Gifts to Take You Places : A whole earth catalogue of the season’s best gear for actual or armchair travelers : CLOTHES

With the holiday travel season in high gear, the question of what to pack for family visits and vacations can be as anxiety-producing as choosing all the right gifts.

Overcrowded planes with scant storage space, long walks through airports or train stations, and the tendency of weather to change and dress codes to segue from laid-back to formal, all conspire to recommend packing light and making as many items as possible do double duty--a tall order. Following is a selection of items to ease the angst of a season on the go, or to bestow on your peripatetic loved ones:

L.L. Bean, long favored by the rugged outdoor set, has come a long way since it catapulted to fame in 1912 with its Maine hunting boot. Recognizing that its customers do occasionally come out of the muck and go out to dinner, the company has developed a wrinkle-resistant poplin men’s blazer. Woven from a kind of bounce-back polyester fiber, the lightweight, full-cut blazer-style sport jacket comes in shades of tan, olive and navy, and has three exterior pockets and two interior chest pockets.

A colleague whose job as a photographer frequently takes him from urban street shoots to semi-formal dinners, keeps one of these jackets in his car trunk. I’ve seen him drag the jacket out of his oversize camera bag, give it a quick shake (which took out most, but not all, the wrinkles) and head out to an evening’s affair.

The jacket certainly would not be mistaken for a Saint Laurent, but at least the wearer won’t look like something the ducks threw back.

L.L. Bean, (800) 221-4221; Poplin Traveler’s Blazer, regular (M792HH), $125; tall (M793HH), $135.

Hiker friends swear by the climate-convertible outfits from ExploraWear, makers of lightweight clothing for both far-flung and city-center excursions. Their safari jacket has zip-off arms for instant air-conditioning, a mesh lining that aids ventilation and a hood that rolls into a zippered compartment in the collar when not in use. The pants’ zip-off legs give you shorts in a flash. The synthetic fabric, which has the texture of cotton, dries quickly and nearly wrinkle-free, and pockets abound. The pants look kind of silly with the zipper band circling the thigh, but for informal wear, this is a good way to avoid taking both shorts and slacks.

ExploraWear, (612) 340-9870, ISVJ Jacket with zip-off arms, in tan or black, unisex sizes extra small to extra large, $169.95. Combo pants with zip-off legs, available in tan, dark blue, slate gray, or olive. Men’s: 30-44, inseam 30-38; women’s 4-16; $79.95.

It might rain, it might not; the last thing you want to schlep around is a bulky raincoat. Enter the packable trench/raincoat--a full-length water-resistant nylon slicker that folds down into its own tiny zippered pouch for carrying. The button-front coat has two outer pockets and a drawstring hood that folds behind the button-snap collar. Available in evergreen, black and navy blue. London Fog won’t feel threatened--the styling on this coat is minimal. But as a just-in-case item, the trench packs unobtrusively away in a briefcase or large purse.

Hammacher Schlemmer, (800) 543-3366, Trench/Raincoat ( 55614 ) in small (36-38), medium (40-42) and large (44-46), $100.

Unfamiliar hotel rooms can be a perilous obstacle course in the middle of the night. Enter the lighted slipper. Flick the button at the back of each sandal-like shoe and a bulb built into the toes disperses a wide angle of light. The nocturnal footlights run on two AA batteries (included) and have a terry-cloth upper and non-skid sole. Although the slippers work surprisingly well, you could get dizzy watching the light bounce up and down as you walk. Also, the light gets quite dim after a few uses, so marathon night-walkers will need plenty of extra batteries.

Sorry, Maxwell Smart, no slipper-phone yet.

Hammacher Schlemmer, (800) 543-3366, Lighted Slippers (42949M), Men’s S (7-8 1/2), M (9-10 1/2), L (11-12 1/2) and XL (13-14). Women may be able to wear a men’s size one size smaller than their normal shoe size. $39.95.

And now for cozier tidings. REI’s winter booties are ankle-high, nylon slippers with fuzzy, brightly patterned Polartec linings and Thinsulate insulation. Very lightweight and toasty, the booties pack easily and they’re fully machine washable. Outer soles are reinforced with Cordera nylon.

REI, (800) 426-4840, Warm and Cozy Booties (K117-142), in extra small to extra large sizes; black, blue, or violet. $35.

Still cold? Tuck the whole family in for the night in flannel-wear that’s warm, but light enough to take up minimal suitcase space. Cotton flannel nightshirt or pajamas in adult unisex sizes and sweat pants in kids’ sizes have blue background with white polar bears tumbling all over. Matching acrylic-fleece-lined, rubber-soled slippers in adult and kids’ sizes complete the set.

The Nature Company, (800) 227-1114, Nightshirt (154710) in adult unisex sizes small/medium (large/extra large are not currently available) $29.95; Pajamas (157310) in adult unisex sizes small, medium, large or extra large, $39.95; Sweat pants (192010) in youth (age 7-14) sizes small, medium or large, $22; Adult slippers (157110), sizes small, medium or large, $25; Youth-size slippers (185210), sizes small or medium, $19.95.

Even the most wrinkle-resistant clothes sometimes need a little touch-up, and traditional travel irons have a history of doing more scorching than smoothing.

Not this one. Franzus, best known for its electric current converters, has developed a dual-voltage steam and spray iron with a non-stick coated surface. A multitude of vents disperse the steam evenly and, unlike most travel models, there’s a control for changing heat settings. The handle locks in place against the iron when not in use, and this very light iron (just 1 pound 7 ounces) comes with its own travel pouch and adapter plug for the most common overseas sockets. Not every hotel will provide an ironing board (a bed is a rather clumsy substitute), but I’ve saved big on hotel pressing bills since I started toting one of these.

Magellan’s, (800) 962-4943; Spray and Steam Iron (EC212B), $34.85.

Magellan’s also has addressed the problem of the hotel-room headless hanger, which won’t hang from anything but the closet-rack glide, and thus can’t be used elsewhere in the room or in the bathroom. These dysfunctional hangers are increasingly common at hotels that are more concerned about hanger-theft than customer comfort. Though it’s a sorry state of affairs when hangers become a BYO item, it doesn’t hurt to carry one or two with you, and one of the best is the Folda Hanger.

This lightweight, folding travel hanger is made of anodized aluminum that won’t rust and stain clothes, has two chrome clips for pants or skirts, a small center bar for ties and belts, and a head that swivels. It comes with a little pouch for hiding jewelry or other valuables (though you’d do better to entrust these to a room safe or hotel vault). The hanger weighs just 3 ounces, so take an extra.

Magellan’s, (800) 962-4943; Folda Hanger (TL466), $6.85; two for $12.50.