Gear & Gadgets : Playing It Safe on the Road

Along with the excitement of traveling abroad come the fears of traveling abroad--potentially unhealthful drinking water, lax fire prevention and detection in some hotels, street theft of valuable documents and cash. The following products are aimed at alleviating those concerns. (Shipping and handling are extra.)

The fear of contaminated water is universal among world travelers--particularly those venturing into underdeveloped nations where health standards may be questionable. Purified bottled water is not always an option outside major tourist and business centers--and even when bottled water is available, you can’t always trust that such water is indeed what the label says. Travelers to Third World countries have long relied on iodine tablets to kill harmful bacteria--but the tablets can take quite a while to dissolve and the water acquires an off-taste.

Katadyn, a company that manufactures industrial water filters that purify via a porous ceramic filter element, has introduced a mini filter for travelers. It’s about the size of a hand and weighs only eight ounces. The filter rids water of bacteria that causes diseases such as cholera, typhoid, amoebic dysentery, giardia and travelers’ diarrhea. The filter will not, however, protect against chemical pollutants or viruses such as hepatitis.

Operation is simple: Dangle the attached rubber hose in a water source such as a glass of tap water or a lake, then pump the filter’s handle. After 10 to 20 pump strokes, purified water starts flowing from the spout. The company claims that the Mini filters a pint of water per minute. During my test, the process took double that time; when the water source was muddy, even more time was required, and the filter had to be frequently cleaned using the special brush that detaches from the filter case.

Still, in emergency situations, the Mini is indeed good to have around. For hikers, it can be especially valuable even in this country, where many wilderness water sources are contaminated with giardia from animal waste. The replaceable ceramic filter element lasts up to 1,000 gallons, depending on how often you clean it--which could amount to many years of use.

A note of caution: If the ceramic element cracks (as it might, if you drop it), contaminated water can seep in, making the unit useless. So care should be taken to protect the filter, especially during transport.

Katadyn Mini Filter with nylon pouch (item no. 407265) is $150 from REI; tel. (800) 426-4840. Replacement filter (item no. 407169) is $70.

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Hotel fires are another major fear in foreign cities, which often lack stringent fire safety codes. Even in the United States, high-rise fires occasionally threaten business and pleasure travelers. As most people know, it’s smoke more than flames that causes the greater number of fatalities. Now you can carry your own lightweight, battery-powered smoke detector for extra security on the go. The tiny (3 1/2 inches by 2 3/4 inches by 1 1/8 inches) plastic unit uses a so-called “ionization double chamber” to detect smoke in the air.

To operate, hang the unit by its built-in bracket from the top of a door or wall hook. A red LED light flashes every 40 seconds indicating the alarm is functioning. (The unit emits a low-battery signal when power is low.) If smoke is detected, an 85-decibel pulsating alarm goes off. There’s a self-test button for periodic checkups.

I tested the alarm several times by holding a burning paper towel a few feet away. The alarm took quite awhile to respond to the smoke--at least five minutes. Even when I walked right up to it with the flaming towel, the alarm did not respond for one minute. However, in a serious fire, there would be a lot more smoke--which I could not simulate at home.

A note: Once the alarm went off, it could be deactivated only by disconnecting the battery, an inconvenience during false alarms. I was also frustrated by the 40-second interval at which the LED light flashes, indicating the unit is working. A shorter interval would afford more peace of mind; most professional room alarms have a continuously flashing LED light.

Nonetheless, the alarm is a good backup for hotel fire detection systems, and weighs so little that it’s worth taking along as an added precaution.

Portable Smoke Alarm, including 9-volt battery (item no. SP609), is $1,985 from Magellan’s; tel. (800) 962-4943.

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Whenever I go abroad, I’m confronted with the dilemma of where to stash all my documents, from passport and airline tickets to foreign currency, hotel confirmations and itineraries. My regular wallet just can’t handle all those separate categories, nor can most folding passport cases.

This leather travel organizer solves the problem. Measuring 10 inches by 5 1/2 inches by three-quarters of an inch, it unzips to reveal a plethora of compartments for documents, credit cards, passports and other items. There’s also a tab for a pen, a snap-closure compartment for coins or keys, and a detachable carrying strap. A slot on the outside of the case holds items you want at the ready without having to unzip the case--such as airline tickets. Gold lettering identifies each compartment’s intended use.

If you can find the space in your purse or jacket pocket, this is a nifty item to have along. If you’re traveling in a pair, for security sake I recommend getting two of the cases and divvying up credit cards, cash, passports and vital documents, so if one of the cases is stolen you’ve got backup material in the other. The idea of one person carrying all documents may sound efficient, but it’s quite risky.

Zippered leather Passport Case in black (item no. 80284) or brown (item no. 80452) is $42.95 from Rand McNally; tel. (800) 234-0679.

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Leather belts with hidden slats for cash have long been popular for foiling pickpockets. But you can’t fit much in a typical belt--even a wide one--and travelers often have to stash larger items such as passports in their shoes, which can damage the documents and are uncomfortable to boot.

Eagle Creek’s spacious lightweight security pouch, worn like a belt either outside or underneath pants or skirts, is a welcome solution. Made of rip-stop nylon and backed with an absorbent fiber that feels like cotton against the skin, the 12-inch-by-6-inch pouch has two zippered compartments--the lower, smaller one for cash and small items, the upper one for passports, airline tickets and other larger items. The pouch has an adjustable elastic waistband that’s backed with the same soft fiber as the pouch to avoid skin irritation.

My fiance, a fellow travel writer, has taken this pouch all over the world and wouldn’t think of leaving home without it. It works better for men than women, fitting more easily under their pants waist. When worn on the outside of pants or a skirt, it functions like a fanny pack and loses some of the advantages of concealment.

Eagle Creek also makes a 6-inch-by-7-inch neck pouch; it hangs from an adjustable cordthat can be worn around the neck (and concealed under a blouse) or over the shoulder and concealed under a jacket. The pouch, which has a Velcro flap that folds over two slit compartments, may be a more comfortable solution for women.

Security Belt (item no. 6308) is $12, Neck Pouch (item no. 6307) is $9 from Travelsmith; tel. (800) 950-1600.