Travel gear that’ll make you feel snuggly, send you on a picnic or let you roam the Ethernet
For items that help ease your way on the road, consider snuggling up in a blanket with a hood and foot pockets, a longer Ethernet leash to free your laptop, a complete picnic set that folds for storage and a revealing carry-bag to quickly see all your stuff.
Tuck-in service
A lightweight blanket can take the chill off a long flight or train ride and be a cozy barrier between you and scratchy sheets (or blankets of questionable cleanliness).
The Nap Hooded Footed Throw Blanket has an integrated hood and a foot pocket that keeps toes tucked in. The light gray fleece is equally soft on both sides, and the perimeter is finished with satin trim. The blanket is 70-by-50 inches and folds down low for packing.
Info: Nap Hooded Footed Throw Blanket costs $49.99; lat.ms/hoodedfootedthrow.
Reel deal
Wi-Fi may not fly in remote locales and can be fickle even in high-tech places. Bless hotels that equip rooms with Ethernet ports linked to laptop-friendly modems. And kudos to the folks at Extngo for a compact, retractable 50-foot cable, which lets me and my laptop meander beyond the desk. Out from a bright orange housing just 5.5 inches in diameter and 3 inches thick, more than 16 yards of flat, shielded cable unspools.
To retract it, grab the sturdy plastic handle at the top of the housing and reel in smoothly using the easy-grip, rotating knob, just like a fishing pole.
Info: Extngo 50-foot Retractable Ethernet Cable with 3-foot retractable patch cable is $47.99; lat.ms/extngo
Bags that bare all
I prefer a travel bag that’s completely clear — as in see-through. I want to be able to see the contents of every compartment, internal and external.
Clear Handbags & More sells sturdily stitched flexible plastic carryalls in various shapes and sizes, from simple handbags to multipocketed briefcases, wheeled backpacks, spacious duffels and enormous shoulder bags.
When discretion is warranted, you can always use an opaque carry bag (purchased elsewhere).
Info: Clear Handbags & More transparent handbags start at $10; duffels and cross-body messenger bags, $20; large briefcases and shoulder bags, $30; wheeled backpacks, $45; clear-handbags.com.
Collapsible picnic pack
Picnic at Ascot, a leader in upscale wicker picnic baskets, has launched a simpler model that should serve travelers well.
The new Collapsible Insulated Picnic Basket Set is a polyester-canvas, zippered cooler bag, available in red or navy, that has a lightweight internal aluminum frame designed to stand upright but collapse nearly flat for storage.
Acrylic stemware; stainless steel knives, spoons and forks; festive cotton napkins; and colorfully rimmed 9-inch melamine plates come neatly arranged in front and rear external pockets and in elastic loops sewn into the inside of the lid.
A two-person model is 18½ by 6 by 11½-inches when open, but collapses to less than 3 inches thick. A four-person set doubles the service and collapses almost as flat. Take off with one of these, and you have only to add the components of the fresh-air feast.
Info: Picnic at Ascot Collapsible Insulated Picnic Basket Set costs $60 for a two-person model (No. 408), $65 for a four-person set (No. 401); picnicatascot.com.
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