Jim Eagles: I'll fix those horseshoes

I'm not a gadget nut. Not really. But I do believe the right gadgets can make travelling a lot easier. For instance, I always take my Swiss Army knife so I'm prepared should there be a bottle of wine requiring opening or a stone to be removed from a horseshoe.

And these days I never head off without my EzyDry, an inflatable, torso-shaped hanger for the speedy drying of clothes, available from www.travelcomfortable.com.

New gadgets are coming on to the market all the time - some practical, some just expensive gimmicks - so here's a rundown on some of those which have come my way recently.

My daughter Alex roadtested the MacPac Vamoose, with assistance from her two children, but the other items I tried out myself.

* Life changes in so many ways once children become part of the equation. Almost every activity suddenly becomes harder. And getting out and about is probably at the top of the list. Although pushchairs have come a long way since I travelled in one, even the all-terrain models baulk at ascending narrow, root-riddled bush tracks. And not many airlines will let you take a pushchair all the way to the plane..

But where the pushchair stops the backpack can take over. We have three in our house. The first, a Karrimor, was great until the children were about six months old because it was lightweight, folded flat, and was easy to pop the child into and put on.

When the children became heavier, however, it became less desirable as the all of the load was borne by the shoulders.

The second backpack, a Phil and Ted, was bought for its sturdy supportive frame and load-bearing waist-hip belt. But it had little use because it was awkward to get a child in and out of it and very bulky.

The latest addition - the Macpac Vamoose - is the favourite. It has the same useful features of the Phil and Ted but is more compact and, most importantly, more comfortable for all concerned. MacPac design backpacks that are as comfortable as they are practical. I've had a MacPac backpack for 15 years and taken it through 50 countries, so I can attest to the comfort and durability.

The MacPac Vamoose is designed for youngsters from 6 months to 4 years and retails for $499.

* MacPac also make a great range of clothing. I took two of their interwool tops to Antarctica and then on a whitewater rafting expedition and they were fantastic.

They have a synthetic outer layer and a fine merino wool inner layer, combining the best features of both materials. They are extremely warm (essential in the Antarctic), dry very quickly (great for whitewater rafting), don't retain odour (helpful anywhere) and quite dressy (meaning you don't have to take a fancy shirt as well).

The mountain-warmth style, which has a crewneck, costs $129, and the slightly dressier active-warmth, with a zip neck, costs $199. See the MacPac link below for further details.

* The Herald has included several gadgets in the special offers available to subscribers, so I thought I should try them out.

The Intrepid Traveller set is a roomy bumbag containing a useful little kit that includes a dinky torch, multipurpose knife (including a corkscrew), one of those microfibre towels that dry instantly and pack up to nothing, and a packet of soap sheets, all items it would be great to have on a trip.

If you're a subscriber the set is $29.95 (free delivery) or $39.95 plus a $4 delivery charge if you aren't a subscriber.

There's also a natty leather travel wallet which, as well as having the usual space for credit cards and cash, has a couple of pockets for passports and tickets plus an outside pocket for boarding passes.

It's well-designed to cope with all the papers, cards, notes and coins you'd be likely to take and is just the thing to avoid last minute panics about where you put the passport.

On the downside, it's too large for most pockets, although there is a loop handle for secure carrying.

The wallet is $39.95 for subscribers or $44.95 plus $4 for non-subscribers.

Then there's a roomy travel bag, just like a big sports bag but with a handle and wheels. I haven't taken the bag on a trip to see how it copes with airline handling - the ultimate test - but it looks strong, has heaps of space and the zips are well-placed for easy use.

The only problem is that if it isn't reasonably tightly packed your stuff slides down to one end.

The bag costs $99.95 whether you get the Herald or not, but subscribers also get a free fitness set and don't have to pay the $4 delivery charge.

You can order these three products by ringing 0800 633 377 or click on the Reader Rewards link below.

* One of the downsides of flying is the likelihood of my sinuses getting stuffed - in both senses of the word - by all that recycled air.

So I was quite excited when I saw a poster at Sydney Airport advertising FESS, or Frequent Flyer Saline Nasal Spray, a mix of salt, tea tree oil and moisturiser.

At first we made our own version, adding a drop of our own tea tree oil to the saline solution, and that certainly helped. But then it turned out that Jill Gardner, who runs www.travelcomfortable.com, has the real FESS on sale for US$14.95 ($24).

I've used FESS on a couple of trips now and my nose has certainly been a lot more comfortable.

* Keeping your luggage secure when you're travelling is a tricky problem. On the one hand, some countries insist on being able to open your bags when they feel like it. On the other hand, if you leave your bags unlocked there's a risk of pilfering - or having something added.

There are now approved combination locks available which can be opened by the authorities should they consider it necessary. Another option is to use a cable tie to seal your bag.

Because they're easy to cut it means security people can open your luggage without having to break your lock but you will know immediately if a bag has been checked or tampered with and you can act accordingly.

You can get a pack of 20 TamperTell cable ties from www.travelcomfortable.com for US$14.95.

If you're really worried about someone slipping a bit of contraband into your bag, you can add Tell-Tags to your security supplies.

These are cunning little paper tags which stick over your zip and tie together the slider hoops so that they not only tell you if someone has opened your bag but also - and this is the crucial bit - if someone has winkled open your locked zip with a screwdriver, slipped a packet inside, then zipped up the bag.

I tried an experiment and the tags do work.

Tell-Tags are also available from www.travelcomfortable.com at US$12.50 for five.