of the range model’s pricing definitely exclusive, however their desk globes are a lovely special gift for avid travellers or sailors. These have a weighty 2.5kg globe, on multi-directional roller bearings and set in an American black walnut base for a timeless class of a gadget.
Cost£590 (€674), from bellerbyandco.com
Kindle FireIt's had a lot of publicity since its launch a couple of weeks ago, but the Kindle Fire is not going to set the world alight over here in the short term at least, as Amazon hasn't announced any timing for when it might be available to us.
Still, when it does eventually pitch up, at this price point, it’ll potentially have plenty to offer to the journeying masses. It’s a full colour tablet rather than just an e-reader like its niched sibling.
Smaller screened than an iPad, it puts the Amazon universe seamlessly in the palm of your hand. In the US, this means more than 100,000 movies, a million books and 17 million songs. There’s e-mail and browsing too.
CostAbout $200 (€145), from amazon.com. Eventually.