Conveniences of Home in a Car

Just because I am car-bound doesn’t mean I don’t expect all the conveniences of home. Whether you are trying to accommodate all your gear, snatch some nap-time, shed a little light on a subject or operate electronic gadgets, life on the go has gotten easier thanks to new products. Some items may be available at area stores. Prices do not include shipping and handling.

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Backpack for the car: Large loads and small cars have never gotten along well, and when vacation travel is involved--particularly foreign travel that may entail a compact rental car--the problem can be especially acute. Now Kanga, a manufacturer of roof packs, has developed an ultralight portable model specifically designed for fly-drive vacationers. The urethane-coated, rip-stop nylon pouch holds 10 cubic feet of goods, but weighs less than 2 pounds. It comes in a drawstring bag about the size of a football. Attaching the Roof Pouch is easy. Just lay it on the car roof, open the doors, and attach the nylon webbing straps via their in-door hooks, which fit most four-door vehicles. Then, unzip the heavy-duty double-slide zippers and stuff away. This roof pouch is not designed for heavy loads or severe weather conditions (Kanga makes other models for those needs), nor will it thwart a thief with a pen knife. But for a temporary “backpack” for your car, this may be just the ticket.

Ultra Light Roof Pouch (item ULP 10) is $94 from Kanga; telephone (800) 347-9793.

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Two-in-one flashlight: Lumatec, which makes travel lights of all sorts, knows that flashlight batteries can die at the most inconvenient times. The company’s new 3-inch-long FlashAgain is a two-in-one flashlight that plugs into the car cigarette lighter for recharging. It has both a bright white flashlight beacon for maximum brightness and a red LED key light for finding key holes or reading without disturbing those nearby. The FlashAgain recharges up to 1,000 times, charging fully in 12 hours. An attached clip hooks to purse straps or key rings.

FlashAgain Dash-chargeable 2-in-1 flashlight is $14.95. For a store near you call Lumatec; tel. (800) 776-7945.

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Car nap alarm: Drowsy drivers are a big cause of traffic accidents; vacation driving especially can mean long hours on the road with insufficient sleep or whacked-out body clocks. Westclox has introduced a battery-powered digital travel alarm clock for cars so drivers can pull over to a safe area and grab a quick nap when needed. The lightweight Auto Napmate can be quickly programmed for a specific snooze length using the nap button, which provides 15 to 99 minutes of sleep time, adding increments each time the button is pressed. The alarm beeps for one minute. The clock attaches to the dashboard via a mounting bracket (included). The clock also has a standard 24-hour alarm function that can be set in the traditional manner if more nap time is wanted or for use as a regular alarm clock. The Auto Napmate runs on one 1.5-volt button cell battery (included). This one could save a life. Auto Napmate is about $16.

For a store near you, contact General Time Westclox; tel. (800) 272-8463.

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More power on the go: On long car trips when someone else is driving, I like to flip on my laptop computer to get a little work done. Now I can do this without worrying about battery rundown thanks to the Portawattz Inverter, which plugs into my car’s cigarette lighter and provides 115-volt household AC power for as long as I need it. The Portawattz works with any appliance up to 140 continuous watts, making it fine for laptops, cell phones, TVs, VCRs and portable stereos. There’s nothing tricky to the operation; just plug the Portawattz into the cigarette lighter and the electronic item into the Portawattz, which accommodates two- or three-prong plugs. An on-off switch allows the Portawattz to remain attached to the cigarette lighter when not in use, and it has a low battery/overload warning button. The 15-amp fuse is easily replaceable if you blow it--though the instructions warn that overload can damage your appliance, so read the power specifications carefully before charging up.

Portawattz Inverter (EA285) is $69 from Magellan’s; tel. (800) 962-4943.

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Car jacks to spare: With so many items plugging into car lighter sockets, here’s a helpful product that allows you to use more than one at a time--up to 200 watts or 15 amperes total. The Tandem Jack plugs into the lighter to create extra sockets. A small model provides two sockets; a larger version attaches via a 3-foot cord, allowing the unit to rest on a car seat or dashboard. A light indicates the unit is charging.

Tandem Jack two-outlet model (M789) is $8.95; three-outlet model (M855) is $16.95 from the Herrington Catalog; tel. (800) 622-5221.

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Gear & Gadgets appears the first week of every month.