Travel gadgets by ADAM HARVEY
Keep on running
- Salomon XT Wings(€115, www.greatoutdoors.ie) are light, sturdy trail-running shoes with the grip splayed wide at the heel, like the tyres on a monster truck, for stability in the rough. Pull-cord lacing gets them on and off in a hurry, and a hardened toe gives more protection from rocks and tree stumps that refuse to get out of your way.
- Three years on, my Canon 300D camera is so well thumbed that the paint has worn off the back of the body, and my computer's hard drive is full of thousands of images that I'll never have the time (or cash) to print out: a testament to the addiction of a decent SLR. The 500D (€999.99, www.canon.ie) is the same engaging camera with some useful new functions, such as a bigger LCD preview screen and the ability to take high-definition video footage as well as stills (hence the hefty price). It's hard to work out when you'd need some of the other bells and whistles, such as the ability to bump up the light sensitivity to 12,800 ISO. Amateur photographers will never test the capacity of the 15MB sensor, and the slideshow function might provide entertainment on the road, but it eats into the battery life.
- The Juice C2(€81, www.oksports.ie) is about as basic a Leatherman multitool as you'd want. It has 12 tools – screwdrivers, knife, corkscrew, bottle opener and pliers, weighing in at 122g, or just over a third of a standard Leatherman. I like the heft of the bigger multitools, but this one is small enough to slip into a jacket pocket and forget about until you need it.