Five for the road
The right gear can make any trip easier and more fun. Here are some options to consider before leaving home.
1. If your ultimate entertainment includes two-wheel touring, have we got a portable bike for you. Dahon's 18-speed Vitesse P18 folding bike can handle rural expanses or urban streets. The bike has powerful front and rear brakes, 20-inch wheels, high-traction tires with extra puncture protection, a well-padded saddle, and a pump stashed in the seat post. Weighing about 27 pounds, it folds to 31.2 inches by 25.7 inches by 11.3 inches deep, which will fit in the trunk or backseat of most cars. Stashed (with some disassembly) in Dahon's new rolling AirPorter Mini Suitcase (priced separately), the bike can fly as checked baggage.
Dahon Vitesse P18 folding bicycle is $899, AirPorter Mini Suitcase, $299.95; www.dahon.com, 1-800-442-3511.
2. If you can't look like a movie star, at least your sunglasses can look like theirs when you're out on the town or hitting the casino. Celebrity Sunglasses Finder posts photos of screen stars, sports heroes, and other public figures in their sunglasses, identifies the make and model, and links to retail sources. The site also will track down that information when you e-mail a photo of a celeb in lenses you like. Won't you look gorgeous in tortoise plastic-frame Guccis identical to those Sandra Bullock wore in her Oscar-winning role in The Blind Side (model 3034/S, $205)? Needless to say, these are high-quality sunglasses, not just a pretty frame.
Celebrity Sunglasses can be found at www.celebrity-sunglasses-finder.com.
3. If you would rather hit the road guided by a big, portable GPS device than a smart phone, Garmin's new nuvi 1690 will tempt you even further with some smart-phone smarts. In addition to its user-friendly 4.3-inch touchscreen with spoken directions, optional detouring, lane-assist features, and Bluetooth connectivity, the nuvi 1690 adds a wireless data plan called nuLink (free for two years, then $5 per month). NuLink hooks you up with Google local and White Pages searches, real-time traffic, weather, fuel prices, flight information, movie listings, and other local entertainment. Even with annoying pop-up ads, the nuvi 1690 is the best of the best in a portable GPS.
Garmin nuvi 1690 has a suggested retail price of $449.99; www.garmin.com, 1-800-800-1020.
4. Take your show on the road with the pocket-size Tonium Pacemaker, which can turn even tech-challenged types into razzle-dazzle disc jockeys. The Pacemaker is an MP3 player with a touch interface that lets you upload your music (via included USB cable), pick a mix, and add audio effects and cross-fading like a pro. A neat function automatically matches the tempo of one track with another. Record and save your mixes to the Pacemaker's 60GB internal hard drive. 2.8 inches by 6.5 inches by less than 1 inch thick; less than 7 ounces.
60GB Tonium Pacemaker is $499 at www.pacemaker.net.
5. Nobody makes business bags better than Briggs & Riley. Now add "lightweight" to the accolades. The new nylon Move Business Case weighs just 2.5 pounds but packs three double-zippered sections into its 16-inch by 12.5-inch by 5-inch-deep frame. A thickly padded computer compartment can cushion other fragile items (a wine bottle). A fan file holds letter- and legal-size folders, maps, or itineraries. A multi-pocketed organizer section has pouches to protect MP3 players, cell phones, PDAs, flash drives, and small cameras. With double-padded handles, padded shoulder strap, and back pocket that can slide over the retractable handle of a wheeled bag.
Move Business Case in black or moss (VB402) is $157; www.briggs-riley.com, 1-888-462-2247. I